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Photo illustration by Jay Calderon/DN
Cigar craze smokes tobacco taboo
By Sean McCarthy
Staff Reporter
In an era when smoking is as so
cially acceptable as big hair glam rock,
cigars have stubbornly boomed in their
popularity.
Celebrities have played a big role
in this boom. Christian Slater, Arnold
Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone
and yes, even Madonna have mugged
with Cat stogies in their mouths far
many photo opportunities. Magazines
devoted solely to cigar appreciation
have also popped up on newsstands.
Michael Wright, manager of Ted’s
Tobacco at Gateway Mall, has seen a
huge growth in cigar sales in die last
few years. National cigar sales have
risen about 400 percent since 1991 „
Wright said, and even that estimate is
conservative.
Ted's Tobacco, in business for 19
years,has accommodated this increase
by shifting the store format Before the
boom, Ted’s Tbbacco mainly sold ci
gars, pipes and tobacco products. Now
cigars and cigar-related items account
for 70 percent of the store inventory.
, “We've seen a bigshift,” he said.
Cigar fever officially took over his
store just last week. Wright said that
in the span of one weekend, he sold an
entire shipment of Arturo Fuente ci
gars, one of the more popular cigars
currently available. _
With the increase of cigar sales, the
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consumer base has also expanded.
Wright said he has seen a definite in
crease of women cigar smokers. He
added that another group which has
been significantly on the increase is
college students. “Cigar sales used to
be for middle-aged males” he said,
“but I’d say now about 20 percent of
my business is with college-aged stu
dents.”
- ■ .
Ken Sender, owner of Libations at
317 S. 11th St., said he sees a weekly
growth in cigar sales. He said the trend,
originally popular on the West and East
Coast, has finally made its way to the
Midwest.
One of the more popular cigar fa
vorites thatLibations sells is the
Macanudo cigar, which is handmade
in Jamaica. Most of the cigars at liba
tions are made in either the Domini
can Republic or Honduras.
“Of course there's Cuba, which pro
duces the finest tobacco in die worid,”
! Sender said. “It’s more alluring be
I cause you can’t get it.”
John Maes,* cigar smoker who vis
its Libations, said a cigar from Hon
duras is his favorite. He said he thinks
the growing popularity in cigar use can
be attributed to a variety of reasons.
“Some people smoke because it’s
a fad. Others because its the best to
bacco, it’s aromatic, tactful and enjoy
able.”
Traveling artist teaches
importance of interaction
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By Ann Stack
Senior Reporter
Dressed in baggy denim overalls, a
plaid flannel shirt and worn sneakers,
Grisha Coleman doesn’t paint the
glamorous picture of a world-traveled
artist. ,
Rather, she looks like any other stu
Hpmt walking around campus.
But looks can be deceiving because
Coleman has traveled the world and
she isn’t a student
Coleman is visiting the University
of Nebraska-Lincoln as part of a two
week residency with the Artists Diver
sity Residency Program through the
College of Fine and Performing Arts.
Today is her last day teaching classes
atUNL. _•
The dancer isn’t a stranger to Lin
coln—she’s been here before with her
vocal group, Hot Mouth, and again
with her dance theater piece “Black
Alice” at the Wagon TVain Project She
also performed at the Lied Center for
Performing Arts a few years ago with >
the international dance company the
Urban Bush Women.
But this time around, she's in the
role of instructor, visiting the freshmen
University Foundation classes. Ron
Bowlin, special assistant to the dean
for the College of Fine and Perform
ing Arts, said bringing diversity to the
freshmen classes was an important
facet of the residency program.
s “UNL is 95 percent white,” Bowlin
said. “Many people have never had the
chance to have a positive experience
with a minority group. It's a good ex
perience for students to come in con
tact with other cultural groups.”
Add to that experience students
coming in contact with other students.
•Coleman teaches through movements
and motion rather than lectures. She
also uses song add dance in her form
of outreach teaching. T
Please see COLEMAN on 14
GB1SHA COLEMAN stands beside her favorite statue, “The Floating Statue,” in the sculpture garden at
Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery Wednesday. Coleman is a visiting resident in the College of Fine and
Performing Arts.'
