Laurel Hills Little League Debuting on ESPNtyke
In February ESPN launched ESPNtyke, a channel dedicated to basketball recruiting. The station features not only high school basketball, but also junior high and little league games of the game’s future stars. On May 6 at 9am Raleigh makes its debut with a game from the Laurel Hills Community Center.
The teams featured in the internationally-televised game will be the Rebels vs. the Coyotes. The Rebels features 5’11 standout Marcus Young, a Raleigh 5th grader who has narrowed his choices to Georgetown, Memphis, and Kentucky.
They will face stiff competition from The Coyotes, however, which features Jeff Koonce and Harmon Boatwright. Koonce, a 6th grader is a 3-point specialist who has narrowed his choices to UNC, Connecticut, and Kentucky, while Boatwright, a 5th grader who has already mastered rebounding is down to UCLA, N.C. State, and, of course, Kentucky.
The Coyotes will, however, be without their point guard, Jacob Miller whose prior commitments (a select soccer game, an AAU basketball game, and try-outs for a select baseball team) will make him unable to attend.
Masters of Death and Destruction Playing Hopscotch
This year’s upcoming bill for the Hopscotch Festival is filling out nicely. The newest addition to the lineup is The Masters of Death and Destruction, who will be playing City Plaza on Friday night of the Hopscotch weekend. The band, best know for their 43 minute hit single “Raaaaaaaaaaauuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhhh” will bring something downtown Raleigh hasn’t seen in 20 years, darkness.
As part of the show, Progress Energy has agree to shut down the power grid for the entire downtown area. “We want to bring the pureness of dark to our show,” said Evan Rohn, guitarest. The band’s set is reported to last 5 hours and feature all of the band’s 8 songs.
“We are aware that some customers may be inconvenienced by the outage, however we feel the importance of the Masters of Death and Destruction playing Hopscotch is well worth the costs”, Progress’ Mike Bernard said.
Get Ready for 10-Digit Dialing
On Saturday the Triangle becomes the next region of the country to implement mandatory 10-digit dialing. The numbers from the 919 area code are exhausted, and instead of breaking part of that geographical region off into a new zip code (as was done in the past) the area will become home to two area codes, known as an “overlay”. New numbers will have a 984 area code instead of 919, and because the codes coexist in the same area, all callers will have to dial the area code when calling any number beginning Friday.
I received a text message notice about the upcoming change about a month ago from my carrier, Verizon. However my land line service is thru Vonage, and they have sent absolutely no notice of the upcoming change. Have you gotten notice from your landline carrier yet?
The change resurrects many old questions, though. If we have to dial 10 digits to call next door, then why do we have to use the “1+” prefix to dial numbers “outside of our area code”? The duality that exists between national calling on landlines that require the prefix and cellular services which have never used the prefix is baffling, for sure.
Even more interesting, though, is the question raised by Nilay Patel, a writer at the Verge: Phone numbers tied to a location and the technologies that have emerged in the last 15 years don’t seem to be compatible concepts. With Microsoft, Google, and Apple trying to unseat the two big telephony technologies, it’s likely that in 15 more years the model will have changed so much, that there could be plenty of available phone numbers in the 919 area code.
NCMNS Nature Research Center Gala, Grand Opening Set
The expansion of the the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences is almost open! On April 20 and 21 the museum will host , a 24-hour celebration. The facility will house four research laboratories used by scientific staff from the Nature Research Center (NRC), the museum, UNC System, and visiting scientists. Visitors can observe these spaces as well as participate in interactive and multimedia exhibits. There is a slate of events scheduled for the opening, and all events are free to the public.
Grand Opening:
Gala
The weekend before the grand opening, however, is the . The event, which takes place on the evening of Friday, April 13, will feature performances from the TFC Band, Mark Wells QUartet, The Magic of African Rhythm, Mickey Mills Steel Drum Band, and Infinity Circus. There will be food and an open bar at this black tie optional event. Tickets are $200 each and include the After Party events.
The Gala After Party begins at 10pm and includes a late night menu, test tube shooters, an open bar and dancing to , , and (a video DJ) in the three-story surround screen “Daily Planet Disco”. Tickets for this event are $75.
Gala:
The NRC will be an excellent addition to downtown Raleigh this year, and its stellar grand opening isn’t to be missed!
Colon Terrell Sweeps Through Raleigh This Morning
Today heart attack survivor Colon Terrell will continue his 3000-mile nationwide walk in Raleigh. The walk intends to raise awareness of heart disease, America’s #1 killer. Here is more about his plans for today:
Plans call for us to start on the south side of the Capitol Building at 11:00AM. We can all make the heart sign with our hands (see photo of two of our granddaughters, Ashley and Olivia) to kick-off our walk. Here’s the planned path for the day:
- From the Capitol, south down Fayetteville Street.
- Right on Lenoir Street for one block.
- Right again (north) on Salisbury Street where we’ll stop briefly at the Convention Center and statue of Sir Walter Raleigh.
- Continue north on Salisbury Street to Hillsborough Street.
- Left on Hillsborough Street for as long as you want to walk with me.
More about this ambitious plan is at
ACC Football Schedule for Download Now Available
Today the ACC released the complete schedule for the upcoming football season. In typical fashion, gogoraleigh has compiled the schedules into a formats that are easy to import into almost all calendar applications. Included are not only downloadable files for the UNC and NCSU schedules, but also files for the entire ACC conference schedule.
Google Calendar users will find that the existing feed for each of these schedules has been updated, so there is no need change anything if you are already subscribed.
TV has not had a chance to affect the schedule, so the dates are not final and times are not set.
Railhawks ’12 Calendar Ready for Download
The Carolina Railhawks are returning Cary this summer! I’ve posted their schedule in many different formats for easy downloading to iPhones, Android Phones, Outlook, Google Calendar, and many, many more!
The calendars are available in the “Calendars” tab found at the top of the page at Gogoraleigh. Scroll down to “Carolina Railhawks Soccer 2012” and select your desired format.
Broughton Band Featured in Tournament of Roses Parade
Tomorrow morning (Monday) the Broughton Band will take another long-awaited step into the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, CA. The Golden Regiment first marched this parade in 2008 and ever since rumors have floated about the actual retirement date of the band’s director, Jeff Richardson (“JR”). It was this second shot for which JR held out, and it was completely worth the wait, according to JR. After becoming active in the hosting process of the parade in recent years, the band was invited to not only return to the parade, but to march in the parade’s coveted final band slot. JR’s retirement is for real, this time, however, as his replacement will take the reins on February 1..
The parade will be aired from 11am to 1pm. While NBC is the more prominent network covering the event, HGTV (TWC Channels 1350 and 350) blows NBC’s coverage away year after year. Not only is their commentary about the craft of each float superb, they also show the marching bands for more then 5 seconds each.
Take a look at the Broughton Band during their first pass of the Raleigh Christmas Parade six weeks ago:
2011: Best of the Year
As another year draws to a close, it is always nice to reflect upon what changes Raleigh saw and consider their long term impact. It was another slow year, coupled with another business project for me (that gobbled about 90% of my free time since summer started). Hopefully we’ll see more fun stuff in 2012. Here are the Top 40 stories of 2011:
- RDU Terminal 2 Phase II Opens
- Scotty McCreery Wins American Idol
- Raleigh Hosts NHL All-Star Game
- Business and Building Losses – This is the first year in the blogging era when significant losses impacted Raleigh, losing several people, buildings, businesses, and identities: Lorenzo Charles, John Baker, Bart Ritner, Jolly’s Jewelers (130 years old), Tyler House, Fosters/Nelsons, “Hudson” Belk, Wachovia, Restoration Hardware, Blockbuster Video (most stores), Amedeo’s North, Borders, Cold Krispy Kreme in City Plaza, Chockey’s, Duck & Dumpling, The Diner; The Brewery, The Ballantines building in Cameron Village, 1720 Canterbury Drive, The Green House and Jackpot Bar;
- Tornado Rips Through Downtown Raleigh
- Local Election Yields Landslide Wins for Non-Conservatives
- Triangle Expressway Opens as NC’s First Toll Road
- Rembrandt Exhibit Opens at NCMA
- Food Truck Rules Change for Downtown Raleigh
- Webb Simpson Finishes Second in PGA Earnings
- Jeff Skinner Wins Calder Trophy
- Duke’s Kyrie Irving Selected #1 in NBA Draft
- WRAL Dismisses Pam Saulsby, Hires Jackie Hyland
- NCSU Fires Lowe, Hires Gottfried
- Coach K Sets NCAA Men’s Basketball Division I Wins Record
- Canes Fire Paul Maurice, Hire Kirk Muller
- Mayor Charles Meeker Retires
- Cameron Village Chick-Fil-A Breaks Ground
- Stall, Ward, Skinner Named to NHL All-Star Team
- GoLive Attempts To Unite Triangle Transit
- Glenwood South Hampton Inn Breaks Ground
- Edison Complex Redesigned
- Bobcats/Canes Swap Exhibition Games, Bobcats Cancel Game
- RBC Center Gets New, Red Lower Level Seats
- The Umstead Wins AAA Five Diamond Award
- Ed Mitchell Leaves The Pit
- ACC Expands to Include Syracuse and Pittsburgh
- Verizon LTE Service Launches in Triangle
- Rocky Top Hospitality Closes Red Room, Bogart’s, Michael Dean’s, opens Cantina South, Tribeca Tavern
- Tommy Bahama Store Opens in Crabtree
- Gonza Tacos y Taquila Opens
- City Council Endorses Light Rail Plan
- Meat House Opens in Quail Corners
- Renaissance North Hills Wins AAA Four Diamond, Best Marriott Award
- Mandolin Opens to Rave Reviews
- Green Square Complex Opens
- Fai Thai Opens, Abruptly Closes
- First Night Brings Ferris Wheel to Fayetteville Street
- Raleigh Restaurants Featured on LudoBites TV Show
- 96 Rock Changes Format
Low Ceiling
With fog advisories this morning, it is no surprise that the cloud layer was low. However at around 7:30am WRAZ showed this rare view of downtown Raleigh as seen from the WRAL tower on Western Blvd.
Solas Named to Top 50 Late Night Finds
OpenTable Diners have spoken, and they have named Raleigh’s among their list of . No other restaurants in North Carolina won the award.
The Pixies Coming to Greensboro
With a new CD coming out in September, are hitting the road this fall, and have planned a stop at Greensboro’s War Memorial Auditorium on Tuesday, November 8. opens. The ticket presale is currently running (password DOOLITTLE) thru Thursday (7/14) at 10pm.
Note: the new CD coming September 6 will be a with songs by him and Reid Paley. It will be named Paley & Francis.
Trip Report: Carowinds
Since the park’s opening in 1973, has entertained people for much of the Charlotte area. The only problem is that the park didn’t stand up the offerings by other parks 4-5 hours up/down Interstate 85. Therefore it simply could not compete for customers beyond an hour’s drive away. Those days are over.
Built as a celebration of the Carolinas, Carowinds offered just the basics typically offered by a regional amusement park. Even with the acquisition by the and later Paramount, the park remained the bastard child to siblings Kings Dominion, Great America, Kings Island, and Canada’s Wonderland. In 2006, however, the parks were all purchased by , the operator of (Sandusky, Ohio), the coaster capital of the world. Cedar Fair acquisition isn’t always a blessing, as the company disbanded a nice park in Aurora, OH. Rides from that park were sent to the remaining parks, including Carowinds. Luckily, though, Carowinds was the recipient of intense attention from Cedar Fair, and the park now stands as a peer to , , and . In fact, the park has some advantages over each of those listed.
Recent Stories
- Hopscotch Festival Announces Lineup April 18, 2012
- City Council to Pick Site 4 Developer April 16, 2012
- 100 Great Concerts Coming to Raleigh April 5, 2012
- Joe Bonamassa Returning to DPAC April 5, 2012
- Staats Battle Wins National Name Championship April 3, 2012
- Time For A New Phone Number Format? April 2, 2012
- Players’ Retreat Converting to P.R. Shenanigan’s April 1, 2012
- MyFace Launches in Raleigh April 1, 2012
- St. Mary’s/Lassiter Mill To Go One Way April 1, 2012
- Raleigh Tiny Flag Campaign A Success at Roundabout April 1, 2012
- New Mexican Restaurant Said to be Raleigh’s Hottest April 1, 2012
- New Italian Restaurant Coming to North Hills April 1, 2012
- Curtis Media to Launch Adele-Only Station April 1, 2012
- Harrison Barnes Has Brand-Saving Surgery April 1, 2012
- Time Warner to Debut ITB Network April 1, 2012