Tag Archives: Events

Permalink to My Fair Ladies – Vol. 1 – Fairly Fun Nite

My Fair Ladies – Vol. 1 – Fairly Fun Nite

by WanderSouth|on October 16, 2011 |in Attractions, Foodie, Life in the South, North Carolina, Raleigh |tagged , , , , , , , , |3 Comments
My Fair Ladies - Vol. 1 - Fairly Fun Nite

While we didn’t win the NC State Fair Deep Fried Ambassador blogger contest, that won’t stop us from sharing our fabulous adventures at the Fair! We are taking 2 trips to the Fair this year – one for the night-time adventures and once for the day time animal cuteness. These are our escapades after dark!
Ready to do some damage

Kamikaze (AKA Rebecca) and I, plus our beaus Matt & B, and the omnipresent Ellen Lynch went to the Triangle Deep Fried Tweetup preview night at the Fair. For just $5 a person you get to attend an exclusive tweetup event, get a sweet swag bag and catchup with all your social media buddies. Always a great event. We even got to sample the deep fried kool-aid (sweet, gooey and very red) and a deep fried bubblegum (deep fried marshmallow with bubblegum sauce and Chiclets = delicious!). You can read some of my embarrassingly awesome tweets.

Hooray for Trees!

Free Trees from Smokey the Bear!

My Brian bear with Smokey the Bear!!!!

B Bear with S Bear

Cutest item in the @NCStateFair #deepfried tweetup gift bags? This tiny @ncpig!!!!

Cute NC Pig (Twitter: @NCPig) from the swag bags!

Part of the Tweetup was a SCVNGR hunt, a handy iPhone app. So I’m a pretty competitive girl when it comes to brainy or puzzle challenges and I dragged the ladies and gents all over the Fair trying to complete challenges as Team CarnieVores (name supplied by the Aslaksens). We got 17 out of 20 challenges, but didn’t win the night. Sad face!

Modern Scooby Crew

Finding the clues with the Scooby Crew

BCDC

One of the challenges was finding your initials so I made one on PicFrame

Hoof bump with @ncpig #ncstatefair

Hoof bump with @NCPig

My buds helping me spell out NCSF at the #ncstatefair ... yes i know my S is backwards

Another challenge complete - spell out NCSF - Bec is a lowercase n and my s is backwards. I PROMISE we were sober...

Weaved into all this craziness was lots of food and fun. In the 4.5 hours we tromped around the Fair we:

Dawn Eating a Krispy Kreme Burger

Devoured a Krispy Kreme Goober Burger (PB&J on a burger on 2 donuts - for reals)

Corndog Zombies

Relished a jumbo corn dog - which I won in a bet with Matt that it wouldn't rain

Seriously yummy #deepfried candy apples at the #ncstatefair

Tried the delicious deep fried candy apple! Try it with cinnamon and sugar!

We're all kangaroos

All jumped like kangaroos at the UNC-TV booth

Psychedelic Ferris Wheel

Got a little trippy with the Ferris wheel

Becca & Ellen ride the Future

Becca & Ellen got scrambled!

Spinny, swingy ride

Watched the pretty lights - which Bec reminded us a ride in Zombieland - kick ass

Pickle Down

Mocked Bec for dropping her deep fried pickles, mushrooms AND onions on the ground

But the best part about the Fair was sharing it with such great friends!
I heart my @bcwritr      Great friends & a fun night - heart y'all @RDUgonnaeat #ncstatefairThe always fun, friendly and sports-formative @ellenlynch! #ncstatefair

Permalink to Roasted Oysters on My Mind

Roasted Oysters on My Mind

by WanderSouth|on May 26, 2011 |in Chapel Hill, Confessional, Foodie |tagged , , , , , , |Leave a comment

Roasted oysters is a southern-ism that I just had to try. I first learned about these smokey bivalves on Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations’ Charleston episode. The idea of fresh oysters warmed up just a bit sounded just fabulous. My obsession was peaked by a beautiful article in Southern Living’s “Host Your Own Oyster Roast” article.

Upon moving to the South, I added roasted oysters to my must do for 2011 list. My dream was fulfilled at the April Triangle Foodie Tweet-Up at Fearrington.

I bellied up to the steamy bucket of roasted oysters, grabbed a oyster knife and shucked my first shell. I ate a lot of these delicious mollusks. Some of the shelly friends were from the west coast but most were from Hudson Bay. The chefs prepared a wide selection of dipping sauces.

So how did they taste? The oysters were fresh and clean. They were just subtly smokey. All washed down with a local micro-brew from Fullsteam. Such a perfect Southern meal!

Checked off the list and added to the “must do again” list.

What is on your Southern must eat list?

Permalink to June 2011 To Dos

June 2011 To Dos

by WanderSouth|on May 24, 2011 |in Events, June, To Dos |tagged , , , , , |Leave a comment

Here are lots of totally cool things to do in the South in June! Know about a fabulously Southern event? Contact us and get it listed here!

June 3 & 4 – NC Gold Festival - Old Fort, North Carolina – Annual event featuring gold exhibits, gold mining techniques and demonstrations, treasure and scavenger hunts, geo-caching, gold panning, numerous vendors including arts and crafts, raffles. Friday night kicks-off the festival deep in the heart of North Carolina’s gold country. Why Wander? What is more fun than panning for gold with the kids and then screaming “Eureka!” for no reason at all? YEEEeee-HAAaaaaWWW!

 

Saturday, June 4 – Salute! North Carolina Wine Celebration – Winston-Salem, North Carolina – The 6th Annual Salute! North Carolina Wine Celebration uncorks in the streets of downtown Winston-Salem, with over 30 North Carolina wineries offering tastings and purchase of their harvest on Saturday, June 4, 2011, with several winemaker dinners taking place on Friday, June 3. Voted a “Top 20 Event in the Southeast” by the Southeast Tourism Society, this event offers a total experience that highlights the fast-growing North Carolina wine industry in a fun and festive setting. Delicious food selections, musical entertainment, and the new “North Carolina Food & Wine University,” an interactive and fun educational area will be definite crowd-pleasers. Tweets: @SaluteNCWine Why Wander? Sample the best wines of the South in beautiful downtown Winston-Salem. What a great day!

June 6 – 12 – Triangle Restaurant Week - Raleigh, Cary, Durham, Chapel Hill, North Carolina -  TRW is a weeklong celebration of culinary excellence designed to incorporate the entire premier Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill and surrounding area Restaurants. Restaurants will be offering a special fixed price, 3-course meal (appetizer / entrée / dessert) each and every day they are open* during the event. We are proud to announce that 2011 marks the first year TRW will be held bi-annually featuring more than five dozen of the region’s best restaurants!…So let your inner ‘foodie’ run wild, explore, and experience the Triangle dining scene to the fullest! Tweets: @TriRestWeek Why Wander? A.) It starts on Dawn’s Birthday :)   B.) Yummy food at the best joints in town!

June 9 – 12 – Texas Pete Rib Fest – Winston-Salem, North Carolina - The Texas Pete Twin City RibFest is a four-day food and music festival in Winston-Salem showcasing national rib cookers and more than 20 national and regional music acts. Tweets: @TriCityRibFest Why Wander? Named one of the “Top 20 Event in the Southeast” by the Southeast Tourism Society it’s a tasty event for meat lovers. Besides with a sponsor like Texas Pete you know it’s gonna be spicy! Cannot wait to wander to this great event.

 

Saturday, June 18 – Maker Faire North Carolina – Raleigh, North Carolina -  Maker Faire: North Carolina celebrates things people create themselves — from James Bond-worthy electronic gizmos to Martha Stewart-quality “slow made” foods and homemade clothes. Inspiration is ubiquitous at the festival and there are surprises around every corner for people of all ages. The goal is to bring together Makers, Crafters, Inventors, Evil Geniuses, Scientists, Artists, and everyone else for a day of fun and inspiration. Tweets: @makerfaireNC Why Wander? Totally cool, funky, inspirational science is abound!

Permalink to Backyard Dinosaurs Afoot at the Tour d’Coop

Backyard Dinosaurs Afoot at the Tour d’Coop

by WanderSouth|on May 22, 2011 |in Events, North Carolina, Raleigh |tagged , , , , |Leave a comment
Backyard Dinosaurs Afoot at the Tour d'Coop

Feathery, cute noises and rapid movements, chickens have captured my heart for years. I first petted a chicken at an event at the Denver Children’s Museum and their soft, warm bodies melted my heart. Their scale-y feet and leathery eyes remind us that they are not that far from being cousins to dinosaurs.

I’ve been fascinated with the idea of keeping backyard chickens. These urban hens can quietly live in your backyard without any noisy roosters and still grant you 1-6 eggs a week. Well kept chickens are low odor and yield bountiful poultry manure compost. Add a fabulous coop like the ones by Carolina Coops and you are an urban farmer!

Imagine my delight when I found out about the Tour d’Coup, a tour of urban chickens inside the Raleigh Beltline. The tour of 19 homes is a showcase of urban chicken keepers ranging from the fancy to functional. These free-range chickens live the city life fitting in nicely with beautifully kept gardens.With a non-perishable food donation or cash donation to Urban Ministries you had access to see all the foul you ever wanted to see.

My favorite part of the tour was seeing how inventive the chicken keeping areas were. People smartly used hard to garden areas of their yards for chicken runs. In North Carolina the struggle is to keep your chickens cool in the summer rather than warm in the winter so chickens had run of the shady parts of the properties. One home had the chicken area under a deck, another had it in a dark shady corner.

I also enjoyed seeing the free-range chickens in the gardens. Chickens were adorable scratching and pecking for bugs tucked into beautiful home gardens. We got lots of great ideas for our future home.

The barrier to my chicken coop dream is Brian’s voice of reason reminding me that I’d have to actually take care of them. I’d have to feed and clean up after them. Now, admittedly I’m a bit of a 6 year old when it comes to pets. I like to play with them, but quickly forget to feed, water and clean them. Even my dog, Herman, has a knack for staring me down until I remember to take care of his basic needs of food and water.

Brian has always encouraged me to take a chicken keeping class to learn more, but I’ve never had the dedication. Really it’s all a fantasy. I see myself all cute and sexy in overalls, my hair all messily pulled into a ponytail, eyes crinkled with a weathered smile. The reality is I’m a creative career girl that barely has time to get exercise in 3-4 times a week. Hey, maybe chasing chickens could increase my cardio health.

What I learned at the event this weekend is that I’m NOT ready for urban chickens. It’s a lot of work! They are cute creatures, but I’m not ready for that level of responsibility, handy coop making and care. These chicken parents have  huge hearts, maybe my heart will someday have room for these wonderful creatures. Until then, I’m sure to go to the next Tour d’Coop event.

See more photos of the chicken fun here.

Permalink to Gettin’ Down with the Insects: BugFest 2010

Gettin’ Down with the Insects: BugFest 2010

by Dawn A Crawford|on September 30, 2010 |in Events, North Carolina, Raleigh |tagged , , , , |Leave a comment

IMG_2055Calling all lovers of 6-legged freaks, it’s BugFest at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences.

I have a love for insects. I love to learn about them and see them behind glass, but I scream like a little girl when they flutter in my face. I capture home-invading spiders and cockroaches to put them back outside instead of ending their lives. But I’m also ramping up my mind and stomach to eat bugs at the 2011 Cafe Insecta at BugFest. It’s an odd love affair, but as most bugs are very odd, I feel like I’m in good company.

Bug Fest is an annual event held on the plaza and streets surrounding the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh, NC. This event boasts loads of hands-on activities for children and brave adults.There are booths scattered inside and outside the museum. There was so much to see we didn’t even make it inside to see everything. Event admission and entrance to the museum was free – donations are always appreciated.

One of the star attractions is Cafe Insecta, where visitors can sample dishes featuring 6-legged delicacies. I didn’t realize you could actually eat bugs and I really wasn’t ramped up to try it that day – 2011, baby, 2011.

IMG_2081The highlighted bug this year was the humble honeybee. Jones Street was like a wild west main street with dueling beekeeping societies. All along the street there were Apis mellifera loving clans hawking honey, wax products and bee displays. One society demonstrated a lady with a bee beard. The secret is a queen in a small box strapped to the woman’s throat and a zen calm.

There was even one booth were you could hold a baby bee that had just emerged from its pupa that couldn’t fly or sting yet. It was fascinating to hold and see a bee up close. I love their furry thorax. The baby bees were a little clumsy which just added to its cuteness. I couldn’t help but think of the origins of the “Baby Bumblebee” song.

IMG_2080I’ve mentioned on this blog that the bugs grow big in NC and wow, this event didn’t disappoint. One of the best things I saw was a great big caterpillar called the hickory horned devil or the regal moth(Citheronia regalis). It was amazingly beautiful. They live high in the trees in North Carolina, I hope I get to see on in the wild.  We also saw hornworms, assassin beetles, hissing cockroaches, and many more fascinating creatures.

The best thing about this event was the excitement for science. Everyone loved answering questions about their bugs. It was a great afternoon of soaking up more fun facts and learning more about the wonderful world around us.

If you are in town for the 2011 BugFest, you will not be disappointed. It’s a fun, affordable, family adventure well worth the wander.IMG_2049

Distance from Raleigh: 0 miles it’s in downtown Raleigh – See the map

Photo Gallery: BugFest

Wander Well Tips:

  • Prepare your belly for bugs. Cafe Insecta offers insect dishes from local chefs
  • Prepare to squirm there are lots of great bugs to look at and hold
  • Watch where you step, imagine the Class Insecta uproar if you squished a friend
  • Give yourself lots of time, this event could easily take three to four hours to experience everything inside and outside the museum.

Sweet Tweets

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