We are hosting a back to school donation drive for Morrisville Elementary! Please bring school supplies by the office before August 15th :-)

"No great man ever complains of want of opportunities."
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Great Local Summer Ideas!

Do you have visitors coming into town this summer and not sure where to take them? Or are you just looking for something fun and different to do on a Saturday? Here are some great ideas for you to try!!

Carolina Brewery Tours:

What better way to quench your thirst on a hot summer day than an ice cold beer?? And to make things even better, you can see where your beer is brewed when you go to the Carolina Brewery! The Carolina Brewery has been brewing fine beer since 1995, and every Saturday they give a free tour to the public! The tour begins at 1 and lasts around 45 minutes to an hour. You are given samples of the beer during the tour, and you can hang out after the tour to enjoy your favorite ones! The Carolina Brewery has an array of different beers for you to select from. Year round they have the Carolina Pale Ale, Carolina Nut Brown Ale, and Carolina India Pale. They also have several seasonal, anniversary, and holiday beers to choose from.

No appointment is necessary for the tour. You must be at least 21 to tour, and no one under 21 is permitted.

For more information visit http://www.carolinabrew.com/.

Wine Tasting and Tours at Chatham Hill Winery

If you're not the biggest beer fan, but love your wine, you'll love this tour!! They have tours on Saturday at 1, 3, and 4:30 and on Sunday at 2. They are also open for tasting on Saturday from 11-6 and Sunday from 1-5.

Chatham Hill Winery was established in 1999 and it was the first winery in the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill area! They use North Carolina grapes make wines including Chardonnay, Viognier, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc. You can use the winery to host private events, such as weddings, private parties and corporate events!

Every Weekend during the Summer, you will be able to taste samples of Spanish Sangria, the Cool and Frosty Wine Cocktail, and Wine-A-Rita, all made with Sweet Carolina wines!

For more information, visit their website at http://www.chathamhillwine.com/.

Taste Carolina Gourmet Food Tour

This is a great tour for your guests who may have never visited the great state of NC before!! They have walking tours every Saturday in Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill/Carrboro. They have guides that will take you to six to eight restaurants and shops serving innovative food sourced locally from farm-to-table. You'll have opportunities to talk with chefs and owners, and along the way, the guides will tell you about local history and cool new developments in town.

In Durham, the tour starts in the American Tobacco District and will take you to Brightleaf Square. For the Chapel Hill/Carrboro tour, you will begin in Carrboro and make your way toward Chapel Hill for some redefined Southern Cooking. Downtown Raleigh has several different tour options. You can choose the Capitol to Glenwood walking tour, the North Carolina Brew & 'Cue, Raleigh Chocolate Tour, North Hills Lunch Tour, or the Whole Hog Barbeque Tour. They also have Custom Tours available and Private Tours for Team-Building Activities,New Field Trips, Wedding Weekend Activities, Bridal Showers, etc.

The walking tours are 2-3 miles, so make sure to wear comfortable shoes! :) For more information, visit their website at http://www.tastecarolina.net/.

Historic Raleigh Tours

Have you ever wanted to learn more about Raleigh or Durham's history?? Check out the Tobacco Road Tours for some weekend fun!!

The Historic Raleigh Tour will take you to:
*The State Capitol, Fayetteville Street, Memorial Auditorium (Progress Energy Center).
*Shaw University, Peace College, St. Augustine’s College, Meredith College, St. Mary’s School, North Carolina State University
*Historic Districts of Oakwood, Hayes – Barton, Five Points, Mordecai and Boylan Heights including Moore Square.
*The Entertainment Districts, Glenwood South, City Market and Warehouse Districts & Five Points.
*The North End; Capitol Park, Village at Pilots Mill, Seaboard Warehouses
*The Central Business District, NC State Arboretum and Pullen Park.

The Historic Durham Tour will take you to:
*The Downtown Business District, Ninth Street, Brightleaf Square, Warehouse District, Parish Street (Black Wall Street) and Museum of Life & Science
*Bennett Place (where the Civil War surrender was negotiated)
*Historic neighborhoods like Hayti, Watts-Hillandale, Old West Durham, West Club Boulevard and Trinity Park.
*Duke Memorial United Methodist Church, Maplewood Cemetery, Old Durham County Courthouse (Neo-Classical Revival) Duke’s East Campus.
*The American Tobacco/Durham Bulls Ballpark area City Place, Arrowhead Inn and West Village
*Duke University Campus, North Carolina Central University, Duke Forest, the American Tobacco Trail, Eno River Parks and Sarah P. Duke Gardens
*Durham Performing Arts Center and the Duke Homestead National Historic Site (real tobacco heritage) Durham Bulls Stadium and more.

The tours last around 2 1/2 hours and you'll have 2 breaks to stand up, walk around and stretch your legs.

The Tobacco Road Tours also have the Sand Hills Area Tour (including Pine Hurst and Southern Pines) and the Piedmont Winery Tours.

For more information, visit their website at http://tobaccoroadtours.com/.

Hopefully all of this information will give you plenty to do this summer and you can WOW your guests with how great North Carolina is!!

"Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see." ~ Mark Twain

WHEW, It's going to be HOT today!! http://ping.fm/OaGLY Everyone stay cool! :)

Did you know that Ronald Reagan designated the month of July as National Ice Cream Month? Yum Yum!!

The Durham Bulls are at home all week this week!! Make a night out with family and friends and support your local team!! =)

Don't forget you can see the Carolina Mudcats play for FREE this Friday and Saturdady with your Time Warner Bill!! http://ping.fm/gHRrO

Beach Music at North Hills is tonight, the Kays are playing!! Admission is free and you can take your own picnics!!

Raleigh Amphitheater - Summer Music Fun!

The Raleigh Amphitheater is open in downtown Raleigh!! They will keep the name Raleigh Amphitheater for the time being, as the Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission denied the request for the amphitheater to be named after Bud Light. But at least the Raleigh Amphitheater is an easy name to remember!

The Amphitheatre holds 5,500 people, about 1,000 that will fit on the sloped lawn at the back. On the concrete in front of the lawn are 1,800 fixed seats and room for up to 2,700 movable seats.

They have some great shows lined up for this summer!! Here's a list of who will be performing:

Friday, July 16th: Gov't Mule

Friday, July 23rd: Paramore

Sunday, July 25th: Carnival of Madness featuring: Shinedown, Chevelle, Sevendust, Puddle of Mudd, and 10 years

Wenesday, July 28th: Legalize It 2010 featuring: Slightly Stoopid, Cypress Hill, and Collie Buddz

Friday, July 30th: Comedian Chelsea Handler

Saturday, July 31st: Barenaked Ladies

Monday, August 9th: Goo Goo Dolls

Tuesday, August 10th: O.A.R. and Citizen Cope

Friday, August 13th: Umphrey's McGee

Saturday, August 14th: Heart

Tuesday, August 17th: Maroon 5 and American Idol's Kris Allen

Wednesday, August 25th: The Dukes of September

Friday, September 17th: The Black Crowes

The amphitheater is located at 500 S McDowell St. in downtown Raleigh, and their box office is adjacent to the main gate. There are two other gates, both on Lenoir Street. Gate No. 2 is at McDowell Street, while gate No. 3 is at Dawson Street.


Since the amphitheatre is located in downtown Raleigh, there will be so much for you to do afterwards! You can grab some food and beer at the Flying Saucer, or check out the Big Easy over off Fayetteville St for some New Orleans style cooking!! Neither of these sound like what you're looking for? No problem! Visit http://www.godowntownraleigh.com/at-ease/dining for more options!

You can visit http://www.raleighconvention.com/amphitheater/ for more ticket information on the shows listed above!! You can also keep up-to-date with what's going on through their Facebook Fan Page at http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=263861469914&v=wall&so=45.

We hope everyone has a safe and fun-filled summer!!

Eat Local! Visit the Western Wake Farmer's Market!

Looking for a great way to give back and support our community?! Check out the Western Wake Farmer's Market in Morrisville! Every Saturday, April through October, the Western Wake Farmers Market is open from 8 a.m. until 12 p.m. It is located on Morrisville Carpenter Rd. between Davis Dr. and Hwy. 55 in Carpenter Village.

The Western Wake Farmer's market mission is for all people in the community to become educated about and benefit from locally grown food. Their aim is to help all walks of life, from the farmers to the local community members to those less fortunate who might need assistance through the local food bank.

Every week they have so much going on at the market! Next Saturday, July 17th they have 'Learning @ the Market' with Suzanne Tilton, Butterfly Lady . You'll learn about the life cycle of the butterfly, what to plant in your garden to attract butterflies and caterpillars, and the importance of butterflies in a healthy environment. You'll be able to see live butterfly eggs, caterpillars, chrysalises and adult Painted Lady butterflies on display. And you won't want to miss the live butterfly release at 11:30 a.m.! For more information you can check out her website http://www.butterflylady.com/

Not really sure what to expect at the Farmer's Market? Here's a great website with some tips and tricks to help guide you and help with your shopping list!!
http://localfoods.about.com/od/farmersmarkets/tp/Farmers--Market-Tips.htm

You can also visit http://westernwakefarmersmarket.org/Learn/ to find some great recipes to make with all your new yummy fruits and vegetables after your shopping trip!

So the next time you go to any of the grocery stores and you aren't impressed with their selection, make it a point to visit the Western Wake Farmer's Market! You'll be supporting our community and eating locally grown food. And of course, it's a great way to start your weekend!! :)


For more information, check out
http://westernwakefarmersmarket.org/