Things to do this 4th of July

This coming weekend we celebrate Independence Day, the day we declared our independence from England. We usually get together with family and friends for a day of fun, parades, barbecues, picnics, concerts, and, of course, fireworks! This year, you can actually catch fireworks on both Sunday and Monday if you plan ahead. Some places are celebrating the holiday on Sunday and others on Monday, the 4th. To help you plan your holiday, we have listed below some of the more popular events for the weekend.

Events for Sunday, July 3:

Fuquay-Varina Independence Day Celebration

South Park, 820 South Main Street, Fuquay-Varina. 6 pm.

This event includes free music, inflatable rides, tons of food vendors, and spectacular fireworks after dark. A…

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Triangle Area farmers' marketsNow that Memorial Day has passed, our thoughts turn to summer; and one of the greates things about this time of the year is the availability of numerous fresh fruits and vegetables. While grocery stores stock up on all of the current fruits and veggies, there is nothing fresher than buying your goods directly from the farmer at your local farmer’s market.

Both Andrew and I are serious cooks, and one of the many things we love about living here in North Carolina is our access to high quality fresh foods. 

The Triangle Area is blessed with a plethora of farmers’ markets, so there is no reason you can’t enjoy delicious fresh foods this summer. Many of these markets offer far more than just fruits and vegetables. Many offer a number of other foods…

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Directly west of Chapel Hill sits the town of Carrboro. Initially a very small railroad depot, then a mill town of 2.000 residents, Carrboro Carrboro Farmers Markethas grown steadily during the past 60 years to a population of over 20,000 due to its proximity to the University of North Carolina and the growth of area businesses. The residents are primarily white-collar workers. Most of the residents are professionals, managers, service providers, scientists, and teachers.

Carrboro is known as the most progressive community in North Carolina, and it is proud of that reputation. It readily accommodates same-sex relationships and was the first town to offer benefits to partners in same-sex relationships. It was also among the first municipalities in the South to adopt…

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Free things to do in Durham, NC In 2015Now that summer is upon us, we have opportunities to get out and explore our surroundings. But summer activities don’t have to be expensive. In fact, here are ten activities you can do that are absolutely free.

Sarah P. Duke Gardens

These gardens are located on 55 acres in the heart of Duke University. The gardens consist of four separate gardens: the Historic Gardens, the H. L. Blomquist Garden of Native Plants, the W. L. Culbertson Asiatic Arboretum, and the Doris Duke Center Gardens. There is a fee for parking at the gardens, but the overflow lot has free parking and is just a 5-minute walk from the gardens. Tours are available for a fee, but maps of the gardens are free, enabling you to explore all that the gardens have to offer. The gardens are…

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Over the past decade, the Triangle area has become one of the most popular areas of the country to live and work, and for good reason. A prime geographical location and a robust economy have paved the way for a huge influx of families and individuals relocating from out of state. At some point, most of these people eventually play host to visiting family and friends. Luckily, there’s no shortage of fun and interesting things to do.

Here are a few good ones:

  • Heart of NC Wine Trail: Established in 2011, this wine trail includes five small, unique vineyards. It runs from Durham southwest through Apex and Pittsboro, ending in Siler City.
  • Duke Gardens: The Sarah P. Duke Gardens is free and open every day of the year. This world-renowned public…

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We're just seven short days away from the kick off of the 2013 Triangle Restaurant Week and with the opening of so many new and exciting restaurants throughout the Triangle we're all going to need to work up a powerful appetite. Here's the perfect chance to try some of the places you've been meaning to check out. From January 21 through January 27, roughly 6 dozen restaurants (so far, I expect more to come) are offering fixed price three course dinner menus for either $20 or $30 and lunches for $10. It's a great opportunity to enjoy some wonderful food, catch up with some friends, support our local businesses and simply celebrate one of the many reasons that Chapel Hill, Durham, Raleigh, Cary, and the surrounding area are such wonderful places to live and…

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There are four significant economic engines that are critical to the vibrancy of Raleigh, Chapel Hill and Durham; collectively referred to as either “the Triangle” or “the Research Triangle”. In no particular order they are Duke University, UNC- Chapel Hill, NC State University and the Research Triangle Park where many a graduating graduate students and/or former employes of one of the above mentioned schools will work at one point in their career.

Since its inception over 50 years ago the Research Triangle Park's vision has remained largely unchanged, but no longer. A week ago a new master plan was officially unveiled to the public and I will admit to being excited about the planned changes that will be taking place as I firmly believe they bode well…

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It's an absolutely stunning weekend and there's a lot of exciting things going on that have me excited.

First there's CenterFest in downtown Durham centered on Morris St centered around the newly renovated Carolina Theater and the Durham Convention Center. A showcase for local North Carolina artisits of all sorts, there will be numerous free live shows as well as street food and more. It starts today (9/15/12) at 10AM and will open up tomorrow (Sunday September 16th) at 11AM.

Also going on today is a benefit for the Durham Crises Response Center at the Grand opening of The Cookery's Front Room this will be between Noon - 3PM and will feature a food truck round up, lots of free music, wine and beer tastings and promises to be an absolute blast! Both…

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It's that time of year. Forget the Superbowl, it UNC versus Duke for the annual version of the ACC/Triangle Superbowl of Basketball. Here in Chapel Hill this evening it's akin to hosting the Superbowl, the Indy 500 and world Championship Heavyweight fight. I can already hear, Dick Vitale offering his version of, “Let's Get Ready to Rumble”

If there's one thing I've learned living here it's that besides knowing where the best Barbecue is; you need to pick a team and be proud of it. (Sorry NC State Fans, I know it's got to be difficult for you.)

Now myself I'm a Duke fan plain and simple. Sure UNC has a good program, but for me when it comes to excitement you just can't beat Cameron Indoor Stadium and the Cameron Crazies. As a Durham resident I also…

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Chapel Hill, NCThe largest public visioning and planning process in the history of Chapel Hill begins on Tuesday, Sept. 27, with the kickoff of Chapel Hill 2020, a community wide effort to create a new comprehensive plan.

Chapel Hill 2020 is all about involving the community from the beginning. There will be gathering at East Chapel Hill High, 500 Weaver Dairy Road. An open house is scheduled from 5 to 6 p.m., and the visioning process will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. All residents - and others who live, work, play and invest in Chapel Hill - are invited to this free and open event. Food is available for purchase, thanks to the East Chapel Hill High PTA. Child care for children ages 5 and older is available, thanks to the YMCA Teen Leaders' Club.

"You have made…

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