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Have Wachovians found their hero? Many are worried, but they're not panicking, say my peeps who peep at The Jukebox Building. The main reason? Bob “Iron Man” Steel, is a “very experienced, calming and in-control force during a rocky time” says an insider. Iron Man held a reassuring call with senior leaders Tuesday, I'm told. But can his mettle address the leaden stock? Meanwhile, many wonder about their long-lost “kin.” What is Mr. Thompson up to?
Pumped-up gas offers
One year ago, what was the average price of a gallon of gas here in “Car Lot,” N.C.? Try $2.96, according to www.charlottegasprices.com.
Today, you have to drive down to Fort Mill to get a gallon at $3.88, the sister Web site, www.gasbuddy.com, shows. Ding-ding! That retro gas station sound signals the arrival of a big new promotion: gas cards worth 50 bucks if you stay a night in one of 32 participating hotels around Charlotte.
The Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority is pumping up the offer, targeted at travelers from Raleigh, Greensboro, Fayetteville, Rocky Mount, Greenville, S.C., and Columbia. Click on www.charlottesgotalot.com. Even the Mighty Mouse of munchies and morsels, Owen's Bagel & Deli on South Boulevard, is getting gastronomical-economical. Geoff Owen and Co. will knock a dime off your lunch bill for every mile you travel to get there: www.owensbagelanddeli.com.
Barbara Crutchfield, angler
Last year, over a welcome-to-Charlotte dinner, former bank honcho Ed Crutchfield and new Davidson College President Tom Ross talked about their love of fly fishing. Let's go fishing, proposed Crutchfield, a 1963 Davidson grad who retired in 2000 as CEO of First Union, now Wachovia. Last week, the two men and their wives wrapped up a blissful 10 days fishing the Henry's Fork of the Snake River in Idaho and the river's South Fork. For Ross, a 1972 Davidson grad, the trip was his first time off since becoming president last fall.
Who caught the biggest fish? Barbara Crutchfield, who landed a whopping 23-inch trout – only a half-inch larger than Ross' biggest catch.
Fastest items in town!
What's it say about our market that “Extreme Makeover,” www.extrememakeovercharlotte.com, and “The Bachelor,” www.thebachelor.tv, are both bringing their surreality shows here? … Music With Friends, the classy concert club boasting attendees like Ken Lewis and Bill “The Real” Diehl, just inked Jackson Browne to an October gig in the McGlohon. … The dapper celebrity designer of Myers Park, Wesley Mancini, will launch a new rug product line in January at the Showtime trade show in High Point: www.classicalelements.com. … Talked to Showmars founder George Couchell on the phone from his brother's private beach in Greece on Wednesday. “What'd you have for lunch?” I asked. Charcoal-broiled pork chops, fresh calamari, stuffed banana peppers, fresh tomatoes and cucumbers, and yogurt with homemade cherry preserves. I had Cheetos. I had to ask.
