September1998


EDITOR NOTES
I'm sure most of you are aware that Winston-Salem lost a historic landmark, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. Building 256-2. The fire that destroyed this building also damaged nearby Albert Hall. where several "high-tech" companies and condominiums are located. The Reynolds factory was to be the cornerstone of proposed Piedmont Triad Research Park. This is not the end of the development of downtown, only a minor detour in the downtown renewal that will shape Winston-Salem for the next century. Now, more than ever, West End residents need to actively support downtown. The West End Association plans to take a more active role in the events happening around Hanes Park, such as the Criterium sponsored by Ken's Bike Shop and various running events sponsored by the Twin City Running Club. There are also various festivals in downtown, such as the Hispanic Festival, the weekly Fourth Street Jazz Fests and Alive After Five that we can support. A vibrant, exciting downtown benefits the West End and all the surrounding neighborhoods - let's get out and show our support.

The next association meeting will be on Tuesday, September 1 at the Brunson Elementary School Cafeteria from 7:00 to 8:45PM. One of the items on the agenda will be the proposed Aquatic Center as presented in the Downtown Development Plan. There is talk of possibly locating it in Clemmons!? Come to the meeting to and find out more. West End Association meetings are open to the public.

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE AUGUST MEETING
Thirty-two people attended the August meeting. This is one of the best turnouts we've had in several meetings. If you want to know what's going on in the West End, come on out and meet some new people at the Association meetings.

Dan Besse, Democratic candidate for the N.C. House (39th District), spoke about his background and issues he will tackle if elected. Mr. Besse is member of the Ardmore Neighborhood Association and native North Carolinian. If you would like more information, he can be reached at 722-1674 or at http://www.danbesse.org.

Bill Voiers gave an update the Summit St. residents efforts in getting permit parking for their area of the West End. Resident permits would be required on the 500-600 blocks of Summit, 800 block of 6th St., 900-1000 blocks of 5th St., and 41/2 St. between Brookstown and Summit. The city has already measured available parking in the area and their next step is to conduct a survey of the number of parked cars. If 2/3 of on-street spaces are taken at a given time of day, the city will run the tags of every car parked on those streets. If 26% of the cars are nonresident vehicles, then the area will qualify for zone parking. Bill said that once this core area gets approved for permits, other sections of the West End should start the petition process if they have a similar problem. The Metro section of W-S Journal (August 26) has an article about Summit St. parking.

THE WEST END HOLIDAY HOME TOUR
The 1998 West End Holiday Home Tour planning is in full swing and we have commitments from the following West End homeowners: Kerry Macleod, Jackie & Tom Pittman, Missy & Jim Vaughn and Brad Beach. This event gives our neighborhood great publicity and shows what can be done with older homes. We need more homes to make this the best Holiday Tour ever, so consider putting your house on the Tour.

To date, these individuals have volunteered for the following committees members for
TOUR CHAIRPERSON - Helen Cannon Tyson
HOUSE SELECTION - Sydney Falken, Billye Keith Jones and Laura Burrows
HOUSE CAPTAINS - Billye Keith Jones (Chairperson)
MATERIALS DEVELOPMENT - Lydia Whitt, Carol Wooley
PUBLICITY - Kristina Ebbink (Chairperson), Debbi Somers
TICKET SALES - Lisa & David Elam
HOUSE DECORATIONS - Diane Winebrenner
WOMEN'S CLUB RECEPTION - Terry Mandle, Lisa Elam
FUNDRAISING - Nick Kefal, Mary Ann Sevick, Mike Tyson, Debi Somers
TRANSPORTATION - John Merschel, Warren Sparrow
COMPLIMENTARY TICKETS - Wanda Merschel
HOUSE OPERATIONS - David Wallace
MUSIC AT HOMES - Lydia Whitt, Mary Ann Sevick

Volunteers are still needed for some of these committees, call Helene Cannon Tyson at 722-9804.


CrimeTIP Information Line 607-7260
Police Non-Emergency #773-7700

WEST END RESIDENT SPOTLIGHT

"PERMANENT VISIT TO WINSTON-SALEM"

Jacqueline Dorminy came to Winston-Salem for a visit in 1926. At that time, she was the leading lady in a production at the Little Theater in New Orleans. The Journal/Sentinel did a small article on her and it caught the eye of Mrs. Holton. Mrs. Holton contacted Miss Dorminy and asked if she would help her with a speech that her daughter, Rebecca was giving at a Kiwanis luncheon. Jacqueline agreed to help and she and the little girl wen to a park near the West End and conducted their session. The next day, Rebecca brought a friend who also wanted some help with public speaking. The following day. five more children showed up and by the middle of the next week, Miss Dorminy had over fifteen children in her impromptu class.

Jacqueline attended a recital where 8 children danced in a small production at the Palm Room in the rebuilt Zinzendorf Hotel. After seeing the performance, she spoke to the teacher and decided Winston needed a classic dance school. The next step was to find a location for a studio, the Zinzendorf Hotel seemed like a good central location so she approached the hotel manager, Mr. Schultz and offered to rent the ballroom for one day a week. Mr. Schultz did her one better - he offered to let her have it every day for $25 per week! Voila', Dorminy Dance Studios was born. Students from all over the area came to her studio for lessons. As the amount of students increased, so did the size of her productions. Dorminy Studios has performed 10 ballets in the Reynolds auditorium, the first of which was "Aida". At that time, Blacks were not allowed inside this facility and most other public buildings in Winston-Salem. Miss Dorminy got permission to bring in Black children as part of this ballet. It was one of the most visual productions ever performed at the auditorium.

Dorminy Dance Studio's home at the Zinzendorf Hotel lasted for almost 30 years. Miss Dorminy was in New York for a summer ballet school and upon her return, she had to vacate the hotel. It turned out that the owners decided to participate in the revival of downtown, tear down the old buildings and build new structures befitting the "modern" times. She had no place to teach and her classes were scheduled to start in two weeks. A temporary studio was set up at the old YWCA for 2 days a week. Old Town let her use the town clubhouse and Jacqueline found space in Kernersville. Eventually, she had twelve schools in the area, including Mount Airy, High Point and Elkins. The schedule proved to be very difficult to maintain, so she decided to centralize the studio location. She acquired the old Western Electric building where her studio resides today.

THE WEST ENDER
Published by the West End Association
P.O. Box 10055 Salem Station
Winston-Salem, NC 27108
http://www.slkp.com/westend/

Editors: Mike Tyson & Helene Cannon Tyson 722-9804
powermt@lycosmail.com/hcannon@ibm.net
Business Mgr: Nick Kefal 725-9209
Circulation: David Elam 724-5282