As this issue closes and a new year comes into view, I’ve found myself thinking about shifts. Sometimes they are subtle, as Randee Haven-O’Donnell – the biggest fan of the Grateful Dead – could tell you, like the song “Estimated Prophet” transitioning into “Eyes of the World,” so drawn out, you don’t realize it happened. Other times, it feels more pronounced, like the end of an era.
Our community experienced one of those moments this season. After 20 years on the Carrboro Town Council, Randee stepped away from the dais. Anyone who knows Randee understands she isn’t finished – far from it. Even so, the council will miss her when she’s gone, as another seminal Dead lyric goes, and so will the people who watched her work tirelessly to engage all voices in governance.
What I admire most about Randee echoes something she shared in her outgoing council remarks: She’s powered by a “Freight Train” kind of determination, the kind Elizabeth Cotten wrote about as a teenager just a few blocks from where Randee spent two decades advocating, organizing and nudging this “little engine that could” town toward its better self.
She carries with her the lessons of women like Shirley Chisholm, Bella Abzug and those who encouraged her to run for that Carrboro Board of Aldermen seat back in 2005. They taught her that, if no one offers you a seat at the table, you bring a folding chair. Or, in Randee’s case, you set an entirely new table. (Read more about her Table Talks on Page 42.)
Now, she returns to the very roots that shaped her: activism, community education and that countercultural spark she traces back to the Woodstock Nation. It’s classic Randee – still believing we can build a more just world by showing up for one another, continuing on that “long, strange trip” with purpose.
I don’t know what the year ahead has in store, but I do know this: Fresh starts, brave choices and people like Randee give us good reason to keep chugging along. To quote the lyricist Robert Hunter, “Every time that wheel turn round, bound to cover just a little more ground.” – Jessica Stringer, editor
LOCALS TO LOVE
40 Horace Johnson Jr.
One Hillsborough native turned a basketball break into a lifetime of service
42 Randee Haven O’Donnell
A longtime local politician returns to her counterculture roots
44 Brian McGee
Meet the punk rock repairman behind Carrboro’s beloved music store
46 Alistair Cragg & Amy Cragg
This husband-and-wife duo leads a world-class running team rooted in the Triangle
KIDS & FAMILY
50 The Complete Family Playbook
Fun ideas, helpful insights and travel inspiration for families
64 Summer Camp Guide
There’s a camp in the Triangle for every kid’s interest from sports and STEM to music and Model United Nations
FEATURES
24 Reset Rituals
Experts share their best advice for cultivating healthy habits across the eight dimensions of wellness in the new year
32 New Year, New Spots
Five fresh openings bring renewed energy to Hillsborough
72 Eclectic Elegance
A designer who creates curated spaces goes big and bold on her own home
DEPARTMENTS
8 About Town
Events not to miss
10 Get Out of Town
Top Triangle events this season
12 Blast From the Past
Record-setting winter weather
14 What We’re Eating
News from our restaurant community, plus a dish we love
18 Glow Getters
Jessica Harris
PEOPLE & PLACES
80 Hearts for Malawi Gala
81 Musical Empowerment’s “Music in Bloom” Fundraiser
82 SECU Family House Gala
83 The Giving Party
84 Hillsborough Chamber Gala and Business Awards Ceremony
ENGAGEMENT & WEDDINGS
85 Kirven & Shaw
86 Long & Vaughn
87 Kamrani & Levitz
88 Stewart & Tackett
