Category Archives: Events

Meet some cool Pugs this Saturday at Jordan Lake Brewing in Cary

There is so much going on this weekend with the Wide Open Bluegrass Festival in downtown Raleigh, but even if bluegrass isn’t your thing there are many more options. Can you say Pug Parade? Here are my top picks this weekend:

Friday – September 29th

Night of 1,000 Pours at Counter Culture Coffee in Durham
Counter Culture will be hosting a Latte Art Throwdown this Friday at their Durham HQ in support of the Night of 1000 Pours event with all proceeds going to the Houston Food Bank and Feeding South Florida. Doors will open at 7 pm. Cost will be a sliding scale – $5 minimum – at the door, and $10 to compete. There will be beer and refreshments available. Location: 812 Mallard Ave, Durham.

Saturday – September 30th

Wide Open Bluegrass Festival in Downtown Raleigh
The Wide Open Bluegrass StreetFest, free to the public and held in downtown Raleigh along Fayetteville Street, will feature more than 100 bands, seven music stages, a dance tent, vendors, concessions and a special Youth Stage near the Convention Center that will feature performances and activities from the future stars of bluegrass, and organized by IBMA’s Youth Council. View the full schedule here.

Wake Forest Dance Festival
Wake Forest Dance Festival is presented by Wake Forest Arts in partnership and will bring a day of dance to the Triangle in an outdoor setting. The Festival is a one day, free and open to the public family friendly event at beautiful E. Carroll Joyner Park. The event will feature national and regional professional dancers, along with local rising advanced dance performers. 10am-6:30pm. You can view the schedule of events here.

Party w/ Pugs at Jordan Lake Brewery in Cary
Come out and enjoy an afternoon of pugs at Jordan Lake Brewery in Cary Saturday from 12-3pm! This event is free and kid friendly! They plan to have lots of great raffle items, silent auction items, a pug parade (weather permitting), and a costume contest. There will be a food truck for humans and a treat truck for dogs! All proceeds benefit Mid-Atlantic Pug Rescue so come out and show your support!

The Fly Birds at Sola Coffee in North Raleigh
Don’t want to head downtown for Bluegrass this weekend? That’s ok because Sola Coffee & Cafe is hosting The Fly Birds on Saturday night with music out on the back patio. Their unique vocals as well as original style of folk music is topped off with tasteful songwriting skills and a charming presence on stage. No Cover, music 7:30-9:30.

Sunday – October 1st

Downtown Cary Food Truck Rodeo
The fourth  and final Downtown Chowdown Food Truck Rodeo of the year brings music, food, drinks and lots of fun to Chatham Street between Harrison Avenue and Walker Street on Sunday from 12:30 to 5 p.m. More than 24 Triangle-area food trucks and vendors will set up shop. Leashed pets are allowed.

Reggae on the Rooftop at Unscripted Hotel in Durham
Sunday from 11am-3pm Selector B Steady & DJ Algoriddim return to Unscripted’s rooftop pool with an afternoon of old school reggae on wax! Come check the nice vibes and a great view of the city! 

The Durham Street Piano Player performs at Cocoa Cinnamon’s Lakewood location this Friday

Falls has arrived and we are in the thick of outdoor festival season here in the Triangle. Here are my top picks for the upcoming weekend. The weather looks great so make sure you get outside and explore!

Friday

Durham Street Piano Pop-Up at Cocoa Cinnamon 
Join Tom Merrigan, The Durham Street Piano Player at Cocoa Cinnamon’s new Lakewood location for great churros, drinks, and street piano fun on the front patio from 6-8pm this Friday! Cocoa Cinnamon will contribute $1 per paquete (combo of drink + 4 churros) sold from 5pm to 10pm toward Tom’s kickstarter campaign raise money toward the making of a full-length album of piano-lead rock’n’roll. 

Saturday

Carrboro Music Festival (Saturday & Sunday)
The Carrboro Music Festival is an effort to host a FREE two-day event that showcase Triangle-area performers and the varied musical styles they represent.  All of the performers donate their talents to foster a strong sense of community and to reveal their talents to a wider audience.  This weekend long event features 200 acts on 29 different stages across Carrboro. Visit the event website for the full schedule of performers.

Sunday

Pepper Festival in Chapel Hill
PepperFest is a celebration of sustainable agriculture, farmers, and the creativity of the Piedmont’s top chefs, brewers and artisans. This pepper themed festival is one of the largest chef competitions in North Carolina. You can expect to find numerous pepper-themed dishes, local beer, family activities, a kid chef competition live music. It happens at Briar Chapel’s Great Meadow Park in Chapel Hill. Tickets are $25.

A new coffee spot to visit while you are out and about…
If you happen to be in Carrboro this weekend for the music festival I recommend a visit to the new location for Gray Squirrel Coffee. They just relocated into the space at 300 East Main Street!

Circus 1903 Elephant (Photo by Mark Turner)

It’s been a long time since I have been the the circus, but next week I will get my chance to relive that sense of wonder at “Circus 1903″ playing at the Durham Performing Arts Center September 26th through October 1st. Now this show is no ordinary circus, it is a thrilling turn of the century big top spectacular harking back to old-fashioned circus arts such as knife-throwing, hand to hand acrobatics and aerial ballet. This is a circus re-imagined from the producers of the world’s biggest magic show, The Illusionists and the award winning puppeteers from War Horse. 

The show is unique in that it takes aspects of the traditional circus and adds a fresh, innovative and humane spin on them. One magical change is the use of carefully constructed and realistic puppets in place of actual animals. The elephants featured in Circus 1903 are puppets, brought to life by the talented team at Significant Object (the award-winning puppeteers from War Horse). 

The Hammer Guys (Photo by Mark Turner)

The show also features a talented case of real circus stars. They are hand-selected from all around the world with 15 different countries represented in the cast. It is a team of incredible artists and athletes with many coming from multi-generational circus families from all over the world.

I spoke with Petter Vatermark, one of The “hammer” guys and teeter board experts touring with the show as part of the trio of wonderful tumblers know as the “The Flying Fins”. “It’s an incredible family friendly show that appeals to a wide audience. Everyone from families bringing their grandchildren to a special exciting date night,” said Vatermark. “The elephants are a big draw and capture people’s imaginations, but it is truly an exciting evening from start to finish with wonderful acts that focuses on the outstanding talent of the artists and features the amazing creatures brought to life before your eyes through magic of puppetry.”

This show sounds like something fun and different to experience at the theater. With sensational puppetry, an exciting musical score and a cast of amazing skilled performers bringing exciting circus acts from all four corners of the world to Durham, this show is sure to remind people why they love the circus in the first place. I can’t wait to check it out!

“Circus 1903” has performances at DPAC Tuesday Sept. 26th through Sunday, Oct. 1st. For tickets visit https://www.dpacnc.com/events/detail/circus-1903.

Curtis Eller performs at Mystery Brewing in Hillsborough this Friday

So this weekend there are several big events going on celebrating art, music and fashion. In Raleigh I recommend checking out the weekend long SPARKcon. Over in Durham there is Centerfest. And down in Apex you will find a day full of music at the Apex Music Festival. In addition to those big events here are the rest of my weekend picks:

Friday – September 15th

Curtis Eller performs at Mystery Brewing Public House
Singer songwriter and banjo player Curtis Eller is resuming his residency at Mystery Brewing Public House in Hillsborough with a solo performance this Friday at 8:30pm. No cover.

Thomas Ryant performs at The Bullpen in Durham
Thomas Rhyant is a gospel singer and musical troubadour, using music to tell stories of those who came before him. With his tasteful guitar style and stunningly wide-ranging voice and enigmatic backing band, Rhyant brings joy to audiences while keeping the history of soul music alive. Music starts at 8:30pm at The Bullpen. No Cover.

Saturday – September 16th

Durham Farmer’s Market
The market takes place each Saturday through November at Durham Central Park, but I especially enjoy visiting during this time of year. In addition to producers and other vendors, there are usually several great local food trucks serving brunch and lunch items. I recommend hitting the market and then exploring Durham. A top pick while in Durham is always a visit to Cocoa Cinnamon!

Sunday -September 17th

Midtown Bluegrass at North Hills
Just in time to get you warmed up for this year’s Wide Open Bluegrass, two of this year’s official International Bluegrass Music Association Bluegrass Ramble showcase bands will close out this year’s Midtown Bluegrass Series. Get a sneak preview of what’s in store this year with Colorado-based bandThe Railsplitters (4:30-6 pm) and North Carolina’s own Fireside Collective (3-4 pm). The afternoon will begin with a facilitated youth jam with local musicians Lynda and Jamie Dawson.

A new coffee spot to visit while you are out and about…

If you are ever up in Youngsville (just 10 minutes north of Wake Forest) be sure to check out the cool Packhouse Coffee Company drive-thru coffee hut set up just off the main drag downtown. They serve locally roasted Red Rooster coffee and have a full menu of coffee, espresso drinks as well as frappes.

African American Cultural Festival of Raleigh and Wake County is this Saturday & Sunday
(Photo courtesy Glenn Parson)

I’m keeping my fingers cross that the wet weather stays away the next few days because there are some fun events going on this weekend. Here are my top picks for things to check out this weekend. Also, keep and eye out for the Grand Opening of Pie Hole in Durham this Saturday and Sunday. Looks to be a fun new spot to grab a slice of pie and coffee. I will share a preview of the new shop next week!

Friday – September 1st

Sorelle Performs at Sola Coffee in Raleigh
Sorelle is a whimsical indie band comprised of two sisters Toney-Paite and Skylar Phillips.  Toney-Paite and Skylar have been playing guitar, singing and writing songs since they were 8 and 9.  The sisters went away to school last year, and after some time of being apart realized that music is what they wanted to persue.  They have been writing and recording all new music, and are in the Raleigh/Durham area performing once again! No Cover. Music 7:30-9:30.

Boom Unit Brass Band at The Station in Carrboro
The Boom Unit Brass Band takes the Second Line sound of Old N’awlins to the Old North State and adds some of their own funky flavor. Traditional favorites “Bourbon Street Parade” and “Down To The River” join reimagined pop hits “Sweet Dreams” and “Uptown Funk” to create a sound never heard before. This line-up is ready for any size parade or stage. When you hear Boom Unit Brass Band coming down the street, you best get ready to party. Show is at The Station in Carrboro. Cover $6 Music 9-12pm w/ The Spectacles.

Saturday – September 2nd

African American Cultural Festival – Downtown Raleigh
The African American Cultural Festival of Raleigh and Wake County is an annual celebration of African American culture as expressed through art, music, food and community. Over the past seven Labor Day weekends, the two day festival has connected diverse people and families from across our region with local, national, and international artists, performers, food vendors, area business owners, and our local media outlets. The festival has become Raleigh’s premiere destination for teaching, sharing, and celebrating the distinctive folk and cultural traditions of African Americans here in North Carolina and from around the world.

Big Spooners Peanut Butter at Oliver’s Collar
Locally made Big Spoon Roasters  has partnered with Oliver’s Collar in Durham to make a fresh-roasted, unsalted peanut butter specifically for dogs, and they are kicking things off this weekend were you can enjoy samples of all their peanut butter products. Joe Van Gogh has also partnered with BSR for their baked goods, and will be handing out samples of their Almond Butter Toast. Bring the kids and the dogs, it’s gonna be a tasty Peanut Butter Palooza kind of day for everyone! Event is 11am-1pm at Oliver’s Collar Dog Treat Bakery & Boutique located at 4711 Hope Valley Road in Durham.

Sunday – September 3rd

Durham Food Truck Rodeo – Durham Central Park
The Durham Central Park Food Truck Rodeo is an all-ages Sunday afternoon gathering of dozens of the Triangle’s most popular food trucks, live music from Wood Robinson’s New Formal, and local beer. Event is from 12-4pm. You can view a list of the over 50 trucks planning to attend here.

A new coffee spot to visit while you are out and about…

This Saturday and Sunday you can stop by the new Pie Hole on 9th street in Durham. They are a new shop opening over Labor Day weekend that will feature pie by the slice and coffee from California Roaster Klatch Coffee. Look for my full review of them coming next week!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BYYWiK_n-0p/?taken-by=pieholedurham

And a new taco spot opens next week…

Got word that the North Raleigh Chronic Tacos will open its doors next Wednesday, September 6th at 10am. This location is up off Falls of Neuse Road in the same shopping center as the new Sprouts grocery store.