Carthage Hopes to 'Advertise' Downtown During Buggy Festival

Mary Kathryn and Martin Kenefick paint a downtown Carthage window as Mayor Lee McGraw, Annette McGraw, Pat Motz-Frazier, Bingo Barringer, Chuck Watson, Catherine Graham and Nancy McKenzie watch from outside on the sidewalk.

By John Chappell

As of Saturday, May 12, 2012

Thousands heading for Carthage today for the annual Buggy Festival means a chance for the town to advertise itself.

With help from “Friends of Carthage” — a nonprofit offspring of the town’s Appearance Committee — downtown windows have just been painted with brightly colored suggestions.

“This could be a bakery,” one proclaims, with pictures of tasty treats. Next door, dolls and tin soldiers adorn the front glass of another space that “could be a toy shop.”

The hand-painted designs are the work of volunteer artist Lauren Kenefick and her kids. On Wednesday, they showed what they’d been doing to Mayor Lee McGraw and visiting members of the Town Board.

“It is a suggestion — it doesn’t have to be a bakery,” Kenefick said as daughter Mary Kathryn and son Martin put finishing touches while their visitors watched from the other side of a picture window. “I would love to make it my bakery. Of course I’d have to find a restaurant that would rent me their kitchen at night.”

She actually is a baker. Someday she might make that a reality, but for now she’s heading to Sandhills Community College for studies in medical coding.

“My husband retires next year after he comes home from this deployment,” she said. “I’ll have to find a job!”

The Keneficks are a military family, with Staff Sgt. John Kenefick presently serving with a combat aviation brigade of the 82nd Airborne Division of the U.S. Army in Afghanistan. He’s had a long Army career.

“He was a tank commander with the Fourth Infantry Division when they went to Iraq,” she said. “He went to Bosnia, to Kosovo, from Germany.”

The Kenefick’s children go to local schools. Martin is a junior and Mary Kathryn is in her senior year at Union Pines. She’s turned 18, and voted for the first time in the primary election.

Town Commissioners Catherine Graham and Pat Motz-Frazier joined Bingo Barringer and Nancy McKenzie in front of Chuck Watson’s downtown building, where two spaces are being decorated with suggestions in time for the weekend.

Watson has volunteered the use of his windows. The building itself has historic roots.

“It used to be a car dealer,” Watson said. “They actually had an elevator in the back and could bring cars in and keep them on the second floor.”

He stores some of his collection of antique furniture in the two spaces at present. The visitors wandered around the tin-ceilinged rooms admiring old walnut-framed mirrors, cabinets, bedsteads and other relics.

“Those are lovely!” Motz-Frazier said. “I love antique mirrors.”

She owns the elaborate 1880s Queen Anne Victorian mansion that was once home to buggy company president William T. Jones and operates it as a bed-and-breakfast, The Old Buggy Inn.

McGraw and his wife, Annette, looked over the colorful images and liked what they saw. He has been encouraging a number of projects to improve the look of his hometown.

“This is all part of the Appearance Committee’s work,” McGraw said. “It is supported by deductible donations to Friends of Carthage.”

The annual festival has had some tough years. It was nearly canceled when a Carthage branch of the Chamber of Commerce decided it could no longer operate it. After that, a new nonprofit corporation was organized to run the festival, but the economy hit donations hard and this year it nearly didn’t happen, according to Town Manager Carol Sparks.

“We lost some of our longtime sponsors,” she said. “But then we had some angels come to our aid.”

A $5,000 gift from the Carthage Century Committee and another anonymous supporter rescued this year’s Buggy Festival. Now budgeting will retain enough funds from this weekend’s event to assure that the 25th annual Carthage Buggy Festival will be able to take place in 2013, Sparks said.

McGraw says the town won’t let the festival fail.

“Won’t happen,” McGraw said. “There will always be a Carthage Buggy Festival, and this year will be the best ever.”

Contact John Chappell at (910) 783-5841 or jfchappell @gmail.com.

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Pinehurst2012 1 year ago

Why on earth didn't the Town of Carthage get this family of artists to paint the mural adjacent to First Bank? It looks like they could have painted a fine sight to see, instead of the eye-sore up there now. It looks awful!

The children at Carthage Elementary could have done better!!!!! It is a embarassment to the town and should come down. We could have had a beautiful mural that represented the town well like Robbins has of its famed doctor and astronaunt or Siler City has......no we have Lee McGraw painting the town with scenes from the Muppets. If this is what the "Appearance Committee" is going to be spreading around town, please.....please........put down the brush!

camesh 1 year ago

Hope everyone can see the beautiful mural on the feed & seed store in Vass.

clbvpm 1 year ago

I love the ones in Siler City, Asheboro and Robbins...Have not seen Carthage or Vass, but will check those out this week as I pass through.

LeeMcGraw 1 year ago

Ok, number 1...I DID NOT paint the mural. this alone should be enough to tell you the bats are busy in the head of this cowardly, mean blogger. It was painted and signed on 18, 4x8 sheets of sign material. I installed it and rolled sealer. She is painting the last scene on the left panal later. Number 2 The town of Carthage had nothing to do with it.The cost is also very low, You are mean and just want to hurt Carthage. I have no problem telling you that you are mean, a liar and asking you to identify yourself to this post.

Pinehurst2012 1 year ago

Ok, number 1 to you Mayor, no one said you personally painted the mural, but simply implied that you condoned it and/or permitted it in your capacity as Mayor. And I do not intend to be a mean blogger, I am simply exercising my right of free speech afforded to me by the Bill of Rights. I am just telling you what your Board may not be due to hurting your feelings. I assure you other Carthaginians feel the same about it. I would hope you would stop "her" from painting the last scene since the first scene looks like it is poking fun at real art.

Number 2, perhaps the town should have something to do with it next time.....it appears that someone's opinion of art is lacking (not a personal attack on you, I have no idea who authorized it); and I am so glad the cost was low.....I would never pay for something like that. You may still consider me "mean" but if you can't take the truth which of course you take as criticism, get out of politics.

I love Carthage, definitely not out to hurt the town....I would love to see the best for the town and I can tell you that isn't it, and if you authorized it neither are you!

As to identifying myself, what difference would it make....you going to challenge me to fight? Grow up!

amariezbi85 1 year ago

Pinehurst 2012 - looks like the Mayor hit a nerve? If you would like to research, even article here, the mural on that wall has been talked about since 2009 and NO ONE did anything. The cost would have been more than 6x the amount; no fund raiser was ever done as stated and until now, there has only been talk. Once someone finally does something, of course it is not "good enough" for someone with the title "Pinehurst 2012". There have been numerous suggestions on how to spruce up the murals and that will be done in the months to come, but everyone wanted something up before buggy festival this year - and by the time the 25th buggy festival comes - which is next year - the murals will look great! So, if you want to contribute to the "friends of carthage" fund so we can spruce up the murals, feel free to contribute. Talking seems to be all people want to do these days and then complain when people actually do something....don't get it. Thanks to the Mayor for at least trying to be proactive. And by the way, painting on windows is entirely different than painting "free-hand". With window painting you can blow up stencils and trace around them to produce the effect you want. If you know of someone willing to donate their time to complete the 1st mural - last mural whatever you want to call it -then by all means, call the Mayor and send them to the town you love so much.

Pinehurst2012 1 year ago

Amariezbi85, looks like I struck a nerve with you.

I am glad to hear that there are improvements in mind for the coming year. The Mayor took the political low-road in saying that I was trying to hurt Carthage.....not so! Just like a politician's response to someone's opinion that is different from their's.

Here's an idea, why don't Carthage build something there in that vacant lot that can be used and respected by the public.

amariezbi85 1 year ago

"Here's an idea".........well, let me start by telling Pinehurst 2012 that they are not the 1st to have that idea and 2nd, the town does not own the empty lot; it is private property, so until the owner allows something to be done with the lot, neither the appearance committee or anyone else willing is limited as to what they can do with that space. But, I know the Mayor, The Town Board, the Town of Carthage, the Committees, and those who love Carthage would all want that area to be more than just an empty lot. There have been plenty of ideas rolled around (some are pretty darn good) that would look good there; but, sometimes you deal with the hand you are given and try to be positive until that time comes. Then there are those who will always come to the side of "negativity" and not lend a helping hand; we need more people to get involved, come up with positive solutions and support the towns they say they love so much. Carthage is not the only small town in America that needs the support of positive people, but it's a start.