Wilco is coming to Cary’s Booth Amphitheatre on August 8. The presale for tickets begins at 10:00am this morning. General public tickets go on sale Friday.

The article this morning by the News & Observer’s Jack Hagel mentions an early 2010 completion date for the Soleil Center. Work is currently being done on the supporting foundation for the 480-foot residential and hotel tower.

Word is that Tyler’s Tap Room is coming to Shops at Seaboard Station, between Ace Hardware and Peach China. Tyler’s has locations in Carrboro (downtown) and Durham (American Tobacco Complex), and will soon open in Apex. The restaurant serves many draft beers and has a nice selection of food priced in the $8-$15 range.

The Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, raising funds and awareness for the fight against breast cancer, is coming June 14. A part of the largest series of 5K runs/fitness walks in the world, the Komen Race for the Cure Series has grown from one local Race with 800 participants in Dallas in 1983 to a series of more than 120 Races with more than 1.5 million participants this year alone.

Up to 75 percent of the net income from each Race stays in the community to fund local breast health education and breast cancer screening and treatment projects. A minimum of 25 percent of the net income from each Race supports the Komen Award and Research Grant Program, which funds groundbreaking breast cancer research, meritorious awards and educational and scientific programs around the world.

The 5K teardrop-shaped race route begins in front of Meredith College, proceeds to Brooks Avenue, and returns to Meredith. Five different races proceed with  a staggered starts beginning at 7am on race day. Registration is now open.

Today marks the 15th anniversary of Jim Valvano’s death. A few heavy moments from 1993 still weigh heavily in my mind.

For instance, Valvano’s final game announcing (for ABC) in the Dean Dome came in March when #1 UNC hosted Duke. Brian Reese had just made the cover of Sports Illustrated and the Heels, on their way to a National Championship, handled Duke easily that Saturday afternoon. A neighbor scored 4 seats two rows behind the UNC bench for us. While they painted their chests and faces, I took my “Don’t Give Up Don’t Ever Give Up” bumper sticker, hoping to attract the sights of Jimmy V, who sat across the court, 50 feet away. Valvano didn’t seem to notice me, but Phil Ford did, and gave me a thumbs up. Afterward, the thousands of people who descended toward Valvano’s seat, as well as the ovation he received when leaving the court, were both tearjerkers.

Even heavier was Valvano’s final speech at NCSU (YouTube). He spoke in Reynolds Coliseum to a standing room only house. Without a dry eye in the house, Valvano preached his message of optimism and perseverance. Laettner took it to heart and was unstoppable that afternoon, but the State fans knew they had witnessed a far greater display before the game.

Then there was the funeral. (Oakwood Cemetary site) Many of ESPN’s people from both sides of the camera, and numerous big names in basketball were on hand to say goodbye to a good friend with a big heart. To this day no moment stands as gut wrenching as the moment that one of Bo Roberts’ (Triangle Area YMCA) sons, a friend of Valvano’s youngest daughter, placed a bouquet of flowers on Valvano’s casket. Even the always-bubbly Dick Vitale was in shambles; to the point of not being able to be a pallbearer.

Valvano is long gone, but not forgotten. Somewhere in heaven, he is telling a tale and making friends (but only when my father takes a break:) ) His simple, uplifting message has never given up.

According to Sue Stock’s blog, Red Palace, the only Chinese restaurant in Greg Cox’s Top 20, has closed. Their website states that they are looking for a new location.

The Triangle American Institute of Architects’ Young Architects Forum will be hosting a design charrette to design bus benches that will be build and installed in 4 of the most under utilized sites in Raleigh. This project marks the first step in a system-wide series of improvements.

The charrette will be held at North Carolina State University’s College of Design Rotunda at Brooks Hall on Saturday, 05.03.2008, from 2 pm to 5 pm.

YAF will provide refreshments as well as a range of design materials (markers, pencils, paper and modeling supplies). Personal design supplies are also welcome.

I have a few of my own designs already:

and

Finally, we have a design for areas of Wake Forest needing a bench:

(Way…)

Cherry Modern Design has decided to close shop in late May. The modern furniture store moved from Glenwood Avenue to Cameron Village just over a year ago. While many browsers were wowed by the selection, ultimately (and unfortunately) the market in this area is just not that keen on the modern look.

Word is that frequent customers got wind of the news and bought up a lot of good stuff in the last couple of days…but there is still some left! Carlton & Co. will move to the space currently occupied by Cherry.

The highly anticipated Cameron Bar and Grill is slated to open in the middle of the week. The establishment, on the south face of Cameron Village, is the latest offering from the DeMartino family. With the family’s offerings of Piccolo Mondo, Cafe Tiramisu, and North Ridge Pub, they are local culinary legends. (Anyone who got to eat at Piccolo Mondo got a real treat).

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Anyone want to jump into the AM market? Now is your chance (via):

NORTH CAROLINA… mid size market near Raliegh,NC. 10,000 watts day, some small power at night. Doing new talk format. Doing GREAT business. Very nice equipment. New owner will have to relocate tower site. Owner wants to retire, asking $500,000 cash and you move tower, or $600,000 and the present owner will move tower. Call Ted Gray for more information (336) 570-9133. This is a very good market with lots of potential. If you are looking for a good radio station to buy, this would be one to consider.

Gavin DeGraw will perform at The Red Room Tapas Lounge on Wednesday, April 30 as part of the G105 Listener Lounge Series. This event will be held on West Johnson Street. Tickets are given to listeners exclusively through G105. For more information, visit www.g105.com

The much-anticipated opening of the new convention center is approaching (early September), and Billy Warden at the Raleigh Downtowner has done a good job of previewing the building (interactive .PDF file). The center will have a 150,000 square foot exhibit hall, 32,000 square foot ballroom, and 19 meeting rooms. The center’s website has a great animated tour of the facility.

Word is that the Chick-Fil-A planned for Cameron Village has been put on hold due financial issues related to the nation’s banking crisis.

The RBC Tower’s cap assembly will begin at 3 am this evening, and will extend into Saturday. The N&O’s Jack Hagel wrote a story this past week about the assembly process. (Warning: don’t write Hagel any emails that you don’t want published in the paper).

I heard a rumor today that a “noodle store” is going to open in the former Grape spot in Cameron Village. Anyone heard more? Soup? Fresh pasta??

Sorry, but I love the subject of weather, so this is an important event for those of us fixated on local forecasting. WRAL, Channel 5, has dropped its long-held tradition (what? 30 years) of giving a 5-day forecast. While other stations have given longer forecasts, WRAL stayed true to its “5″ theme and avoided adding two unpredictable days to the forecast; until now.

One of my favorite tips from Chris (at Raleighing) is to add this dynamically-updated jpg to the Windows Active Desktop (versions thru XP, only). To add the WRAL 7-Day Forecast to your desktop, right-click on your Desktop and select Properties | Desktop | Customize Desktop | Web (tab) | New…  Then copy this URL into the window. Hit OK | OK | OK. The graphic will appear on your desktop and can be resized and moved by dragging corners and the title bar. The graphic will update daily and whenever Windows is restarted. To make this graphic appear in the Vista Sidebar, install Eye On The Web and point it to the 7-day forecast URL. Since adding this icon to my desktop, I found myself always prepared for the weather. 

For more weather geekiness, add the WRAL Weather Blog to your reader!

On Saturday, May 3, Better Business Bureau will host a free shredding event at Ridgewood Shopping Center. The event, offered to help people prevent identity theft, goes from 9am to 12:30pm. Acceptable materials include standard-size, paper-based materials, removed from binders; up to 3 boxes or bags.

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Ben Folds will be rockin’ the suburbs come May 30th. The concert will be at 7pm at Cary’s Booth Amphitheatre. Lawn chairs and blankets will be allowed. Tickets go on sale May 1 at Noon and are $37.50 reserved, and $25 lawn

There has been a lot of talk recently about “No-Hand King”. What’s a no-hand king? Well, if you’ve been downtown recently and seen Rodney Hines riding his bike around downtown doing no-hands wheelies, then you’ve seen the almighty No-Hand King. The guy rules and he does all of this to draw attention for the troops. His goals include setting a Guinness World Record for the longest no-hand wheelie, and to ride across America with no-hands. Check out his video on YouTube.

One of the big ideas at Monday’s meeting was to have a statue honoring the No-Hand King. A move I wholeheartedly second!