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May
31

A Southern Season Named to Retail Superstars

retailssuperstars A new book entitled “ Retail Superstars: Inside the 25 Best Independent Stores in America ” includes Chapel Hill’s wonderful A Southern Season . The book takes readers inside the history of how the stores started and grew in spite of large national chains moving in nearby. The book can, ironically, be purchased through Amazon , Barnes & Noble , Borders , and many other fine retailers.

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May
30

Big Saturday Features Loads To Do

One could call this the official first summer weekend in Raleigh, because there is more to do than most of us can handle! Parking for all of the downtown events is, basically, “anywhere”, but don’t forget about riding the free R-Line bus .

Today’s forecast: Mostly Sunny with a high of 84!

Mosaic Spring Music Fest

The 11-day Mosaic Spring Music Fest kicked off on Thursday and features local music talent on each day. Today’s offering is called “Turntables on the Hudson Meets Julius the Mad Thinker”. Here is the schedule:

  • 2-6p Rich L/ Morey
  • 6-10p Mariano (Toth)
  • 10-11p Julius the Mad Thinker
  • 11p-12a Mariano
  • 12-1a Nickodemus
  • 1-2:30a Julius the Mad Thinker

The event takes place at the Mosaic Wine Bar & Lounge (Jones/Glenwood, across from 518)

Bud Light Downtown Live

The seven-date, free concert series known at Bud Light Downtown Live kicks off today and features “Multi-platinum grunge rockers” Candlebox. There is more to the day, however, as a full day of music kicks off at 2pm.

  • 2:00 PM – Big Rick and the Bombers
  • 3:30 PM – The Jackets
  • 4:30 PM – The Last Hour
  • 5:30 PM – Old Habits
  • 6:30 PM – Jimmie’s Chicken Shack
  • 7:30 PM – Parmalee
  • 9:00 PM – Candlebox
    Monster Second Stage (All day during breaks) – Elysium

Here are some more details about the event:

Family Event: Downtown Live is a family event.  From 2pm until 7pm there is a huge Downtown Live kids zone complete with inflatables, bouncing houses, slides, and pony rides.  Also, expect visits from many of the area sports teams.  All ages are welcomed at Downtown Live, but you must be 21 to consume alcohol.  If you plan on consuming alcohol, please remember to bring a valid I.D.

What can I bring inside the park?

You MAY bring:

  • One bottled water
  • Needs for children (i.e. diapers, strollers, etc.)
  • Blankets and chairs
  • Umbrellas

You may NOT bring :

  • Professional recording or camera equipment.  Professional cameras are defined as cameras with a detachable lens.  Small digital and phone cameras are okay.
  • Food or Beverage (including alcohol).  There are a wide variety of local food vendors set up inside the park, in additional beer and beverage stations.
  • Pets, even if on a leash.  No pets allowed of any kind.
  • No coolers, bags, picnics, bikes, rollerblades.

Got To Be N.C. Festival

Celebrate North Carolina agriculture at the Got To Be N.C. Festival . Taste the best foods from the mountains to the coast in the Got to Be NC Agriculture trade show in the Expo Building. Sample the thousands of foods raised here in the state and buy some to take home. Sauces, candies, nuts, meats, snacks and beverages will all be available for your sensory safari.

There will be a chef’s stage featuring the following:

Saturday

Sunday

You can also tour the antique farm equipment preserved and restored by collectors all over North Carolina and neighboring states. Antique tractor clubs from across the state will be on hand with knowledgeable collectors and restorers ready to answer questions. Look at over 1,000 pieces of farm equipment on display. Then see those antique tractors pull in the Grandstand shows.

There are rides, many beach, country, and bluegrass bands, and tons of food! (Last year’s festival, unlike the State Fair for the past dozen-or-so years, featured a double-ferris wheel.

Admission is free . Rides, grandstand events, food, and games are pay-as-you-go. The event is taking place at the N.C. State Fairgrounds.

May
29

Blue Jackets Pushing for Arena Buyout

The cash-strapped Columbus Blue Jackets are pushing for the county to buy Columbus, OH’s Nationwide Arena . Business First of Columbus reports:

Nationwide Arena is owned by a partnership of Nationwide Insurance and Dispatch Printing Co., with the insurer holding a 90 percent stake. The Blue Jackets lease the nine-year-old arena and operate it, but revenue from events isn’t covering operating costs , said Blue Jackets President Mike Priest. That’s forcing the club to take money from hockey operations to make up the difference, he said.

The Blue Jackets are proposing the county adopt a “sin tax” (beer, wine and cigarettes) in order for the county to afford the purchase. The nine-year old arena cost $175million to build; all privately financed. Unlike the RBC Center, the Blue Jackets are their building’s only tenant.

May
27

Darius Rucker Opening for Flatts

darius Back in March it was known that Rascal Flatts was coming to Walnut Creek on Sunday, August 2. However, since then Darius Rucker , Hootie-man-gone-country, has been named as the opening act for the show.

May
27

Flay vs. Mitchell Throwdown Airs Tonight

Recently The Pit’s pitmaster, Ed Mitchell , got a nice surprise. As he was standing in front of the crowd in the tent, a familiar face in food was behind him hushing the crowd. Mitchell had been duped into a Bobby Flay Throwdown . The event will appear during Food Network’s “BBQ feature week as “Tales From The Pit” tonight at 8:30 (TWC 60, 278). The episode will re-air at 3:30am and on June 6 at 4:30pm.

May
27

New Riders of the Purple Sage Coming to Pour House

The New Riders of the Purple Sage will make their return to Raleigh on August 6 with a show at the Pour House in downtown Raleigh.

May
27

Spize Cafe Coming to Fayetteville Street

Print The former America’s Pita Grille space will soon be gutted to prepare for the Spize Cafe. The restaurant will feature a menu of Pan-Asian flavors in baguettes, soups, salads, and fresh rolls. There will be a “Free Tasting day” in late July, just before the restaurant’s grand opening.

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May
27

RBC Center Floor Melting Underway

roofcam Now that the Hurricanes’ season is over, there is no reason to super-chill the RBC Center. In most years the switch is flipped on the ice refrigeration system in the arena’s concrete floor. What we should see in the RBC Center Webcam today is the biannual melting of the ice.

Note: There is a trap door in the floor on the north end. Usually the slush is pushed that way for disposal

May
26

Thanks Canes!

To the Carolina Hurricanes: THANK YOU for a phenomenal season. Last season the team missed the playoffs by a point. Coming into the season things didn’t jel. An odd coaching change was a change indeed. Once March rolled around, Paul Maurice had the team clicking on all cylinders; one of the NHL’s hottest teams down the stretch. There was plenty of heat from other teams in the Eastern Conference, but the Canes pressed the accelerator and made noise into the playoffs

What a playoff run it was! Against New Jersey the Canes scored the latest regulation game-winning goal in the playoffs. Just a week later, seemingly at the end of its season, the Canes scored two goals in the final couple of minutes to put away the Devils in Game 7. Against the regular season champion Boston Bruins, the Canes found themselves up 3 games to 1, only to see their game escape them. They would only win one remaining game, an important Game 7 to put them in the Eastern Finals. It was the franchise’s 3rd Conference Finals in 7 years.

For the decade, the Carolina Hurricanes franchise stands as one of the most successful of this decade for the league. For the season, about 26 other teams would have traded their season for the Canes. For the Caniacs, it was an strong showing during “the worst economy in our lifetime”.  Stand and deliver? The Caniacs did to the end, thanking their team for a great run. Fantastic finishes, trips to the airport, tailgating, and never knowing what’s next. That’s what it’s all about. That’s what we’ll remember about Spring of 2009.

May
26

Gravy Opening June 8

gravy Gravy , the new downtown Italian-American eatery, will have its official opening on Monday, June 8. The restaurant, located at 135 Wilmington Street (next to Sitti ), is a partnership between the Bella Monica owners and Greg Hatem’s Empire Eats .

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May
26

TeaGschwendner Coming to Cameron Village

teagschwender TeaGschwendner is coming to Raleigh! The 145-store (mostly in Europe) tea retailing operation will open in the former Peanut Roaster space in Cameron Village in August. There is more information to come, and more was covered in Sue Stock’s Friday column .

May
26

Flyer Reports Glenwood Dunkin’ Donuts’ Closure

You may want to go enjoy Dunkin’ Donuts in Glenwood South before Sunday night. A real estate flyer being circulated today reports the 1,740 square foot “former Dunkin’ Donuts” space is currently available at $25/sqft.

The flyer also reveals that this space is “adjacent to Tobacco Road Sports Bar, Brueggers Bagels, and an Asian restaurant (coming soon)”.

May
25

Wake Co. School Calendars for iPhone, Blackberry, and More!

image The Wake County Public School System has many different calendars for their schools. Gogoraleigh now has most of these schedules in several different formats for your PDA or desktop calendars thru 2011. See the main Calendar page for links to downloads and Google Calendars.

Also, Durham Bulls and Carolina Mudcats home-only schedules have been added in all formats.

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