Reynolda House Museum Acquires Works by John Singer Sargent and Minnie Evans
]
John Singer Sargent, Mrs. Augustus Hemenway (1890), oil on canvas, Reynolda House Museum of American Art, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Leslie Baker
Reynolda House Museum of American Art has announced that Mr. and Mrs. Leslie Baker of Winston-Salem have offered the Museum a portrait of Mrs. Augustus Hemenway by acclaimed portrait artist John Singer Sargent and an untitled drawing by the self-taught African American artist from North Carolina, Minnie Evans. “We wanted to ensure these gifts would be in a place where they could serve the widest possible audience, and Reynolda House is extremely committed to strengthening the community through its educational mission,” said the Bakers. “We are excited that the works by Minnie Evans and John Singer Sargent will be used as teaching tools for generations to come.” Sargent’s portrait of Harriet Hemenway will join another painting by the artist at Reynolda—his portrait of the Marchesa Laura Spinola Núñez del Castillo from 1903 is on long-term loan from Museum founder Barbara Babcock Millhouse. “I am thrilled that the portrait of Harriet Hemenway will continue to inspire at Reynolda,” said Millhouse. “John Singer Sargent’s portrayal of Hemenway can be classified as among his absolute best.” The most popular portrait painter of the Gilded Age, John Singer Sargent (1856-1925) described himself as “a man of prodigious talent.” Painting in Paris, London, New York and Boston, Sargent was known to invest in his subjects with elegance, vitality and keen psychological insights. Mrs. Augustus Hemenway, or Harriet Hemenway, was a prominent woman in Boston society, known primarily as the founder of the Massachusetts Audubon Society. Harriet’s actions stemmed from her horror at the practice of killing birds for their feathers, which were used to decorate women’s hats. According to John H. Mitchell, writing in Sanctuary: The Journal of the Massachusetts Audubon Society, “One of the seminal events in the history of activism in this country took place in a parlor in Boston’s Back Bay in 1896. On a January afternoon, that year, one of the scions of Boston society, Mrs. Harriet Lawrence Hemenway, happened to read an article that described in graphic detail the aftereffects of a plume hunter’s rampage—dead, skinned birds everywhere on the ground …. She carried the article across Clarendon Street to her cousin Minna B. Hall. There, over tea, they began to plot a strategy to put a halt to the cruel slaughter of birds for their feathers.” The result was the Massachusetts Audubon Society, which led to the foundation of the National Audubon Society.
Minnie Evans, Untitled (1948), ink and crayon on paper, Reynolda House Museum of American Art, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Leslie Baker, (c) Estate of Minnie Evans
According to the sitter’s granddaughter, Augustus Hemenway asked his wife to commission a portrait from Sargent when the artist was visiting Boston. After offering her children as subjects, Harriet agreed to sit for the artist at his request. Sargent disguised Harriet’s pregnancy in the folds of her black dress and behind the elegant gesture of her hands holding a flower. Harriet’s granddaughter Elvine recalled, “When the head seemed finished, he asked her to put her hands in some interesting way, and as they were trying various positions, he saw a vase of white flowers in the room and gave her one to hold.” Mitchell stated that the flower was a water lily, which was “symbolic language proclaiming her condition [of pregnancy], and a rare, even shocking public announcement for the period.” In 1916, the portrait of Harriet Hemenway was exhibited at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. W.H. Downes, writing in the Boston Evening Transcript, praised the “brilliant, vital, vivid, and animated portrait of Mrs. Hemenway, also dated 1890. [It] is especially remarkable for the rich, glowing, transparent flesh tones, so handsomely contrasted with the fine tone of the black dress. The expression is that of a splendidly alive, normal, wholesome personality whose wide-open eyes look out with boldness, courage, and confidence upon a world that is well-worth living in.” Born in Long Creek, North Carolina, Minnie Evans (1892-1987) was a self-taught African American artist. She began drawing in middle age, and attributed her compulsion to make art to divine inspiration. Her work is known to be characterized by an emphatic symmetry, vivid colors and imagery that combines human faces and natural forms. Of her work, Evans said, “This has come to me, this art that I have put out, from nations that I suppose might have been destroyed before the flood. No one knows anything about them, but God has given it to me to bring them back into the world.”
Scholars attribute Evans’s frequent use of plant forms in her drawings to her employment as a gate attendant at Airlie Gardens in Wilmington, North Carolina. She said, “Sometimes I want to get off in the garden to talk with God. I have the blooms, and when the blooms are gone, I love to watch the green. God dressed the world in green.” Her drawing depicts a mythical creature with eyes, a nose and a mouth located on a strong central axis. The top of the figure’s head resembles a butterfly, and petal-like forms sprout from the head and neck. Below the figure’s mouth, a sun sets above a blue and green sea on the creature’s chin. Green forms marked by scrolling black lines occupy the figure’s shoulders, while a red-orange and yellow flower blooms in the center bottom portion of the drawing. The effect is mysterious and otherworldly, a product of the artist’s dreams.
Works of art by Evans are included in the collections of the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Museum of Modern Art and the Smithsonian American Art Museum. The Museum’s new acquisition by Evans was sold to Bud Baker by the St. John’s Museum, now the Cameron Art Museum, in Wilmington. When it enters Reynolda’s collection, it will join other pieces by self-taught Black artists, such as Horace Pippin’s The Whipping and Thornton Dial’s Crying in the Jungle, Crying for Jobs. It will also increase the Museum’s holdings of work by African American women, currently limited to works by Betye Saar and Lorna Simpson.
Local DAR Chapter Celebrates 125th Anniversary
]
Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily!
Your notification has been saved.
There was a problem saving your notification.
{{description}}
Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.
Boulder County-area home sales, Jan. 24, 2022
]
The following data is supplied by Colorado Weekly Homebuyers List Inc., 303-744-2020. Listed are the buyer, the seller and the amount.
Boulder
Ryan Ernstes — 2650 Iris Ave., Apt. B12, Julie Tackett, $171,100.
Adam Landkammer — 6185 Sugarloaf Road, Chad Gray, $255,000.
Joseph Doice — 70 S. Boulder Circle, Apt. 7021, Gail Kennedy, $274,500.
Eric and Mary Moss — 830 20th St., Apt. 209, Sky Top LLC, $325,000.
Maud Hueykenyon — 4870 Twin Lakes Road, Apt. 3, Eric and Holly Robinson, $360,000.
Lee and Elizabeth Tingley — 695 Manhattan Drive, Apt. 4, Western Bluebird 695 LLC, $390,000.
Weixing Jiang — 3281 Airport Road, Apt. 209, Thistle Velo LLC, $414,000.
Randall Fraser — 1001 Laramie Blvd., Unit F, David Joan Larson Trust, $515,000.
Alexandra Bertz — 505 Manhattan Drive, Apt. 201, Asuncion Horno Delgado, $530,000.
Paul Angelo — 2201 Pearl St., Apt. 214, Benyam Ephrem, $560,000.
Alice Ruppert — 4640 15th St., Apt. D, Richard S. Goodeallen, $585,000.
Di Wu — 1407 Bradley Drive, Rita Kotter, $593,000.
Margaret and Jennifer Grossman — 3401 Arapahoe Ave., Unit 306, Brenton S. Shafer, $649,000.
Zori Levine — 3401 Arapahoe Ave., Unit 204, Carol Jean Snyder, $656,100.
Carolanne McKirnan — 270 Gold Run Road, Julia and Julia Luckey, $659,000.
Gina and Arthur Strauss — 770 33rd St., 770 33rd Street LLC, $685,000.
Peter Paolilli — 1834 Arapahoe Ave., Unit D, Steven and Barbara Davis, $708,900.
Amy Katz — 1233 Cavan St., Michael and James Hinojos, $800,000.
Hadi Gilvari — 845 Inca Parkway, Ariel Jamie Dutton, $862,000.
Bonnie Rabin — 4539 Wellington Road, Michael and Elizabeth Scully, $900,000.
James and Amanda Monger — 4247 Redwood Court, Sandra and Ralph Basch, $925,000.
Molly May — 2120 Floral Drive, Delta Tau Chi LLC, $925,000.
Bret and Courtney Wentworth — 8958 Tahoe Lane, Christine D. Reiner, $940,000.
Linda Bates — 5312 Desert Mountain Court, James R. Turner Trust, $952,000.
Natalia Blanchfield — 13 Benthaven Place, Peter A. Mandics, $962,000.
Natalia Blanchfield — 13 Benthaven Place, Peter A. Mandies, $962,000.
Daniel Zafar — 2444 Vineyard Place, Frederic and Laurence Lambert, $989,000.
Evan and Eliana Walker — 1147 Crestmoor Drive, Judith A. Owens, $1,060,000.
Stephanie and Andrei Pop — 7556 Goodhue Blvd., Bret and Courtney Wentworth, $1,136,800.
Nathan Jimenez — 3190 Lafayette Drive, F. and Alice Allen, $1,190,200.
Wendy Miller — 369 Arapahoe Ave., Scheinman Properties LLC, $1,400,000.
Ari Gagne — 1777 Grape Ave., Kris Young, $1,595,000.
James Huie — 2550 University Heights Ave., Signe and Knut Hovem, $1,751,000.
Andrew and Christina Hartigan — 700 Lion Point, Geoffrey P. Cheeseman, $2,000,000.
John Prassl — 2205 Emerald Road, 2205 Emerald LLC, $2,200,000.
Ramu Raju — 8918 Katherine Court, James and Linda Loftus, $2,850,000.
Stephen and Lesley Defrees — 1780 Norwood Ave., Matthew M. Geraghty, $6,000,000.
Broomfield
Kathleen Luttrell — 13456 Via Varra, Unit 421, Ferdinando Dukic, $333,000.
Lonnie Sexton — 2131 Ridge Drive, Christy Reynolds, $380,000.
Theresa Aubinger — 13598 Via Varra, Unit 305, Alexandra S. Kahn, $420,600.
Ahmad Alqaqaa — 13456 Via Varra, Unit 128, Gregory P. Wingert, $475,000.
Jerod Wood — 978 E. Sixth Ave., Jason Whiting, $475,800.
Aaron and Christina Suprenant — 1422 Madero St., Andrea L. Sortwell, $487,500.
Jennifer Spangler — 3506 W. 125th Circle, Be A. Cash Buyer LLC, $491,500.
Angelia Cozzens — 3547 W. 125th Circle, Jennifer M. Spangler, $510,000.
Andrew and Abigail Jones — 1250 W. First Ave., Haley Vice, $550,000.
Denise Seymour — 738 176th Ave., Lennar Colo. LLC, $580,000.
Jacob Stier — 8493 Redpoint Way, Opendoor Property C. LLC, $585,000.
Suresh Sanka — 684 Netta Drive, Lennar Colo. LLC, $635,000.
Wendy Constantine — 16573 Umatilla Place, KB Home Colo. Inc., $640,000.
Tiffany and Randall Rayback — 680 Netta Drive, Lennar Colo. LLC, $700,000.
Gokul Narayanan — 17649 Delta St., Lennar Colo. LLC, $725,000.
Natalie and Sean Driscoll — 1101 Sunset Drive, Natalie Popesmith, $730,000.
Taner and Emel Aydogmus — 16302 Sand Mountain Way, Luke Edwin Ladtkow, $785,000.
Harsh Dahiya — 3382 Grizzly Peak Drive, Richmond American Homes Colo. Inc., $869,600.
Misty Mondragon — 13990 Cortez Court, Stephen and Jennifer King, $875,000.
Shaun and Sarah Rullo — 16739 Prospect Lane, Jong Chul Kim, $986,000.
Lorraine and Wendell Hunton — 311 Himalaya Ave., Purchasing Fund 2020 1 LLC, $989,400.
Darshan Puttannaiah — 13914 Beacon St., Frederick and Michelle Terry, $1,640,000.
Erie
Kurt and Krista Swanson — 1435 Blue Sky Way, Unit 8-108, Calder and Ceri Hendrickson, $370,100.
Caroline Smith — 574 Holbrook St., David R. Frank, $400,000.
Lian and Adam Ernette — 131 Ambrose St., Century Land Holdings LLC, $474,000.
David and Micah Frank — 575 Holbrook St., Caroline D. Smith, $535,000.
Lucas and Juliana Huffman — 1082 Anker Drive, KB Home Colo. Inc., $541,100.
Kimberly Flory — 1637 Wright Aly, CalAtlantic Group Inc., $555,700.
Kelsey Lambrecht — 12590 Jay Road, Betty Jean Kemper, $575,000.
Autumn Becker — 752 Gold Hill Drive, Richmond American Homes Colo. Inc., $582,700.
Adam Hess — 717 Gold Hill Drive, Richmond American Homes Colo. Inc., $598,400.
Laura and Ryan Norris — 1820 Gordon Drive, Jacob and Devon Anderson, $610,000.
Bertha Chairez — 444 Conrad Drive, Daniel A. Christian, $628,000.
Tonya and Timothy Smith — 860 Wildrose Place, Lennar Colo. LLC, $690,000.
Victor and Bethany Rink — 367 Maplewood Drive, Donald S. Murray, $711,700.
Christopher and Stacey Dempsey — 100 Austin Ave., Andrew C. Grodahl, $740,000.
Stephen and Abbey Hogan — 677 Sundance Circle, Dorothy C. Spagnuolo, $745,000.
Joseph and Nevena Mihalovich — 1597 Metcalf Drive, Alexandria Ka Walker, $769,000.
Dipendra and Roshe Shrestha — 790 Green Mountain Drive, Richmond American Homes Colo. Inc., $813,100.
Venkata Annavarapu — 806 Sundance Lane, Catherine Burson Revocable, $820,000.
Cynthia and Russel Orona — 902 Drake Ave., CalAtlantic Group Inc., $825,000.
Tiffany and Hartwell Pritchett — 1216 Ascent Trail Circle, Stephanie and Jeremy Wehner, $825,000.
Andrea Hanson — 1660 Meagan Court, Century Land Holdings LLC, $849,500.
David and Jessica Larson — 451 Orion Circle, Century Colliers Hill LLC, $1,220,500.
Lafayette
Thomas Gage — 302 W. Cleveland St., Jamee Loeffler, $260,000.
Peter Kulur — 723 E. Chester St., Beverly M. Fields, $355,600.
Nicholas Zinner — 2107 N. Fork Drive, Elizabeth R. Deroche, $514,000.
Tyler Wetzel — 406 W. Baseline Road, Unit A, Baseline Oldtown Village LLC, $535,000.
Jacqueline Beck — 125 Casper Drive, Gregory M. Ishii, $560,000.
Hui Huang — 1029 Delta Drive, Chad M. Dilworth, $658,100.
Peter and Laura Bradshaw — 2529 Concord Circle, Janusz Z. Krekora, $730,000.
Delia Bakeman — 608 E. Emma St., Jim Hamilton, $948,000.
Matt and Laura Skinner — 813 Cimarron Drive, Markel Homes Constr. Co., $1,050,700.
Robert and Jeanne Christenson — 1162 Blue Stem Trail, Hunter Living Trust, $1,150,000.
Lydia and David Leibs — 604 Portside Court, Mark Lanphear, $1,412,000.
Longmont
Janet Monahan — 225 E. Eighth Ave., Apt. B7, Joann Keller, $190,000.
Randal and Patricia Wheeler — 305 Quebec Ave., Coyle Enterprizes LLlp, $324,000.
Joann Thomas — 925 Parker Drive, Cynthia J. Stout, $365,000.
Michael Newman — 10674 Upper Ridge Road, Danielle and William Duffy, $367,700.
Barbara Howe — 231 Cardinal Way, Elizabeth and Lauren Depue, $375,000.
Colin and Brandi Baldwin — 943 Terry St., Rstc Invest LLC, $388,000.
Katherine Robbins — 300 Challenger Place, Asha Egan, $396,000.
Bradley Morse — 144 E. Fourth Ave., 144 East Fourth Avenue LLC, $410,000.
Sierra Castillo — 2245 Watersong Circle, Andrew Dekalb Morgan, $419,900.
Christian and Alicia Alvarado — 1820 Rice St., Matthew and Melissa Jimenez, $440,000.
Dennis Haug — 1232 Hover St., D. Lamone Ltd, $440,200.
Janet and Colin Morrison — 1426 Lamplighter Drive, Robert E. Lowe, $460,000.
Jeremy and Nicole Salsberg — 920 Quartz Court, Opendoor Property J. LLC, $479,000.
Sean Babbs — 1254 Venice St., Ruben Ojeda, $480,000.
Ross Meinert — 1629 Flemming Drive, David and Heather Schmitt, $486,500.
Osbaldo Samaniego — 213 23rd Ave., Elizabeth Lorinamills, $494,800.
Brian Hayhurst — 619 Quebec Ave., Greg and Jessica McGuire, $500,000.
Brennon Brown — 1630 18th Ave., Kevin and Robin Lewis, $515,000.
Donna Mueser — 1437 Beatrice Court, Virginia Negrete, $526,000.
Charles Bambenek — 1829 Cambridge Drive, Cambridge Rental LLC, $527,000.
Ashley Ostdiek — 305 Cottonwood Court, Christopher and Raquel Roney, $558,000.
Caleb and Sara Kimbrough — 9802 Sierra Vista Road, Aurelia Melanson, $565,000.
Jennifer Morse — 713 Nelson Park Lane, Donald and Fran Babcock, $570,000.
Christopher Bechberger — 2806 Humboldt Place, Orchard Property III LLC, $570,000.
Nancy Heitert — 3101 Spinnaker Drive, Wanita C. McCowan, $580,000.
Julian Unger — 1440 Northwestern Road, Wesley Charles, $580,000.
Brett and Jessica Palm — 1621 S. Vivian St., Paige and Christopher Littman, $585,000.
Laurie Carter — 1458 Wildrose Drive, Shelley S. Nelson, $610,000.
Courtney and Robert Pomeroy — 1314 S. Oak Court, Flatirons Homes Inc., $623,900.
Kelly Attaway — 330 Collyer St., Emily and Steph Meszaros, $650,000.
Peter and Desiree Fenichell — 1112 15th Ave., Raven Rei LLC, $660,000.
William Ferreira — 1511 Henry Court, Woodrum 1996 Trust, $710,000.
Richard Parker — 7455 Park Lane Road, Alicia Robb, $780,000.
Charles Tabor — 1515 Bowen St., James and Ker Wenzel, $780,000.
Lindsey and Donnie Bond — 1487 Clover Creek Drive, Bui Family Trust, $800,000.
Philippe and Nathalie Joly — 11695 Montgomery Circle, John and Ashley Bradley, $845,000.
Brian Bowles — 119 Western Sky Circle, Richmond American Homes Colo. Inc., $849,500.
Brian and Emily Phillips — 9825 Yellowstone Road, Deborah A. Belin, $862,000.
Roy Schewe — 2115 Pintail Drive, Pamela Cuming, $865,000.
Kristin and Scott Burrow — 1809 Caleta Trail, R. and Laura Ford, $890,000.
Jason and Jacqueline Kingery — 350 County Road 16 1/2, Alex and Kelly Kurz, $1,554,200.
Sarah Zaslow — 8250 Greenwood Place, Kitchener Trust, $2,100,000.
Louisville
Eagle McMahon — 643 Ridgeview Drive, Derek R. Cuny, $500,000.
Kylee and Collin Currier — 792 Nighthawk Circle, Richard A. Eckert, $700,000.
Adam and Kayla Kelly — 1812 Lakespur Lane, Matthew R. Larson, $1,100,000.
Lyons
Jennifer and Dana Rudkin — 703 Apple Valley Road, Casey Revocable Trust, $1,105,000.
Niwot
Stephen Atherton — 7748 Crestview Lane, Scott and Angela Brand, $1,526,000.
Superior
Kelly Gonda — 1460 Lanterns Lane, Bc Lanterns Rock Creek LLC, $812,200.
Calley Murphy — 2906 Castle Peak Ave., Michael Lyborg, $829,000.
Julie and David Falkenstern — 1470 Lanterns Lane, Bc Lanterns Rock Creek LLC, $850,000.
Steven and Dawn Krier — 1450 Lanterns Lane, Bc Lanterns Rock Creek LLC, $889,500.
Steven and Helene Meyer — 1440 Lanterns Lane, Bc Lanterns Rock Creek LLC, $906,200.
Lisa Short — 321 Amethyst Way, Jeffery and Jan Patterson, $1,175,000.
Ward
Amanda and Matthew Swain — 139 Pine Cone Drive, David Katzman, $1,040,000.
Cactus Records to move into spot near Rook’s Games and More, Montana Science Center
]
Country
United States of America US Virgin Islands United States Minor Outlying Islands Canada Mexico, United Mexican States Bahamas, Commonwealth of the Cuba, Republic of Dominican Republic Haiti, Republic of Jamaica Afghanistan Albania, People’s Socialist Republic of Algeria, People’s Democratic Republic of American Samoa Andorra, Principality of Angola, Republic of Anguilla Antarctica (the territory South of 60 deg S) Antigua and Barbuda Argentina, Argentine Republic Armenia Aruba Australia, Commonwealth of Austria, Republic of Azerbaijan, Republic of Bahrain, Kingdom of Bangladesh, People’s Republic of Barbados Belarus Belgium, Kingdom of Belize Benin, People’s Republic of Bermuda Bhutan, Kingdom of Bolivia, Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana, Republic of Bouvet Island (Bouvetoya) Brazil, Federative Republic of British Indian Ocean Territory (Chagos Archipelago) British Virgin Islands Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria, People’s Republic of Burkina Faso Burundi, Republic of Cambodia, Kingdom of Cameroon, United Republic of Cape Verde, Republic of Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad, Republic of Chile, Republic of China, People’s Republic of Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia, Republic of Comoros, Union of the Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, People’s Republic of Cook Islands Costa Rica, Republic of Cote D’Ivoire, Ivory Coast, Republic of the Cyprus, Republic of Czech Republic Denmark, Kingdom of Djibouti, Republic of Dominica, Commonwealth of Ecuador, Republic of Egypt, Arab Republic of El Salvador, Republic of Equatorial Guinea, Republic of Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Faeroe Islands Falkland Islands (Malvinas) Fiji, Republic of the Fiji Islands Finland, Republic of France, French Republic French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon, Gabonese Republic Gambia, Republic of the Georgia Germany Ghana, Republic of Gibraltar Greece, Hellenic Republic Greenland Grenada Guadaloupe Guam Guatemala, Republic of Guinea, Revolutionary People’s Rep’c of Guinea-Bissau, Republic of Guyana, Republic of Heard and McDonald Islands Holy See (Vatican City State) Honduras, Republic of Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region of China Hrvatska (Croatia) Hungary, Hungarian People’s Republic Iceland, Republic of India, Republic of Indonesia, Republic of Iran, Islamic Republic of Iraq, Republic of Ireland Israel, State of Italy, Italian Republic Japan Jordan, Hashemite Kingdom of Kazakhstan, Republic of Kenya, Republic of Kiribati, Republic of Korea, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Republic of Kuwait, State of Kyrgyz Republic Lao People’s Democratic Republic Latvia Lebanon, Lebanese Republic Lesotho, Kingdom of Liberia, Republic of Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Liechtenstein, Principality of Lithuania Luxembourg, Grand Duchy of Macao, Special Administrative Region of China Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Madagascar, Republic of Malawi, Republic of Malaysia Maldives, Republic of Mali, Republic of Malta, Republic of Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania, Islamic Republic of Mauritius Mayotte Micronesia, Federated States of Moldova, Republic of Monaco, Principality of Mongolia, Mongolian People’s Republic Montserrat Morocco, Kingdom of Mozambique, People’s Republic of Myanmar Namibia Nauru, Republic of Nepal, Kingdom of Netherlands Antilles Netherlands, Kingdom of the New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua, Republic of Niger, Republic of the Nigeria, Federal Republic of Niue, Republic of Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Norway, Kingdom of Oman, Sultanate of Pakistan, Islamic Republic of Palau Palestinian Territory, Occupied Panama, Republic of Papua New Guinea Paraguay, Republic of Peru, Republic of Philippines, Republic of the Pitcairn Island Poland, Polish People’s Republic Portugal, Portuguese Republic Puerto Rico Qatar, State of Reunion Romania, Socialist Republic of Russian Federation Rwanda, Rwandese Republic Samoa, Independent State of San Marino, Republic of Sao Tome and Principe, Democratic Republic of Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of Senegal, Republic of Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles, Republic of Sierra Leone, Republic of Singapore, Republic of Slovakia (Slovak Republic) Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia, Somali Republic South Africa, Republic of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Spain, Spanish State Sri Lanka, Democratic Socialist Republic of St. Helena St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Pierre and Miquelon St. Vincent and the Grenadines Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Suriname, Republic of Svalbard & Jan Mayen Islands Swaziland, Kingdom of Sweden, Kingdom of Switzerland, Swiss Confederation Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan, Province of China Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand, Kingdom of Timor-Leste, Democratic Republic of Togo, Togolese Republic Tokelau (Tokelau Islands) Tonga, Kingdom of Trinidad and Tobago, Republic of Tunisia, Republic of Turkey, Republic of Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda, Republic of Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe
Foundation awards $18k to Mount Airy teachers
]
Preparations are underway for the expected winter weather event named Winter Storm Izzy this weekend that is set to bring a mixed bag of precipitation to the Southeast. The system will move across the Missouri valley today and is expected to bring heavy snow to the region before setting its sight in this direction.
With the usual caveats given that weather in North Carolina can be a tricky affair to predict, “Confidence continues to increase” that a winter weather event will occur Sunday, according to Erik Taylor of the National Weather Service in Blacksburg, Virginia.
“I wish I could offer a real ‘this is what is going to happen’ but as of today, we still do not know except we will be getting some weather of snow and possibly ice,” said Eric Southern, director of Surry County Emergency Management.
The forecast currently calls for the system to have dropped south by Saturday morning where it will be met “with plenty of available cold air” says Meteorologist Domenica Davis.
A massive wet weather event is predicted that will develop Saturday beginning as rain that will continue for much of the day. Snow is predicted in the northern band of that storm system, a line of winter weather that may stretch from the Carolinas to Oklahoma and begin Saturday evening.
Saturday night, a mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain is expected to develop from parts of Georgia into South Carolina, North Carolina and southwestern Virginia. Snow could be seen in heavier amounts in the mountains and higher elevations, where a dusting was already spotted Thursday.
The early morning hours of Sunday are when the snow is expected to begin in earnest and then continue throughout the remainder of the day. Taylor forecast, “The peak is going to be all day Sunday really, afternoon and evening.”
Izzy is predicted to be a fast moving storm that he said should be “ending Monday morning” having delivered a snow total that will vary across the region. Predicted snowfall totals from the National Weather Service will be updated as the storm continues to develop.
Given the amount of time, and the unpredictability of weather systems as they move over the mountains, these are only best guesses based on current forecasts. If you like snow however, it seems like this may be a good weekend for you.
Some models are showing the likelihood of an ice event in areas to the south of Surry County. Ice is a serious concern during winter weather as it is the most frequent cause of power outages, the weight of a tree can increase by 30 times under an ice coating.
One tenth an inch of ice is enough to lose traction on foot or in a car. A half-inch of ice can bring power lines crashing down by adding up to 500 pounds of extra weight.
Eric Southern said his team has its plan in place. “The Emergency Operations Center will be opened with a limited staff beginning Saturday. As the weather certainty increases, we will increase our staff.” He went on to say that “protocols in place like testing and respiratory protection to protect our personnel on-duty” have minimized the impact on staffing shortages due to COVID-19.
“On-duty emergency personnel will remain at the ready when needed but we stress that the public have supplies ready to sustain them for 48-72 hours. Dangerous weather and/or roadways will increase the time it takes us to reach someone.”
City and state teams are preparing for an event that will move from rain to snow, with a threat of ice tossed in just to raise anxiety a touch further. Mount Airy Public Works began its preparations Wednesday adding plow heads onto trucks, and started brining major roads like such as Main Street on Thursday.
“We’re pretreating with all the brine we can and until the precipitation starts. Then it’s a waiting game,” Mount Airy Assistant Public Works Director Lee Wright said. The city is accepting a small risk should the event begin as a heavy rain, but to prevent snow buildup and later ice he says it is a risk worth taking. Wright also points out that the brine solution is inexpensive to mix, so deploying it now as pretreatment is the best offense his crews have.
State Department of Transportation crews have already deployed in some parts of the state to begin prepping surfaces ahead of the storm. In a state released video, drivers are asked to give road brining crews they may encounter space, “Remember, if you cannot see the driver, they cannot see you.”
Gov. Roy Cooper echoed the NCDOT suggestion that drivers need to be prepared for any possibility this weekend. They suggest having gas tanks at least half full because “short commutes can turn into long ones when a storm hits.” It is suggested drivers have a supply kit in the trunk in case the vehicle and passengers get stranded. Include a flashlight, first-aid kit, blanket, shovel, sand, snacks, and drinking water.
Drivers are reminded to come to a complete stop or yield the right of way when approaching an intersection where traffic lights are out. Treating this scenario as a four-way stop will reduce the chance of an accident during a time in which response may be difficult.
“It has already started here,” Donna Pyburn said of the brisk business at the Food Lion in Toast. “People are coming out of the woodwork” in advance of the anticipated storm. One thing that does set off alarm bells in many Carolinians is the threat of winter weather.
With supply chain woes a common complaint across the country at large, she encouraged those who need to grab a loaf of bread and milk at the first whisper of snow to not delay. A veteran of the blizzard of 1978 before the move south she mused, “I’m not fazed at all. I love the winter weather.”
The ten day forecast shows only Sunday to have a high temperature that won’t reach above freezing, and several days with high temperatures in the mid-40s predicted should help melt off any remnants.
In a stroke of good luck, this Monday students in Surry County are scheduled off in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Having those busses off the road Monday morning when slush or black ice may be an issue will eliminate a potentially dangerous ride to school for those students.
“Please check on neighbors especially people who have limited means of travel. Stay home and do not travel if possible.” Southern said.