Raleigh is just a quick 2.5 hour drive from Charlotte, so with in a days trip for special occasions. I visited the North Carolina State Fair Saturday for the first time in my 17 years in Charlotte NC. It was an impressive event stretching over a large area in suburban Raleigh, out near the veterinary school of NC State University. It was quite a site, a huge event, and crowd, even on this rainy Saturday…Fried Oreo’s anyone, or my favorite the chocolate dipped frozen Twinkie… you’ll see one of those, plus prize pigs, cows and calf…

Sometimes I”m asked, “What is the New South?” The short answer is it is an industrial south that industry was willing to invest in post-segregation. But the State Fair? That’s a look at the Old South, the way things used to be in NC…

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The Komen Race for The Cure– Observer Reporting 14,000!

The day couldn’t have been better suited for running as more than 10,000 people turned out early on a brisk Saturday morning in Uptown Charlotte. 59 degrees, low humidity and clear, it was a great day for my first 5k. This is a natural place for me as I look to live more and more healthy–and am a two time cancer survivor. After only a summer of running …my only two goals were to finish, and not be the last in the competitive run. I was successful, yeah!

Since we both ran, the video is just a bit from before and after-here is a link for the Komen Race for the Cure from WSOC.  I’m sure there will be a YT vidoe before long I can embed here to of with our before and after…

A great event, and a great day in Charlotte. Today, there is a Crop Walk for Hunger. My family has made this walk many times–it is a great event.  Another great Charlotte day is in store, the walk starts at 2:30, with registration from 1:30 at the Grady Cole center, and finishes at Nothing But Noodles, Elizabeth Street. Details

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Are the Panthers Dead?At 0-3, pretty close…they have a bye this week

Word on the street– players and coaches pointing fingers at each other…team lost after playoff loss last year. Decidedly Not listening to coaches. Off week, will it help?

Saturday 10/3, Uptown 7:30 am Komen Race for the Cure.

A major fundraiser- there is a walk, run, and stroll… come on out–I’ll be running with the Swinford team, in  GoJenGo tee shirts… yes I’ll be the one near the end, just in front of the 70 year olds- hopefully

Saturday 10/3, 9-1- Big Sweep-

Help clean out a local waterway, great family fun, my fam has done several times. See statewide Big Sweep, Mecklenburg volunteers can show up at any of 12 locations.

Beauty and The Beast- Children’s Theater of Charlotte

Imaginnon, October 1-October 25, call 704/973.2828 for details

Novello Festival of Reading

Ongoing book festival at the main Public Library, 6th and Tryon, through 10/21 Weekend Author  Schedule

Whitewater Festival- 4th Annual Friday 10/2-Sat 10/3

Events all day, Live music Sat 11-6, kayak Slalom National Championships 5-9PM event is free, parking $5 more Details

Allman Brothers Band

Saturday October 3 Verizon….lord I was born a rambling man…

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Have a great weekend!

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Free Admission to Most Charlotte Museums Saturday

In celebration of Smithsonian Day, area Charlotte museums will be free Saturday, including the Levine Museum of the New South, both Mint Musuems, the Charlotte Museum of History…get your family’s free admission card here..  I grew up in Washington DC, where all the great museums,all the Smithsonian’s are free every day… take your family out, discover more of Charlotte.

Art in the Park- Art Festival at Freedom Park- 45th year!

One of our favorites, visit Freedom park this weekend, and enjoy the company of hundreds of Artists, Dancers, and craftsman from all over the south eastern US.

The Novello Festival

If books are your thing, if you love books, then check the author schedule, and

beginning THIS weekend, come on out to the 19th annual Novello Festival- it begins Saturday the 26 and goes to October 31 at the Main Library Uptown Admission? Free of course.

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Things to Do This Weekend in Charlotte, the Queen City

Take your significant Other to dinner this week Uptown and enjoy 3 course dinners for $35.00 from some of your favorite restaurants including Mez, Lavecchia’s, McCormick and Schmick’s, Black Finn, Room 12 and more. For the complete list and details,  see Eat In Uptown. September 18-27

Freedom Park and The Greenway System-

If the weather’s nice, walk, ride, or skate at Freedom Park. The Art Festival begins next weekend. Take the family out on a Greenway, the new McMullen Creek Greenway at Trader Joe’s on Rea Road is a good starting point. My favorite is McAlpine in Matthews.

Sunset Jazz Festival at Southpark Mall Saturday September 18th, from 1pm to 10pm.

Matt Marshak,BRYAN ANDERSON, and 5th and York, Intertwyned, Unique Blend, The Queen’s Collective Details at Sunset Jazz Festival

What is the New South? Find out at the excellent Levine Museum of the New  South, which is free on Sundays 12-5:00pm…drive or take the train in, and get off at the last stop.

NODA  Gallery Crawl, starts at North Davidson and 36th at 6, gets under way in earnest by 8-9pm.

Panthers play Away At Atlanta this weekend so Uptown will be quiet on Sunday. Lets hope for the return of “Good Jake”

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Tonight- Thursday September 10 in Charlotte

at the EpiCentre’s Alive After Five,

9/10: Rubberband (billed as “Ben Fold’s Brother’s Band”)

Also Tonight, Jason Mraz at 7:00pm. NC Music Factory, Uptown Amphitheater

Last weeks of Alive After 5

9/17: Pink Floydian Slip (you guessed it: a Pink Floyd tribute band)
9/24: Simplified

Yiasou Greek Festival begins today at 11:am, runs all weekend

All of you “who dunnit”  fans, here is your chance to meet 2 of the best in the business up at Chapel Hill, fromthe Charlotte Observer:

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. Two crime writers are speaking at the North Carolina Literary Festival…John Grisham and Kathy Reichs will speak Thursday evening in Memorial Hall at the University of North Carolina. In addition, Grisham will speak to reporters earlier in the day. the full story

The Hubble has New Eyes!

or New mirrors, check out the vivid photos from Hubble
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Things To Do!

Matthews Alive- Preparations are Under way, begins tonight!

The India Festival begins Saturday at noon at the Belk Theater on Tryon Street-come on down, the event is free, some a ala carte items, including great Indian food.

Revolutionary War Re-enactment. Come out to Historic Latta Plantation Park in Huntersville and see the battles of Charlotte and McIntyre Farm re-enacted. Also see soldier demos, tour the plantation, and more. Admission is just $6, kids 5 and under are free. 10AM to 4PM

Charlotte Labor Day Parade, Monday 11:00am begins at 700 N Tryon Street

Charlotte in September, means lots of free cultural activities- local events by the dozen, here’s the link from the Arts and Science Council.

The  Charlotte community responds: More than 2,800 children in some of Charlotte-Mecklenburg’s highest-poverty schools are getting supply-stuffed book bags, courtesy of local businesses. from the Charlotte Observer

next weekend, Blues, Brews and BBQ, free museum day Saturday, at the Museum of the New South, Charlotte Museum of History and more..check back next weed. ed.

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There are 3 great cultural festivals in September, fun ways to experience to three different communities in Charlotte.

September 5-6, the India Festival at Belk Theater. Traditionally a block of Tryon is closed, and Indian dance performances are performed in the Belk theater. Outside, you’ll meet local Indian artists and there is Indian food at every turn.

The Yasiou Greek Festival is September 10-13 on East Bouvlevard. Enjoy Greek dancers, Greek culture and real Greek food- they are famous- atleast in my family for their backlavah!

Rapidly approaching is the popular Festival in the Park, September 24-27ths, Thursday through Sunday, Charlotte’s largest Art Festival celebrates its 45th year.  Last year over 120,000 enjoyed the Festival at Freedom Park.

Don’t forget Matthews Alive this weekend, the largest festival outside of Charlotte, there will be kiddie rides, rock climbing, Nascar exhibits, tons of crafts and great foods. All proceeds go to help local charities. Visit downtown Matthews on Trade Street, starting at John Street (aka Monroe Rd)

New to Charlotte?  Try this fact filled Introduction To Charlotte video- #1 on You Tube with over 27,000 views.

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Bank of America is told it needs to raise $34B in capital, and it’s stock price went up 6.5% yesterday, closing over $13/share, the best price since early January.
Wells Fargo needs to raise over $13B… BB and T? Needs to raise $0.00

Home Mortgage Rates are under 5% in Charlotte.

Yesterday, A first home buyer with excellent credit- above 750, was pre-approved for a 90% loan on a condo in Dilworth for 30 year fixed at 4.87% with no points.

Our First Home Buyer program is in full swing with the first closing next week. I think our Buyer will be quite excite when he gets his $8000 Tax refund from the IRS and his Lowe’s Gift card.

The North Carolina State Senate passed a smoking ban in bars, not quite as restrictive as an earlier House vote, but the state that gave America Salem and Winston, is moving towards better health… and increasing the tax on a pack of cigarettes $1.00 per pack.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg teachers will face cuts- up to 400 jobs, as the county looks to CMS to save an additional $34M in funding. A sad bad day for CMS.  When will we see that Stimulus money kick in?

Things to Do in Charlotte

The EpiCenter is quickly becoming a popular Uptown favorite hang out spot- perfect for outdoor music, after work parties and some great clubs- lots of energy for the late 20, early 30 something crowd.

What is the New South? If Atlanta is the capital of the New South, then Charlotte is the heart of the New South! Come over to the Levine Museum of the New South to find out when “The New South for New Southerner” opens this next week May 12th at the Levine Museum of the New South. This should be an excellent event and perfect for the Charlotte newcomer trying to understand where this city is coming from…

If art is your thing, you won’t want to miss the Mint Museum’s exhibition from the New Orleans Museum of Art. Works include: Degas, Gauguin, Giacometti, Giordano, Kandinsky, Lipchitz, Lorrain, Matisse, Monet, Nattier, O’Keeffe, Picasso, Pissarro, Renoir, Rodin, Sargent, Vigée-Lebrun, and Vlaminck, among many others. Through June 29.

Mothers Day Offerings

There is a host of things to do for mom- Brattonsville, Latta Plantation and Stowe Botanical Gardens (free for Mom’s) all have events planned, and Sunday brunches about everywhere. You can find these listed everywhere,  I’d suggest charlotteobserver.com.

from my friend at Charlotteonthecheap.com, don’t miss

Saturday marks the opening of the Center City Green Market. Browse through the stalls of fresh fruits and vegetables, and don’t forget the flowers.

Also free for moms on Sunday are both the Mint Museums.

In the evenings this weekend, there are plenty of outdoor concerts to choose from.

On Saturday, starting at 7PM, there are free concerts at Birkdale in Huntersville, and in Blakeney Village Green.

Have a great weekend. tm

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Free Stuff in Charlotte and The Quail Hollow Open

This is another weekend in Charlotte jam-packed with festivals, art, music, and family fun.

Art in Charlotte

There are First Friday free gallery crawls in the NoDa and South End neighborhoods.

In NoDa, the Evening Muse is serving up free music during the crawl.

Also for art lovers is the Spring Into Arts Invitational in Concord on Saturday. Besides browsing through the work of exceptional regional artists, you can also watch works in progress that will be started and finished during the festival. There will be kids activities too.

Charlotte Family Fun

Tonight is a perfect evening to go see the Charlotte Knights. Starting at 4:05, there will be a free Fun Fest outside the stadium, with all sorts of baseball-themed attractions. Your kids can get free personalized baseball cards and Sports Illustrated for Kids covers.

In the mood for the beach? Then start heading east. But stop at Matthews, where BeachFest 2009 will be in full swing. Enjoy sand sculptures, beach music, beach volleyball, and just about everything else you love about the beach. (Well, except for the ocean.)

This weekend if you’re a Bank of America customer you get free admittance into four Charlotte museums:

Mint Museum of Art, Mint Museum of Craft & Design, Charlotte Museum of History, and the Levine Museum of the New South. Your card (credit card, debit card, etc.) is your ticket.

Quail Hollow Open

This sold out golf tournament has all the big names, Woods, Mickelson, Cabrerra, Anthony Kym- Round 2 on Friday, Round 3 on Saturday to a Sunday final.  Woods leads Mickelson after the first round by 2 strokes.

Our friends at Charlotte on the Cheap contributed to this article- thanks Jody.

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Skilled Buyer Agents with Smart Buyers make great deals happen!

We provide detailed analysis prior to all offers, and take a lot of the guess work out.  Plus, we know where the steals and deals are! The McDonald Team 704-351-1519  Search for Charlotte Homes

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