March 25, 2011 · 1:37 pm

Tying the Knot ~ Residents Marry Durham!

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On Saturday I headed over to Durham to perform with the Bulltown Strutters in the Marry Durham festival.  The Marry Durham event was born out of a desire to promote citizen engagement in Durham, celebrate Durhamite’s love for their quirky little town, and raise funds to benefit local non-profits.  Over 2,000 people were in attendance to “Marry” Durham to affirm their commitment to the Bull City. 

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The ceremony and reception took place downtown along Rigsbee Avenue just outside of Fullsteam, Motorco, and Lloyd’s Lounge.  The street was closed off to traffic and was overrun with food trucks, musicians, and crowds decked out in wedding garb and costumes.  Each venue had several live music acts throughout the day.

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Frank Stasio of NPR fame lead the ceremony.  VIP guests included the likes of Mayor Bill Bell and Wool E Bull.  After the nuptuals were completed, the Bulltown Strutters lead the newlyweds in a parade around the block performing a dixieland mashup of the “Bridal Chorus”, Beyonce’s “Single Ladies” ,  and “When The Saints Go Marching In” in true New Orleans second line band fashion (great photo here).

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The music featured in each venue offered a wide spectrum of music genres. Everything from rock, bluegrass, to dixieland. It seemed like wherever you looked, something creative was going on.  At one point I noticed a group congregated in an alley between Fullsteam only to discover it was crowd that had formed around a band (Corn and the Colonels) jamming in the cool shade.

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Getting married and danacing to fun music can work up an appetite.  Fortunately there were severl local food trucks like Klausie’s Pizza, Ko Kyu BBQ, Farmhand Foods, and Slippin Sliders on hand to provide nourishment to the newlyweds at the event.  Given it’s success, I beleive there is a good chance of this becoming an annual event in the future.

For more pictures from the event, visit the official Marry Durham Flickr Photo Album. To see a cool clip of the Bulltown Strutters leading the wedding parade on check out this video on youtube.

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March 13, 2011 · 7:43 am

Pi(e) Day at Johnny’s in Carrboro March 14th!

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If you like pie and are a fan of Johnny’s in Carrboro make sure you stop by there on Monday March 14th. Emily Hilliard, the writer of a blog devoted to all things pie is organizing a celebration called Pi(e) Day, a pun of a holiday held on March 14 (3.14).  On Monday you can Join Hilliard and others to enjoy some homemade pies between 5:30 and 8pm.,or until the pie runs out.   The pies will be provided by a 15-member baking team and will include an assortment of sweet and savory pies with an emphasis on local and seasonal ingredients. During the event, Johnny’s will be open with its normal offerings a wide variety of bottled beers. Local band Wildegeeses will also be on hand to perform American traditional and folk music.

A suggested $5 donation will be collected, and attendees are encouraged to bring plates and utensils to cut down on costs. Proceeds will benefit the Center for Environmental Farming Systems’ initiative to create a statewide Youth Food Council.

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March 10, 2011 · 6:35 am

Big Boss Brewing Company “Who’s Your Paddy?” St. Patrick’s Day Celebration Thursday March 17th

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Image Courtesy of Big Boss Brewing Co.

Big Boss Brewing Co. in Raleigh is hosting their annual “Who’s Your Paddy?” St. Patrick’s Day Celebration next Thursday March 17th.  The event will feature five local food trucks, live music, a potato decorating contest, and of course Big Boss beer!

EVENT INFO

Date/ Time: Thursday March 17th (Doors open at 3pm)

Location: Big Boss Brewing (Map)

Food Trucks arrive at 5pm
(OnlyBurger / Klaucies / Slippin Sliders / Kokyu / Giavanna’s)

Bands Start at 6pm
Live Music from The Trousers / Skullbuckle / Hammertons

Announcing the 2011 Big Boss Potato decorating contest.

As part of the Saint Patrick’s Day celebration the folks at Big Boss are asking you to Carve-up, dress-up and display your spud for all to see. Best potatoes should show an original concept and celebrate the season and of course beer! Deliver your fancy potato to Big Boss Brewing by the end of business on March 16th. Potatoes will be critiqued by a panel of judges and three prize packages will be awarded on Thursday the 17th around 7pm.

3rd prize
6 pack / T-shirt/ bottle opener/ pint glass

2nd prize
Two 6 packs/ bottle opener/ pint glass

1st prize
Case of Big Boss Beer / T-shirt/ bottle opener/ pint glass

Bring ID, Cash and a green attitude.  Credit cards accepted at the upstairs bar only.Lawn chairs are welcome! For more information, check out the Big Boss website.

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March 6, 2011 · 1:05 pm

World Beer Festival Returns to Raleigh April 9th, 2011

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The World Beer Festival returns to Moore Square in downtown Raleigh on April 9, 2011. Tickets go on sale to the general public Monday March 7th. The general admission tickets are $40 plus a small processing fee. The admission gets you an event program, tasting glass, and access to sample literally hundreds of different beers from all over the word, including all of local breweries from right here in the Triangle. There are also special VIP tickets available that run a little higher which give you access to certain beers not made available to the other event attendees. As in the past, the event is broken up into two sessions. The first session (afternoon session) runs from 12-4pm. The second session (evening session) runes from 6-10pm.

Ticket information, a listing of all 250 beer vendors, and details about the live music scheduled throughout the event is posted on the event website.

If you plan to go this event I highly recommend you plan on getting your tickets as soon as they go on sale. This event has been known to sell out quickly in the past.  If you wait too long you will find your only option is surfing craig’s list for tickets at inflated prices.

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March 5, 2011 · 7:08 pm

North Raleigh Whole Foods Grand Opening March 16th!

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Photo courtesy of Whole Foods

I just received word that the long awaited North Raleigh Whole Foods will open Wednesday March 16th with “sneak peak” tours available on the 13th and 14th. You need to register here if you would like to attend one of the sneak peak tours. The 40,000 square foot Whole Foods store will serve as the anchor for Regency Center’s  Market at Colonnade retail center. The new store is located at Six Forks Road and Colonnade Center Drive in North Raleigh, just one mile south of I-540.

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