5 Things To Try This Weekend in the Triangle

Food Truck Shabbat

Celebrate the end of the work week while you meet new friends and enjoy dinner from Mama Dukes and Big City Sandwiches. This event will also feature frozen yogurt, music followed by Shabbat services at TBO.

When: Friday, May 31, 5:30pm
Where: Temple Beth Or, Raleigh
Social: Facebook | Twitter

Durham Bulls vs. Buffalo Bisons

Cheer on the home team with friends and then visit the American Tobacco Campus for post-game drinks.

When: Friday, May 31, 7pm
Where: Durham Bulls Athletic Park
Info: www.durhambulls.com
Social: Facebook | Twitter

Happymess Art Studio's First Annual Hoedown 

Help raise funds for an art outreach project at fun filled night in Durham. Ride a mechanical bull, play in a corn hole tournament, and party like a cowboy or cowgirl!

When: Friday May 31, 7pm
Where: Shooters II, Durham
Info: www.happymessart.com
Social:  Facebook | Twitter 

NC Symphony Summerfest: At the Movies

Enjoy a special performance of Oscar-winning music from some of the greatest movies of all time, including the James Bond films, “Out of Africa,” “Indiana Jones,” “Pirates of the Caribbean” and “Gone With The Wind.” Wear an outfit inspired by your favorite movie character for your chance to win prizes.

When: Saturday, June 1, 7:30pm
Where: Koka Booth Amphitheatre, Cary
Info: www.ncsymphony.org
Social: Facebook | Twitter

Fuquay-Varina Celebration of the Arts 

Support your local economy by shopping this town-wide arts festival. The festival features artists and  craftsmen producing original work including jewelry, basketry, ceramics, soaps, candles, decorative paintings, fine art painting, garden art, metal work, furniture, drawings, and folk art.

When: June 1, 10am - 4pm
Where: Downtown Fuquay-Varina, 108 Raleigh St.
Info: www.fuquay-varinadowntown.com
Social: Facebook | Twitter

If you have a chance to try any of these this weekend let me know! Share a tweet or photo by using the hashtag #5thingstriangle on Twitter and Instagram! 

Hope you have a great weekend!

5 Things To Try This Weekend in the Triangle

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Animazement 

Animazement is an annual convention in Raleigh, NC that celebrates the world of Japanese visual culture through anime, manga, video games, J-rock, martial arts, traditional crafts, and more! Live tweet a Guest or Fan Panel Session from the convention and collect as many autographs as you can from your favorite Cosplayers!

When: May 23 - May 26
Where: Raleigh Convention Center
Info: animazement.org

Social: Facebook | Twitter

Glenwood South Monthly Market

Get involved in supporting your local economy by shopping local Triangle businesses at the Glenwood South Monthly Market. The markets will feature 40 vendors set up along North Street and will be held on the last Saturday of each month until October. 

When: Saturday, May 25, 2013 10am - 3pm
Where: Downtown Raleigh, Near Hibernian Pub on North St.

Info: legacyeventplanners.org/monthly-markets
Social: Facebook | Twitter

Motley Tones at the Downtown Cary Farmers Market

With their unique blend of classical and folk harmonies and off-kilter sense of humor, The Motley Tones have emerged as a popular local street show. Join in and sign a sea shanty and then take a picture with a pirate! Bonus: It's also Cooking Sample Day!

When: Saturday, May 25, 8:00am - 12:30pm
Where: Downtown Cary - Park & Academy St.
Info: www.caryfarmersmarket.com
Social: Facebook | Twitter



Summerfest Opening Night

Wear your summer whites, pack up a picnic with friends and celebrate the beauty of North Carolina and music at this outdoor summer kick off event. Cary’s Booth Amphitheatre offers a dramatic backdrop for music that is out of this world – as well as costume contests, instrument zoos, picnics, games, prizes and so much more. 

When: Saturday, May 25, Gates Open at 5pm, Show Starts at 7:30pm 
Where: Koka Booth Amphitheatre - 8003 Regency Parkway, Cary, NC
Info: www.boothamphitheatre.com
Social: Facebook | Twitter

Cocktail Taste Test Party
Throw a Memorial Day backyard cookout or pool party and test out a few cocktail recipes like the Oak City Summer or the Franklin Street Fizz using locally brewed Slingshot Coffee. 

Info: slingshotcoffeecompany.com
Social: Facebook | Twitter

If you have a chance to try any of these this weekend let me know! Share a tweet or photo by using the hashtag #5thingstriangle on Twitter and Instagram!  

Have a great weekend!

Weekend Recap

Photo by Cassie P.

Good Morning!

Is the weekend over already? Seriously? 

On Friday evening I went to the beautiful Bond Metro Park with a few friends to see our friend Cathy perform in the Cary Town Band for the very first time! We packed up an amazing picnic and went to support Cathy, (who is the second youngest member of the band) play her way through Sousa marches and Civil War era overtures. We also learned what a Polonaise is and the difference between Light Cavalry and Heavy Cavalry... The crowd at the concert was a little stiff (why can't you dance around to the Star Spangled Spectacular?) but we had a good time and most importantly, we are so proud of Cathy!

After the concert I met Aaron, who had gone to Durham to see Amy Schumer's stand up comedy show at DPAC, back at our apartment for a drink and a few kitten snuggles.

On Saturday I made the mistake of going to the Whole Foods on Wade Ave. around the same time that the NC State graduation let out from the PNC arena. I totally forgot about graduation! Downtown was packed with NCSU grads in bright red caps and gowns. Congrats to all of the class of 2013 grads!

After lunch Aaron and I stayed out of the rain and started to play the new Tomb Raider game that was released earlier this year. When I say that we played it that really means Aaron plays and does really well and I sit next to him and shout out "left!" "right!" "watch out!". 

On Saturday evening I went to Dorthea Dix Park with Cassie and Cathy to run in the Great Glow Run 5k! Even though I have been training for the past 6 weeks, I was still so nervous!!! I will write more about it in a post once the event photos are posted, but it was a really positive experience and I am so glad that I signed up! After the run we went to a party to see our friends and to celebrate the NSCU grads!

After a long Saturday Aaron and I decided to take it easy on Sunday morning. We enjoyed smoothies while we watched HGTV and eventually motivated ourselves to get up off of the couch and go to CostCo and Trader Joe's.

When we got back from running errands we spotted a pile of discarded furniture near the dumpster. Because of graduation, it was a big move out weekend, which basically means free stuff if you are lucky! We went over to investigate and found a coffee table! We decided that it wasn't in the best shape, but it's sturdy and mostly in need of a wipe down and a coat of paint. 

The rest of the day was spent watching Game of Thrones season 1 with commentary, video chatting with family, doing laundry and relaxing.

I hope that you had an amazing weekend like I did!

Polka Dot Palette Painting Class

On Friday evening Cassie invited me to go to Polka Dot Palette for a BYOB painting class! She had purchased a deal on Living Social and it was the last day to use the voucher! We picked up a bottle of wine on the way and we were ready to go!

The theme for the night was "Little ______ Dress (Choose Your Color)". Before the class began our instructor, Brandon, came around, welcomed us to the studio and asked us which colors we wanted to use for our painting. 

This class was so much fun! We started with a blank canvas and Brandon showed us how to create the background and dress. We all followed him step-by-step, but every piece of art looked a little different. I am going to hang mine up in our guest room!

This is a shot of how our final pieces turned out! Mine is the blue one on the left and Cassie's is the coral one on the right. I can't wait to sign up for more classes in the future! If you are interested in attending a class like this be sure to check out Living Social or Groupon to see if there are art studios offering discount vouchers in your area!

Have you ever tried a painting class?

Weekend Recap

I have learned that the hibernation period in the Triangle officially ends on the first day of April. Even though our region gets a fairly small amount of snowfall, we still but we have been busy every weekend since the beginning of the month! There are so many indoor and outdoor activities going on in the area, we don't have weekends that are filled with opportunities for napping anymore (and we love that!)  

On Friday after work I joined my friend Cassie for a BYOB painting class at Polka Dot Palette, an art studio in Cary, NC. We had so much fun! I will post pictures of our paintings and go into more detail about our class in a post tomorrow. After our class we met up with two of our friends, Cathy and Suzanne for drinks at Rudino's on Edwards Mill Road. We were pretty much the only people in the restaurant, which was odd for a Friday night, but we didn't mind! We talked about how our weeks went and made plans for the weekend.

On Saturday Aaron, Cassie, Cathy and I went to the Spring Daze Arts & Crafts Festival at the Bond Metro Park in Cary (we have been spending a lot of time in Cary recently...) I had heard about the festival on the radio earlier in the week, and I can never pass up an Arts & Crafts event, especially when it is hosted in a park on a beautiful day! We walked around to see all of the art vendors, listened to a group of singing pirates, watched an aerialist performance, and we even spotted a baby dragon! 

Later that evening Aaron and I went downtown to the Upstairs Party Space at Centro for the Raleigh Tribe 1st Annual Birthday Bash to celebrate the first year of Raleigh Tribe programming. We had a great time celebrating with friends and enjoying tapas, margaritas and of course, birthday cake!

Hope you had a good weekend!