Summer Vibes, New Merch & More! - June 2nd

Good Morning Raleigh! Happy Monday. As I have been hyping up, we’ve finally moved into our seasonal designs for summer. This design for this season being:

1970s/Retro NC Beaches!

In the images below you will see the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, Sir Walter Raleigh, a Megalodon Tooth (Official NC Fossil), and the Carolina Beach Ferris Wheel.

With the new designs, also comes more news…

We’ve got an Online Store!

As of today, you can buy your very own Summer 2025 Collection Merchandise! We’ve got hats, shirts, mugs, totes, & more. My personal favorite, the Sir Walter Surfing Bucket Hat:

Thanks for the support on this and let us know what you think about the store and the designs! With that said, let’s get into the events and updates to start the week.

June 2nd - Monday

• Pride Month officially began yesterday! There is a lot going on this month and we will be covering it as each event gets closer but I thought this write-up by Raleigh Magazine did a good job of listing the right balance of events and news — full list here.

June 3rd - Tuesday

• Open Decks Night is back at The Wicked Witch with an open DJ setup for DJ’s of all skill levels and genres — see more details here.

Sometime Later

• We mentioned it last time but The Soccer Tournament (7v7) starts on Wednesday in Cary at WakeMed Soccer Park — get tickets here if interested.

• First Friday will be this week on June 6th, with the Warehouse District being the main focus of the event with Bingo, Karaoke, Art, and more — check out the full itinerary of things to do over at the DRA website — link here.

• With First Friday, comes First Saturdays! Raleigh City Farm hosts their new monthly series featuring volunteer work, farm-stands, murals, a farm tour, & more — info here.

• It’s been on the community calendar for a while but Gipson Play Plaza officially opens this upcoming weekend! Ribbon cutting will be Friday at 4PM and the park celebration will be all weekend starting at 9AM both days — details here.

• As we mentioned last week, Centennial Soundbites, hosted by Oak City Music, is starting up at 12PM on Wednesday for music and food trucks on NCSU’s Centennial Campus. That night, find them over at Transfer Co as well for Oak City Salsa:

• Morrisville Cars & Coffee is hosting their monthly meetup again this Saturday, get their around 8AM and follow the parking signs before checking out this months theme centered around Corvettes! — event details here.

• Seeing Red starts this month on June 15th at NCMA in the West Building. The museum describes the exhibit as “focusing on our long relationship with red and the dyes and pigments that humanity has developed to express ourselves.” — more info here.

• Speaking of Museums, June 21st brings the Blue Whales exhibit at NCMNS, tickets for this event start around $18 and will feature a lecture series on certain dates if interested — see more about the event here.

June 2nd - Monday

• Total Chaos, Night! Night!, Covenant Eye [punk] @ Neptunes | 8PM - $12+

June 3rd - Tuesday

• Beer & Banjos w/ Laika’s Lost & The Allstars [bluegrass] @ Bowstring | 6:30PM - FREE

• Live Jazz Jam [open jam] @ Moon Room | 8PM - FREE

• Open Mic w/ Live Jam Band [any] @ Slims | 9PM - FREE

• It’s change a few times now but the corner spot in Oakwood next to The Optimist Coffee (1000 Brookside Drive) is opening a new “yet to be named” concept featuring the brains behind Ajja, Mala Pata, and Locals Seafood — more here (possible paywall).

• The Lootdrop machiness are here! Check out all 5 locations of these machines which are restocked weekly with local art prints, patches, stickers, & more — locations here.

• Ebisu Life Store is opening June 7th on Hillsborough Street! This Japanese based lifestyle store has Japaneses snacks, home goods, toys, games, and more. Grand opening is at 10am if you’re looking to stop by — details below:

• Saturdays in Saxapahaw needs your help! The 20 year long run program of free music, farmers markets, and artisans is looking for donations to help cover rising costs. If interested in learning more about this unique event or donating — click here.

• Lake Crabtree Park is officially closed. The lease between Wake County and RDU Airport is over and the land will likely be developed by the airport in the near future. Hundreds of bikers, hikers, and nature lovers showed up Saturday to show their support.

• While the DMV has opened 20 more locations on Saturday, the long line are still an issue. Many locations are now walk-in service but may have 2-3 hour wait times — see the full list over here at CBS.

• Knotty by Nature in Durham is having a June sale on a variety of plants! All herbaceous perennials, annuals, grass, sedges, and rush are 25% OFF in store or online — link here.

• Barsa just opened up in Durham on W Morgan Street, offering a bold Indian cuisine and cocktails. They are also open for lunch and dinner reservations — see more here.

•This is your last month to catch the Studio Ghibli film series in Durham at the Carolina Theatre before, get tickets to the events this month here (there will be a select few through the year still).

• NC FC: The FC scored late in the 81st minute to take the 1-0 victory over the Richmond Kickers, the move up to 4th in the USL Eastern and their next away game will be this upcoming Friday, June 6th.

• NC Courage: The next game is not until this upcoming Sunday, away in DC at 4PM.

• NCSU Baseball: NC State continues its run in the Auburn Regional holding Central Connecticut scoreless in a 12-0 win and Stetson to 17-12. They advance to the regional finals to continue their post-season run.

June 2nd - Monday - Partly Cloudy , High 84°F, Low 60°F

• Sunrise: 05:59 AM, Sunset: 08:26 PM - Moon: Waxing Crescent 🌒

June 3rd - Tuesday - Sunny, High 88°F, Low 62°F

• Sunrise: 05:59 AM, Sunset: 08:27 PM - Moon: First Quarter 🌓

Well the start of this week was just a bit slow so I hope you had a great weekend and can use these days to rest or prep for the events towards the tail end of the week.

It’s always a challenge to keep the newsletter useful and informative on slow days without losing the quality I like to keep it at. Either way, thanks again for reading!

Happy Raleighwood Summer, and we’ll see you on Wednesday!

— Mason at The Raleighwood Inbox