Categories
Community

Community Calendar: 5/22/08

Special Events

  • Fourth Friday Studio Stroll — downtown Pittsboro artists open studio doors from 6-8pm, May 23. Demonstration at Side Street Gallery, 6:30pm. pittsboroshops.com
  • The Orange County Democratic Women Annual Meeting — election of 2008-2009 officers and reception. Thursday, May 22, 7:30pm. The Chapel Hill Museum. 644-0869

Outdoor activities

  • Niche Gardens guided garden walks — Saturdays through June, 10am. Spring planting, garden maintenance, design & gardening for wildlife with bird and butterfly gardens. Free. Niche Gardens, 1111 Dawson Rd, Chapel Hill. 967-0078 or www.nichegardens.com
  • Memorial Day Commemoration — Orange County Peace Coalition presents speakers Joe Cole, Professor of Ethics and Philosophy, Wally Myers, organizer, Triangle Area Chapter Veterans for Peace; singer Mary Moffit; the Raging Grannies; readings. Monday, May 26, 2-3:30pm, Carrboro Town Commons. 929-3316
  • Guided Tours — of the N.C. Botanical Garden’s Plant Collections, every Saturday at 10am. Led by trained volunteer tour guides and Botanical Garden curators. Free.
  • Digital Camera Workshop — lecture and photo sessions at the N.C. Botanical Gardens. Free, Fridays from 12:30-4pm.
  • Birdwatching Kayak Trip — for teens and adults. Visit a blue heron nesting area and see beaver lodges, herons, osprey and more. Jordan Lake. Saturday, May 24, 2-5pm, $30. Instruction, equipment and guide included. 929-3805 kayakadvendturesnc.com

Kids

  • Toddler Time — at the Carrboro Branch Library. Every Thursday at 4pm. 969-3006
  • Preschool Story Time — at the Carrboro Branch Library. Every Saturday at 10:30am.
  • Express Yourself! — art program for ages 3-8 & their caregivers. Weekly art projects for children & adults to explore their own creative paths. Saturdays, 10:45-11:15 & 11:30am-noon. $2. Kidzu Children’s Museum, 105 E Franklin St, 933-1455, www.kidzuchildrensmuseum.org
  • Nature Tales: Storytime in the Garden — N.C. Botanical Garden. Thursdays, 10-11am. Children 3-5 years old are invited to attend a storytime in the garden. Children must be accompanied by an adult. $5/family.

Volunteers

  • RSVP 55+ Volunteer Program — seeks volunteers to match other volunteers with opportunities for public service. 968-2056
  • Meals on Wheels — seeks volunteers to deliver meals and/or bake simple desserts for recipients in the Chapel Hill/Carrboro area. 942-2948
  • English as a Second Language Conversation Club — seeks volunteers to talk with groups of international students Fridays from 11:30am-1:30pm. University Methodist Church on Franklin St. 967-1448, harwellja@bellsouth.net

Health & Wellness

  • “Child’s Play: Early Childhood Development and Behavior” — free class presented by Kohl’s and N.C. Children’s Hospital. Thursday, May 22, 12-1:30pm. UNC Wellness Center at Meadowmont. 966-5500, ncchildrenspromise.org
  • Living with Advanced/Metastatic Cancer — a bi-weekly support group. Meets 1st and 3rd Wednesdays, 3:30-5pm. Drop-in, no charge. Cornucopia House Cancer Support Center. 401-9333, cornucopiahouse.org
  • The Compassionate Friends: Self-help support after the death of a child — free and open to all adults grieving the loss of a child or sibling. Third Mondays, 7-8:30pm. Evergreen United Methodist Church. 967-3221. chapelhilltcf.org
  • Peer Connections — will have its next meeting at the Carrboro Town Hall on Thursday, May 29th from 5:30 -7pm. The topic will be dental health. Contact Ellen Perry at 942-5602 or peerconnections@gmail.com

Museums

  • Planetarium & Digital Theater Shows — science LIVE Demos. Ongoing. Morehead Planetarium, 250 E Franklin St, Chapel Hill. Info hotline 549-6863, office 962-1236, tickets 843-7997. Thu-Sat 10am-5pm, 6:30-9:15pm. moreheadplanetarium.org

Dance

  • Havana Nights —Cuban Salsa. 1st and 3rd Thursdays, 10pm. Mansion 462, 462 W Franklin St, 967-7913, www.mansion462.net
  • Salsa/Mambo — 3rd Saturdays, lesson 8pm, dance 8:30-11pm. $7, 358-4201, salsa_4u2@yahoo.com. Fred Astaire Dance Studio, 4702 Garrett Rd, Durham.
  • Ballroom — 4th & 5th Thursdays, 7-9:30pm, $2. 933-8982. Seymour Senior Center, 2551 Homestead Rd, Chapel Hill, 968-2070
  • Carrboro DanceJam — free-style dance to an eclectic mix of music. First Fridays. Balanced Movement Studio. 304 W Weaver St, upstairs. Smoke & alcohol free. Call 968-8776 for more info.

Lectures, Discussions & Open Mics

  • Open Mic —Poetry, music & short fiction. Tuesdays, 7pm, Market Street Books & Maps, Southern Village. 933-5111, www.marketstreetbooks.com
  • “How Are Immigrant Rights Addressed in North Carolina?” —  Dani Martinez-Moore, Immigration Network Coordinator, NC Justice Center, will discuss her work with various organizations providing assistance to immigrants in their struggles against unjust treatment. 7 p. m., May 22, Chapel Hill Public Library, 942-2535.

Literary

  • Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace… One School at a Time — discussion of the book by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin. Carrboreaders Non-Fiction Book Club. 7pm May 22, Carrboro Cybrary.
  • Then She Found Me — May 28 at 7pm. Movie/Book Club meets to discuss Then She Found Me and the book by Elinor Lipman on which it was based. See the movie, read the book or both and you are invited. Carrboro Cybrary. 918-7387
  • Not a Drop to Drink: America’s Water Crisis (And What You Can Do) — by Ken Midkiff. Join a discussion with panelists from the Sierra Club, OWASA, and UNC. Mon., June 2, 7pm. Century Center.
  • The Alchemist — by Paulo Coelho. On Friday, May 30 at 7pm, the Contemporary Fiction Book Club. Carrboro Cybrary,
  • Then She Found Me — Thursday, June 5 at 7pm, the Movie/Book Club meets to discuss the film and book by Elinor Lipman on which it was based. Carrboro Cybrary.

Film

  • De Florida a Coauhuila — a film telling the story of the Mascgo people. Directed by Rafael Rebollar. Sunday, June 1 at 5pm. Free and open to the public. CHICLE, 101 E Weaver St, 3rd floor. 933-0398, chi-cle.com
Categories
Community

Intro: May daze

Our Town Commons: where one can experience civic engagement and watch the kids bounce around at the same time.	Photo by Kirk Ross

These are heady days in Carrboro, North Carolina. With a presidential primary that has relevance and associated events around town, a big anniversary for the Farmers’ Market and our annual celebration of the town, the first weekend in May is jammed and has folks worked up into quite a froth.

Categories
Community

10 Great Things About Carrboro

A random list of what we like about this little town

Downtown
Vibrant, bustling and kinda quirky — downtown Carrboro has not just survived the demise of the great American downtown, it’s defied it — thriving, expanding and becoming the envy of its neighbors. The formula employed is no secret — forward-thinking planning, a willingness to make the place welcoming and walkable, with inviting public and private spaces. But most of all what’s made downtown a success has been the absolute commitment on the part of the community, first, to not let it die the way others have and, second, to make the investments necessary to be sure it remains what it’s always been — the center of town.

Farmers’ Market

Carrboro has always been a bit of a market town, a place where the small farmers from the area gathered to sell their wares. The latest formal incarnation of this concept began some 30 years ago in a parking lot off Roberson Street. This year, the Carrboro Farmers’ Market turns 30 (see page 10). Had you told the originators that one day it would be a major institution with a sturdy shaded shelter, a bandstand, electricity and a drinking fountain, they’d have had a right good laugh.

Categories
Arts & Music

May Shows & Happenings

5/1

Songwriters Spotlight
The Cave
with Brandon Herndon, John Pardue, Taz Halloween, Jesse Wooten, Vince Williams 8:30pm

Acorn & Doom Bunny
Nightlight
$7, 9:30pm

Categories
Community

Carrboro Day Philosophy

This is the philosophy behind Carrboro Day, as adopted by the Carrboro Board of Aldermen on December 6, 1994.

As Carrboro grows in population and its boundaries expand, its citizens need opportunities to enlarge their circle of acquaintances as well as to feel part of the entire community. Expanding acquaintances and feeling part of Carrboro engenders cooperation, respect and a sense of tradition and history that is needed amidst the diverse, mobile and rapidly changing world challenging the citizens of this town.

Categories
Community

Carrboro Rocks

By Susan Willey Spalt

Essentially, the Piedmont is the roots of an ancient coastal mountain chain that is now worn down to low relief. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piedmont_(United_States)

Under the gently sloping
Streets of Carrboro
Lies a secret:
The remains
of ancient mountains, once taller
Than the Himalayas
Slowly worn away
By time, until they are just
Carrboro rocks.

Categories
Arts & Music

Pressure Boys Night 1

A great night. A lot of us old goofs around acting not so old.

pboys1.jpg

Categories
Arts & Music

Arts Calendar: 05/01/08

Carrboro

The ArtsCenter
Center Gallery: Community Photography Contest

East End Gallery
ELEMENTS, the fifth annual Community Art Project Through May 28

The Beehive Salon
Sincerely Yours—works depicting life in Chapel Hill by Washington Capps

Caffe Driade
Bridget Walsh—acrylic paintings

Carrboro Century Center
ELEMENTS—the fifth annual Community Art Project Through May 28

Carrboro Town Hall
ELEMENTS—the fifth annual Community Art Project Through May 28

Clay Centre Gallery
New works by the gallery’s resident potter

DeWitt Law
Call for details

Fleet Feet Gallery
Seascape Poetics—paintings exploring the interactions between light, sky, water and land by Carolyn B. Levy

NC Crafts Gallery
Art Nouveau ceramic tiles by Raleigh artist Marina Bosetti, reception during Artwalk.

Nested
Call for details

Open Eye Café
ELEMENTS—the fifth annual Community Art Project Through May 28

Panzanella
Local Farms/Local Art—an art exhibit celebrating the 13th Annual Piedmont Farm Tour Through Jun 1

Scooters Incorporated
Photographs by Caryl Feldacker Through May

Weaver Street Realty
Call for details

Wootini
Cal for details

Chapel Hill

Ackland Art Museum
New Currents in Contemporary Arts: UNC-Chapel Hill Master of Fine Arts Thesis Through May 11
Contemporary Drawings from the Ackland Collection Through Aug 17
The Art of Love May 9-Sep 7

Animation and Fine Art
OP-TiCaL aRt—lithographs and serigraphs by Victor Vasarely & Yaacov Agam May 9-Jun 12

Community Church of Chapel Hill
The Face of the Earth—watercolor mixed media by Nerys Levy May 4-Jun 29

FedEx Global Education Center
Judith Earnst—Expressions of life, love and faith through paintings and pottery Through May 30

Turning Point Gallery
Mixed media on canvas and bronze sculptures by Maeve Harris and Wayne Salge

Southern Village

Bagwell, Holt, Smith, Tillman & Jones, PA
The Color in No Color—paintings by Amy White Through May

Bloom
Flowers and abstracts by Marcia DiMartino Through May

Hillsborough

Hillsborough Gallery of Arts
A Walk in the Woods—new work by Pat Lloyd and Jude Lobe Through May 24

Pittsboro

Chatham County Arts Council
Call for details

Fusion Art and Fine Craft Gallery
Recycled Art—works by Michele Bonds Through May

Categories
Arts & Music

Music Spolight: Pressure Boys Reunion

This weekend, if you see a lot of long-lost locals, people who you used to see out and about decades ago but who long since headed for other parts or maybe just don’t get out as much, you can blame these mugs for drawing them out.

The Pressure Boys ruled local music in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s with a strong following led by their friends and former classmates at Chapel Hill High.

The band eschewed reunions — until now, coming back together in support of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation for two shows at Cat’s Cradle. The first, on Friday, May 2 is sold out. The next night, though, is first-come, first-serve.

Categories
Arts & Music

Music Spotlight: Polvo

Welcome to the New Dark Age II.

In another in the recent series of reunion gigs, Polvo is working out some new and old material for a Cradle show on May 10, some Eurofestival action and a mini-tour.

They called it quits 10 years ago. For this tour, veterans Dave Brylawski, Ash Bowie and Steve Popson are joined by former Cherry Valence drummer Brian Quast. Des Ark and Noncanon open.

You may need to retune your ears for this one — there’s not been a lot of bands like ‘em around here for years. Check out the microtones at www.myspace.com/polvotheband

Categories
Arts & Music

Music Calendar: 05/01/08

The ArtsCenter

The Wilders (5/2) Children’s music by Justin Roberts, Chris Duarte w/ Hooverville (5/3) Red Stick Ramblers (5/17) Holly Near w/ emma’s revolution (5/18) Lise Uyanik & The Mobile City Band w/ The South Wing Band (5/24) The Biscuit Burners (5/30) David Dyer & The Crooked Smile (5/31)

Cat’s Cradle

The Pressure Boys, Sneaker, Greg Humphreys (5/3) Man Man, Yeasayer (5/4) British Sea Power, Rosebuds, Jeffrey Lewis (5/6) Easy Star All-Stars, Trumystic (5/7) The Casualties, Krum Bums, Antagonizers, No Revolution (5/8) Old Ceremony, Tony Scherr (5/9) Polvo, Des Ark, Noncanon (5/10) Drive By Truckers, Dexateens (5/13, 5/14) Les Dudek (5/16) Southern Culture on the Skids (5/17) Clinic, BBQ (5/26) 13×31 Anniversary Tour w/ X The Band, Detroit Cobras (5/27) North Mississippi All Stars, Amy LeVere (5/28)