Good morning. During one of my first months living in Fayetteville back in the fall of 2023, longtime local resident (and our senior reporter) Paul Woolverton told me about the spaghetti dinners and Wednesday lunch specials that are signature to our town. But more than simply a good deal, I came to realize spaghetti in Fayetteville tells a bigger story — one that weaves the narratives of Greek restaurateurs of the Sandhills region with sharp business acumen, longstanding traditions and the ideals of the American melting pot.
In our lead story today, writer Hanna Raskin captures Fayetteville’s invisible spaghetti web and spotlights the World’s Largest Spaghetti Dinner.
Welcome to CityView Today. In today’s newsletter, we’ve also got a new story from the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners’ Monday meeting. The county’s lawsuit is continuing against Chemours over chemical contamination of residents’ drinking water.
And for some North Carolina news: in a collaboration with The Assembly, CityView reporter Evey Weisblat tells us about how the state’s Hurricane Helene disaster-relief package constrains N.C.’s new governor — and about the bevy of environmental policy surprises contained in Senate Bill 382. Check it out below.
Thanks for reading,
Maydha Devarajan
Interim Editor-in-Chief
Fayetteville’s invisible spaghetti web
To say that restaurants in Fayetteville, North Carolina serve spaghetti is an insult to spaghetti.
The presumption that spaghetti noodles are so ho-hum that they’re only ever seen in the company of tomato-based meat sauce is rebutted by menus across town. At pizzerias, diners, and sandwich shops, patrons are offered their pick of spaghetti seven different ways. Are you in the mood for spaghetti with pepperoni slices? Perhaps you’d prefer spaghetti with mushrooms, armored by a thick layer of broiled and bronzed cheese.
Spaghetti is likeable, and spaghetti is cheap, but neither of those attributes is sufficient to explain a local enthusiasm so intense that even breakfast joints put ‘spaghetti’ on their pylon signs. Perplexed, I put the question to a server at Lindy’s, which opened as a drive-in in 1968. She responded as quickly as if I’d asked for a straw.
“It’s a Greek thing,” she explained.
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More from CityView
Trial expected this fall against Chemours for contaminated drinking water in Cumberland County
County commissioners sued Chemours in 2022 over ‘forever chemicals’
How a Disaster-Relief Package Constrains N.C.’s New Governor
The Republican-led legislature’s third round of hurricane relief chipped away at the governor’s powers before Democrat Josh Stein took office.
Events
CLIFFDALE LIBRARY WRITING CLUB: INK AND QUILL
- Where: Cliffdale Regional Library, 6882 Cliffdale Road, Fayetteville
- When: 10-11:30 a.m. today
- What: Join Quill and Ink, a community for adults of all skill levels to share their original work. Come practice your writing, exchange feedback and dive into writing prompts, challenges and engaging discussions.
CHRONICLES OF YARNIA
- Where: Main Library, 455 McKinney Parkway, Lillington
- When: 5-7 p.m. today
- What: Join our informal hangout for crocheters, knitters, and more!
MUSIC BINGO TUESDAY
- Where: Big Harry’s Tavern, 3030 Fort Bragg Road, Fayetteville
- When: 8 p.m. today
- What: Join this exciting game of music bingo!
Obituaries
Edward “Nick” Brown
Edward “Nick” Brown passed away on Friday, Jan. 3. Services have been entrusted to Colvin Funeral Home and Cremations.
Kenneth Robinson
Kenneth Robinson passed away on Wednesday, Jan. 1. Services have been entrusted to Colvin Funeral Home and Cremations.
Felix N. Torres
Felix N. Torres, 69, of Fayetteville, passed away on Saturday, Dec. 28. Services have been entrusted to Colvin Funeral Home & Crematory.
Until tomorrow!
🥶 This week promises several days of below freezing temperatures (and even a possibility of snow on Friday). The county and city plan to open government facilities as warming centers and to keep White Flag shelters open through Friday. Visit the county websites for more information about hours and locations.
~ Maydha
