Foodies, Puppies, Nerds, & Flags! - July 23rd

It’s Wednesday! Hope you’re making it through yet another excessive heat day out there (just a reminder, you probably need more water).

As usual, some quick updates:

• For the moment, and for a variety of reasons, the meetup group is going away. The good news is that we have some SUPER exciting news coming soon on what will be taking it’s place, so stay tuned!

• The summer store enters it’s last week! To keep things simple, all gear goes away on the same day, July 31st as we prep for Fall. Less than 10 days — shop gear here.

☀️ Want to be featured above? — Fill out our interest form!

Artist of The Week - Kelsey Graywill

Kelsey is a unique mix of science and art. She works as a creative, a researcher, and entrepreneur based right here in Central NC where she runs Graywill Creative, which is based out of Durham.

She has been on commercial shoots around the world, helped local brands extend their reach, and can probably be found biking around the area (most notably at Bike Durham).

Kelsey was recommended by one of our readers via email last week! Reach out if you or someone you know should be featured in an upcoming week!

Upcoming & Ongoing!

Wednesday - 23rd

• Beat the heat with the 4-7PM Midweek Market at Moore Square, stop by on your way home from work to grab local produce, snacks, artisan goods and more — info here.

• While your downtown, stop by Blackbird for an afternoon Coffee & Crochet (aka bring a project) and get a discount on your drink — their page here.

• Only two more left! Live After 5 music returns with Kooley High and Charly Lowry. Check out the DRA website for details, parking, and dining — party starts at 6PM.

• Boatman Spirits 🎺 Al Strong & Friends [jazz] 8PM - FREE

• Moon Room 🌕️ Open Jam Session [jazz] 8PM - FREE

• Chapel of Bones ☠️ Carrelle, Feyleux [darkwave/post-punk] 8PM - $12

Thursday - 24th

• It’s a jam packed weekend for music, and if you’re looking for beats, this event has everyone beat (ba dum tss) — In collab with nearly 20 DJ’s this event will take place all weekend, starting at R&D, moving to Tap Yard, and ending with a Day Party in Dix Park.

• GalaxyCon Raleigh starts today! running from 2PM to 8PM on Sunday, this event is one of the largest celebrations of Pop Culture, Gaming, Comic Books, and more — tickets.

• Psst, to keep up to date on all things Nerd Culture in Central NC (and for some updates straight from GalaxyCon), check out another great locally run newsletter below:

• Calling all foodies! Its your time to shine because Raleigh Restaurant Week starts today and runs through August 3rd, Downtown Raleigh Alliance has the full list of participating vendors at the link below:

• Bowstring Brewyard 🎙️Funk You [8-piece jam band] 6:30PM - FREE

• Goodnights Comedy 🎤 Joe Fenti [stand-up] | 7PM - $32

Friday - 25th

• Critical Mass, one of Oaks & Spokes largest events takes place at 7PM at the NCSU Bell Tower, all (human powered) wheels are welcome — bikes, one wheels, skateboards…

• Slims Dive Bar hosts a New Orleans Live Music Night w/ Sean Hobbes & The Hi Res, check it out here for some true (they’re from New Orleans) soul music — dive in here.

• Lincoln Theatre 🇯🇲 Barrington Levy w/ Crucial Fiya [reggae] 8PM - $40

• The Pour House 🎙️ Caligula Blushed [smith’s tribute] 9PM - $14

Saturday - 26th

• X-Mas in July, hosted by Neptunes! (SummerWeen the night before) starts at 12PM Saturday and runs through 10PM — FREE show, drink specials and food via Le Dive.

• The North Hills Night Market is back in Midtown Park! 30+ local vendors, running from 4-9PM, sip and stroll with mead, brews, and food truck dinners — market info.

• Starting at 10AM celebrate knowledge, diversity, and science with Día de la Ciencia y la Cultura at NCMNS. Enjoy a bilingual experience of the museum while exploring Latino traditions and Hispanic heritage — FREE family friendly event, details here.

• Tyler Childers Snipe Hunter releases soon and The Pour House is doing a record store release party for it. The name spoke to me as I remember the practical joke from my schoolboy days — join the party at here.

• The NC FC soccer team plays Loudon United at Home (WakeMed Soccer Park) at 7PM, they are playing in the USL Cup currently, see their full schedule here — schedule.

• Chapel of Bones 🎸Shortest Straw & Undertow [metallica/tool tribute] 7PM - $16

• The Ritz 👩‍🦰 FAKE HAPPY [paramore tribute] 6:30PM - $21

• Wicked Witch 🧙‍♀️ Goth Night (18+) w/ DJ’s [goth] 9PM - $14

Sunday - 27th

• Raleigh Social Circle, a free social event and community building group, teams up with the Raleigh Walking Girlies at Cup-A-Joe this Sunday for their Inaugural Book Club event — check out the details here and signup via Eventbrite for free.

• Get some steps in while learning about History, Ghosts, & More with Triangle Walking Tours. Their Sunday tours include Downtown Raleigh, African American History, True Crime, and Urban Legend Ghost Tours — see more here.

• Chapel of Bones 👨‍🎤 Saint Diablo [latin metal] 6PM - $15

• Walnut Creek 🎸 Outlaw Music Festival [country/folk] 3:45PM - $70

I don’t love sharing Live Nation events but this one brings Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan, Turnpike Troubadours, Charles Wesley Godwin & more… so it is what it is.

Monday - 28th

• Weedeater, live on a Monday! Come out for some stoner metal out of Wilmington at KINGS in downtown Raleigh — show starts at 8PM (don’t miss it).

• Hopscotch Music Festival is still looking for volunteers, anyone who signs up get a 3 Day GA pass for their shift — at the time of writing there were nearly 60 spots still open.

• Neptunes Parlour 🎸 Afton Wolf & Rod Smoth [folk/blues] | 7PM - $5

Tuesday - 29th

• Crunk Run Club is doing a Sunflower Fun Run through Dix Park at 6:30PM, end the run with refreshments at Crank Arm and a recovery zone with running PT’s — fun run info.

• Bowstring Brewyard 🪕 Beer & Banjos [bluegrass] 6:30PM - FREE

• KINGS 🎹 SUB ROSA [electronic music] 10PM - FREE

Local Photographer Maurice Melvin streams every one of these B&B events, check his Instagram out here to watch every Tuesday — livestreams here.

Local Non-Profit News

• SPCA is still looking for some help in finding homes for their animals (they were near capacity recently) so I thought I would bribe you all with their terrifying shark week images down below — shark week and donate pups here.

Have you been enjoying the newsletter? Help support us here!

Openings & Builds

• The Raleigh Union Bus Station Grand Opening is finally here! Open to all, the event will start at 10AM on Friday and will have station tours, food, music, and more — RUS BUS.

• If you’ve been downtown this week, you may have seen that demolition is finally starting near The Creamery. Glad we have some action taking place but personally, mixed feelings on the penthouses and generic architecture — thoughts?

• Purple Spoon Acai, on Hillsborough St in Raleigh, is opening soon but first the need a store manager — if this sounds like you contact them here.

• The Bike Library announced their grand opening event for August 8th, featuring a documentary of their build process, ribbon cutting, group bike rides, and more — details.

So, last week I had a whole thing planned to share some history about the Raleigh, NC flags and as I began my research early this week, I saw that Midtown Mag did almost exactly the write up I was drafting… and they posted it just days ago.

I shall admit defeat in this story for now (don’t worry, I’ve got tons more) but with that said, I still wanted to share the history, as I found it interesting, so below is a link to that story instead.

See you next Sunday for our first Monthly Edition Newsletter! Then back to next Wednesday as per our regular cadence.