Five reasons why you must go to the N.C. State Fair

I’m a sucker for a fair. The farm animals remind me of my days growing up in rural southern Illinois, where I literally rode pigs with my friends and jumped off hay bales for fun. The people watching alone is worth the $7 admission price.

But this week, I’ve heard quite a few people say the N.C. State Fair isn’t worth the trip. I COMPLETLY diagree. It’s an incredible value (as long as you don’t ride the rides). Once you’re inside the gates, you can roam among hundreds of exhibits.

In one evening I saw: How a horseshoe is made, fun student art, a several-hundred pound pumpkin, chicks (baby chickens, not my girlfriends) under a heat lamp, a robot, tons of McCain/Palin stickers (I knew they had to be somewhere), a man cluck at a turkey to make it gobble back at him, composting worms, mock dream gardens and oh so much more.

Here are five reasons why you should go to the N.C State Fair:

1. Farm Animals

How often do you get to see goats play King of the Mountain or watch piglets suckle on their mom’s teat? Head over to the Jim Graham and Kelly Building to see this and more (for free).

2. The Food

OK, it’s not super cheap to eat at the fair, but it’s worth it for the novelty. I tried a deep-fried Twinkie, chocolate dipped cheesecake on a stick, a bucket o’ cheese fries and some pizza. So tasty. There’s also deep fried pecan pie and deep fried mac and cheese. Check out my review of both here.

3. Games

Be careful which games you pick, because some are just aren’t winnable unless you have crazy-weird skills. But there are games that allow everyone to be a winner. I won a glass pane with a white horse in a field of yellow flowers etched on it by throwing a few darts at some balloons.

4. The Rides

OK, I didn’t actually ride any rides. And I know that some people worry that they’re not safe because they’re assembled so quickly. But life is about taking risks. And if the Zipper is a little too risky for you, then you can always stick with the classics like the super slide. If there’s a child in your life, it’s imperative for their development that you expose them to carnival rides.

5. People watching

This is by far the best reason to go to the fair. Just buy some cotton candy, plop yourself down on a bench and watch the passers by. You’ll see children beaming with pride as their parents tote around the biggest stuffed animal they’ll ever own. And there’s nothing like watching a city kid see farm animals for the first time. Even the travelling fair workers are interesting to watch. You can ponder what their transient lives must be like when the lights are shut off for the night.

And finally, if you’re completely broke, then Thursday, Oct. 24 is definitely the day to go. Thursday is Hunger Relief Day at the fair. Four cans of food waives your admission, with all the food going to Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina.

For more on what there is to do at the fair, check out Brandy’s blog. The Raleigh blogger has been documenting it in photo and video.

What’s your favorite part about the fair?

There’s nothing like some free James Taylor for lunch

I think there’s a law that says if you live in North Carolina, you must be a James Taylor fan. So the folks pulling the strings behind the Barack Obama campaign were pretty smart to snag the Carolina Crooner for five free concerts throughout the Tar Heel state given how much of a battleground state it has become.

He performed for free Tuesday in downtown Raleigh’s Moore Square during a lunchtime political rally. It may have been the first time a concert in Moore Square featured political paraphernalia instead of Bud Light.

Here’s a video I made for 30THREADS that includes some of Taylor’s Obama freestyling. I was able to record a few of his songs from the media risers as well. I posted those on 30THREADS.

And, for the record, if John McCain’s campaign organizes any free concerts in downtown Raleigh, you better believe I will totally be there with my camera in hand.

If you were at the concert and posted any pictures or video online, feel free to share links to in in the comments section.

My lunchtime adventure in downtown Raleigh

Oh how I wish I worked in downtown Raleigh. Weekdays (and first Fridays) are the only time you can consistently count on seeing people out and about downtown. It makes for fun people watching.

I was catching up on my blog reading this morning and (in true North Carolina blogger style) someone had posted a picture of some BBQ. This of course made me hungry, so I send a direct message on Twitter to one of my friends to see if he would be down with meeting me at Cooper’s for some cheap, mouth-watering, vinegar-soaked BBQ. He agreed and two hours later, I was steering down Fayetteville Street looking for a parking spot.

As we walked down Fayetteville Street, we spotted a guy holding a sign outside the courthouse saying: “Reality: Heaven or Hell It’s your choice.” I took a picture of it and promptly e-mailed it to the Raleigh Connoisseur with no explanation. I’m all about freedom of speech and the right to assembly, so rock on guy with the strange sign.

Then I needed to swing by the Bank of America ATM in City Plaza because Cooper’s is a cash only type of place.

As we approached the square, we saw herds of local media and lots of white men in suits. This can only mean one thing: It’s time for either another ground breaking or ribbon cutting. Turns out it was the ground breaking for the city’s $14.8 million project to transform the empty City Plaza into a more friendly venue for concerts, parades and markets.

Here’s more on the project from the N&O.

City Manager Russell Allen said all but $1 million of the project has been funded. He said the project is not in danger of being delayed by the wider financial crisis.Construction is expected to be completed by next October.

When it opens to the public, the plaza will include 45-foot-tall light towers, a motion-sensitive water fountain and four retail pavilions. Power lines, phone lines and water pipes will run under the plaza floor so merchants can set up shop temporarily.

Then it was time for the BBQ. I ordered the BBQ plate, which included the sweetest hush puppies a gal could ever want. I also had the Brunswick Stew (which I burned my tongue on, my bad) and potato salad. Total price with tax? Six dollars. Yes, $6.

So much more fun than eating lunch in north Raleigh.

Triangle bloggers know how to enjoy a bash

I’m still buzzing from last night’s 30THREADS blogger bash and it has nothing to do with the beer that was flowing.

I’m finding that when Triangle bloggers and Tweeple get together, there’s a certain energy that envelops the room. Faces light up with recognition when bloggers or Tweeple are recognized from their avatars. Bloggers connect with their readers, stories and ideas are exchanged, occasionally interrupted by a handshake or a hug from someone who feels like they already know you.

I connected with some bloggers I already knew, but I also met some whose words and photos I’ve been admiring for months. A brief recap, with apologies for the many moments I can’t squeeze in.

* Met Jeni, the Durham blogger behind I found happy. Turns out we both used to work at The Herald-Sun, so we briefly shared our war stories.

* Noshed on some tasty wings with @RobertFischer, a Durham blogger who reminded me of some funny advice I offered during one of our live Threadcasts. Apparently, I had declared my love for buffalo chicken wings, but warned that if you want to impress someone during a lunch meeting it’s better to order the buffalo chicken salad because it’s easier to eat. Haha. That so sounds like something I would say. (Robert is the one talking in the photo on the left).

* Reminicsed with Lenore about the days when Broad Street Cafe (the venue for our bash) was the funky Ooh La Latte.

* Met some of the anonymous folks behind one of the best Durham food blogs, Carpe Durham.

* Finally had a chance to congratulate Kevin Davis in real life on the recent redesign of his popular Bull City Rising blog. Also caught up with Valerie and found out some of her exciting future plans for We Love Durham.

* Immediately recognized Leandra and Eric, a Durham wine-loving couple I feel like I already know because of their well-written blog.

* Shook hands with a recently-blogged about High School Musical Build-a-Bear and met Jeff Cohen’s two precocious children. Check out this photo that Grace took with her dad’s Nikon D40X.

Other people I met/reconnected with included:

* Paul from That’s No Bull.

* Kate, Jill and Jake, who are among the folks building Raleigh Public Relations.

* Ellen from CoookingEatingDurham.

* Local comedian Larry Weaver.

* Barry Ragin from Dependable Erection (probably not what you think, get your mind out of the gutter).

* Rachel Nabors, a local cartoonist, web designer and overall stylish chick.

And many more.

It was a fabulous evening, filled with new connections and lots of smiles. I think Anora McGaha summed it up well when she wrote this on my facebook wall today:

The bash was amazing. The buzz in the Broad Street Cafe side area was intense, could have lit up half a city.

Thanks to everyone who came out. Hopefully we’ll have another chance to reconnect soon. If you were there and I didn’t list your blog above, please give yourself a shout out in the comments section.

The Triangle is definitely an outstanding hub for social media.

30THREADS Blogger Bash is Tuesday

It’s time for another 30THREADS Blogger Bash.

Make plans to pop by the Broad Street Cafe in Durham anytime between 6 and 9 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 7.

The informal bash features light snacks and beer and, of course, a chance for me to meet you. If you’d like, bring a friend. Even if they don’t blog. It’s cool. We like new people.

So here’s what you do. Drive, walk or bike over to Broad Street Cafe. Open the door. Walk over toward the group of bloggers/blog readers (despite stereotypes, I doubt anyone will be wearing pajamas). Smile. Say hello. Grab some snacks. Get some beer (or soda, or water). And wait to be wowed by someone fabulous. There will be an interesting mix of folks, so it will be challenging not to meet one intriguing person. Find out how you can guest blog for 30THREADS. Chat with me a little. Say goodbye. Leave with a smile. Go home and watch the debate.

See, doesn’t that sound so easy and fun?

For more details, check this out.

World Beer Festival in Durham is worth the $45

You might think nothing can stand between a gal and her beer. That is, unless you take that gal to World Beer Festival in Durham. Hundreds of people stood in my way as I attempted to enter the festival Saturday at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park. The line snaked around the ballpark from the entrance near the third-base line all way to centerfield. We took our spot in line at 6 p.m. (the scheduled start time) and didn’t get in until 6:45 p.m. A line is to be expected, but one entrance seems absurd. Rant over … now on to the goodness.

The beer, oh the sweet, wonderful beer. The IPAs, stouts, pale ales and fruity concoctions. I sipped on oh so many. Sadly, I forgot to write down the name of the IPA I was truly enamored with, but it’s hard to take notes when there’s so much going on.

Typically, Durham’s World Beer Fest is held at the Durham Athletic Park, the older of the two Durham Bulls ballfields. But that field is under renovation, so this year’s event was at the newer ballpark, where plastic flooring covered the field to prevent it from being stomped by drunken festival-goers. The location meant that some of the bathrooms in the concourse were open to us beer-drinkers, which eliminated the need to use the Porta-Potties (always a plus).

I was impressed with the number of Tweeple who were there (people who use Twitter). We managed to find each other without sending a single tweet. I was with @wiggitywack and we ran into @joesumney, @jefftippett, @taylorbarr (all of us are pictured here courtesy of @dgtlpapercuts). We also saw @thedynamo, @brianchappell, @paynetrain and possibly more. That’s a pretty impressive group of Tweeps to encounter in a ballfield filled with tipsy folks. And it also just goes to show why using Twitter in the Triangle is a fabulous way to meet new people. You can even follow the folks who organized the event, @allaboutbeer.

I was also impressed with the variety of food and how inexpensive it was. Two dollars bought you a fabulous taco from Chubby’s Tacos, which has received rave reviews in the Durham food blog world. Then there were the fabulous beer-fried jalepenos with cheese sauce, and much more.

You may remember from my post about the World Beer Festival in Raleigh where I fell in love with the Vanilla Porter by Breckenridge Brewery. Well, the brew was also available at the Durham festival. And when I made it to the booth, the guy pouring announced it was the last one. But he wouldn’t pour me more than two ounces, even though I declared it was my absolute favorite and that I even blogged about it (I’m not sure this guy even knew what a blog was, to be honest). So I tried sipping it down quickly so he’d refill my glass with another precious two ounces, but instead he handed it to the woman beside me and she poured the final ounces of tasty goodness into some random chick’s glass who I’m sure didn’t appreciate it as much as I would have.

So with the exception of the long line and the stingy Breckenridge pourer, the festival was completely worth the $45 ticket price.

Were you there? Share your experiences, photos and links with me. To see more of my pics, click here (look toward the bottom for the latest).

Cheers.

A Vietnam War photography exhibit you must see

It bothers me how easy it is to forget American soldiers are fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. It seems the wars rarely makes headlines anymore. If you don’t have some connection to the military or seek out information about it, it’s easy to go days without even realizing we’re at war. But then enough soldiers or civilians will die or a politician will invoke the vote that led us to the Iraq war and the fighting will quickly reappear on the news, tucked between stories about gas shortages and Clay Aikens coming out of the closet.

A couple of weeks ago I went to the N.C. Museum of History to check out the Vietnam War photograpy exhibit. It’s called “A Thousand Words: Photographs by Vietnam Veterans” and it moved me to tears. Sixty images were hand picked to show off the various aspects of the Vietnam War from the solider’s perspective.

Fear. Sadness. Bravery. Boredom. Courage. Beauty. Strength. Homesickness. It’s all captured on film.

What makes the exhibit particularly outstanding is that each photo includes a brief summary of the image told in the verbatim words of the soldier who shot the photo. As a result, you get a one-of-a-kind perspective on what transpired and the emotions tied to a given image.

The traveling exhibit was born out of a class photography project at Sawtooth School for Visual Art in Winston-Salem. The teacher, Martin Tucker, advertised in 2003 that he was looking for Vietnam veterans with the goal of obtaining some negatives his class could turn into prints. In five months he received more than 2,600 prints and slides, according to a press release about the exhibit. Only 60 photos were chosen.

After selecting the images for A Thousand Words, Martin and his team of volunteers and students invited the veterans back to tape interviews about the photographs. Their gripping words range from the anguish of fighting near the Cambodian border to enjoying a 1966 Bob Hope Christmas show or finally taking a field “shower” in a rice paddy in 100-degree weather.

In this digital age, our youngest veterans have already amassed millions of photos and videos. They don’t need to wait for another roll of film to capture a moment (mundane or murderess) on camera. Their only limitations are their batteries. Can you imagine what a similar exhibit will look like for today’s wars in 40 years?

The exhibit runs until Nov. 17. It’s free, but donations are encouraged. Find the time to stop downtown to see these images. It’s important.

(Top photo of the exhibit courtesy of Goodnight, Raleigh).

Check out tonight’s local Democratic and Republican vice president debate watch parties

Tonight’s a big night in the political world. Vice presidential candidates Joe Biden and Sarah Palin square off in their first (and only) debate.

If you plan to watch, then I want to encourage you to get a little interactive with me.

I will be at Raleighwood (a local theater that is hosting a Republican watch party for the debate) livestreaming the party on 30THREADS.

My co-worker, Wayne Sutton, will be at Galaxy Cinema in Cary, which is hosting a Democratic watch party. He will also be livestreaming on 30THREADS.

So here’s what you can do. Turn the debate on your TV. Then log onto 30THREADS.com/debate where there will be two video players. One will feature the livestream from the Democratic watch party and the other will show the Republican side.

The idea is you can see how folks on both side of the political spectrum are reacting the debate. Won’t it be amusing to see if a theater full of Democrats are booing when Palin makes an awkwardly-worded point while a theater full of Republicans cheer her on (if they cheer her on)?

Barring no unforeseen technical difficulties (we’ve never done anything like this before, so who knows what will happen), it will definitely be a unique way to watch the debate.

I hope you’ll join us. We’ll also have chat rooms set up below the videos so that you can offer your two cents. So if you’re watching the debate at home and want to vent (NO MATTER WHAT SIDE YOU’RE CHEERING FOR) this will be a cool place for you to do it.

Looking forward to chatting with you all tonight. The livestreaming starts around 8:30 p.m. but the debate is scheduled for 9 p.m. Feel free to give my employer some love and watch it on NBC17 (sorry shameless plug, but they are the ones who are allowing me to livestream all of this).

Chat with you later.

Cheap entertainment: Improv at ComedyWorx

Times are tough. (Just look at the front page of Tuesday’s News & Observer). We’re all looking for ways to save money and have a laugh. That’s why I love ComedyWorx. The Raleigh improv theatre features various improv styles each weekend. And the best part: Tickets for the late show are usually $5. … Oh wait, the best part might be that they also serve beer.

At 10:30 p.m. every Friday and Saturday night, improv performers ask the audience for one suggestion and then perform a series of usually interrelated sketches. The late show means perverted humor is completely accepted and in some cases embraced (which I think is awesome since I still continue to rock “that’s what she said” jokes). Live entertainment that promises a few laughs (hopefully a lot of laughs … ) for $5 and cold beer is pretty much a phenomenal deal.

But there are also regular family-friendly performances too. You can find out about them on the ComedyWorx website.

And I have to plug one team in particular: Big, Fat and Stealthy. With several filmmakers among them, they do more than just improv. They also occassionally produce short films, including this one that aired before their performance Saturday:

I might be a little biased because at least two of the members (@ilikefilms and @cammicam) are on Twitter, and improv can be more amusing if you have a connection to the performers. You can catch them for yourself at 10:30 p.m. Friday Oct. 24, when Big, Fat and Stealthy takes the stage again.

Also, if you’ve ever dreamed of giving improv a try, you can sign up for classes at the Worx Training Center.

Finally, I just found out the Super Sparkle Showcase, which is being hosted at ComedyWorx. This sounds like it may be worth checking out (although tickets are $10 instead of the more favored $5):

…the SHOWCASE is new talent competition presented in the guise of an outrageous Japanese game show. For six weeks, six local contestants will perform a new talent each week in order to compete for a cash grand prize and title of best all-around entertainer! Don’t miss any of the SPARKLE!

There are, of course, other improv options in the Triangle. I’ve told you a little about DSI Comedy Theater in Carrboro before. That theater turns 3-years-old this month, so you may want to celebrate with them by taking in a show.

And if you know of other cheap ways I can get a laugh on a Friday night, let me know (and now, this is not one of my perverted jokes).