Try Out For Wheel of Fortune
Wheel of Fortune is staging two try-outs in the areas this week. On Friday, from 5pm-9pm, the crew will be at Fayetteville’s Crown Center Arena. On Saturday they will be at Raleigh Wide Open from 2pm-6pm, near the WTVD studios.
Planning for a Good Fair Trip
As many sit and plan their week ahead, I thought I’d call a few items concerning the State Fair to readers’ attentions. As is usually the case today and Tuesday are far-and-away the best days to go to the State Fair. The food is still fresh, the crowds are lightest, and safety is best. Wednesday is an early release day for the Wake County Public Schools, which means that schools release 2.5 hours earlier than usual. Of course expect every child in Wake County to be at the fair that day. Thursday is the canned food day on which four cans of canned food affords free admission. This day is usually a zoo, and the standing recommendation to avoid this day prevails. That leaves us with Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, which are the usual busy days at the fair, however because the weather was not ideal this past weekend, expect larger than normal day 8,9, and 10 crowds these days. That leaves us with today and tomorrow.
I haven’t been yet this year, but I will be making my annual stop to the Cary Methodist Church booth for a ham biscuit and brunswick stew. Also, be sure to get a foot-long corn dog near the alligator exhibit near the CAT bus entrance to the fairgrounds. The food I am most excited about finding this year is the buffalo chicken rangoon’s by Woody’s, in the area near the waterfall.
For more good fair info, check out the Deep Fried blog . Any wisdom you’d like to share about your best fair experiences?
Cherry Bounce Fest Begins Sunday
The Cherry Bounce Fest, a week-long leadup to Raleigh Wide Open, begins on Sunday in downtown Raleigh. Various bars and restaurants will feature a handful of the area’s best local bands each night, culminating in the 8-band lineup in front of the Raleigh Times next Saturday.
Shish Kabab Coming to City Plaza
In November the owner of Sam and Wally’s Eatery and bar will open Shish Kabob, an express cafe Mediterranean restaurant, in Raleigh’s City Plaza. This will be the second store, the first opened in Wake Forest in June, 2008).
Shish Kabob will serve a range of specialties from gyro-style sandwiches in pita bread, to vegetarian dishes and salads, to the house specialty, char-grilled shish kabobs – chicken, beef, lamb, and kafta. Sandwich prices range from $4.50 to $5.95. In addition to a large assortment of gyros, classic options like hamburgers and steak and cheese hoagies are available. Shish kabobs begin at $7.25, while a three-kabob combination platter (including two sides and warm pita) is $11.95. The $7.95 vegetarian platter includes falafel, pita, and choice of two sides – tabouli, hummus, grape leaves, rice, pasta, or fries. A kids menu is also available, along with non-caffeinated, sugar-free beverage options.
Shish Kabob will be open from 11 am – 8 pm, Monday through Saturday and will offer sidewalk seating, carry-out, and call-ahead ordering.
Monster Jam Coming to RBC Center
On Friday, January 22 Monster Jam returns to the RBC Center. No Monster Priuses again this year, which is just too darned bad!
H&M Coming to Crabtree
Sue Stock is reporting today that Crabtree has nailed a deal to bring the state’s first H&M store to the mall. It will be located in part of the former Thalheimer’s/Lord & Taylor space on the lower level (under Belk Men).
Department of Revenue Site Down
It’s October 15, and the N.C. State Department of Revenue’s website has been down for over 24 hours. This means that businesses who were not mailed NC-5 forms are not able to make timely Withholding Tax payments… tap tap tap. Surely the Department will grant extensions for those trying to comply but cannot due to the Department’s own failings , right? RIGHT?
UPDATE (11:50am) – It appears that the Department has changed to a new server, so people will need to update their links. All business electronic payments can now be made from http://www.dor.state.nc.us/electronic/index.html#businesses
State Fair Begins Today
Today is “Preview Day†at the N.C. State Fair . While not all of the rides and attractions will be open today, it is a good chance to have some fun at the fair at a slight discount. Gates are open from 3pm to midnight. Remember, too, that Preview Day is the day for unlimited rides with the purchase of a $25 wristband.
Today is also the final day to get advance tickets, including admission at $5 ($2 off) and rides for $10 per 18-ticket sheet (about half-off). Tickets can be purchased at various area locations , including Gate 9, the N.C. Museum of History, the State Farmers Market, and Triangle Town Center.
The easiest way to get to the fair is via the dedicated Fair routes on the CAT bus . There are three lines, one goes down Hillsborough Street and makes stops along the way, while two express routes will run from both the old Alcatel site in Raleigh and WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary. Fare is $4 for round trip, and free for those under 40†tall. Note, the site does not specify if bus service is running on Preview Day, so driving is probably easier today. (Park on Beryl Road, diagonally across Hillsborough St. from the Fair’s main entrance). If you have friends to the west, perhaps the Amtrak line is the way to go.
Soup Is On At Snoopy’s
The long-awaited day is here! Snoopy’s will commence soup service at all four of their locations today.
UPDATE: I went by at lunch and had a cup. It was so, so, SO greasy, and I’m really disappointed. A better bet is the Chicken & Orzo soup at Zoe’s Kitchen. It’s so good that they ran out yesterday.
Ajax Comes to Broughton
Tonight is the first night of Broughton High School’s production of “Ajaxâ€, as translated by John Tipton . The press release goes into more depth:
This classic Greek drama recounts the struggles of Ajax, the second greatest warrior behind Achilles. After Achilles meets his fate, a contest emerges for which Greek deserves to win Achilles weapons and armor. Odysseus wins, but only with the aid of the goddess Athena. Ajax reacts with blind rage and slaughters countless livestock believing them to be Menelaus, Agamemnon, and their followers. The play opens on the next morning as Ajax returns to sanity and comes to terms with his vile behavior. The central theme of the play -warriors struggling to readjust to domestic life after years of battle stress- resonates today.
The Greeks used special effects in their plays often. They would raise and lower the actors playing gods and goddesses from atop the skene building to the orchestra circle. The theatrical term to describe this effect is deus ex machine which translates as “god from the machineâ€. Our production employs this device in various parts of the play.
Broughton High School’s production will be the world premiere of Tipton’s translation. Jason Schumacher, who works for ZFX Flying Effects and has worked on several plays on Broadway, in Las Vegas, and throughout North America and Asia, has agreed to help with this performance. Drew Vidal, a Ball State University professor and professional fight choreographer, has also agreed to lend his expertise. The Theatre and Dance programs at Broughton are providing opportunities for the students to work with these professionals and experience the flying effects. PJ Benedict, a movement director with experience in the United Kingdom, has volunteered to work with the Greek Chorus.
The play is scheduled for performances opening in the Broughton High School Auditorium, October 15, 16 and 17 at 7:00 p.m. Tickets for the three night public performance are $5. The theatre program receives no money from the school or county and all of the classroom supplies and production needs are funded solely by ticket sales. Please continue to support the theatre program at Broughton so they may provide future opportunities for students and the public. Any support is welcome.
TWC To Roll Out 4G Wireless
Time Warner Cable announced today that it will officially launch 4G wireless service in Raleigh, Charlotte, and Greensboro on December 1. This will be called “Road Runner Mobileâ€, and prices start at $35 per month (for TWC Triple Pay Customers on Price Lock Guarantee).
Download speeds will be up to 6 Mbps. Unlike Verizon’s Mifi dongle, this service will be received via two types of USB dongles: Motorola USBw100 USB card (WiMax-only) and the Franklin Wireless CMU-300 USB card (dual 3G/WiMax). More options are said to be available after the service’s launch.
Note (10/15) : Also being launched on December 1 is Time Warner’s CradlePoint device, which will also deliver Road Runner Mobile. The device is a portable wireless router that connects up to the internet wirelessly, much like Verizon’s Mifi.
The introduction of fob-based internet connectivity makes things interesting, especially for people who live alone. With this kind of device and a Wifi-capable “phone” device, one could use Skype for their telephony over wifi and avoid having to exhaust all of their patience with a terrible cellular phone carrier (I’m talking right at YOU, AT&T!)
Triangle Modernist Houses Organizing NYC Trip
The local website championing modernist architecture, Triangle Modernist Houses, is putting together a day-trip to New York City . Their email states:
Want to meet Richard Meier? You will. Want to see his vast collection of architectural models? No problem. What about visiting his famous Smith House, almost never open to visitors? Yep . The Museum of Modern Art – aren’t they having an exhibit on the Bauhaus? Yes, and you’ll be going . What about a guided tour of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Guggenheim Museum? That, too . What about getting to New York? It’s all included . Lunch? Yes. Ground transportation? Of course. Wow, that’s incredible! We think so, too . Only 21 seats are available on the plane; but if you want to go separately and stay longer over the weekend, we’ve got 19 additional day seats.
The fascinating trip takes place on Friday, January 22, and costs $459 per person. The plane takes off at 6am, and returns at 10pm, weather permitting 😉
Burning Coal Brings “Flee This Place”
Raleigh’s Burning Coal Theater’s “Wait Til You See This†second-stage series is currently running Flee This Place , a dark piece where the myths of Medea and Antigone collide. The work, authored by Johanna Maynard, is intended for mature audiences. All shows are at the Meymandi Theatre in the Murphy School.
Show times:
- Wednesday, Oct. 14, 7:30pm
- Thursday, Oct. 15, 7:30pm
- Friday, Oct. 16, 7:30pm
- Saturday, Oct. 17, 7:30pm
- Sunday, Oct. 18, 2:00pm
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