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Archives for September 2009

N.C. Governor Plants a Row for the Hungry

In addition to the regular kitchen garden on the grounds of the governor’s mansion here in Raleigh, Governor Bev Perdue has planted extra collard greens and cabbage as part of the Plant a Row for the Hungry national campaign.

Have you heard about this program? Plant a Row started in 1995 and  encourages gardeners to plant an extra row of vegetables in their gardens and then donate the produce to local food agencies and soup kitchens.  American gardeners have donated more than 14 million pounds of food as part of this grassroots effort.  And it was all started by one guy.  What a story!

That’s Life in Raleigh.

N.C. Governor Plants a Row for the Hungry

North Carolina Literary Festival

The N.C. Literary Festival was the place to be September 10-13, 2009, on the campus of UNC-Chapel Hill, featuring 102 authors, including poets, crime writers, children’s authors, big names like John Grisham and R. L. Stine, and several Pulitzer-Prize winners.  The N.C. Literary Festival is held biennially and is organized and sponsored by the libraries of UNC, N.C. State, and Duke, with additional support from N.C. Central University.  The universities also take turns hosting the event.

This year’s host was UNC.  Wow, did they do a fantastic job.  While it goes without saying that the setting was beautiful, the whole event was also very well-organized, well-marked, and well-staffed by a large volunteer force.  There were even ice-filled tubs of bottled water free for the taking and, of course, plentiful recycling bins for the empties.

The 2009 Literary Festival billed itself as “a celebration of reading and writing,”  and a celebration it was.  The sessions were actually more like performances.  Authors were paired up for discussions that were engaging and entertaining, as well as educational and thought-provoking.  The  question-and-answer periods with the audience were a delightful part of the sessions, too.  Books were for sale onsite and the authors were signing books after each session.

Children had their own scene at this year’s Literary Festival.  It was easy to find kids excited about reading and writing in the special area for kids under 12, where there were tons of fun activities and many authors lined up to perform for this younger audience.  Local team mascots were roaming the venue, as well as book characters such as Clifford and at least one of the “Wild Things.”  Waving at them seems natural, doesn’t it, even when you’re not accompanied by a young child?

You could find something at the 2009 N.C. Literary Festival to make you laugh, make you cry, make you think, make your mouth water, and make your mouth hang open.  All of this, and it’s free and open to the public and will come around again in 2011.  Don’t miss it!

That’s Life in Raleigh.

None for me, thanks.

This is a truck we saw traveling west on I-40 Labor Day Weekend.

Ugh.
Ugh.

The Flea Market in Hillsville, Virginia

The preliminary estimates for the crowds attending the 42nd Annual VFW Flea Market and Gun Show in Hillsville, VA., (pop. 2,500) Labor Day 2009 ranged from 300,000 to 500,000.  We were there.  And we may have been the only ones who went to the flea market without taking our dog either on a leash or in a baby carriage.  It sure seemed that way.

The Hillsville flea market is billed as the largest flea market east of the Mississippi, and this year had approximately 2,000 vendors.  2,000 vendors?  That’s right.  If you can imagine it, they were selling it.  Crafts, army surplus, antiques, slot machines, assault rifles, jewelry, garden flags…..you get the idea.  In need of a change purse made out of a tanned bullfrog?  You came to the right place.  They were even selling pain-relieving jewelry and over-the-counter medicine—including one booth running a special on “out-of-date medicine” for only fifty cents!  Who knew?

Not only does the flea market offer something for everyone to buy, there’s also entertainment and things to do.  There was a bounce room for children, a climbing wall, and do-it-yourself sand art.  There were infomercial product demonstrations that always drew a crowd.  And you didn’t have to walk too far between gospel singers with microphones.  I guess you’d have to include people watching in the stuff-to-do category.  Off the top of my head I can’t think of any place else where you can see the sights we saw at the flea market.  It’s worth the trip.

Oh, and the food.  Food vendors are everywhere.  The entire flea market is bathed in mouth-watering smells.  Everything smells delicious, looks delicious, and actually tastes delicious.  The food ranges from your standard hot dogs to the ever-popular chicken-on-a-stick, Thai food, and even taco in a bag.  (Sorry, I didn’t try the taco in a bag this trip, so I cannot offer an explanation.)

Mark your calendar for Labor Day 2010.  Delicious food, unique items, beautiful setting, perfect weather, good family time, Hillsville, VA, is the place to be.  The only drawback is you might come home with something you don’t quite know what to do with…..like maybe your son buys a coyote pelt to go with the coyote skull he bought last year.

That’s Life in Raleigh.

Crowded!
Crowded!
What else could you need?
What else could you need?

Mountain Trip!

Raleigh has such a great location in the State of North Carolina – – centrally located between the Atlantic Ocean and the Appalachian Mountains.  And these vacation hot spots are not far in either direction.  In fact, in about three hours with  Labor Day weekend traffic, we were soaking in the sights on the Blue Ridge Parkway.  Not bad at all.

So to get to the mountains we headed down I-40 West.  Same road we take to get to the beach, just the opposite direction.  Soon after hitting the road, there was an “1-800-By Train” sign.  I don’t really know what these train signs mean, but we figured they must be connected to the mountains somehow and we were excited to see them.

The main difference between the reasonably short trip to the beach and the reasonably short trip to the mountains is that on the way to the  mountains there is actually stuff to look at along the way.  Sure, the trip starts with what appears to be the same dense, green scenery and the same strict billboard regulations, but things start to change near Burlington and it only gets more interesting the further west you travel.

There’s life along this stretch of highway.  It’s almost like a business route.  You can see businesses, shopping, food, motels, and traffic on other roads.  You don’t have to wonder how far off the exit you’ll have to travel to get to the local Hooters.  You can see it from the highway.  It’s that close.  There are also homes close to the road and even brand-new, high-rise apartment buildings so close to the 8-lane highway that you could probably spit your gum onto their front mat.  Really.  And once you turn off of I-40 for the final leg of the trip, then the scenery really gets interesting in that quaint, small-town, charming sort of way.  It’s a preview of the fresh, change of pace awaiting you a short distance up the road.

A visit to the Blue Ridge Parkway requires you to slow down and appreciate the breath-taking views.  It is like taking a step back in time, while surrounded by postcard-beautiful scenery.  All this less than three hours away?  That’s a day trip.  I’m in.

That’s Life in Raleigh.

You know you live close to the mountains when....
You know you live close to the mountains when....
Blue Ridge Parkway
Blue Ridge Parkway

Overdose at the Farmers’ Market

Here at the end of summer is a great time to visit the State Farmers’ Market. The stalls are still overflowing with  summer vegetables. The vegetables are so plentiful and colorful they provide a feast for the eyes, too.  And it’s always an interesting place to visit.  After all, a venue that hosts events such as Colossal Collard Day and Watermelon Day can’t be dull, even if it is owned and operated by the State of North Carolina.

On their official website, the Farmers’ Market boasts of selling over 300 different items.  That’s easy to believe.  Between all the varieties of produce, bushes and plants, salsa, crafts, specialty meats (hmm..), Christmas trees, and even restaurants, they have something or a lot of things for everyone.  Plus they have an ATM onsite so you can buy even more than you planned on buying.

If you like crowds, hit the Farmers’ Market on a Saturday or on a Sunday afternoon.  It is jam-packed on the weekends.  On weekdays, the crowds are not as big, but there are still plenty of people and often even a field trip or two!

The people are one of the best parts of the Farmers’ Market, especially the vendors.  They’re always friendly, knowledgeable, and eagerly offering you samples of their wares.  It’s easy to leave there with a full belly from  sampling fresh, delicious produce from one end to the other.  You have to keep moving, though.  Too many samples in one spot, and they’ll run you off!

Take a crowd with you when you go.  Not only will everyone enjoy the trip, but you’ll need all those extra hands to carry all your goodies to the car.

That’s Life in Raleigh.

So many choices...
So many choices...
Peppers, peppers, peppers
Peppers, peppers, peppers
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