You know, unless I just HAVE to do something on December 30th.
It seems like just yesterday I was announcing the launch of IHeartRetail.com. (Big “Thank You!”s to everyone who has visited, by the way!)
Well, if you know me, you know that I also heart restaurants, bars, and going out… especially in my favorite city – RALEIGHWOOD!
I am constantly getting asked “how did you know about (fill in the blank)”, etc. So, my pal Evan and I decided to compile our cumulative knowledge of websites and New Year’s Eve happenings in Raleigh and this was born: RaleighNYE.com.
I’ll personally be at Tobacco Road (and then late-night at Sauced Pizza) and would LOVE to see any of you who will be out and about! Just stop in either location (no cover) and say “Hi”!
…but I still don’t turn on the holiday music until closer to Christmas, though đ
There is a lot of small town and big city stuff to do this weekend – all starting today. I wish they didn’t all fall on the same day/time though, because I want to do it all, of course!
The Parks and Recreation Department will host its annual tree lighting ceremony on Main Street Friday, Dec. 4 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
This year, the department has expanded the traditional ceremony to include even more entertainment, activities and food, including Dance Explosion, Poplar Springs Church choir, the Garner Senior Center Dancers and carolers from True North Church. A highlight of the evening will be the reading of the classic poem, ââTwas the Night Before Christmas.â
Activities for the kids will begin at 6 p.m. inside Santaâs workshop, which is located inside the Sunny Side II Oyster Bar building. Children will get to make holiday crafts and meet Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus.
During this event, Main Street will be closed to through traffic between Emory and Purvis Streets. Plenty of public parking is available along parts of Main Street, in the Garner Baseball parking lot, along Pearl Street and at the Pearl Street Building, at Garner Recreational Park and the Garner Senior Center.
Michelle Branch (one of my favorites), will be performing at 6pm and ice skating in our very own outdoor ice skating rink starts right after. Plus, it’s First Friday – yay!
Thanks for the video, Tyler! (Click through if you can’t see it, blog readers!)
The holiday celebrations continue Saturday, Dec. 5 with the Garner Christmas Parade, which will begin at 10 a.m.
This yearâs parade theme is âInside Santaâs Workshop.â Tisha Powell, of ABC 11 News, will serve as the paradeâs grand marshal. More than 70 participants will take part in the parade and will include area marching bands, floats, emergency vehicles, local merchants and Santa Claus.
This year, the parade will follow a slightly different parade route than that of before. It will begin on Broughton Street and will travel across Garner Road, down Hwy 50 to the corner of Main Street, where it will turn left and proceed until its ends at New Rand Road. This route is somewhat shorter but should allow easier access to and from the area to those viewing the parade.
Garner news and event details are from my friends at GarnerCitizen.com – a great, local paper!
So this whole “concept” is something that Mandy and I have been talking up for a looooong time. And I am really pumped to finally be getting it out there. It’s not anywhere close to being as content-rich as it will be soon, but it’s at least a start.
Right now, the biggest features are the email newsletter (bringing local style and retail directly to your inbox – but no, not like Express/Banana Republic/etc. style… I refuse to harass you all daily), Top Picks, and the feature appearances from local readers, too!
If you have a few minutes, please stop by and check it out. Today our Black Friday content is still up, so you can check out what we liked for November… but tomorrow and over the next few days, December will be making its way in.
And if you’re a local shopper, or just appreciate good style, please consider joining the email list, too đ
And YES, I really DO want YOU to send me your tips, pictures, etc. I think this is going to be a lot of fun. A lot of work, of course – but most importantly… a lot of fun.
I am SO pumped about going to my first Jingle Ball this year! It’s just so fabulous, in so many ways. The local young professionals who are organizing this have put together an amazing event… how very inspiring!
Each attendee is asked to bring an unwrapped holiday gift for a child valued at $20 value or more per person. For those not bringing a gift, admission will be $30 by cash or check at the door. The Capital City Clauses is a federally registered nonprofit corporation, and all contributions are tax-deductible. No one under 21 years of age will be admitted, and photo identification is required.
Come eat, drink, dance and be merry for a good cause! Dress for this event is cocktail/party attire. Please join us and help bring brighter holidays to Wake County children.
Gifts are considered tickets for this event and are your donated gift to the Salvation Army. Each participant will be granted entrance to the 2009 16th Annual Jingle Ball by bringing a new unwrapped toy valued at $20 or more or donating $30 cash or check with all proceeds going directly to the Salvation Army of Wake County.
The Capital City Clauses are preparing for the 2009 Jingle Ball on Thursday, December 10th. The festivities will take place at Marbles Kids Museum, in downtown Raleigh, from 6:30PM until 10:30PM. Since the first Jingle Ball was held in 1994, we have given thousands of toys and articles of clothing to the needy children of Wake County, and we hope to have our most successful year yet in 2009!
The Jingle Ball’s success hinges both on corporate sponsorships and on each attendee’s contribution of a toy (or clothing, books, games, etc) of $20 or greater value for admission. Our organization is comprised entirely of volunteers who help with the financing, planning, and executing of the Jingle Ball. All monetary proceeds go toward the event expenses, and all of the toys are distributed to Wake County children.
As our primary goal is to collect toys at the door rather than money, we cannot depend upon the minimal door receipts we collect to finance the event. Therefore, the Capital City Clauses need corporate support to help offset the costs of hosting this event and to ensure its continued success.
Put it on your calendar – hope to see some of you local readers there!
“This year, December 4th will not only mark the lighting of the downtown Christmas tree, but will also welcome the opening of a downtown outdoor skating rink as part of âWinter Festâ.
The rink is going to be part of the new City Plaza, and will be nestled between the Bank of America building and where the delayed Charter Square will go.
Tickets will be a very reasonable $6, which includes skate rentals.”
Wow – I’m absolutely wow-ed by this. Can’t wait to check it out! Here’s hoping NEB (the loving nickname given to Nick by my sorority sisters, for “No Expression Boy” – they consider it a feat to capture him smiling on camera) doesn’t need stitches in his chin after… like the last time we went ice skating!
“As speculated last week and promised back in March, Downtown Raleigh will indeed be getting Free Wireless Internet access on October 23rd, just in time for Raleigh Wide Open and Cherry Bounce.”
Woohoo! Say hello to working via laptop on your favorite patio (or rooftop) come spring!
Address: Located in the historic Briggs Building at 220 Fayetteville Street in Raleigh, N.C. 27601
Hours: Tuesday-Friday, 10am-4pm | Saturday 1pm to 4pm | Open First Fridays 6pm-9pm | Closed Sunday & Monday
Darn, I feel like Sunday afternoons would be the PERFECT time to spend an hour (or more) catching up on my Raleigh history.
The best part?
Admission is free and no tickets are required for entrance to the museum. For information, please call 919-832-3775.Yay for fun (and free) stuff to do!
Hot on the “heels” of my “Fight Like a Girl” post from earlier this month, here is another very cool event I couldn’t wait to share with readers. Many thanks to Ashton for passing it along!
Via a Raleigh Fire Department email:
On Sunday October 4, 2009, The Pink Heals Tour, formerly The Pink Ribbon Tour, will be appearing in Raleigh during their country wide journey.
The Pink Heals Tour is a nonprofit organization founded in Phoenix, Arizona by firefighter Dave Graybill that drives Pink Fire Trucks across the United States to support women in their fight against cancer and inspire men to get involved. This yearâs tour includes three pink fire trucks and the sculpted Ribbon of Hope. It is a unique opportunity to dress in the Tours pink turnout gear and helmets and sign the fire trucks in memory or honor of loved ones.
The Raleigh Fire Department is hosting this yearâs event with The Pink Heals Tour to raise cancer awareness at Triangle Towne Center between Dillardâs and Macaroni Grille from the hours of 12:00 noon to 4:00 pm. We extend an invite to your department to be a part of this community event. Please spread the word to your family and friends and come join the fun for this very important cause.
The group’s goal?Pink Heals: Confidence building activities in a supportive social setting to help young Survivors during the post-treatment transition.Amazing, humbling, and inspiring – all at the same time!
Please feel free to re-post – hope to see some of you there! If you’re not local, I hope there’s an opportunity for you to experience this in your own area.
Raleighites, those who appreciate a good cause, cancer-haters, and college basketball fans… I invite you to enjoy Dana’s definitive 2009 Jimmy V Tourney post to get the low down on the legendary (locally and nationally) event coming back home to Raleigh this weekend!
The GoGoRaleigh.com author does a fantastic job of putting together the full details, so I won’t even bother paraphrasing the great post.
And remember:
Don’t give up. Don’t ever give up.
Anyone heading out Sunday to check out the event for a bit? If so, see you there!
I hope everyone (well, at least those of you locals who it’s feasible for) will come celebrate the opening of Sauced Pizza with me tomorrow!
This is another of the many distractions that’s kept me from blogging much lately, but boy it’s a delicious one. Between the pizza by the slice, the caprese salads, and the Hayes Barton Dessertery desserts… you’re going to be lookin’ at one chubby girl here before too long. (Not because any of it is particularly bad on its own, but it’s the fact that I have no desire to go anywhere other than Sauced Pizza, lately. Hah!)
The New York-style pizza restaurant / NC pub has been open for about a week now (benefiting from working out some of the early opening kinks – a “soft opening”), but tomorrow is the official grand opening party. Come anytime, it’s open until 3am on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights… so the party will go on as long as folks want to stay!
Here’s a few ways to keep updated on Sauced Pizza as I try not to blog about clients too much!
As many of you long-time readers know, I’m already a big fan of Amra’s and their other establishment, Tobacco Road. This is SUCH a very cool event they’re hosting this week.
I have some other commitments on Thursday (that post coming soon), but if I’m able to do both, this is totally making my to-do list:
The charity organization called Wine to Water, as seen on Larry King, raises funds through wine tastings to be able to help 3rd world countries find healthy clean drinking water sources for their villages.
On Thursday July 23, come to Amra’s after work or around 6:30 to help support this awesome and worthy cause!
⢠There will be free wine. (Yes, a full tasting and free full glasses, too.) ⢠There will be free light appetizers. ⢠There is no cover charge, no ticket price and no suggested donation. ⢠There may be a silent auction. ⢠There will be friends new and old. ⢠The event will last 2 or 3 hours. ⢠Stay as long as you’d like. ⢠And feel free to bring people with you!
Wine To Water is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit aid organization focused on providing clean water to needy people around the world. Over 1 billion people in the world today lack access to adequate water and sanitation. We are devoted to fighting this epidemic.Wine symbolizes fortune in our society. Our goal is to give the fortunate population an opportunity to fight for those who canât fight for themselves.
PS – I was reading up on the Wine to Water bio webpage, and the founder is a former Raleigh, NC bartender who came up with this concept. DOUBLE awesome.
