Come celebrate July 4th at North Hills this Friday. There will be games, music, a parade and even an appearance by the 2008 Mrs. North Carolina America, Maureen MacDonald. The event is free and open to the public. See below for some more details.
What: July 4th Celebration at North Hills
When: Friday, July 4 from 11:00am - 3:00pm
Parade registration from 11:00 - 11:20am
Parade starts at 11:30am
Where: The Commons lawn (across from Regal Cinemas)
More Details:
Parade:
The children’s parade will have prizes for the best decorated bikes, tricycles, wagons and costumes. Please decorate your child’s bike before coming to the event and arrive around 11:00am to register for the parade, which starts at 11:30. The suggested entry fee is one canned food item to help restock Wake Relief’s pantry.
Music:
After the parade, there will be music for people to enjoy. Guitarist Josh Long will go on at noon and Old Avenue will play at 1:15pm. Old Avenue is a jazz/funk/pop rock band made up of local high school stundents who recently won Lincoln Theater’s Battle of the Bands contest.
Other:
In addition to the parade and music, there will be a moon bounce and amusement park games for kids. There will also be a juggler, balloon artist, face painter and caricaturist for added entertainment. If you’re in the mood to shop, I’m told there will special holiday promotions at North Hills stores.
This should be a nice July Fourth celebration for friends and family. I may be at the beach on vacation, but if I’m in Raleigh, I’ll definitely be there.
Yesterday some friends and I headed over to the Commons at North Hills for the music they have there every Thursday. We were planning on going to the luau at Mura later, but wanted to check out the music first. The area was pretty packed. It seems like more people show up to hear the music each week, and yesterday I’d estimate there were about 2,000 people there. Most people were standing, but others brought their lawn chairs to relax in.
The Music
The Mardi Gras Band put on a good performance and when they took a break an emcee came out and encouraged people to come up front for some shag lessons. People seemed to be having a lot of fun and it was crowded, but not so much that it was uncomfortable.
The Luau
At around 8:30ish people started heading over to the luau at Mura. They had roped off an area outside Mura with tables, a Red Bull mini-bar, and a DJ who was spinning over by the fountain. There was a long line to get in, and the line wasn’t moving very quickly. But there was a girl passing out leis so this was a good distraction from the wait. We finally got to the front of the line and I found out that I’d mistakenly reported the price of admission and sushi. I’d heard it was $10, when it was really $15. But the money went to a good cause (Muscular Dystrophy Association) so I paid and went in.
We met up with the MyNC.com crew (see picture below), who were there getting the word out about their community website, which features sections for Raleigh, as well as other areas of North Carolina. I definitely think they’re doing some cool stuff with this, as it seems they understand the trend towards citizen journalism and user-generated news.
The Food
After talking with a few other friends and meeting some new people, we decided to investigate the food situation. Unfortunately there was no food yet (after 9pm). People had gathered by the one table where the sushi was going to be and were waiting to eat. Eventually they brought the sushi out but it took a while to get through the line to get food.
For the $15 admission fee you received two tickets, which were good for one plate of sushi each. I’m definitely glad I waited, as the sushi was excellent. The only things I would have done differently would be to get the sushi out earlier, utilize more than one table so the lines would be shorter and include some options for vegetarians — I’m not one, but I’ve come to accept them…I don’t make fun of them nearly as much as I used to
Overall it was a good event benefitting a great cause. For anyone else that attended the luau, what did you think?
The Pictures
See below for some pictures from the music and luau. Click the thumbnails twice to see the largest versions. You can also see these pictures and others on Flickr.
Who’s ready to get lei’d? At 9:00 pm on Thursday after the music at North Hills there will be a luau at Mura outside on the patio. The cost is $10 and proceeds will go to the Muscular Dystrophy Assoication. It should be a fun time, with music, good food (I’ve heard there will be BBQ pork and pineapple fried rice, as well as sushi), and a raffle.
Sponsors include Budweiser, Absolut and Red Bull. NBC-17 will be covering the event and doing some live video streaming, and I’ll be there taking pictures and video as well. Come out to the event and help support the MDA in their mission to fight neuromuscular diseases that affect more than a million Americans.
***** TONIGHT’S SHOW HAS BEEN CANCELLED DUE TO THE SMOKE/AIR CONDITIONS RELATED TO THE WILDFIRES IN EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA ****
It’s Thursday and you know what that means. The Midtown Music Shag Series continues tonight with a performance by Part Time Party Time Band over at the Commons from 6:00-8:30pm.
It’s Thursday, and you know what that mean- music at North Hills Raleigh. The Midtown Music Shag Series will feature a performance by The Entertainers from 6:00pm - 8:30pm tonight on the Commons, which is over by the movie theater, Cinelli’s and Fox and Hound.
The Entertainers hail from Charlotte, NC, and you can check out some of their music by visiting their MySpace page. One of their more well-known songs is called “Living for the Summer,” which helped the group gain recognition and following when it was released in 1980.
Come check out the music tonight and have a good time.
If you’re going to be around North Hills today, and are interested in jewelry and design, be sure to check out the trunk show at Elaine Miller Collection. They’re having famed jewelry designer Elizabeth Locke showcase her spring collection from 10:00am - 6:00pm.
If you’re a jewelry connoisseur you don’t want to miss this.
Today I decided to walk over to the Farmers’ Market here at North Hills to see what was going on. Every saturday from 8am-12pm on the Commons, trucks and tents from local NC farms and shops arrive with fresh veggies, fruits, herbs and miscellaneous goodies. This started in April and happens every Saturday through October. There was music on the lawn today, which was an added bonus.
I didn’t actually buy anything today, but I wanted to see who was selling things and where they were from. There were representatives from farms in Nash county, Pittsboro, Eli Whitney, and Garner, just to name a few.
I’m not sure if the same farmers come each week, but here’s who was at the North Hills Farmers’ Market today. If I missed someone, just leave a note in the comments and I’ll add them to the list.
Jackson Farm
Just Desserts
Blue Dragonfly Cut Flower Farm
Bluebird Hill Farm
Edible Earthscape Farm
Handmade True Soap
Celebrity Dairy
Smith’s Nursery, Inc.
Lyons Farms
Double T Farm
Sofia’s Farm
Spain Farm
Cedar Rock Farm
Please see below for a few pictures from the market today. Click on the thumbnails to see bigger versions (click through twice to see the largest size).
What do you think about the Farmers’ Market here? Have you been satisfied with the variety and types of produce?
Today, North Hills Buzz (along with News 14 and NBC) covered the press conference on the Commons officially welcoming Aldert Root elementary school to North Hills.
For the 2008-2009 school year, students in Aldert Root will attend school in modular units over at North Hills East. Kane worked with the community and school system to donate approximately 4 acres for the school to use while its 50 year old buildings are renovated.
By our estimate, about 150 people attended the event, and about 50 were kids. At the beginning of the event, the children gave a “Seussical” performance and sang songs inspired by famous Dr. Seuss phrases, such as “Anything’s possible,” “I do not like green eggs and ham,” and “a person’s a person no matter how small.”
Please see below for some video and pictures from the event. Click on the thumbnails for larger versions (click twice for the largest size).
WE GOT IT WRONG. Apparently another band, Black and Blue, is playing tonight at North Hills. Sorry for the confusion. We were just going by what was on the printed schedule.
The Beach Music Series at North Hills Raleigh continues tonight. Beach music legend Billy Scott and the Party Prophets will play a free concert over at the Commons (across from the movie theater) from 6:00 - 8:00pm.
The band has been playing beach music at parties and functions for over 30 years. They’re probably best known for their hit “My Kind of Girl,” which was the #1 song n the Rhythm N’ Beach Top 40 charts for 20 weeks at one point. The band is in the Beach Music Hall of Fame and the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame.
Check the band out tonight and bring some friends for some fun.
Today I visited the ASID Designer Showhouse in Ramblewood. There are two townhomes open (at 3611 and 3615 Rolston Drive) where you can view rooms that have been designed by one of 25 local ASID interior designers. Each room is done by a different designer, and part of proceeds from ticket sales will go to Hospice of Wake County. Click here for more details from one of our earlier write-ups. If you’re thinking about visiting the Showhouse, this is your last week to do it, since the exhibit will close after June 1.
As someone who doesn’t know much about design (but still appreciates it), I found these rooms, furniture and designs to be very interesting. The volunteers were very friendly and willing to answer all my questions. While I wasn’t able to get any pictures inside (no photography rule was reportedly requested by the designers), I’ll try my best to describe some things I thought were interesting. Much of the furniture and items in the rooms is for sale, so if you see something you like, you can inquire about the price. (more…)
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