The Triangle Explorer

Aladdin, the hit musical based on the Academy Award-winning animated Disney film and centuries-old folktales including “One Thousand and One Nights,” is brought to fresh theatrical life in this bold new musical.  The hit Broadway musical will begin performances at DPAC on Wednesday, October 2 for a limited engagement of 4 weeks through Saturday, October 26, as part of SunTrust Broadway’s 2019 / 2020 season.

Aladdin’s journey sweeps audiences into an exotic world of daring adventure, classic comedy and timeless romance. This new production features a full score, including the five cherished songs from the award-winning soundtrack and more written especially for the stage.

Earlier this week DPAC announced that beginning October 1st at 9:00 AM, a digital rush lottery will take place for Aladdin.  A limited number of $25 seats will be available via an online lottery.  The lottery will happen online only the day prior to each designated performance.  Please Note: Locations vary per performance.  In some cases, seats may be partial view, and while every effort will be made to seat multiple seats together, in most cases multiple seats will be split up and not adjacent to each other.

HOW TO ENTER

• Visit https://www.dpacnc.com/events/detail/aladdin and select lottery entry page.
• Click “Enter Now” button for the performance you want to attend.
• Registration for all performances begins at 9:00 AM the day prior to the registered performance and will close at 2:00 PM.
• Fill out the entry form including the number of tickets you would like (1 or 2).
• Guests will receive a confirmation email once they have validated their email (one time only) and successfully entered the lottery.
• After the lottery closes the day prior to the registered performance, guests will be notified via email within minutes as to whether they have won or not.
• Winners have 60 minutes from the time the lottery closes to pay online with a credit card.
• After payment has been received, guests can pick up tickets at DPAC no sooner than 30 minutes before show time with a valid photo ID.
• Limit 1 entry per person, per performance.

Aladdin Opens tonight with performances though Sunday October 26th. For more information about the show and to enter the digital lottery for tickets visit the DPAC website at https://www.dpacnc.com/events/detail/aladdin.

My friend Kristen, a long time follower of this blog, let me know about this wonderful event happening in November to support the The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF). The event is called the “Brewer’s Ball Celebrating Triangle’s Finest” and it is scheduled to take place November 8, 2019 from 6:30-10pm at The Rickhouse in Durham.  It’s an evening celebrating the Triangle’s “finest” young professionals and features food, beer, live music, live and silent auctions, and a chance to mingle, all while being a part of a great cause: helping them to move closer to a cure for cystic fibrosis (CF).  This one-of-a-kind beer tasting event has grown each year with the 2018 event hosting over a dozen different vendors including local craft breweries, and food from several Triangle area restaurants.

The event will be capped at 300 people and tickets have sold out every year!  They fully anticipate another sellout year and with their biggest attendance to date. You can support CFF and help make CF stand for “Cure Found” by purchasing a ticket here.  If you cannot attend but would like to support the event, a donation can be made at the same page. If you are a local business owner and would like to take this opportunity to get involved, sponsorship opportunities are available as well!

About the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
The mission of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is to cure cystic fibrosis and to provide all people with the disease the opportunity to lead full, productive lives by funding research and drug development, promoting individualized treatment, and ensuring access to high-quality, specialized care.

Since 1955, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation has been the driving force behind the pursuit of a cure. Thanks to the dedication and financial backing of our supporters — patients, families and friends, clinicians, researchers, volunteers, individual donors, corporations and staff, we are making a difference. To learn more about the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation visit www.cff.org.

About Kristen
When I first became exposed to research as an undergrad, I was introduced to CF and have continued my interest and commitment to CF research through graduate school to my present role as a research scientist at Rho.  Today, the predicted median age of survival for someone with the disease is 40 and beyond – more than 10 years longer than when I first started learning about CF. Sixty years ago, children with CF usually did not live long enough to attend elementary school.  The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s investments in innovative research and comprehensive care have yielded a drug development pipeline that boasts more than 30 potential new therapies and the establishment of 115 care centers nationwide designed specifically to treat people with CF. 

I am proud to be participating in the Brewer’s Ball as an honoree for Triangle’s Finest, a distinguished professional development and philanthropic program for emerging leaders in the community with a commitment to finding a cure for CF.  As a leading business in the community, I would like to offer you the opportunity to participate through sponsorship or an inkind donation (such as a gift card) to support our silent auction. As a part of this event, you will demonstrate that your organization is an integral caring part of the community.  You can learn more about my CF story on my fundraising page, and if you are interested in attending the event, you can purchase tickets on my page as well: https://finest.cff.org/brewersballtriangle/kristingabor

DPAC announced earlier today that a digital lottery will take place for HARRY CONNICK, JR. –  A Celebration of Cole Porter.  This pre-Broadway show will premiere at DPAC on September 21^st through 22^nd for three great shows.

A limited number of $25 seats will be available via an online lottery.  The lottery will happen online only the day prior to each designated performance.  Please Note: locations vary per performance.  In some cases, seats may be partial view, and while every effort will be made to seat multiple seats together, in most cases multiple seats will be split up and not adjacent to each other.

HOW TO ENTER

• Visit https://www.dpacnc.com/events/detail/harry-connick-jr-a-celebration-of-cole-porter and select the lottery entry page.
• Click the “Enter Now” button for the performance you want to attend.  Registration for all performances begins at 9:00 AM the day prior to the registered performance and will close at 2:00 PM.
• Fill out the entry form including the number of tickets you would like (1 or 2).  Guests will receive a confirmation email once they have validated their email (one time only) and successfully entered the lottery.
• After the lottery closes the day prior to the registered performance, guests will be notified via email within minutes as to whether they have won or not.
• Winners have 60 minutes from the time the lottery closes to pay online with a credit card.
• After payment has been received, guests can pick up tickets at DPAC no sooner than 30 minutes before show time with a valid photo ID.

ADDITIONAL RULES
Limit 1 entry per person, per performance. Multiple entries will not be accepted. Guests must be 18 years old and have a valid, non-expired photo ID that matches the names used to enter. Digital lottery tickets are for single seats and pairs.  Tickets are non-transferable, and seats may not be located together. All lottery prices include taxes and facility fees. Ticket limits and prices displayed are at the sole discretion of the show and are subject to change without notice. Lottery prices are not valid on prior purchases. Lottery ticket offer cannot be combined with any other offers or promotions. All sales final – no refunds or exchanges.  Lottery may be revoked or modified at any time without notice. No purchase necessary to enter or win.  A purchase will not improve your chances of winning.

ABOUT HARRY CONNICK, JR. – A Celebration of Cole Porter

Prior to Broadway, HARRY CONNICK, JR.—A Celebration of Cole Porter will have its world premiere at DPAC on September 21^st & 22^nd.  Tickets are on sale now.  For more information, please visit DPACNC.com.

Connick will release his debut album on legendary Verve Records, True Love: A Celebration of Cole Porter, this October.  A national tour of HARRY CONNICK JR.—A Celebration of Cole Porter will kick off in the 2020-21 season following the Broadway engagement.

Featuring a modern, multi-media presentation of some of Porter’s most beloved songs in an unprecedented and unique way, Connick will delight audiences with his signature style that has been called by The New York Times “blatantly seductive”, while celebrating the life’s work of a legend’s significant contribution to the Great American Songbook.

Harry Connick Jr. has sold millions of albums around the world, won Grammy awards as well as Emmy awards for his performances on the screen, and has been honored with Tony nominations for his work as both an actor and composer for the Broadway stage.

Kinston, NC is a fun day trip from Raleigh and has some very cool offerings in their downtown area including the famous Chef and The Farmer Restaurant and tasty beers from Mother Earth Brewing. Next month you will have the perfect excuse to visit Kinston as Mother Earth is celebrating their 10 year anniversary on Saturday, October 19, 2019!

To mark the occasion they will have the streets of downtown Kinston closed off for an all-day event featuring live music with four different bands with the high energy No BS! Brass Band headlining. There will also be a variety of food trucks, tours of our brewery, and of course, plenty of beer! The celebration will be capped off with Fireworks at 9:30 pm in Pearson Park.

Details are below – you won’t want to miss this FREE event!

Location:
Mother Earth Brewing
311 North Herritage Street, Kinston, NC

Live Music:
12:00 pm – Driskill
2:30 pm – The Monterio Experience
5:00 – The Forest Hill Band
7:30 – No BS! Brass Band

Food Trucks:
Dank Burrito food truck
Mari’s Hella Fat Food food truck
King’s BBQ food truck
and a variety of downtown Kinston restaurants to choose from as well!

Last weekend I went out to cheer on the Runologie 8K in Dix Park with my friend @ruwandering. It was a beautiful day for a race in Raleigh – the weather was perfect.  This year the race fell on the same weekend as the popular Hopscotch music festival and was appropriately named the Hopscotch 8k. Heading out to the race served two purposes for me. It allowed me to practice taking race shots with my new Fujifilm X-T20 camera and it helped get me motivated for the fall races on my calendar.

In October I’m running the Mother Earth Brewing Iron Clad Half Marathon in Kinston. My training for this race has been a bit sporadic over the summer, but I have 5 weeks left to get ready and I am really looking forward to it. This is a super fun small town race that has a nice fast and flat course. The race is the same day as Mother Earth Brewery’s 10 Year Anniversary Celebration so there are lots of exciting festivities going on after the race making it the perfect time for a day trip to Kinston. If you are interested in signing up for the Half Marathon of 5K use discount code 2020John to save 10% off registration.

In November Runologie will host the final event of their 2019 Race series with their annual “Trophy Trot” 10k on Thanksgiving Day. Turkey Day races are always a lot of fun and a great way to start the holiday before settling down for a big meal with family that night. The 10K takes places in Dix Park with an after party at Trophy Brewing. I haven’t done a Thanksgiving Day race in a long time, but would like to get it back in the mix this year. Use code TRIANGLEEXPLORER to get a discount on your race registration.

Whatever your fall race plans are I hope you get out there this weekend and enjoy some fun training miles!