North Carolina, with its beautiful foliage and agricultural history, really leans into the fall season—and the Triangle is no exception. Our September/October issue embraces autumn as well, with fall fashion looks from some wonderful local fashion designers and many suggestions for seasonal activities in the Triangle.
Our fall fashion feature article is as rich as the season we are celebrating because it brings together the work of so many creative people. Dozens of clothing, jewelry, shoe and accessory designers created the individual pieces the models are wearing. Sofia Lujan, Midtown’s fashion designer, developed the many amazing outfits profiled in the article. Photographer Jessica Bratton captured their energy at a photo shoot in the home of interior designer Tula Summerford, who allowed us to spend time in her magnificent space to capture these images. Our art designer, Sean Byrne, designed a layout that celebrates the creative work of everyone involved. I encourage you to flip through this section slowly, enjoying the artistry that went into building its every element.
Several of the outfits in the fall fashion article come from local business Julkee Fashion, whose talented designer, Julie Patel, is profiled in our second fashion article, “Saris Reborn,” by Usha Sankar. Julie preserves the beautiful fabrics from saris people want to see re-used and creates fun new outfits that people can wear in many different contexts. I hope you enjoy both the discussion and the photographs of Julie’s bright and creative work.
Our third feature article looks at North Carolina’s historic covered bridges. Two are genuinely old, and one is genuinely long—a recreation rather than a historic bridge; it is the longest covered bridge in North Carolina. These are beautiful places to visit, especially when surrounded by fall foliage.
Our fall fun article, meanwhile, suggests dozens of places to enjoy autumn in the Triangle. Corn mazes, pumpkin patches and haunted trails—the Triangle has them all, and much more. The options are varied and inventive. Families can decorate their own scarecrows and vote on their favorites on Scarecrow Row in Apex. Phillips Farms in Cary lets you shoot apples from a miniature cannon! You name it, and if it’s fall-themed, chances are good that somewhere around here, someone is doing it.
Our departments section is full of interesting stories this issue. Anita Stone has written a piece about the North Carolina Gourd Arts & Crafts Festival that reveals the festival’s deep roots in Wake County. Did you know that Cary once bore the moniker “Gourd Capital of the World?” (It was even on the town seal—who knew?) The festival is held each year in Raleigh, and the colorful photos in this piece capture many of the creative things you can do with gourds.
In Kaleidoscope, we profile The Justice Theater Project, a group that unifies art, education and advocacy. Their first step is to put on a play about a topic that matters to them. They then bring in people who do advocacy work based on their topics, and experts to educate audience members who want to learn more about the subjects through roundtable talks and lectures. Theirs is a very interesting, deep-dive approach to using art to inspire change.
Sounds of the City profiles Sean Yseult, who grew up in Raleigh and became a bass player for the heavy metal band White Zombie. She has since channeled her unique, psychedelic style into home furnishings—wallpaper, throw pillows and scarves. Metal music and home furnishings sound like a strange juxtaposition, but once you read the article, you’ll see how it all followed pretty naturally for Yseult.
This issue is rich and exciting, and I hope you like it. Enjoy it over whatever pumpkin spiced drink you’re currently sipping, and thanks for reading!
Elizabeth Brignac, Editor
Photo by Jenn McKinney Photography
PUBLISHERS
Ronny Stephens
Kent Braswell
MANAGING EDITOR
Elizabeth Brignac
ART AND WEB DIRECTOR
Sean Byrne
GRAPHIC AND WEB DESIGNER
Dathan Kazsuk
COPY EDITOR
Cindy Huntley
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Kyle Marie McMahon
SOCIAL MEDIA AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT MANAGER
Crystal Watts
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES
Sherry Braswell
Paige Gunter
Sophie Lapierre
Stefanie McClary
DISTRIBUTION
Joe Lizana, Manager
DistribuTech.net
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
THE HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE
Elliot Acosta, Mario Boucher, Elizabeth Brignac, Kurt Dusterberg, Dathan Kaszuk, Janice Lewine, Charlotte Russell, Kyle Marie McMahon, Usha Sankar, Anita Stone, Crystal Watts, Melissa Wistehuff
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS
Jessica Bratton Photography, Barbara Burns, Jeannah Ford, Josh Manning, Leah Marie Photography, Jenn McKinney Photography, Jenny Midgley, New Depth Creations, Thomas White Photography
FEATURES
Julkee
Model Zanetta Jamison is wearing an outfit styled by Sofia Lujan that includes a sari skirt set from Julkee Fashion, a mink jacket from Douglas Furs, Splendida heels from Rangoni Firenze shoes and jewelry from Baliey’s Fine Jewelry. Jessica Bratton
Design by Tula.
82
DEPARTMENTS
CHEF'S TABLE
Whiskey Kitchen’s Southern roots
SIP & SAVOR
A look inside Raleigh’s newest rooftop bar 90 KALEIDOSCOPE ONSTAGE
Justice Theater Project: art, education and advocacy
SOUNDS OF THE CITY
The career of White Zombie’s Sean Yseult
LOCAL ARTIST
Lee Nisbet paints with pixels 96
Jay Harrison advocates for players’ mental health
FUN AND GAMES
Triangle opportunities for disc golf adventures
TRIANGLE ATHLETICS
Local college, club and minor league sports news
The North Carolina Gourd Festival’s Wake County roots
GIVING
Pretty in Pink champions N.C. breast cancer patients
TRAVEL Snow Camp’s Original Hollywood Horror Show
From Irregardless owner Lee Robinson and former executive chef Juan Carlos Lugo comes Otomi Comida y Cocteles, a new restaurant that celebrated its grand opening in July. The menu, crafted by Lugo, is based on the family meals he once served to his Irregardless team.
LEFT: Dinos Alive wrapped up its Raleigh experience in August. The immersive experience hosted over 80 dinosaur replicas and included a virtual reality exhibit and a hands-on, kid-friendly interactive space where kids became the paleontologists.
Photo courtesy of Crystal Watts.
ABOVE: Locals enjoy a Bands, Bites and Boats event at the Bond Park Boathouse featuring food, brews and music.
Photo courtesy of the Town of Cary.
Photo by Juli Leonard.
STIR Raleigh’s dinner experience features their on-site ice chef who cuts artisanal ice in-house, customizing it to each cocktail. In an ice show, these are then transformed tableside right before guests’ eyes. Photo by Elizabeth
Dorothea Dix Park debuted a new and very popular trio of community facilities with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The Stone Houses are repurposed historical buildings with modern amenities. Photo by Leah Marie Photography.
Trig Modern offers Parlor Hours with a new speakeasy-style bar, featuring handcrafted in-house beverages served within the ambience of their local midcentury modern furniture store. Photo courtesy of Crystal Watts.
Brignac.
TABLE ACCESSORIES
There’s never a bad time to add a fresh look to your home, particularly if it involves a splash of color. Table coverings, artwork and even personal accessories all benefit from a seasonal update. And don’t forget about Halloween, where colorful fun is part of the celebration.
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1. Hand-printed French linen tablecloth (71"x 106"), $195 | La Maison
2. Moss artwork (9"x 9"), $85 | City Garden Design
3. Teo wood wall art by Uttermost (set of 3), $319 | Inspirations
4. Rifle Paper Co. Halloween Parade canvas tote bag, $26.95 | NOFO @ the Pig
5. Rifle Paper Co. Halloween Parade melamine serving bowl, $24.95 | NOFO @ the Pig
6. Grace laptop tote (in black, brown and navy), $245 | Designed For Joy
BY JANICE LEWINE
MAGNOLIA GLEN INTRODUCES PARTNERSHIP WITH 321 COFFEE
Magnolia Glen, a Kisco senior living community, recently celebrated the launch of its partnership with 321 Coffee, a local coffee shop and roaster built on inclusion. The two organizations teamed up for an event at Magnolia Glen featuring employees from 321 Coffee preparing specialty coffee drinks for residents, associates and referral sources. This is the first-of-its-kind partnership between a senior living community and 321 Coffee, whose name is representative of Down syndrome, which occurs when an individual has three copies of the 21st chromosome. 321 Coffee employs over 50 adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities who roast coffee, take orders and craft coffee drinks. Personalized coffee bags featuring the mission statement of both organizations were also handed out at the event.
Photo courtesy of Magnolia Glen.
HUB RTP CELEBRATES JUNETEENTH WITH FOOD AND FUN
Hub RTP held its second annual “Juneteenth: Party in the Park” on June 19, offering RTP companies and the surrounding Triangle community a picnic-style event featuring fan-favorite foods like Same O Dame O’s Shrimp, Fish & Grits; Boricua Soul; The Flat Drum; CoCoCrissi Tropical Icees; and OMG! Lemonade. Music from DJ Damu created a lively atmosphere, and large lawn games from Barnyard Affairs added to the entertainment. Over 500 people attended this year’s celebration.
Photo courtesy of the Research Triangle Foundation of NC.
DIX PARK CONSERVANCY HOSTS PUBLIC RECEPTION FOR “ATTUN” SCULPTURE
On June 21, the Dix Park Conservancy celebrated the arrival of “Attun,” a largerthan-life sculpture gracefully set amid the campus’ historic stone houses, with a public celebration that included live music from local bands and art activities for kids. “Attun” is the latest installation of public art at Dorothea Dix Park by American sculptor and teaching artist DeWitt Godfrey. Composed of 80 steel cylinders, “Attun” stands at an impressive 18 feet tall and is approximately 150 feet long. The cylinders were part of previous installations that took place from 2006 through 2012 at the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum in Lincoln, Massachusetts and Art Omi in Ghent, New York.
Photo courtesy of Dix Park Conservancy.
THE BROWNSTONE BOYS LAUNCH DEBUT BOOK IN CARY
Barry Bordelon and Jordan Slocum, known as the Brownstone Boys in the interior design world, celebrated the launch of their first book, “For the Love of Renovating: Tips, Tricks & Inspiration for Creating Your Dream Home,” on June 24 at Rejuvenation in Fenton. The Brooklyn-based duo, who share a passion for restoring historic homes, welcomed community members for an evening of food, drinks and conversation. Interior design influencers Chris and Julia Marcum of “Chris Loves Julia” hosted a Q&A with Bordelon and Slocum, who recounted the history of their working relationship and signed copies of their book.
Photo courtesy of Janice Lewine.
BY JANICE LEWINE
ASHEVILLE TEA COMPANY EXPANDS INTO WHOLE FOODS MARKET
North Carolina–based Asheville Tea Company recently announced the release of its new Cold Brew iced teas in three vibrant flavors—Hibiscus Mojito, Blue Ridge Mountain Mint and Looking Glass, a classic black iced tea—now available in 46 Whole Foods Market locations throughout the Southeast, including Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill and Cary. Each Cold Brew pouch contains three half-gallon bags meant for brewing by the pitcher. Cold Brew iced teas are also sold at specialty retail shops, regional grocers including The Fresh Market, and online at ashevilleteacompany.com. ashevilleteacompany.com
Photo courtesy of Asheville Tea Company.
WAKEMED NORTH HOSPITAL UNVEILS 9-BED INTENSIVE CARE UNIT
WakeMed North Hospital, located at 10000 Falls of Neuse Road in Raleigh, opened a nine-bed intensive care unit on July 9. As the only ICU in northern Wake County, WakeMed North Hospital brings more comprehensive care to the community by meeting the needs of patients with higher acuity illnesses and injuries.
10000 Falls of Neuse Road, Raleigh
919.350.8000 wakemed.org
Photo courtesy of WakeMed.
BRICKS & MINIFIGS BRINGS LEGO JOY TO THE TRIANGLE
Lego lovers, rejoice! Bricks & Minifigs recently opened at 8320 Litchford Road, Suite 136, in Raleigh to offer Lego minifigures, sets, bricks and more. Customers can rebuild Lego sets from their childhood, trade in Lego-branded items or create their own masterpieces straight from their imagination. Bricks & Minifigs is open Monday–Saturday, 11 a.m.–7 p.m. and Sunday, noon–5 p.m.
8320 Litchford Road, Suite 136, Raleigh 919.594.1853
bricksandminifigs.com/northraleigh-nc
Photo courtesy of Bricks & Minifigs/Instagram.
BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS EXPANDS TO GARNER
The Boys & Girls Clubs celebrated the grand opening of its eighth club in Wake County on June 11. The Parrish Manor Boys & Girls Club is the first club in Garner and is located in the Parrish Manor manufactured housing community. The building was constructed by developer Chris Parrish to serve the 350 children and teens who live in the community and has already attracted more than 125 members. Boys & Girls Clubs serve more than 3,000 children and teens at eight locations in Wake County’s most challenged neighborhoods. Its programs emphasize academic success, good character and citizenship, and healthy lifestyles.
4011 Parrish Manor Drive, Garner
984.742.0240 wakebgc.org
Photo courtesy of Jeannah Ford.
ZANETTA JAMISON IS WEARING the Zoya sari skirt set by Julie Patel of Julkee Fashion layered with a demi-buff waffled mink jacket from Douglas Furs. She is wearing Splendida heels by Valentina Rangoni from Rangoni Firenze.
From Bailey’s Fine Jewelry, she is wearing 1.5-inch inside-outside diamond hoop earrings in 14 karat yellow gold and an 18 karat yellow gold emerald cut coil ring, along with a Bailey’s Club Collection Big Girl X Ring. Also from Bailey’s Fine Jewelry, she is wearing a radiant-cut fancy yellow 17-inch diamond necklace in 18 karat yellow and white gold, a 16-inch diamond Riviera necklace in 18 karat white gold, and a three-row, mixed-shape fancy yellow diamond bracelet in 18 karat yellow gold.
GLAM SEASON pr eparin g for the
written by crystal watts | styled by sofia lujan styling hair & makeup by evelisse Hahn | photos by jessica bratton photography
Fall brings in the most influential fashion season of the year with the debut of designers’ most extravagant collections—and rightfully so, as we enter the height of the year’s social scene.
This year, designers are, to quote a Vogue interview with Bottega Veneta’s creative director Matthieu Blazy, “making a monument out of the everyday.” Following the current social and economic climate, they are aligning functionality with frivolity—engaging wearable fashion heightened with elevated textiles and trimmings. In outerwear, for example, an opulent mink with rhinestone embellishments raises a warm coat to a work of art.
Our annual fall fashion feature showcases nine outfits by designer Sofia Lujan in the magnificent home of Raleigh interior designer Tula Summerford, owner of Design by Tula. (To learn more about Tula, read “Elegance in Every Detail" on page 40.) Enjoy these elegant ensembles worthy of this season's fashion trendsetters. These outfits will carry you through the fall and holiday seasons—from evenings spent at “The Nutcracker” ballet or a concert with the Trans‑Siberian Orchestra to cocktail parties sparkling with champagne.
S HAUN SMITH IS WEARING a Caruso suit in charcoal, a Stenstroms striped yellow dress shirt, a Geoff Nicholson pocket square, a Liles bespoke tie, and Di Bianco dress shoes, all from Liles Clothing Studio.
From Bailey’s Fine Jewelry, Shaun is wearing a 2022 42-millimeter automatic Rolex Sky-Dweller watch in 18 karat yellow gold and sterling silver with a champagne dial and a fluted bezel.
SOPHIE LAPIERRE IS WEARING a dress from Fleur and holding a gold Napa flap bag by Sondra Roberts from Main & Taylor. She is wearing Jenu T-strap shoes designed by Chie Mihara, also from Main & Taylor.
From Bailey’s Fine Jewelry, Sophie is wearing citrine hexagon halo drop earrings in 14 karat yellow gold. She is wearing three Bailey’s Estate bracelets: a mid-century woven intertwined bracelet in 18 karat yellow gold; a Tiffany diagonal link textured bracelet, circa 1960, in 18 karat yellow gold; and a wide-dome mesh bracelet in 14 karat yellow gold. The rings she is wearing are a Bailey’s Estate 18 karat yellow gold pear-shaped citrine cocktail ring and a morganite and diamond emerald-cut bezel-set ring.
ZANETTA IS WEARING a feather top by LaMarque and skirt by Gozel Green from Dress. She is holding a black-on-black mink leather handbag from Douglas Furs and wearing Orb black kitten heels by Jeffrey Campbell from Main & Taylor.
From Bailey’s Fine Jewelry, she is wearing Hammerman Brothers diamond, ruby and emerald button earrings; a San Marco collar necklace; an Italian link necklace; a ring with a pear-shaped 3.15 carat emerald and a baguette diamond halo of 2.74 total carat weight in 18 karat yellow gold; and a European-cut round three-stone 1.45 carat ring, all from the Bailey’s Estate Collection. She is also wearing a 2004 26-millimeter Rolex Datejust watch with a mother-of-pearl diamond dial and a fluted bezel. Her bracelets include a bolo adjustable bezel-set bracelet in 14 karat yellow gold, and, from the Bailey’s Club Collection: a five-diamond bezel station bangle, a double wrap diamond flex bracelet, a diamond flex bangle, an emerald-cut diamond bezel bangle, and a diamond row bangle.
SOPHIE IS WEARING a dress from Fleur layered with a white fox rhinestone wrap from Douglas Furs and Cirques Jeffrey Campbell shoes from Main & Taylor.
From Bailey’s Fine Jewelry, she is wearing Bailey’s Estate interlocking circle earrings and a Seaman Schepps Lightship woven cushion ring in white agate, along with the following Seaman Schepps bracelets: a gold and lapis classic link bracelet, a gold and black onyx classic link bracelet, and a gold and white ceramic classic link bracelet.
SHAUN IS WEARING a Sartorio red houndstooth sport coat, a pink plaid Stenstroms Glen dress shirt, PT Torino gray flannel dress pants, a SimonnotGodard pink pocket square, and Santoni loafers, all from Liles Clothing Studio
From Bailey’s Fine Jewelry, Shaun is wearing a 40.5-millimeter sterling silver, automatic Seiko Presage watch with a brown dial and strap; a Gabriel & Co. sterling silver faceted signet ring; and a sterling silver Miami Cuban chain bracelet.
SOPHIE IS WEARING the Aliya wide-leg jumpsuit by Julie Patel from Julkee Fashion and Veronika kitten heels designed by Valentina Rangoni from Rangoni Firenze.
From Bailey’s Fine Jewelry, she is wearing the following necklaces: an Ippolita Paillette 33-inch chain, an Ippolita Classico oval link necklace, and an Ippolita mother-of-pearl polished rock candy mixed-shape necklace. Her earrings are Ippolita Classico small puffy hammered hoops. She is wearing the following rings: a Bailey’s Heritage Collection Windsor ring, a Bailey’s Icon Collection 5-row wrap ring, and a Bailey’s Goldmark Collection rainbow sapphire ring. She is wearing the following bracelets: a Wendy Perry Gemma amethyst bracelet, a Wendy Perry beaded stretch bracelet, an Ippolita Glamazon reef bangle, an Ippolita Gelato rock candy mother-of-pearl 5-stone bangle, an Ippolita rainbow sapphire Starlet superstar bangle, an Ippolita Stardust 28-stone bangle with diamonds, an Ippolita Stardust starlet bangle with diamonds, and an Ippolita Glamazon bangle.
ZANETTA IS WEARING the Zara skirted pant set by Julie Patel from Julkee Fashion with Anara black suede platform sandals by Pelle Moda from Main & Taylor. She is holding a pleated clutch by Sondra Roberts, also from Main & Taylor.
From Bailey’s Fine Jewelry, she is wearing Marco Bicego Lunaria drop earrings, a Julie Vos 24 karat gold-plated Bee signet ring, and a Marco Bicego large Lunaria ring. She is wearing the following bracelets from Julie Vos: a 24 karat gold-p lated mother-of-pearl Catalina hinge bangle, a 24 karat gold-plated iridescent champagne Cannes cuff, and a 24 karat gold-plated Nassau hinge bangle. She is also wearing a 39-inch 24 karat gold-plated coin pendant by Julie Vos.
SOPHIE IS WEARING a Sandro dress from Dress. She is holding a clutch by Whiting & Davis and wearing Simply by Valentina Rangoni, both from Rangoni Firenze.
From Bailey’s Fine Jewelry, she is wearing a pear-shaped emerald and diamond necklace, an oval diamond halo drop earring set with 1.86 carats of diamonds, a ring with a 1.70 carat yellow sapphire and 12.56 carats of diamonds, a Bailey’s Club Collection Daphne ring, a 2 carat baguette channel-set band, a graduated radiant diamond line bracelet with a 3.16 carat bezel-set emerald and 12.56 carats of diamonds, and the following bracelets from the Bailey’s Club Collection: a diamond flex bangle, a double-w rap diamond flex bracelet, and a diamond link bracelet.
SPECIAL THANKS TO
Bailey’s Fine Jewelry baileybox.com
Douglas Furs fursandjewelry.com dress. dressraleigh.com
BY CRYSTAL WATTS | PHOTO BY JESSICA BRATTON PHOTOGRAPHY
Walking into Tula Summerford’s home, the location of our fall fashion feature, you will find her approach to design represented in every square inch of her space. Summerford, who owns Design by Tula, utilizes an aesthetic that draws inspiration from all over the world. She juxtaposes layers of vibrant color, textiles and textures, inspired by mementos from her travels—and has a shelf dedicated to these treasures in her office foyer.
Summerford believes fashion and interior design overlap in many ways. She's dedicated to selecting the perfect drape fixtures for a space or selecting the ideal shoes for her own wardrobe, and this impeccable attention to detail is what distinguishes her work in the design world.
Originally from New York, Summerford attended the Fashion Institute of Technology. After traveling for work to North Carolina, she decided to move here. With over 30 years’ experience in textiles and interiors, she has brought countless projects to life for clients—one of her favorites being designing a passenger train car!
Summerford believes that anyone can make an impact with simple statements and choices—from painting a door to choosing vibrant wallpaper or bold wall paneling. Her attention to textures extends to her having a closet dedicated solely to fabrics in her home. It's clear that Tula’s keen eye brings each of her visions to life, with precision down to the last luxurious detail.
SARIS REBORN
Designer Julie Patel brings new life to traditional garments
BY USHA SANKAR PHOTOS BY NEW DEPTH CREATIONS UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED
Walking into Raleigh-based designer Julie Patel’s third-floor home feels like entering a world of limitless possibilities. Visitors are greeted by intricately woven borders, heavily sequined pieces, peacock embroidery cutouts, mirror work designs, and colorful swathes of chiffons, georgettes and silks, all waiting to be converted into alluring dresses, gowns, jumpsuits, skirts, crop tops and more
Patel’s fashion brand, Julkee Fashion, is all about converting six meters of cloth—the standard length of an Indian sari—into outfits that are both sassy and practical. Sari draping can be a complex affair. The garment is tucked into an underskirt and wrapped around, with pleating in the middle and a shoulder overhang. Patel recalls how cumbersome the sari felt when she had her first child. Both nursing the baby and running after her as a toddler were painful and frustrating in a sari.
That is when Patel hit upon the idea of making something more practical, and produced the first of her flared skirts with a bodice from sari fabric. The Julkee label was born.
“I realized I could wear it not only to weddings, but to lunches, too,” Patel says.
Patel grew up in Charlotte and moved to Raleigh when she entered North Carolina State University to study business and marketing. There, she met her husband and soon settled into married life.
PAGE 44: Sheetal Patel (left) is wearing the ‘Sarina’ —a midi dress with a cutout at the waist. It was made from a multicolor embroidered dupatta, a traditional Indian garment similar to a shawl. Julkee Fashion's owner and designer, Julie Patel (center), is wearing a ruffle dress made from her mother’s sari, which was also the first sari Patel ever wore as a teenager. This is the type of outfit Julkee Fashions designs from heirlooms people wish to preserve in consultation with clients. Anousone Turner (right) is wearingJulkee’s best-selling wide-leg jumpsuit, the ‘Amina,’ made from a cream and dark magenta silk sari.
OPPOSITE PAGE: Julie Patel is wearing the ruffle dress from page 44, described above. The photo of sari fabrics to the left is by adobe.stock.com - Melissa Schalke.
ABOVE, LEFT: The ‘Usha’ features a pencil skirt and dupatta drape top. It was made from a pink/multicolored silk sari.
CENTER: The ‘Alina’ features a wide-leg pant and scooped-neck top. It was made from a red and white patchwork sari.
RIGHT: The ‘Bina’ features a skirted pant, one of Julkee's most popular looks. It was made from a pink silk sari.
“I was working corporate here and there. We were in the hospitality sector,” she recalls.
So how did Patel get into sewing? Like many other young Indian women just starting out in marriage, Patel was given a sewing machine by her mom—so that, in her mother’s words, “you can take care of minor alterations.” Patel soon began experimenting and making her own clothes. YoutTube tutorials proved handy, as did books that taught the basics. It also helped that she wasn’t afraid of trial and error. “I reckoned I didn’t need to pay for classes when I had the internet,” Patel says.
She soon taught herself how to make jumpsuits and trousers. “I would just get ahold of a pattern and adopt it,” she says. Patel’s hobby morphed into a business two years ago, when she began receiving requests from friends to convert saris tucked away in dark corners of closets after being worn just once to clothing they could wear more often. “A sari is much like a prom dress,” Patel explains.
She now has a small business unit in India, comprised of three seamstresses and a coordinator, which handles most of the sewing. “I do the designing now, and ship the fabrics and my designs. So I now have more inventory,” Patel says, adding that for a long time, keeping up with the inventory was a major challenge.
Almost all of the fabric that Patel works on has come from donated saris from her friends and family. The sari donations come in a variety of fabrics, from lightweight ones to heavy woven silks. In addition, most saris have a border and a shoulder overhang called the pallu. These parts tend to be heavier than the rest of the sari, and Patel says she pays close attention to matching the weight of the fabric with the designs she has in mind.
THIS PAGE, LEFT: The ‘Ruby’ features a sari skirt and strapless sweetheart top with puff sleeves. It was made from a satin and silk brocade sari. CENTER: The ‘Karina” features a maxi skirt and top set. It was made from a vibrant cotton/silk blend sari. RIGHT: The ‘Kimaya’ features a pleated maxi skirt paired with an exaggerated one-sleeve top. It was made from a blue/multicolor bandhani print sari.
OPPOSITE PAGE, LEFT: Sheetal Patel is wearing the ‘Sarina," described on page 47. RIGHT: Photo of s ari fabric by adobe.stock.com - noppharat
“I might use the pallu for a simple pencil dress, or the stiffer silks for blazers,” she says.
Her favorite fabrics, though, are the lighter ones, because they work well with flowy designs. The many backless, ruffle dresses in her inventory speak to this preference.
How does she come up with her designs?
“My best ideas come to me when I’m lying in bed,” Patel says, smiling. “Or when I see other designs and think how I can make my own version of that.”
Julkee Fashion now has customers from all across the U.S., and also some international customers (specifically from the UK, Canada and Australia). Most customers are of Indian origin, she concedes, although she has customers outside of this demographic who are typically looking for an outfit to wear to an Indian event.
“Non-desis worry about whether wearing [one of] my outfits is cultural appropriation,” Patel explains. “‘I’m not Indian, or even Asian. Does it look bad?’ they wonder. My response always is that as long as you know where it came from or you know the significance and are appreciative of its beauty, it doesn’t bother me.” (“Desi” is a term that refers to someone of South Asian origin.)
To help reach a wider audience, Patel has increased her advertising, and is marketing through Instagram and doing professional photo shoots.
“Most of my sales come from Instagram, and my customers are mostly in the 25–45 age group,” she says.
While her younger clientele come looking for something different, the older folk typically feel they are done with their saris and wonder what
they can do with them. “My mission is to take old stuff and make it new,” Patel says. Brides are usually looking for pre-wedding event outfits, and here the jumpsuits, shorter dresses, or cropped pant and top outfits are the hot favorites. The drape top—an innovative creation that looks like a sari drape from the front but is actually a pant and top—is not far behind.
Looking to the future, Patel says her goal is to triple her sales in the next year. She is also hoping to attract celebrity clientele. She proudly shares that singer Vidya Vox once reached out to her to convert her mom’s sari into a pant and cropped top with cold shoulder ensemble.
Patel is also looking to diversify her product line with table runners and cushion covers that have been upcycled from saris. Some of her particularly innovative pieces are thorans (traditional door decorations) and Diwali wreaths created out of sari borders.
“But I do have to focus,” chuckles Patel, who struggles to rein in her creativity when it threatens to run amok.
While she does accommodate requests to work with designs that people bring to her, she prefers working on her own. For designs she is familiar with, she can come up with an outfit within six hours. “I personally like to make things that are trendy, but I recognize that I need to also have pieces that cater to more people. They should be wearable in most situations for most people.”
Patel calls her custom pieces “Saris Reborn,” and she is certainly all set to breathe new life into these iconic garments and adapt them to modern times
THIS PAGE, LEFT: The ‘Gauri’ is a version of Julkee’s best-selling ruffle dress. It features side cutouts and an open back with a tie for added fit allowance. It was made from a marigold yellow bandhani print sari. CENTER: The ‘Nila’ features a pencil skirt and top. It was made from a blue and cream silk brocade sari. RIGHT: The ‘Deepti’ features a midi skirt and exaggerated onesleeve top. It was made from an orange and pink chiffon sari.
OPPOSITE PAGE, LEFT: Anousone Turner is wearing the 'Amina' piece described on page 47. RIGHT: Photo of sari fabric trimming by adobe.stock.com - cascoly2.
Nor th Carolina’s Historic COVERED BRIDGES
BY ANITA B. STONE
Covered bridges remind us of the past—a time when people traveled by horse and buggy or on foot to reach destinations like the general store, the millpond or the county blacksmith; a time when children skipped rocks across creeks and rivers, and when cowbells rang to announce dinnertime
Many covered bridges were built in North Carolina during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Over the years, however, covered bridges became obsolete—in part because engineers began making trusses, the systems of beams that hold many bridges together, from metal rather than timber, which meant the bridges’ substructures no longer needed to be protected from water. Covered bridges also only offered single lanes, had low width and height clearance, and often could not support the heavy loads of constant traffic. Many of their stone foundations began crumbling with age. Their remnants can be found today.
A few North Carolina covered bridges remain standing, however—restored as national landmarks and as part of North Carolina’s historical legacy.
PISGAH COVERED BRIDGE
Built in 1911, the Pisgah Covered Bridge, located in Randolph County, is a popular tourist attraction. At 54 feet long, the bridge crosses the West Fork Branch of the Little River within the Uwharrie National Forest. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970.
The bridge was privately built from white oak and pine by J.J. Welch (rather than, like most North Carolina bridges at the time, being funded by the county) at a cost of $40. According to the Randolph County Public Libraries’ local landmark designation report on the bridge in 2004, local citizen Claude Morris reported that he was standing nearby watching when Matthew Cagle, the first person to cross the bridge, drove his wagon team across it.
PISGAH COVERED BRIDGE , ASHEBORO
Photo courtesy of the Heart of North Carolina Visitors Bureau
“Are you sure?” asked the person interviewing Morris. “That bridge is over 90 years old!”
“How old do you think I am?” Morris replied.
The bridge was washed away by a flood in 2003, but the community was able to salvage about 90% of the materials from the original structure, and the bridge was restored the following year.
Since 1998 the North Carolina Zoo Society has collaborated with the North Carolina Department of Transportation, Piedmont Land Conservancy and the LandTrust for Central North Carolina (now called Three Rivers Land Trust) to maintain the bridge.
BUNKER HILL COVERED BRIDGE
The Bunker Hill Covered Bridge in Catawba County remains a historically unique example of a civil engineering marvel in North Carolina. It was designated as a National Civil Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers in 2001 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in the same year.
The Bunker Hill Covered Bridge was part of Island Ford Road (originally a Native American trail) built over Lyle Creek in 1895 by Andrew Loretz Ramsour. It was named after nearby Bunker Hill Farm, which had been in operation since the early 1800s. (Indeed, it was built because Catawba County commissioners had taken action against Bunker Hill Farm for improperly maintaining its bridge.) The historical significance of the Bunker Hill
Covered Bridge is its extraordinary use of a wooden lattice truss designed by Herman Haupt.
In 1839, Haupt, a Pennsylvania Railroad assistant engineer (who would eventually become a Union Army general in charge of military railroads during the Civil War) patented a bridge construction technique called the Haupt truss, which was used exclusively by Pennsylvania Railroad between 1851 and 1861. Ramsour utilized a modified version of this truss in the construction of his bridge. Bunker Hill is one of only two remaining bridges in the U.S. built on modified versions of Haupt’s truss system. According to historian Brian J. McKee, Bunker Hill is North Carolina’s only remaining true wooden truss bridge.
The bridge’s 91-foot-long roof was added in 1900. In 1923, the original wooden shingle roof was replaced with a tin roof to protect the timbers from the weather.
In 1985 the Bolick family members, who then owned the bridge, donated it to the Historical Association of Catawba County, which owns the bridge today. The association restored the bridge in 1994. David Fischetti, the consulting engineer for the restoration, initiated the bridge’s designation as a national landmark.
Today, the renovated bridge is no longer in use for vehicles. Pedestrians, however, may enjoy a nostalgic stroll through this unique piece of North Carolina history.
BUNKER HILL COVERED BRIDGE , CLAREMONT
Photo courtesy of Jet Lowe/United States Library of Congress
OLE GILLIAM MILL PARK COVERED BRIDGE
Unlike the other bridges covered here, today’s Ole Gilliam Mill Park’s covered bridge is not a historic structure, but at 140 feet in length, it is considered to be the longest covered bridge in North Carolina. The bridge is part of Ole Gilliam Mill Park, a faithful reproduction of a historic mill in Sanford.
Stephen Henly built the original Ole Gilliam Mill in 1850. In 1870, he sold it to Alexander McIver, and in 1890 the Gilliam family purchased the land. The mill was washed away by a flood in 1928.
In 1979 a reproduction of the mill was completed, constructed by Worth Pickard and many friends who worked feverishly on weekends. They obtained working parts from old mills throughout the Southeast. In 2000 the Pickard family donated the mill and land, including the existing buildings and relics, to Ole Gilliam Mill Park, which is currently run by a board of directors.
The current day Ole Gilliam Mill Park Bridge was built in the early 2000s and crosses Pocket Creek. With the distinction of being the longest covered bridge in North Carolina, the Ole Gilliam Mill Park Covered Bridge is found across the road from an old millpond just outside of Sanford. This bridge is open for pedestrian traffic, and visitors can enjoy strolling through Ole Gilliam Mill Park on the other side.
• Open to pedestrian traffic daily from dawn to dusk
• olegilliammill.org
OLE GILLIAM MILL PARK COVERED BRIDGE , SANFORD
Photo by Thomas Whit e / Life’s Precious Dance
FALL FUN in the Triangle and Beyond
BY KYLE MARIE M c MAHON
Feeling a chill in the air? Gather the family to savor all the enchanting moments in store this autumn in the Triangle. From corn mazes and caramel apples to spirited festivals and haunted houses, our hearty selection of fall festivities offers something for everyone.
At press time, not all venues had updated information for 2024, so be sure to check with event organizers before heading out.
PUMPKIN PATCHES & CO R N MAZES
CROSSROADS CORN MAZE
5712 Watkins Road, Wendell I crossroadscornmaze.com
Visit the website for dates, hours and rates. Enjoy hay and rope mazes, hayrides, lawn games and s’mores. “When the Stalks Go Dark,” a haunted attraction, takes place Fridays and Saturdays in October, and requires a separate entrance fee.
DJ’S BERRY PATCH
1223 Salem Church Road, Apex I djsberrypatch.com
Monday–Saturday, 9 a.m.–6 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m.–6 p.m. Shop for North Carolina apples, pumpkins of all varieties and sizes, and other fall produce.
THE FAMILY FARM ON AVENT FERRY
1719 Avent Ferry Road, Holly Springs I thefamilyfarmonaventferry.com
Opens September 28; Monday–Friday, 4–6 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.–6 p.m.; Sunday, 1–6 p.m. Shop for specialty pumpkins and gourds, and take advantage of family photo opportunities on a vintage John Deere tractor.
GROSS FARMS CORN MAZE AND PUMPKIN PATCH
1606 Pickett Road, Sanford I grossfarms.com
Open September 14–November 3; visit the website for operating hours and ticket information. Enjoy a corn maze, pumpkin patch, Tom’s Tunnel slide, hayrides and various playgrounds.
HILL RIDGE FARMS FALL PUMPKIN FESTIVAL
703 Tarboro Road, Youngsville I hillridgefarms.com
Open September 25–November 1; Wednesday–Sunday, 9:30 a.m.–6:30 p.m. Enjoy a wagon ride, carousel, train ride, gem mining, corn house and farm animals. Admission is $19.95–$29.95 per person at the gate; free for ages 2 and younger.
HOLDER HILL FARM
4822 Holder Road, Durham I holderhillfarmllc.com
Open daily September 20–November 3; Monday–Saturday, 9 a.m.–7 p.m.; Sunday, 10 a.m.–7 p.m. Navigate a corn maze, jump on a hayride, visit farm animals, hike a nature trail, experience a play area and explore a pumpkin patch. Admission is $16 per person and includes a you-pick pumpkin.
HUCKLEBERRY TRAIL FARM
143 Pleasant Hill Church Road, Siler City I huckleberrytrailfarm.com
Open weekends September 28 through October; visit the website for operating hours and ticket information. Jump on a hayride, visit a pumpkin patch and explore a corn maze.
KEN’S KORNY CORN MAZE
3175 Benson Road, Garner I kenskornycornmaze.com
Open weekends September 20–November 10; Friday, 4–9 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.–9 p.m.; Sunday, noon–8 p.m.; visit the website for rates. Run through a 10-acre corn maze, jump on a hayride, explore a corn tunnel, play miniature golf and more. The adjacent sunflower field is available for pictures and flower cutting and requires a separate entrance fee.
McKEE CORNFIELD MAZE
5011 Kiger Road, Rougemont I mckeecornfieldmaze.com
Open weekends September 20–November 2; Friday, 3–7 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.–7 p.m.; Sunday, 1–6 p.m. This 12-acre corn maze also features hayrides, a pumpkin patch, sunflower field, play areas and farm animals.
NAYLOR FAMILY FARM & CORN MAZE
6016 U.S. 401 N., Fuquay-Varina I naylorfamilyfarm.com
Open September 14–November 3; visit the website for operating hours and rates. Enjoy a hayride, farm animals, pumpkin patch, barrel train and more.
PAGE FARMS
6100 Mount Herman Road, Raleigh I pagefarmsraleigh.com
Open late September through October; Tuesday–Thursday, 9 a.m.–1 p.m.; Friday–Sunday, 9 a.m.–6 p.m. Explore a 5-acre corn maze, hayride, cow train, farm animals and pumpkins. Admission is $12–$18 per person.
PHILLIPS FARMS CORN MAZE
6720 Good Hope Church Road, Cary I phillipsfarmsofcary.com
Open September 14–November 2; Thursday, 4:30–7:30 p.m.; Friday, 3–6 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.–6 p.m.; Sunday, 1–6 p.m. Admission is $20 for ages 2 and older. Navigate a corn labyrinth, explore a sunflower field and take a wagon ride. A haunted attraction takes place in the evenings and requires a separate entrance fee of $25.
PORTER FARMS & NURSERY
7615 Ten Ten Road, Raleigh I porterfarmsandnursery.com
Open through October 31; Monday–Saturday, 8 a.m.–7 p.m.; Sunday, 10 a.m.–6 p.m. Shop for pumpkins, mums and fall produce.
MUSEUM OF LIFE & SCIENCE PUMPKIN PATCH EXPRESS
433 W. Murray Avenue, Durham I lifeandscience.org
October 5–6, 12–13, 19–20, 26–27; visit the website for hours. Celebrate fall with science activities, games, pumpkin decorating and a ride on the Ellerbe Creek Railway at the Museum of Life and Science. Tickets are $15 per person; free for ages 2 and younger. Museum admission is not included with the ticket purchase.
RAGAN & HOLLY’S PUMPKIN PATCH
38 Lewter Shop Road, Apex I jeansberrypatch.com
Open daily, 10 a.m.–6 p.m. Shop for mums, pumpkins and fall produce.
SCARECROW ROW
2200 Laura Duncan Road, Apex I apexnc.org/1419/stay-play
October 25–31. See community-decorated scarecrows at Apex Community Park. Take a flashlight after sunset. Families can take part in the scarecrow decorating event on October 23; decorating is free but requires online registration. The town provides a post, hay and head for scarecrows; participants only need to bring the decorating materials.
FALL FESTIVALS
BOOFEST
433 W. Murray Avenue, Durham I lifeandscience.org
October 28–29 and October 31, 10 a.m.–3 p.m. Don a costume for hands-on activities in the lab, a pumpkin party station with take-home goodies, and themed enrichment and encounters around the Museum of Life and Science. Activities are included with museum admission.
CLAYTON HARVEST FESTIVAL
Downtown Clayton I claytonharvestfestival.com
October 24–27; Thursday, 5–10 p.m.; Friday, 5–11 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.–11 p.m.: Sunday, noon–9 p.m. This four-day festival features carnival rides, a talent showcase, kids activities, and car and tractor shows.
FALLING FOR LOCAL
101 Blair Drive, Raleigh I shoplocalraleigh.org/slr-events/falling-for-local-dix-park
October 5, 11 a.m.–6 p.m. Take the family for hayrides, inflatables, lawn games, kids activities and a free pumpkin patch on the Big Field at Dorothea Dix Park.
October 26 and November 2; visit the website for hours. Chapel Hill’s annual fall arts festival features three separate markets offering interactive art experiences, entertainment and artisan vendors.
NORTH CAROLINA STATE FAIR
4285 Trinity Road, Raleigh I ncstatefair.org
October 17–27; visit the website for hours and rates. Rides, music, live entertainment, livestock competitions and every fried food you can imagine highlight this annual fair and agricultural exposition at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds.
OKTOBERFEST AT LAFAYETTE VILLAGE
8450 Honeycutt Road, Raleigh I lafayettevillageraleigh.com
September 28, noon–4 p.m. Enjoy German-inspired foods, fall brews, live music and wiener dog races at Raleigh’s Lafayette Village shopping center.
POEFEST
224 Sunnybrook Road, Raleigh I poehealth.org
October 12, 1–4 p.m. The Alice Aycock Poe Center for Health Education hosts PoeFest, a free community festival to celebrate healthy choices. Enjoy food and prizes, interactive theaters, local entertainment and more. Free books and produce will be available.
TRIANGLE OKTOBERFEST
8003 Regency Parkway, Cary I triangleoktoberfest.org
October 4, 5–10 p.m.; October 5, noon–8 p.m. Celebrate all things Bavarian with live music, authentic cuisine, beer sampling, wiener dog races, a German car show and a KinderPlatz Zone at Koka Booth Amphitheatre. Tickets are $15–$25 per person; free for ages 15 and younger.
WENDELL HARVEST FESTIVAL
115 N. Pine Street, Wendell I wendellchamber.com
October 5, 9 a.m.–9 p.m. Usher in the fall season in downtown Wendell with a parade, stage performances, vendors, food trucks and an evening concert.
FAMILY-FRIENDLY HALLOWEEN EVENTS
FUQUAY-VARINA HAUNTED TRAILS
301 Wagstaff Road, Fuquay-Varina I fuquay-varina.org
October 19, 5–6 p.m. and 7–9 p.m. Don a costume and interact with characters along the sunlit Family Trail, 5–6 p.m. The Full Fright Trail, 7–9 p.m., is a scary journey through the nighttime woods and is not recommended for children under the age of 10. Children between the ages of 10–12 should be accompanied by an adult. Park at the Fuquay-Varina Community Center and take the shuttle bus to Carroll Howard Johnson Environmental Education Park.
GOBLIN’S GROOVE FAMILY DANCE
237 N. Salem Street, Apex I thehalle.org
October 26, 5–7 p.m. Costume contests, cool games, dance contests and a haunted gallery await kids and their parents at Halle Cultural Arts Center. Admission is $5; $2 for ages 2 and younger. Purchase tickets online.
HALLOWEEN BOO BASH
301 S. Brooks Street, Wake Forest I wakeforestnc.gov
October 19, 11 a.m.–2 p.m. Attractions in downtown Wake Forest include inflatable slides, live music, food trucks, and ghostly games and activities for kids 12 and younger.
HALLOWEEN FOOD TRUCK RODEO
501 Foster Street, Durham I durhamcentralpark.org
November 3, noon–4 p.m. Enjoy more than 35 food and beverage trucks, cuisine from all over the world, vegetarian and vegan options, DJs and face painting at Durham Central Park.
HOLLY SPRINGS HAUNTED TRAILS
2401 Grigsby Avenue, Holly Springs I hollyspringsnc.gov
October 12, 7–10:45 p.m. Take a spooky walk in the dark and encounter zombies, scary clowns and more at Sugg Farm Park. Recommended for ages 14 and older; younger children should be accompanied by an adult.
“JEKYLL & HYDE”
2 E. South Street, Raleigh I carolinaballet.com
October 17–November 3; visit the website for showtimes and tickets. Carolina Ballet’s interpretation of the Robert Louis Stevenson novel explores the haunting duality of Dr. Jekyll and his alter ego, Mr. Hyde.
MAGIC AND MISCHIEF: A WIZARD’S MARKET
820 Clay Street, Raleigh I paperandstarsstudio.com/rsvp
November 9; visit the website for hours. Young wizards and witches enjoy activities, crafts, music, handmade goods, and magical food and drink at Fred Fletcher Park. Admission is free.
MAIN STREET TRICK-OR-TREAT
348 E. Main Street, Clayton I townofclaytonnc.org
October 31, 1–3 p.m. Meet in Horne Square before trick-or-treating in costume at participating merchants in downtown Clayton. After filling your bag, stop at Town Square to snap a festive picture and play some games.
MARBLES’ KOOKY SPOOKY HALLOWEEN PARTY
201 E. Hargett Street, Raleigh I marbleskidsmuseum.org
October 25, 6–8:30 p.m.; $20 for members and $22 for nonmembers. Experience the magic of Marbles Kids Museum after dark with activities like ghost games, spooky science, a dance party and more. Advance ticket purchase is required online.
MORRISVILLE BOO BASH
1520 Morrisville Parkway I morrisvillenc.gov
October 26; visit the website for times. Venture down a trail and trick-or-treat for candy, vouchers and coupons from local businesses at Morrisville Community Park.
HALLOWEEN STORYTIME ON THE ROOF AT THE DURHAM
315 E. Chapel Hill Street, Durham I thedurham.com
October 30, 10:30–11 a.m. The Durham partners with the Durham County Library for a free Halloween-themed storytime. Children can wear a Halloween costume and enjoy complimentary hot chocolate.
PUMPKIN FLOTILLA
801 High House Road, Cary I carync.gov
October 25, 4–7 p.m. Enjoy live music, food trucks and boat rentals from 4–6:15 p.m. at Bond Park Boathouse. At twilight, watch as carved jack-o’lanterns set sail across Bond Park Lake. Drop off a carved pumpkin at the boathouse from 4–6 p.m. the day before the event. Pumpkins are left floating and relit the next evening to be viewed from the waterfront at the boathouse.
SPELLBOUND
1 Mimosa Street, Raleigh I paperandstarsstudio.com/rsvp
October 26; visit the website for hours. Encounter mysterious creatures, magicians, fortune tellers and vendors selling handmade items and treats at Mordecai Historic Park. Wear your best Halloween finery to enter the costume contest and parade. Admission is free.
PHOTO COURTESY OF KATIE GARCIA
SPOOKTACULAR AT SUGG FARM PARK
2401 Grigsby Avenue, Holly Springs I hollyspringsnc.gov
October 12, 1–4 p.m. Attractions include candy stations, slime-making, a costume contest and s’mores for ages 3–11.
TRACK OR TREAT HALLOWEEN EXPRESS
3900 Bonsal Road, New Hill I triangletrain.com
October 12, 19 and 26; rides depart at 2:15, 3:30, 4:45, 6:30 and 7:45 p.m.; visit the website for rates and to purchase tickets. Take a ride on the New Hope Valley Railway to view scenes of flying witches, smoking cauldrons, Count Dracula and other friendly creatures on a train ride through the New Hill woods. Passengers can play Mummy Mayhem, a game where riders search for 13 mummies hidden along the train tracks. Listen to songs by the singing pumpkins in the rail yard and watch model trains zip around the Garden Railway.
TRICK-OR-TREAT IN DOWNTOWN FUQUAY-VARINA
Downtown Fuquay-Varina I fuquay-varina.com
October 25, 2–5 p.m. Trick-or-treat in costume at participating businesses in both downtown districts.
TRICK-OR-TREAT THE TRAIL
2400 Aversboro Road, Garner I garnernc.gov
October 31, 3–6 p.m. Trick-or-treat along a 1-mile trail at White Deer Park in costume and enjoy creepy crawlies in an exhibit at the nature center. Food trucks available.
THE WITCH’S HAUNTED BARN
4911 Hunt Road, Hillsborough I fireflyfarmnc.com
October 5, 12, 19 and 26; noon–7 p.m.; visit the website for rates and to purchase tickets. A witch and other Halloween creatures delight children at Firefly Farm’s haunted barn.
WITCHES NIGHT OUT IN DOWNTOWN APEX apexnc.org
October 25, 5–9 p.m. Dust off your broomsticks and pointy hats and head to participating businesses along Salem Street for Witches Night Out, featuring magic potions and spellbinding discounts.
ZOMBIEPALOOZA
327 S. Academy Street, Cary I thecarytheater.com/zombiepalooza
October 25, 7 p.m. Wear a costume and enjoy zombie-themed and family-friendly movies outdoors at Downtown Cary Park’s Great Lawn & Pavilion. Prizes will be awarded for the best costumes prior to the film screenings. Admission is free.
HAUNTED ADVENTURES
CLAYTON FEAR FARM
1620 Loop Road, Clayton I claytonfearfarm.com
Visit the website for dates, hours and rates. Creatures of the night haunt this farm in Clayton, which adds new horror features each year.
CREEPY CRABTREE
1400 Aviation Parkway, Morrisville I wakegov.com
October 26, 11 a.m.–3 p.m. Visit Lake Crabtree County Park to combine Halloween thrills with hands-on learning about the natural world’s spookiest aspects. Register online for a 60-minute session.
DARKSIDE HAUNTED ESTATES
11959 N.C. Highway 222 W., Middlesex I darksidehauntedestates.com
Visit the website for dates and hours. Bring your nightmares to life in an insane asylum, haunted hotel, mayhem hayride, spooky cemetery and more. Admission fees vary depending on the date.
EDWARD’S BATTLE HAUNTED HOUSE
9401 S. Mere Court, Raleigh I facebook.com/edwardsbattlehauntedhouse
Follow Edward’s Battle Haunted House on Facebook for dates and hours about this year’s event. Drive past a haunted yard in Raleigh filled with ghosts, goblins, vampires and other ghouls created by a Raleigh teen who has battled cancer. Donations are accepted and benefit foundations that help kids with cancer.
HAUNTED TALES AT THE OLD HOTEL
119 Ambassador Loop, Cary I carync.gov
October 26; visit the website for hours and fees. Feel the presence of the past at the Page-Walker Arts & History Center, formerly Cary’s grand hotel, with ghostly legends and haunted tales.
GRANVILLE HAUNT FARM DRIVE-THRU DRIVE-IN
4534 U.S. Hwy 15, Oxford I granvillehauntfarm.com
Open Fridays and Saturdays, October 4–November 2, and October 31; gates open at sunset. Enjoy thrills and chills from the safety of your car. Admission is per vehicle: $25–$35 for up to 4 passengers, $45–$55 for 5–8 passengers and $65–$75 for 9 or more passengers. Children ages 5 and under are free.
HAUNTED FOREST AT PANIC POINT
2808 Cedar Creek Road, Youngsville I raleighhauntedhouse.com
Open September 27–28; Fridays–Sundays, October 4–November 2; and October 31. Gates open at sunset. Explore haunted attractions including a zombie escape hayride, haunted forest, dark trail swamp, creepy corn maze and ominous farm. Visit the website for admission fees. Purchase tickets online or at the gate.
HAUNTED HISTORY WALKING TOUR
200 N. Blount Street, Raleigh I eventbrite.com
October 5, 4:45–6 p.m. Learn about the history of some of downtown Raleigh’s most important landmarks as tour guides tell a ghost story at each stop. Admission is pay-what-you-want, cash only; online registration is required. Tour departs from the North Carolina Executive Mansion.
HILLSBOROUGH HALLOWEEN SPIRIT TOURS
Downtown Hillsborough I visithillsboroughnc.com
Tours usually take place the last weekend in October; visit the website for dates, times and rates. The Orange Community Players lead visitors through the historic district to encounter ghoulish former residents.
LEGENDARY CARY: LIVING HISTORY MEETS
PARANORMAL INVESTIGATIONS
facebook.com/groups/thecitydoctorproductions
Tours in October; visit the website for times and tickets. Take an immersive journey to the very places where chilling events occurred, with exclusive access to a new historic location in downtown Cary.
MYRTLE GROVE HAUNT
3510 N.C. Hwy 86 N., Hillsborough I myrtlegrovehaunt.com
Visit the website for dates, hours and rates. Face your fears in a two-level haunted barn.
RALEIGH GHOSTS AND GHOULS HAUNTINGS TOUR
1 E. Morgan Street, Raleigh I usghostadventures.com/raleigh-ghost-tour
Operates year-round; tours depart at 8 p.m. Explore the darker side of North Carolina's capital. From ghosts of former governors to spectral cats, hear true stories of supernatural encounters on a one-hour walking tour. Admission is $28 for adults, $16 for ages 6–12; tickets must be purchased online.
RALEIGH HAUNTED FOOTSTEPS GHOST TOUR tobaccoroadtours.com
Operates year-round Friday–Sunday; 90-minute tours depart at 7:30 p.m. Ghost stories, history and folklore are interwoven in a 1.5-mile walking tour that stops at several ghost and paranormal sites. Admission is $20 for adults, $16 for ages 8–14; tickets must be purchased online. Tours depart from Fayetteville Street in downtown Raleigh (meeting location provided after ticket purchase).
SPIRITS OF WAKE FOREST
301 S. Brooks Street, Wake Forest I wakeforestnc.gov
Thursdays–Saturdays, September 26–October 31; visit the website for times and ticket fees. Learn about the restless spirits that make up a piece of downtown Wake Forest's haunted history. Walking tours last 75 minutes.
MEET THE DOCTORS
The Triangle offers some of the highest-quality health care in the country. Here’s your chance to meet local providers and learn more about their services.
PHOTOS BY JENN McKINNEY PHOTOGRAPHY and LEAH MARIE PHOTOGRAPHY
LANE & ASSOCIATES FAMILY DENTISTRY
(Left to Right) Dr. Don Bailey, Dr. Raleigh Wright, Dr. Mazin Aziz and Dr. Don Lane
Lane & Associates Family Dentistry (LAA) is the official team dentist of the National Hockey League’s Carolina Hurricanes.
As one of the largest dental practices of North Carolina and long-term partners of the PNC Arena, LAA is thrilled to announce their certification in sports dentistry! Most people are unaware that professional hockey teams have team dentists, and some may feel that having them is a little excessive. But anyone who has witnessed a live hockey game knows that it is one of the most vicious contact sports in the world. LAA plans to change the reputation of the “hockey smile”—the smile with missing teeth that comes to mind when people associate teeth and hockey.
“After practicing dentistry for 20 years, you would think you’ve seen it all. While NHL hockey injuries aren’t common in most dental practices, other traumatic injuries are. Our training as certified sports dentists has equipped us, not only to handle Canes players, but to also see patients or their families through traumatic dental injuries,” says Dr. Don Bailey.
Sports dentistry is important because it focuses on preventing and treating oral injuries that can occur during sports activities, in addition to higher-risk dental accidents. Dental injuries can range from chipped or cracked teeth to more serious issues like tooth avulsion (complete tooth loss). LAA is dedicated to education, which plays a vital role in sports dentistry and emergency situations.
“Having a sports dentistry certification helps me provide timely treatment and preventative services, not only to athletes, but also to all patients in need of emergency dental care,” says Dr. Mazin Aziz.
For four decades, Lane & Associates has been committed to offering the best comprehensive approach to dentistry, protecting and preserving the dental health of athletes, children, teenagers and adults across North Carolina. We continue to ensure that the safety of our patients and staff is our number one priority.
At Lane & Associates Family Dentistry, we love to make you smile!
VASCULAR SOLUTIONS OF NORTH CAROLINA
Dr. Sid Rao, Dr. Brian Wolf and Dr. Hardayal Singh
Dr. Sid Rao, founder of Vascular Solutions of North Carolina, specializes in transarterial embolization (TAE) for chronic musculoskeletal pain. Using this procedure, more than 200 patients over the past year have improved their quality of life by relieving chronic musculoskeletal pain due to conditions like osteoarthritis of the knee, hip, shoulder, wrist and ankle, as well as sports injuries like tennis elbow, golfer's elbow, chronic tendinitis and bursitis. Vascular Solutions boasts up to a 90% success rate with TAE. The non-surgical, outpatient procedure takes 30–45 minutes right here in our office, after which patients experience a brief recovery and then are able to walk out. Results vary from immediate relief to relief coming over a couple of weeks, and the effects can last over two years.
Dr. Rao's multidisciplinary team includes Dr. Brian Wolf, a board-certified interventional pain specialist with extensive experience in managing complex pain conditions, and Dr. Hardayal Singh, a Duke-trained orthopedic surgeon known for his expertise in joint preservation and sports injuries. Together, they provide comprehensive chronic pain management, offering patients a holistic approach to care.
1000 Crescent Green #102, Cary 919.897.5999 vascularsolutions.org
ANTONY INSTITUTE FOR AESTHETICS AND PLASTIC SURGERY
Dr. Anu Antony, MD, MPH, MBA, FACS
When Harvard- and Stanford-trained Dr. Anu Antony puts her name to a destination Triangle plastic surgery practice, she puts her passion for art and science into it, and her 20 years as a board-certified plastic surgeon behind it. The Antony Institute of Aesthetics and Plastic Surgery encapsulates her commitment to aesthetics, her intensive training in plastic surgery and her professional ethos of transformational, obtainable beauty.
Before embarking on her surgical career, Dr. Antony trained in sculpture and painting at the prestigious Lorenzo Medici institute in
Florence. Drawing on her artistic training, she strives to fulfill her patients’ visions for themselves with natural-looking outcomes in face and breast procedures.
Dr. Antony began her studies at the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics and the UNC–Chapel Hill School of Medicine. She earned master’s degrees in public health and business from Harvard and Northwestern-Kellogg universities. She recently launched a luxury, medical-grade skincare line, Anu Science of Beauty, which she describes as “geek-chic”— scientifically developed and luxuriously packaged.
Dr. Antony’s practice centers on confidence: the self-confidence she instills in patients and their confidence in her abilities, which she has earned over many years. By combining her surgical expertise with creative flair, Dr. Anu Antony is uniquely positioned to offer patients the chance to feel their inner and outer beauty—Anew.
115 Kildaire Park Drive, Suite 305, Cary 919.296.0256 anuantonymd.com
BOYLAN HEALTHCARE & BOYLAN WOMEN'S HEALTH
Paul Harris, MD-GYN; Malana Moshesh, MD-GYN; Meghan Webster, DO; Yev Zenchenko, MD Dr. Chamara Dharmasri, MD (not pictured)
"60 Years Strong: Expanding Our Team, Enhancing Your Care"
For more than six decades, Boylan Healthcare has been a trusted provider of wellness and health care services in the greater Raleigh area, specializing in comprehensive adult care. As we celebrate 60 years of providing trusted care for your well-being, we’re excited to announce the addition of five new physicians, enhancing your access to exceptional primary and gynecological care in the Triangle.
At Boylan Healthcare, we are dedicated to your health journey, offering personalized care in our cutting-edge facility. Our
comprehensive services include preventative care, chronic condition management, gynecological services and restorative health solutions—all conveniently located at 3900 Browning Place in Raleigh. Our state-of-the-art facility is designed to provide a seamless and comfortable experience, with everything you need under one roof.
Meet our new physicians:
• Paul Harris, MD-GYN
• Malana Moshesh, MD-GYN
• Meghan Webster, DO
• Yev Zenchenko, MD
• Chamara Dharmasri, MD
With this expansion, Boylan Women’s Health and Boylan Healthcare reaffirms our commitment to delivering quality and accessible care to Raleigh and beyond. Our convenient location and comprehensive range of services ensure you can manage your health effectively, without traveling far.
Take the next step in your health care journey with a team you can trust. Schedule your initial consultation today and experience the Boylan Healthcare difference.
Dr. William Turner and the Cameron Village Dentistry team are passionate about giving patients a reason to smile confidently. Whether it’s giving someone a smile makeover or helping them reach their oral health goals, we will meet their needs through truly personalized care.
We believe patients’ oral health is a reflection of their overall well-being, and we provide solutions to the root causes of people’s oral conditions rather than just treating the symptoms.
At Cameron Village Dentistry, we realize patients have varying risk levels for dental issues such as tooth decay or gum disease, and with thorough planning,
we are able to address these problems and achieve stable oral health.
Dr. Turner views dentistry from a holistic perspective. For patients with heightened immune responses, we offer biocompatibility tests, allowing us to customize the materials we use to meet patient needs.
Additionally, our office uses the SMART amalgam removal protocol to remove amalgam fillings, ensuring reduced exposure to harmful mercury vapors associated with these fillings.
The Cameron Village Dentistry team is also dedicated to continuing education, allowing us to provide a variety of services
such as smile makeovers, clear-aligner braces, dental implants and bone grafting using PRF therapy, same-day crowns and more.
At Cameron Village Dentistry, we are committed to learning patients’ goals and providing options to make the right treatments achievable so they can smile with confidence.
2104 Smallwood Drive, Raleigh 919.276.8101
cameronvillagedentistry.com
CAROLINA TOTAL WELLNESS
Dr. Shane Hemphill, MD, IFMCP; Dr. Susan D. Denny, MD, MPH, IFMCP; Dr. Didem Miraloglu, MD, MS, IFMCP; and Dr. Elena Hart, MD
Susan Denny is the founder and medical director of Carolina Total Wellness in Raleigh. For over 12 years she has led a team of highly trained and dedicated physicians and health coaches in serving the functional medicine needs of people in the Triangle. Doctors Miraloglu, Hemphill and Hart are all experienced in practicing functional medicine, with extensive training in the field.
At Carolina Total Wellness, our functional medicine physicians are highly skilled in evaluating, assessing and treating chronic
problems such as autoimmune diseases, gastrointestinal illnesses, inflammatory disorders, mood disorders, chronic fatigue, pain disorders, memory problems and other chronic, complex conditions. They also focus on preventing and treating heart disease, diabetes, cognitive impairment, hormonal imbalances and digestive disorders.
Functional medicine replaces outdated and ineffective acute-care health care models and attempts to return patients to wellness by addressing root causes of illness such as
food sensitivities, hidden infections, environmental toxins, mold exposures, nutritional deficiencies and hormonal and metabolic imbalances. If you suffer from a chronic medical condition; if you are frequently ill, tired or in chronic pain; or if you simply seek to optimize your health, the team at Carolina Total Wellness can help. .
919.999.0831
carolinatotalwellness.com
LYLE PLASTIC SURGERY & AESTHETICS CENTER
Dr. Glenn Lyle
Dr. Glenn Lyle is a board-certified plastic surgeon who has been practicing in Raleigh since 2000. He opened his solo practice, Lyle Plastic Surgery & Aesthetics Center, in May of 2023. Dr. Lyle concentrates primarily on breast surgery, body contouring and mommy makeovers as his top surgical procedures, as well as offering many other cosmetic surgeries. He is one of the most experienced plastic surgeons in the Triangle, having been in practice for 30 years. Whether you are looking for a subtle enhancement or a more dramatic body transformation, his comprehensive approach is individually tailored to each patient.
Lyle Plastic Surgery and Aesthetics Center offers a boutique-style space where you will be welcomed by warm, friendly faces in a calming atmosphere. The practice offers a full range of medical-grade skincare lines and esthetician services such as Hydrafacial, customized facials, SkinStylus and peels, along with some of the most advanced technologies in the aesthetics space today. Of course, they also offer all injectables, from Botox to fillers and more!
Dr. Lyle welcomes his previous patients from Raleigh Plastic Surgery Center, as well as new patients who are looking for a more individualized treatment plan. Arrange a consultation with Dr. Lyle or one of his aesthetic providers today!
3909 Sunset Ridge Road, Suite 201, Raleigh 919.307.8585
drglennlyle.com
NORTH RALEIGH PERIODONTICS & IMPLANT CENTER
Dr. Macon Singletary
A beautiful smile can boost your confidence and enhance how others perceive you. Healthy teeth and gums are the foundation of that radiant smile, and contribute to better overall health.
Dr. Macon Singletary, a board-certified periodontist, specializes in the health of gums and the structures surrounding the teeth. Drawing an analogy to a house, he emphasizes the importance of a strong foundation for your teeth. While he prioritizes saving natural teeth over replacements, Dr. Singletary is skilled in gentle tooth extractions and offers top-tier options for tooth replacement, including guided implant placement. His team routinely performs non-invasive,
laser-assisted gum grafts, frenectomies, tori removal, gingival contouring for “gummy” smiles, peri-implantitis procedures to save implants, and crown lengthening. Additionally, Dr. Singletary provides innovative sleep solutions, utilizing laser technology to reduce snoring.
Dr. Singletary earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Duke University, followed by a Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from Emory University School of Dentistry. He then specialized in periodontics at the UNC Adams School of Dentistry, where he earned both a master's degree and a certificate in periodontics. After his extensive training, he established his practice in Raleigh and became a
Diplomate of the American Board of Periodontology. Dr. Singletary is dedicated to educating his patients about their treatment options and is committed to providing exceptional, patient-centered oral and systemic care.
Discover the expertise and compassionate care of Dr. Singletary, where your oral health is the foundation of a beautiful smile and overall well-being.
Jenna Kenney, MS-PA and Dr. Singar Jagadeesan, ABPN, ABSM, ABIM
Dr. Singar Jagadeesan and the team at Parkway SleepHealth Centers are committed to providing high-quality diagnosis, management and treatment of sleep disorders. Parkway takes pride in offering a comprehensive approach—sleep studies, home sleep tests, consultations, and CPAP machines and supplies all in one convenient location in Cary.
“Dr. Jag” and physician assistants Jenna Kenney and Holly Mathews are dedicated to helping their patients understand and treat their sleep disorders. They recognize
the relationship between sleep, physical health and mental health and are driven to resolve their patients’ sleep problems in an effort to improve the overall well-being of each individual.
Parkway SleepHealth Centers has been locally owned and operated for over 20 years. Our patients often experience shorter wait times for appointments, usually completing a sleep study or home sleep test within weeks, not months. We also keep CPAP machines and supplies in stock, ensuring a quick and easy process
for those who may need a new machine or updated CPAP supplies.
If you are suffering from snoring, sleep apnea, insomnia, restless legs or another sleep issue, Parkway SleepHealth Centers can help. You can easily schedule your appointment with Dr. Jag, Jenna, or Holly by visiting parkwaysleep.com.
130 Preston Executive Drive, Suite 101, Cary 919.462.8081 parkwaysleep.com
SPECIALISTS IN PLASTIC SURGERY
Board-certified plastic surgeons Matthew Blanton, MD and Sanjay Daluvoy, MD, FACS
Board-certified plastic surgeons Dr. Matthew Blanton and Dr. Sanjay Daluvoy specialize in creating natural cosmetic transformations for the body, breast and face. With their artistry, top-tier training and 20+ years of experience, they create individualized outcomes for each patient. They work closely with each client to develop a tailored surgical plan that meets that person’s unique needs and desired outcomes.
Offering an exceptional patient experience is an integral part of what sets Specialists in Plastic Surgery apart. This approach has kept clients loyal to the practice, which has
been a prominent part of the Raleigh community since 2002. Their staff is committed to providing a warm and welcoming environment, ensuring that each patient feels valued and supported throughout their journey. The practice’s dedicated nurses offer patients attentive and respectful care to ensure comfort and ease.
Dr. Blanton and Dr. Daluvoy’s patients are cared for in a private on-site surgical suite with AAAASF accreditation—the gold standard of safety for operating facilities. The surgeons are proud of having
established an exceptional operating staff that provides compassionate patient care and are part of what makes the team exceptional.
The team at Specialists in Plastic Surgery looks forward to helping you look and feel your best! Contact their concierge team today to start your journey.
3633 Harden Road, Suite 200, Raleigh 919.785.0505
specialistsinplasticsurgery.com
REGENESIS MD
Dr. Bhavna Vaidya
Dr. Bhavna Vaidya, an integrative, board-certified physician based in Raleigh, founded Regenesis MD with a vision to treat the whole person— ensuring that patients feel as beautiful on the inside as they do on the outside. Dr. Vaidya recognized early in her career that traditional approaches to health, wellness and beauty often left many aspects of personal well-being unaddressed, driving her to establish a practice where comprehensive care is the cornerstone.
Regenesis MD takes a comprehensive approach to anti-aging, incorporating treatments such as IV vitamin therapy, bioidentical hormones, peptides, weight management strategies and advanced procedures including dermal fillers and PDO thread lifts. The clinic offers more than 200 supplements and skincare products, available in-house, ensuring a tailored wellness regimen for each patient.
Patients at Regenesis MD benefit from some of the most innovative anti-aging services available in the country, reflecting Dr. Vaidya’s commitment to not only achieving visible results, but also fostering internal well-being. When patients feel healthy and good inside, that sensation naturally enhances their outer beauty.
8020 Creedmoor Road, Raleigh 919.322.2844
regenesismd.com
TRIANGLE FACIAL PLASTIC SURGERY
Dr. Adam Becker
Dr. Adam Becker, a renowned facial plastic surgeon and the visionary founder of Triangle Facial Plastic Surgery and Triangle Wellness & Anti-Aging, stands out in the medical community for his unparalleled expertise and compassionate care. Dr. Becker has consistently demonstrated a deep commitment to enhancing his patients’ overall well-being, combining cutting-edge techniques with a holistic approach to health.
Dr. Becker’s reputation for delivering naturallooking surgical and non-surgical results stems from his meticulous attention to detail and profound understanding of facial anatomy. His patients frequently commend his ability to enhance their features while maintaining an authentic, refreshed appearance. This artistry in achieving natural, yet transformative results has earned him widespread acclaim and a loyal patient following.
Beyond his technical prowess, Dr. Becker is celebrated for his empathetic approach. He takes the time to understand each patient’s unique concerns and aspirations, ensuring they feel heard and valued. His dedication to patient education and support throughout the treatment process fosters a sense of trust and comfort, making the journey towards aesthetic enhancement a collaborative and reassuring experience.
In an industry often criticized for prioritizing profit over patient care, Dr. Adam Becker exemplifies the best of what facial cosmetic surgery and wellness treatments can offer. His commitment to natural aesthetics, patient-centric care and overall wellness underscores his status as a leading figure in the field.
9104 Falls of Neuse Road, Suite 204, Raleigh 919.706.4900
trianglefacialplasticsurgery.com
WHISKEY KITCHEN
Where international whiskeys add a twist to Southern cuisine
BY ELLIOT ACOSTA | PHOTOS COURTESY OF WHISKEY KITCHEN
Jeff Mickel had been involved in the craft brewing scene for several years in the 2000s when he noticed that a craft whiskey scene was emerging—opening up a space for a business to fill. Nobody at that time was supplying the growing demand for unique and small-batch whiskeys as Mickel envisioned doing it.
Recognizing the opportunity, Mickel teamed with longtime chef Michael Thor to open Whiskey Kitchen. According to Mickel, “We set out to become the destination in Raleigh for anyone—novices to experts— who wanted a place to discover, explore and enjoy whiskey from all over the world.”
THE SPACE
Mickel and Thor established Whiskey Kitchen in a historic building adjacent to downtown Raleigh’s Nash Square Park in 2016. Built in 1920, the location originally housed a garage and went on over the years to house businesses ranging from an EMS station to a hub for limousine services. Mickel recalls, “Once we saw the space, we knew it would be a perfect fit. The size, vibe and location were exactly what we were looking for.” Leaning into the building’s past, Whiskey Kitchen has preserved the space’s legacy by keeping its large garage door, repurposing it as the gateway between its expansive, open-air dining room and its sprawling patio.
THE WHISKEY
Whiskey Kitchen features over 600 whiskeys, including extensive lists of scotches, bourbons and ryes as well as other whiskeys from across the globe. They add new whiskeys almost every week. Naturally, the bar menu features pages of whiskeys from the various regions of Scotland as well as an immense catalog from well-established domestic regions such as Kentucky and Tennessee.
The bar also features many whiskeys from Ireland, Japan, and emerging regions such as India and France as part of its globetrotting menu. For patrons who want a chance to sample a variety of available spirits, the bar offers flights, which team multiple 1-ounce pours.
THE KITCHEN
A native to the eastern North Carolina town of New Bern, Whiskey Kitchen’s executive chef Ian McKenney was introduced to cooking through his father. “If there was an interesting dish, [my dad] would try [cooking] it. He helped me build an interest in food,” says McKenney. His early interest in food led McKenney to start his professional cooking career at 18 when he moved to Fort Worth, Texas to cook at a seafood restaurant.
Eventually, McKenney returned to North Carolina, settling in Raleigh to run the kitchen at Bolt Bistro at the center of the capital city’s downtown. Following his time at Bolt Bistro, McKenney took leadership roles in other kitchens. After coming to an introspective crossroads in his career, McKenney joined the Whiskey Kitchen team in 2018 as a line cook in an effort to rediscover himself. “I was really trying to get a reset,” he says. “I really wasn’t in that core root of cooking.”
Reestablishing himself, McKenney rose to the position of sous chef within six months of his tenure at Whiskey Kitchen. He became executive chef in 2021.
McKenney has channeled his Southern roots into the creation of Whiskey Kitchen’s menu, with the influence seen in dishes like the restaurant’s crackling biscuits and seasonal pork chops—and in one of the menu’s mainstays: boiled peanuts. “It’s a classic Southern staple,” says McKinney. “Coming from New Bern, there would always be a vat of boiled peanuts. One, it’s a great bar snack and two, the dish sets us apart with our Southern roots.”
Though Whiskey Kitchen’s food menu has some mainstays, many of its dishes change seasonally to emphasize
local produce. Dishes like apricot salad and sweet potato pie showcase North Carolina’s culinary bounty.
WHISKEY + KITCHEN
Although Whiskey Kitchen’s menu is inspired by Southern U.S. cuisine, dishes such as catfish tonkatsu, bangers and boxty, and curried mahi extend the international flair of its liquor menu into its food menu. “A lot of the variety comes from the whiskey market itself. [The menu reflects] larger markets for producing and consuming whiskey,” says McKinney.
McKenney leans on Whiskey Kitchen’s Master of Spirits, Johnny Berry Jr., to ensure the dishes pair well with the beverage program.
WHISKEY KITCHEN’S BOILED PEANUTS
INGREDIENTS
1 pound peanuts
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon yellow mustard seeds
¼ teaspoon coriander seeds
1 bay leaf
¼ cup Kosher salt
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon paprika
1/ 8 teaspoon chili powder
1 pinch of cayenne pepper
1. Add everything except salt to a pot and fill with water until the peanuts are covered by approximately 2 inches.
2. Bring to a simmer, cover and let the peanuts cook overnight (8–10 hours).
3. Once the peanuts are tender, add the salt and enjoy!
“It’s a symbiotic relationship. The whiskey will change the experience of eating the dish—how flavor profiles and texture are experienced. But the flavor of the dish will change the experience of the whiskey.” says McKenney.
As a way to further bridge the intersection of their food and liquor, Whiskey Kitchen hosts paired whiskey dinners. These multi-course meals collaborate with specific distilleries, such as Glenmorangie, to match special dishes with their liquors.
You can learn more about Whiskey Kitchen’s paired dinners and other events, and view both the extensive whiskey menu and the current food menu at whiskey.kitchen
Pages 126–127: Whiskey Kitchen leans into its building’s automotive history by preserving the original garage door between its interior and its patio. THIS PAGE: An Ashe & Co burger served on a Union Special brioche bun with a side of coleslaw and a glass of 14-year-old Glenmorangie single malt scotch.
Scan this QR code to read our interview with Whiskey Kitchen’s Master of Spirits, Johnny Berry, Jr., in which he shares two of his whiskey-based cocktail recipes.
THE SKY’S THE LIMIT
High Rail Rooftop Bar and Restaurant Opens this Fall in Seaboard Station
BY DATHAN KAZSUK
For Anthony Zinani, general manager at Hyatt House Seaboard Station, which will open this fall, the journey began when he opened Raleigh’s first AC Hotel seven years ago. His vision was clear and ambitious: to create a truly unique and memorable experience in a burgeoning area. That was in March 2017, and the hotel’s defining feature was its rooftop bar, Level7—a first for the brand,
and a bold move that would set the tone for its future. As the 20th hotel under the AC brand, the hotel’s concept and location made it an instant success. “We blew it out of the water,” Zinani recalls. Today, Zinani is poised to open another hotel rooftop bar that has Raleigh’s interest piqued: Hyatt House’s High Rail Bar and Restaurant, which will open with the hotel in the fall. High Rail will focus on high-end cocktails and
shared, small-plate dishes, and will offer an unparalleled view of the city.
A s general manager, Zinani is poised to make the Hyatt House experience unique. His career has offered him a number of different hospitality roles that inform his choices. From his start as executive chef at the AC Hotel North Hills, he became food and beverage director, which led to his new job as opening
general manager (GM) at Hyatt House Seaboard Station. Each role has been a box checked on his path to leadership. “I was an executive chef. I did that my whole life. And when I [became] food and beverage director at AC, I thought, what was next?” he says.
His work with food and drink, combined with his broad service experience, fuels Zinani’s enthusiasm about elevating the overall guest experience at Hyatt House. “If we don’t act like we’re in a select service box and we perform and go about our business with higher expectations,” he says, “[we] bring that level of service and elevation to everything.”
Zinani acknowledges a unique perspective that comes from his culinary background. His journey with food began in a large Italian family in the Northeast, with early experiences in kitchens and a strong work ethic instilled by his parents. His mother was a baker and server, while his father ran a slaughterhouse, teaching him skills from a young age. “I was washing dishes at seven, eight years old, breaking down animals at 10 or 11,” he remembers. This foundation led him to work in restaurants nationwide, and he went on to attend Johnson & Wales University in Rhode Island.
An extensive period of travel through Europe honed Zinani’s skills and broadened his culinary horizons. These experiences have shaped his approach to both food and hospitality, as he emphasizes quality, authenticity and local products. “I believe in Raleigh’s agricultural strengths and in using local ingredients. It’s part of the fabric of what we do,” he says.
As the Hyatt House Seaboard Station and High Rail plan their opening date, Zinani and food and beverage director Jeremy Powers will emphasize a distinctive fall menu that reflects the season’s essence without resorting to clichés. “Everyone’s on this pumpkin train, but it doesn’t have to be pumpkin everything,” says Zinani. “It can be root
vegetables, different cooking methods and flavors representing fall.” This approach also extends to the beverage program, where Zinani plans to focus on craft and quality ingredients over gimmicks. “You can do great things with what we have around us,” he says. “It’s about standing by the products we support and love.”
The location of Hyatt House Seaboard Station in the historic Seaboard area of Raleigh influences Zinani’s approach to food and hospitality there. Seaboard Station was originally part of the Seaboard Air Line Railroad, established in the late 19th century. The area was a central hub for the city and contributed significantly to Raleigh’s growth and development. The railroad declined in the mid20th century, with passenger services ceasing and building use transitioning.
The location’s rich history, which includes one of the last remaining railway turntables in North Carolina, adds a sense of continuity and transformation to Zinani’s vision for Hyatt House Seaboard Station. “It represents the opportunity to change direction and start anew,” he reflects. This historical context blends with the hotel’s modern vision, creating a bridge
between the past and the future.
Looking ahead, Raleigh’s potential for growth and development is immense. Seaboard Station is close to several vibrant neighborhoods like Smoky Hollow and Glenwood South that are likely to become more interconnected in the near future. “Developers have grand plans for the area, and Raleigh’s favorable corporate tax rates make it an attractive location,” says Zinani. He hopes the hotel and bar will be a part of the area’s growth and new energy.
As the hotel opens in the fall, guests can expect an elevated experience that blends culinary excellence, innovative cocktails and a deep respect for local ingredients and history. The rooftop bar is poised to become a new landmark in Raleigh’s hospitality scene. Zinani expects this latest chapter in Seaboard Station’s rich history to be as exciting as those that came before.
“It is the difference—the difference in the layout and the design, which is done very well,” Zinani says about what will make High Rail different from other local rooftop bars. “You see beautiful views at other bars, but everything is open to view for us. You can see the whole freaking skyline.”
LEFT: Rendering from the perspective of outside of Hyatt House Seaboard Station looking in on High Rail Bar and Restaurant. Rendering courtesy of Bolt PR. ABOVE: Anthony Zinani, general manager at Hyatt House Seaboard Station. Photo by Josh Manning.
THE JUSTICE THEATER PROJECT
Using art to engage, educate and advocate
BY ELIZABETH BRIGNAC
Don’t expect a relaxing evening at the theater at a production by The Justice Theater Project. It will engage you. It will entertain you. But your role as an audience member will not be passive.
“I used to always say, ‘Sit back, relax and enjoy the show,’” says Jerry Sipp, The Justice Theater Project’s producing artistic director. “And I never say that now. I say, ‘Move to the edge of your seat and be a part of it!’”
The Justice Theater Project began in 2004 as a ministry of St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church as part of a series of discussions related to the death penalty.
Since then, the organization has become its own nonprofit entity. It selects plays focused on important community issues and asks audience members to recognize their own involvement with these topics. The artists use theater to fuel important—and often difficult— conversations, both through their performances and beyond the theater walls. “If you leave the theater and you never talk about the show again, we didn’t do our jobs as well as we want to,” says Sipp.
The Justice Theater Project works with community partners to educate audiences about the topics at the heart
of their plays. For each show, they bring in experts to explore a subject from multiple viewpoints, usually offering three talks or roundtable discussions per show for people who want to learn more about the issue.
Last April, for example, The Justice Theater Project did a production called “26 Pebbles,” based on playwright Eric Ulloa’s interviews with members of the community in Newtown, Connecticut after the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School. In addition to the performance itself, the producers brought in people to speak about how communities deal with violent events of
this kind. One speaker who had lived in Newton discussed what it was like to have her hometown become the center of a national conversation on mass shootings. An expert in firearms discussed gun violence from the perspective of gun safety. A psychologist held a talk on how people heal after traumatic events take place in their communities. With plays like this one, “[W]e’re trying to attack [the issue] and to look at it from different lenses and different angles,” says Matara Hitchcock, The Justice Theater Project’s executive producer.
Each season, the organization considers what issues they would like to address and selects plays that engage those topics in meaningful ways. Earlier seasons centered on specific themes, but today, The Justice Theater Project selects plays that address a variety of topics per season.
One overarching theme variations on which have shown up in performances over many seasons— relates to the nature of conversation itself: how to discuss difficult topics on which we disagree and how to look at issues from other people’s viewpoints. The artists address questions of perspective, nuance and shifting viewpoints in creative ways. “When we did ‘12 Angry Jurors,’ says Sipp, “we put it in the round so the audience was on all sides of [the jurors in the play]. They all felt like flies on the wall. Then we blacked out the show in two different places, and we spun the [jurors’] table around. So basically we were spinning the perspective from which the audience was seeing the show … and we went back and we played the last 10 seconds from that different angle. Then we did that a third time.” Audience members appreciated the opportunity to see the scene—and the situation—from different viewpoints.
The Justice Theater Project makes an effort to represent multiple perspectives, both in terms of the plays they select and in how the plays are cast, which is not always done in a traditional
manner. They cast people from a wide variety of ages, races, physical abilities, ethnicities, gender and sexual identities, and other perspectives. They also perform at different venues throughout the Triangle in order to engage different audiences with whom the play’s themes might resonate. For example, they planned a recent one-person performance with a senior citizen performer at Glenaire, a retirement community in Cary.
Conversation and education are two of The Justice Theater Project’s goals, but the artists also hope people will bring what they learn into the world through action. “We’re a missiondriven organization,” says Hitchcock. For her, being mission-driven means “making sure that all of our shows are thematically supporting our mission. And part of how we’ve done that is partnering with different nonprofit entities for each of our shows.”
Through The Justice Theater Project’s Spotlight Advocate program, each play’s partner nonprofit organization sets up a table in the lobby and talks with theatergoers about the issue at the heart of that play. The spotlight nonprofit is also given a few minutes before each performance to talk about how their mission is relevant to the play and how the audience might support the organization. Hitchcock hopes audiences come to The Justice Theater Project shows “willing to challenge themselves and engage with others … not to just leave the experience in the room, but to take it with them—share it among other audience members or in their personal lives.” She says she hopes that each performance makes its way into the world so that it “won’t be a stagnant experience—that it will grow.”
All photos depict scenes from “Cabaret,” which The Justice Theater Project performed last June. Photos courtesy of The Justice Theater Project.
FROM METAL TO SILK
White Zombie’s Sean Yseult brings her psychedelic style to home furnishings
BY DATHAN KAZSUK
Sean Yseult, the bassist whose thunderous rhythms anchored White Zombie’s meteoric rise in the 1990s, remains an enduring icon of alternative metal and underground culture. As one of the few prominent female musicians in a male-dominated music scene, Yseult shattered stereotypes with her formidable talent and distinctive style. Her presence was more than just musical; it was a visual and cultural statement that expanded the boundaries of creativity within heavy metal music.
Born Shauna Reynolds on June 6, 1966 in Camel, California and raised in Winston-Salem, where she attended the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, Yseult moved to
New York City in the mid-1980s. There, she co-founded White Zombie alongside Robert Cummings, aka Rob Zombie, forging a partnership that would define the band’s gritty, industrial sound and gothic aesthetic.
Yseult’s bass lines combined groove and aggression in a way that set White Zombie apart. Beyond her musical contributions, Yseult’s impact extended into visual arts and fashion, influencing a generation of fans and artists with her bold stage presence and striking visual choices.
Today, you’ll find her living in New Orleans and working on Yseult Designs, which will feature her unique creative style in specialty wallpaper, fabrics, scarves and pillows.
Below are excerpts from a recent interview I conducted with Yseult. You spent time here in Raleigh while growing up, correct?
I was only about two or three when we moved there. Our first home was in a little log cabin in the woods, up Philcrest Road … eventually, my parents found a home in Five Points. The houses were all beautiful old brick buildings with huge trees and perfect lawns. We quickly became the weirdos with Dad’s beat-up, rusted VW Bug out front on display and grass that had never been trimmed.
When you moved to New York, did you know graphic design would be what you wanted to do?
I loved design. I loved playing with fonts, and I really loved photography. I did well at Parsons [School of Design], especially under the tutelage of Henry Wolf. (Henry Wolf was an influential graphic designer who taught at Parsons.)
You met Rob Zombie there. Was he the one who got you into music and playing the bass?
This might sound ridiculous, but I was performing improv on piano with old bluesmen in underground nightclubs by age eight. Starting at six, I was taking two to three [piano] classes a week.
Many years later, after I met Rob at Parsons, we decided to start a band. Rob did not play any instruments. I might not have played the bass before, but I played violin at age 12 in a Raleigh youth orchestra. A bass is much easier; all the notes are marked for you!
I know you don’t want to talk much about White Zombie, but it was roughly 11 years of your life. What life lessons did you learn from being in the band?
It was really an amazing adventure. One thing you will learn is that the show must go on! I had to finish a tour with White Zombie and the Ramones on a twisted leg—I fell through a hole in the side stage, snapping my knee sideways. This was half an hour before showtime. I played that night, and I had to continue every night with a leg brace for a month in horrible pain, but you know what? The show must go on!
You played in several bands after Zombie. Do you have a favorite, and did you continue with your graphic design during this time?
I enjoyed my time with the gals in Famous Monsters and Rock City Morgue. I think I stopped touring and playing around 2006 and created my first design line. I have to focus on one creative effort at a time.
You had a short stint playing with The Cramps. Did you enjoy performing with Poison Ivy and Lux Interior? They were and still are my favorite band. One of my dad’s hippie students gave me a big bag of cool punk band cassettes. The Cramps were in there, and I was fascinated. Then I headed to New York to Parsons, and I saw The Cramps play at CBGB my first night! Total inspiration.
OPPOSITE PAGE: Sean Yseult surrounded by pillows and home furnishings she designed. ABOVE: Yseult, far left, was a founding member of the band White Zombie allong with Robert Cummings, aka Rob Zombie. BELOW: Yseult’s designs bring her funky, psychadelic energy into everyday items like pillows, scarves and wallpaper. Photos courtesy of Sean Yseult and Geffen Records.
Let’s talk now about your silks, pillows and wallpaper. When did you start doing this? Tell me some of the places your designs have been sold.
I took a long hiatus from all of that, and now I am right back into it, on my way to the High Style Dallas market, with a whole new line of psychedelic velvet pillows, silk scarves, duvets, wallpapers and fabrics.
I started filling up tablets of paper with designs when I was in New York due to Hurricane Katrina, and my mom had suddenly died. I did it as a child, filling up books with psychedelic patterns and then filling them in with crazy colors.
I guess it was something [I did] to comfort myself. My father had already passed away, so at that point, it was just very difficult for a while. I reverted to good times and drawing. This was around 2008, maybe earlier. I had a rep and was getting into places like Barneys [New York], Bergdorf Goodman, Liberty London and Saks Fifth Avenue.
If I go to your website and like your work, tell me how I can buy it.
I will have my website able to sell items soon. For now, if someone wants something, write me at info@seanyseult.com.
LEE NISBET
#MERGING #NIGHTDRIVES 26, 30, 46; 2022
ARCHIVAL PIGMENT PRINT ON CANSON PLATINE FIBRE RAG PAPER
30 " X 40 "
“I limit myself to working with my camera on my smartphone. What can I create with this one piece of technology? I am limited to whatever apps and social media I have on the phone.”
—Lee Nisbet
PAINTING WITH PIXELS
Raleigh-based artist Lee Nisbet’s photographs are experimental distortions of life in the age of social media through the use of a smartphone’s filters, apps and technology. A painting major at East Carolina University, Nisbet thinks of her work as painting with pixels. Even though her works are digital photographs, they include elements characteristic of painted works such as aspects of chance—the incorporation of unpredictability into the composition of the artwork.
Nisbet’s series “#merging #nightdrives” depicts her night drives, mainly around North Carolina. At twilight, the sun is about to set, the sky is darkening and the lights are coming on, enabling Nisbet to capture the evening landscape from a moving vehicle. The final works, like “#merging #nightdrives 30,” 2022, combine different manipulated images. The digital file is then posted on Nisbet’s social media, printed on photo paper and framed to approximately the size of her windshield. Blowing up the jpeg file beyond its capabilities further pixelates and distorts the image, resulting in a painterly effect.
Find Nisbet’s work at Peel Gallery in Carrboro, on Instagram (@lee_nisbet_art) and on her website (leenisbet.com).
#MERGING #NIGHTDRIVES 26
#MERGING #NIGHTDRIVES 46
#MERGING #NIGHTDRIVES 30
A SECOND ACT IN HOCKEY
Former Carolina Hurricane Jay Harrison is bringing mental health front and center
Carolina Hurricanes fans will remember Jay Harrison as a steady, physical defenseman.
From 2009–2015, he played a rugged game in front of the Carolina net, often willing to fight when the team needed a spark. He wasn’t flashy, but he did have a knack for heroics, scoring two overtime goals.
Jay Harrison played for the Carolina Hurricanes for six years before retiring from hockey and becoming a psychologist. Photos courtesy of the Carolina Hurricanes.
It was an impressive stretch of hockey, but that was the view from a distance. Few people knew the stress Harrision dealt with in carving out a role in the National Hockey League.
“ There’s a lot to unpack there. It kind of strikes a nerve,” Harrison says. “There were times I loved the game, and there were times when I didn’t. But I realized how much I was willing to endure to do what I love.”
Eight years into his retirement from the game, the player known as “Harry” is now Dr. Jay Harrison, a psychologist who works with athletes and other high performers. Today, he is at the forefront of a movement in professional sports to acknowledge the mental health issues athletes face, including depression,
BY KURT DUSTERBERG
anxiety and substance abuse. Through the National Hockey League Players’ Association, he administers a program called First Line. More than 20 NHL players have completed the program, which is taught in a group setting and provides peer-to-peer support. “We’re collectively seeing that across the sports society, there’s a greater courage and willingness to recognize that caring for and contributing to your mental health is something we can do,” he says.
Harrison’s pro hockey career equipped him with considerable empathy. He began with six seasons in the minor leagues that resulted in just 13 NHL games with the Toronto Maple Leafs. When he signed a contract with a pro team in Switzerland, he thought
his NHL career was over. But after a brief return to the Maple Leafs, he caught the eye of the Hurricanes. Even with the Carolina team, his NHL life came with realities few others could imagine. “I lived at the Residence Inn at Crabtree [in Raleigh],” Harrison said. “We brought our second daughter home there. That’s where we lived at the time. When you start seeing life through a lens like that, we are just like everyone.
“The opportunity [to play professionally] is a very small window. The pressure that people might put on themselves can be very, very high. You accumulate some unique stresses being a professional athlete, like the risk of injury, increased media scrutiny, the high emphasis on performance day in and day out. It can become an unmanageable load if not addressed and cared for appropriately.”
Paul Maurice coached Harrison in Toronto as well as through three seasons with the Hurricanes, and he underscores why his former player is suited for his current role. “He’s been there, and that is hard,” says Maurice, who led the Florida Panthers to the Stanley Cup in June. “He was in that purgatory for defensemen. You could spend time with the NHL team and not get in the lineup because sometimes younger players would come up and play ahead of you. I think he’s a really good guy, having had experience in what he’s talking about. He can articulate things. He’s very well spoken.”
Not all the stress that players feel is generated by what happens on the ice. Everyday life often looks different to a professional athlete, particularly when it comes to family life.
“There is some maturation that has to happen because of the inherent selfcenteredness of being a professional
athlete,” Harrison says. “With many high performers, what they do is who they are. It’s about finding some of the stable parts of who you are that aren’t related to how you perform on a day in and day out basis.”
Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal, who was Harrison’s teammate for four seasons, believes the retired defenseman is ideal for his new role.
“I’m sure he’d understand everything the players go through, the ups and downs of a career and the pressures you have playing in this league,” Staal says. “There are hard times for everybody. It’s not only that—there’s life, too. There’s stuff outside the rink that can catch up with you and affect your play. No one is immune to it. Guys like that are great to rely on so you can go out and enjoy the game and all the blessings you have.”
A fter his time with the Carolina Hurricanes, Harrison finished his playing career with one season with the Winnipeg Jets. But the Oshawa, Ontario native settled in Raleigh, where his four daughters have him focused on a new sport.
“ They’re softball players,” says Harrison, who coaches his 13-year-old’s teams. “It’s a sport I’ve grown to love and appreciate, and learn a lot about. It’s lots of fun.”
The softball dad takes pleasure in participating in sports at a simpler level. But after a pro hockey career filled with highs and lows, his second act in the game could make a greater impact than he made as a player.
“I learned a lot about tolerating frustration—the difference between being patient and complacent,” Harrison says. “Had my journey to the NHL been quicker, maybe my life would look very different. But it expanded to seeing myself and developing myself in a different way.”
Whether for competition or casual family fun, disc golf is flying high
BY KURT DUSTERBERG
Brian Cooke had just finished his round of disc golf at Apex Nature Park when he started thinking back to his earliest memories of the sport.
“My dad took me out when I was in elementary school, around age 6 or 7,” Cooke says. “I picked my favorite disc out of my dad’s bag. It was a DX Leopard (a straight-flying fairway driver), and I would throw that over and over.”
Cooke spent most of his school-age years playing competitive soccer, but returned to disc golf six years ago when a friend’s invitation to play helped rekindle his interest.
“I played it again, and I got hooked,” says Cooke, a 23-yearold Cary resident attending graduate school at North Carolina State University. “Just the way the discs fly is really fun to watch. It’s a sport that anyone can pick up and play. Not everyone can just pick up a golf club and swing it. I also just love the variety of courses—some with trees, some that are open, some with elevation changes.”
Cooke is among a growing number of people who are attracted to the game. The Professional Disc Golf Association has 255,000 registered disc golfers in the United States.
According to udisc.com, participation has nearly doubled since 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic sent people searching for outdoor activities that allowed for social distancing.
STUMBLING ON A SPORT
Marc Moore had played ultimate (a team sport originally known as ultimate frisbee) for 30 years, but health issues eventually ended his participation. When he was asked to play disc golf in April of 2020, he jumped at the chance. “We were playing four or five times a week because it was something to do,” he says. “People were looking to get outside during COVID.”
O ne year later, Moore and his friend, Andy Joslin, opened Yeet Street Discs in Morrisville. “We’ve had at least 25 percent growth each year we’ve been in business,” Moore says. “We continue to get people coming to the shop saying, ‘I’m a new player.’”
Disc golf is played much like traditional golf, with players trying to complete each hole in the fewest strokes—or throws. The player throws from a tee box, navigating the natural terrain and throwing from where the disc lands. The “hole”
Judah, Shelly and Brian Berman are elite-level disc golf players.
Photo courtesy of the Berman Family.
is an elevated basket, typically with metal chains. The two games also share similar rewards and frustrations. Players take joy in executing a straight drive or sinking a long putt, but a shot into the trees—or into a pond—can leave you muttering under your breath. Most holes are par 3s, typically between 200 and 250 feet long. Playing a round of 18 holes can take as little as 90 minutes.
EASY TO GET STARTED
As for the equipment, veteran players carry a backpack with a variety of discs—distance drivers, fairway drivers, midranges and putters. Some fill their bags with more than 20 discs, but beginners can play with just three or four as they learn the sport. Quality discs begin in the $15 range, but some are cheaper. Yeet Street also offers a wide variety of used discs at discount prices.
“ The fundamentals are pretty easy to learn,” Joslin says. “You basically want to keep the disc at a controlled release angle. You don’t necessarily want to throw it nose up, or you get kind of weird action. You don’t want to have a swing that’s wide, because it will go in directions you didn’t intend it to go. You want to get it moving in a straight line across your body and use your arm as a whip. Once you learn that, people a month into playing are starting to see discs fly how they are intended to fly.” The relatively short time it takes to become proficient is one of the reasons the game enjoys steady growth.
Here’s another plus for the game: Most courses are constructed on public lands and are free to play “The great thing about disc golf is there’s a very low barrier to entry,” Moore says. “There’s no greens fees, and the community of players, they’re all chill.”
According to udisc.com, there are at least 25 disc golf courses in the Triangle. Some are 18hole courses, and some are 9-hole. The majority are in public parks and are open year-round, but others are open seasonally. And while the majority are free to play, some are private courses and require a membership and a fee.
For a complete list of courses by community in North Carolina, visit udisc.com/places/northcarolina-united-states.
Here are a few of the top-rated public courses in the Triangle:
Dorothea Dix Park, Raleigh Cedar Hills Park, Raleigh Kentwood, Raleigh
Sheetz Gold Course, Durham Valley Springs Park, Durham Leigh Farm Park, Durham
Diavolo at New Hope Disc Golf, Cary Fit Fort at Fortnight Brewing Company, Cary University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Dogwood at Southern Community Park, Chapel Hill
An avid disc golf fan, Brian Cooke says anyone can pick up the sport. He enjoys playing on the Triangle’s varied courses. Photo courtesy of Kurt Dusterberg.
Marc Moore (left) and Andy Joslin (right) opened Yeet Street Discs in Morrisville in 2021. Photo courtesy of Kurt Dusterberg.
SPORTS & FITNESS TRIANGLE ATHLETICS
BY KYLE MARIE McMAHON
LOCAL BASEBALL STARS SELECTED IN 2024 MLB DRAFT
On July 14–16, the 2024 Major League Baseball draft took place and 15 local college stars were selected. All three ACC universities saw a player drafted on the first day: Vance Honeycutt of UNC–Chapel Hill went to the Baltimore Orioles in the first round, and in the second round, Jonathan Santucci of Duke went to the New York Mets and Jacob Cozart of N.C .State to the Cleveland Guardians. In the remaining rounds, UNC had five selections, Duke four and N C State three. Most players are expected to enter their respective team’s farm system before being called up to the big leagues.
Photo courtesy of UNC Baseball.
TRIANGLE BOYS 16 BLACK WIN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
Triangle Volleyball Club’s Boys 16 Black swept all sets to win the AAU Boys’ Junior National Volleyball Championships on July 3 in Orlando, Florida. It is the first-ever boys’ national volleyball championship for any club in the Carolinas. Led by head coach Michael Webster, the team plays in the Open Division, the highest level for boys’ competitive volleyball. Members are all under age 16 and high schoolers throughout the Triangle. Thomas Demps was the AAU 16s Open tournament MVP and Nolan Jones and Wade Coppedge were named to the AAU 16 Open All-American team.
38 NCFC YOUTH TEAMS ADVANCE TO POSTSEASON
North Carolina FC Youth is the largest soccer organization in the state, with more than 17,000 local kids participating across eight programs, ranging from recreational to competitive. The organization celebrated its 50th year in style by seeing 38 different teams qualify for their respective postseason competitions, including the Southern Regional Championships, the ECNL Boys Playoffs and the USYS National Championship. In addition to league play, NCFC Youth holds tournaments throughout the year, including 3v3s, the City of Oaks Classic and Copa Del Sol, which features their Latino community–focused program, La Liga. The organization also prides itself on making the sport accessible to underrepresented groups, including their TOPSoccer program for individuals with disabilities. Photo courtesy of NCFC Youth.
WAKE TORNADOES HEADED TO SPECIAL OLYMPICS NORTH AMERICA
The Special Olympics North America Softball Championship will take place September 6–8 in Russellton, Pennsylvania, and the Wake Tornadoes softball team will compete. The Special Olympics North Carolina offers 20 Olympic-type sports and many competition opportunities for individuals with intellectual disabilities. The Wake Tornadoes won the gold medal at one of these events, the NC State Games, last November. Their success earned them an invitation to play at the national level. They hope to raise enough funds through donations to cover the cost of the trip for all 15 players. Learn more at give.specialolympicsnc.com/team/589069.
Photo courtesy of Special Olympics North Carolina.
Photo courtesy of Triangle Volleyball Club.
C E L E B R AT I N G G OU R D S
This versatile fruit has a rich history in Wake County
BY ANITA B. STONE
PHOTOS COURTESY OF BARBARA BURNS UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED
One of North Carolina’s most venerable gardening clubs focuses not on roses or other flora traditionally associated with horticultural societies, but on a plant that offers great scope for the creative imagination: gourds. The North Carolina Gourd Society (NCGS) has spent most of a century elevating gourds to one of the state’s most recognized fruits. On September 7–8, the society will hold the 82nd North Carolina Gourd Arts & Crafts Festival at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds in Raleigh
CARY: GOURD CAPITAL OF THE WORLD
The NCGS, originally known as the Gourd Gardeners and then as the Gourd Village Garden Club, began in Cary in 1937, making it one of the oldest garden clubs in the state. It is also the oldest chapter of the American Gourd Society. The society met at the location that is now The Albatross on Chatham Street, and its activity led to Cary’s being nicknamed the Gourd Capital of the World for a time, a designation that even appeared on Cary’s town seal in 1964. The society’s first gourd festival was held in 1938. Early festivals were held wherever space was available—in a school cannery, a dry cleaner and a furniture store. The society took the name North Carolina Gourd Societ y in 2000,
the year it moved its annual festival to the state fairgrounds in Raleigh.
During its formative years, the society used the festival to promote gourds as an organic and sustainable farm product that could be used in multiple settings. Today, it continues to educate the public on how and why to grow and use gourds.
“They are so easy to grow and maintain,” offers Judi Fleming, the society’s president.
“Nowadays, our purpose is to offer classes [for beginners and the general public to advanced growers] to capture the beauty of gourds in the areas of painting, carving, weaving, coiling, wood burning and utility usage. We also offer exhibits and growing tips while teaching about this versatile fruit.
You can always contact a grower or a society member to purchase gourds, seeds, art supplies, tools and books, as well as gourd crafting kits.”
TIPS FOR CULTIVATING GOURDS
Gourds are among the oldest cultivated plants. “They are a warm weather crop,” says Fleming. “Early water bottles were carved from hard gourds and used as vessels by [Native American] tribes of North Carolina. They have also been used as storage containers and dippers for centuries.”
ON LEFT: Colorful gourds from the 2023 North Carolina Gourd Arts & Crafts Festival.
ABOVE: Illustration of the 1964 Cary town seal. Image courtesy of Jerry Miller.
Gourds, squash, melons and cucumbers are all cucurbits—warm-season, frost-sensitive plants that grow on vines. Gourds grow in many varieties of shape, size and color.
Fleming offers tips for successfully growing gourds:
1. M ake sure you plan out your space. If you do not plan carefully, gourds will take over your yard. Make sure to plan in a sunny area, as gourds require at least six hours of sunlight per day.
2. Plant seeds in the spring at least two weeks after your average last frost date passes, but don’t wait too long, as they take 100–180 days to mature. Plant groups of four seeds directly into the ground at ½ inch soil depth. Make sure to incorporate compost into the soil.
3. Water thoroughly at least once a week—more if there is a dry spell. Prevent pests such as beetles and powdery mildew by using homemade sprays or insecticides. Spray every week. You can also use row covers to protect your gourds.
4. Fertilize your seeds with a balanced fertilizer of compost manure when the vines begin to bloom.
5. S ome people use trellises or tomato cages to grow lighter gourds. This approach will not work well for heavier ones.
6. H arvest your gourds when the vine begins to turn brown where it meets the gourd. When cutting a gourd from the vine, leave two inches of the stem to ensure you have a good handle for your gourd. If you cut the gourd too early, you increase the risk that it will rot.
7. O nce you have harvested the gourd, store it in a well-ventilated, dry area with temperatures between 55–65 degrees Fahrenheit. Gourds survive well in root cellars, attics, garages or barns. Leave them to dry for one to six months if you plan to use them for crafts or other projects. When the gourd turns brown and the seeds rattle around in it, it is ready to use.
CREATING WITH GOURDS
Creative work with gourds can begin as they grow. “Have fun shaping gourds,” suggests Fleming. “For instance, you can place a broomstick on the ground and train the stems to grow around the stick, giving the gourd stems a curved appearance. You may also want to tie the neck of larger gourds in knots for an unusual look.”
Gourds can be used as ornaments for the home and as vessels for food and water. People paint them to use as small items such as keychains and make large gourds into birdhouses. The possibilities are endless.
“Have fun and create different kinds of gourds for many uses,” says Fleming.
The North Carolina Gourd Arts & Crafts Festival offers many creative ideas and opportunities for growing and crafting gourds. Participants can take classes, buy gourds for craft use, buy gourd swag, and of course view the many creative household and yard items and works of art that local crafters have created with gourds. Ambitious crafters can participate in a competition, and children can enjoy gourd-related crafting projects. So head out to the state fairgrounds September 7–8 and explore the many creative possibilities related to North Carolina’s beloved, versatile fruit.
Learn more about the North Carolina Gourd Society and the North Carolina Gourd Arts & Crafts Festival at ncgourdsociety.org
ON RIGHT, TOP FOUR IMAGES (clockwise from top left): The 1947 Gourd Festival. Photo courtesy of Page-Walker History Archives. Gourds on display at the 2023 Gourd Festival. Photo booth fun at the 2023 Gourd Festival. A sculptural gourd by Ellen Healy that opens to reveal a detailed interior.
BOTTOM LEFT: The same gourd by Ellen Healey shown above, pictured closed. Photo courtesy of Alston Sykes.
BOTTOM RIGHT: Another colorful gourd from the 2023 G ourd Festival
82ND ANNUAL NORTH CAROLINA GOURD ARTS & CRAFTS FESTIVAL
Presented by the North Carolina Gourd Society Saturday, September 7, 2024 Sunday, September 8, 2024 9:00 a.m.—5:00 p.m. daily
N.C. State Fairgrounds Holshouser Building
4285 Trinity Road, Raleigh
Admission $5
Children under 13 free
Classes • Raffle • Competition
Growing Tips • Gourd Exhibits
Make & Take Crafts
Buy Gourds, Art, Tools, Supplies, T-shirts, Books & More
PRETTY IN PINK FOUNDATION
A champion for North Carolina breast cancer patients
BY MELISSA WISTEHUFF
Three simple words instantly turn a person’s world upside down: You’ve got cancer. Literally everything in life suddenly changes. A myriad of health worries come to mind— countless what-ifs and worst-case scenarios. Although money should be the last thing on the minds of
those diagnosed, for patients with little or no health insurance, the toll of financial strain that comes with this diagnosis can be devastating. The economic burdens associated with cancer are substantial.
Breast cancer specialists are often the first to witness the stress that accompanies mounting health
care bills. Dr. Lisa Tolnitch was the third female surgeon in the state of North Carolina when she began practicing in 1988. She founded Tolnitch Surgical Associates in 1991 the first practice in the area focused exclusively on the treatment of breast disease. She has worked to bring the most effective
and least invasive treatments of breast disease to the Triangle, and she was the first surgeon in the state to complete a lumpectomy.
“Specializing in something allows you to focus on the details,” she explains. “I was the only female breast surgeon around. It gave me an opportunity to focus on breast cancer and devote my energies to helping as many women as possible.”
After aiding countless people as a surgeon, Dr. Tolnitch saw a need with many of her uninsured or under-insured patients, to alleviate the financial strain of continual treatments and missed work. The desire to help patients beyond the doctor’s office propelled Tolnitch to start the Pretty In Pink Foundation in 2004. With a mission to offer financial assistance for quality, life-saving medical treatment, Pretty In Pink is a bridge for those who otherwise might decline critical medical advice. “I saw the need for creating Pretty In Pink when I had patients who had abnormal biopsies but did not seek further diagnosis because of [monetary] restraints,” Tolnitch says. “There are a lot of people right on the edge of financial ruin. One medical diagnosis can affect the trajectory of a person’s life, and seeing so many patients make decisions based on finances but not knowing how to help was frustrating,” she continues.
Now retired as a surgeon, Tolnitch’s legacy as a breast cancer patient advocate continues as she sees the number of “champions”— what Tolnitch calls the people helped through the Pretty In Pink Foundation—increase annually. With the original goal of helping 10 breast cancer champions per year in Wake County, the foundation now assists over 500 from 98 counties in North Carolina.
Inasmuch as she helps to ensure that all breast cancer patients in North Carolina receive medical treatment regardless of their ability to pay, it is fitting that Tolnitch was the 2017 recipient of the Humanism in Medicine Award, which is presented annually by the American Society of Breast Surgeons and the Arnold P. Gold Foundation. Tolnitch embodies the oath doctors take when they promise to put patients first, taking great care to guide her champions to the finish line.
HOW TO PARTNER WITH THE PRETTY IN PINK FOUNDATION
Pretty In Pink relies solely on donations, fundraisers and volunteers. Their signature fundraising event for the Triangle area, the Pink Pumps & Bow Ties Gala, is coming up on October 19 at The Pavilion at the Angus Barn in Raleigh. Tickets can be purchased on the organization’s website.
The Pretty In Pink Foundation loves volunteers! Their Beyond the Ribbon program offers resources to breast cancer champions as they go through their treatment journeys. If you like to sew, you can make items for the care bags the organization distributes, such as seat belt pillows, drain bags, pillowcases and eye bags.
For more information on the Pretty In Pink Foundation and ways to volunteer, go to prettyinpinkfoundation.org
When first faced with a diagnosis like breast cancer, patients might not know how to answer the age-old question from well-meaning friends and family members: What can I do to help?
When offering help to a loved one who is fighting an illness, be direct. Instead of asking, “What can I do for you?” be specific and ask, “Can I pick up the kids from school tomorrow?” Also, be practical. Don’t make promises that you cannot keep, and think about the time and monetary commitments your offers might entail.
Here are a few ways to offer help to someone who is going through treatments.
• Food: Show up with groceries, including snacks for the patient Organize a meal train.Buy food delivery service gift cards.
• Chores: Mundane chores become burdens for those exhausted by treatment. If you see grass getting tall, mow it. If you see an emptied garbage can at the road, return it to its place.
• Errands: Bring kids to school. Run by the store. Pick up prescriptions at the pharmacy.
OPPOSITE PAGE: Pretty in Pink Foundation’s Dr. Lisa Tolnitch and Executive Director Becky Horn (left to right) at the Pink Pumps & Bow Ties Gala in 2023. ABOVE: Attendees at the Pink Pumps & Bow Ties Gala raise their paddles to raise money for breast cancer research. Photos courtesy of Pretty In Pink Foundation.
Every fall, t here’s something spooky going on in Snow Camp, a small town northwest of Pittsboro. For 35 years, The Original Hollywood Horror Show has been entertaining Triangle residents and out-of-state visitors to Snow Camp with haunting attractions like The Last Ride and Ghost Pirates of the Caribbean, featuring realistic, movie-quality sets and dynamic special effects
The brainchild of siblings Dean and Starr Jones, seasoned makeup and special effects filmmakers, The Original Hollywood Horror Show has been voted the scariest haunted attraction by the Travel Channel—for those who dare to enter!
SPECIAL MAKEUP EFFECTS ARTISTS
Born and raised in Alamance County, the Jones brothers grew up on a steady diet of horror flicks, including Hammer and Universal Monster movies. Hooked on the movie business, Dean and Starr began using whatever they could get their hands on to surprise—and terrify—family and friends. As adults, the brothers headed to Hollywood to turn their passion into a career in makeup effects, where they achieved great success.
Dean and Starr’s list of credits is extensive, particularly in the world of Star Trek movies and television series, including “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine,” for which Dean won two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Makeup for a Series. Along the way, they bumped into the night with stars like Keanu Reeves in “Street Kings” and
“The Neon Demon” and Johnny Depp in the “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies, creating character makeup featuring aliens, zombies and androids, among many others.
LAUNCHING A HAUNTED ATTRACTION
In 1989, the Jones brothers came up with the idea of launching a haunted house in their hometown. “Our small effects shop was stacked to the ceiling with props and makeup effects. It then dawned on us that we had enough resources to go back to our hometown and produce our own haunted house,” says Dean Jones. “It started as a one-time event and went really well that first year, so 35 years later, we are continuing the tradition.”
“We continue to utilize the props, costumes and special makeup effects that we’ve created for our films and make them a part of the haunted attraction,” says Starr Jones. “With the assistance of our great crew, we direct and produce the entire haunt. It’s like walking through an actual horror film set. Additionally, we’ve used our haunt for a number of filming locations for some of the film projects that we’ve produced.”
AN ECONOMIC BOOST
The annual horror show is more than just an attraction— it generates revenue for the local area as well. “The Hollywood Horror Show creates a stream of economic growth during the month of October,” says Dean. “[People] stay here, purchase gas, eat at the local restaurants and
shop in the local stores. Most of this is spent in the nearby city of Graham.”
The annual show employs local people to work at the attraction. Some of them have been with Dean and Starr since the very first show as crew, costumers, stage managers and members of the sound and light department. “There have been a number of what we call crew and cast alumni, who have gone on to begin their careers in theater, film and television from being a part of our show,” says Starr.
At over 10,000 square feet, the event has room for expansion. The brothers envision adding a place where people can mingle after attending the show and have something to do after going through the attractions.
“A lot of people like to hang out just to talk about their
experience,” says Starr. Long-term plans include adding a new attraction based on the “Evil Dead” movies and a roadside café for a more carnival-like atmosphere.
Located at 6333 Bass Mountain Road in Snow Camp, The Original Hollywood Horror Show’s 2024 season is set for September 26–November 2. Please visit hollywoodhorrorshow.com for the latest information on the attractions and to buy tickets to the show
BELOW ON RIGHT: Starr Jones stands next to a hearse that “greets” visitors as they enter The Original Hollywood Horror Show attraction. Photo by Mario Boucher.
BELOW ON LEFT: Ghoulish special makeup effects and costumes by the Jones brothers. Photos courtesy of Starr Productions.
OPPOSITE PAGE: Image by stock.adobe.com - mikesilent.
The Original Hollywood Horror Show offered fun, spooky attractions last year, including:
• “American Horror Story’s” Mr. Twisty: A special guest loves to perform magic tricks for an unsuspecting audience.
• Ghost Pirates of the Caribbean: Come aboard the Black Pearl for a Hollywood‑style stunt show.
• Take a trip in the Hellraiser Vortex: Dare to choose a death d efying trip through Hellraiser’s vortex to experience unholy terror.
• The Last Ride: Enjoy your last ride—it’s your funeral!
• “Spirit of Houdini” Magic Show: Witness some of Harry Houdini’s most famous escape acts.
• A museum featuring a gruesome photo gallery of makeup FX work from the Jones brothers, covering their film and television careers.
News for Raleigh foodies compiled by the Midtown staff, with contributions from Triangle Food Guy Sean Lennard, who blogs at trianglefoodblog.com
tacos at Otomi Comida y Cocteles. The restaurant will feature fresh Hispanic food and drinks.
courtesy of Otomi Comida y Cocteles.
Otomi Comida y Cocteles has opened at 1000 Brookside Drive, Suite 119 in Raleigh’s Historic Oakwood neighborhood, in the former Brookside Bodega location. Otomi is a collaboration between Irregardless owner Lee Robinson and Juan Carlos Lugo, the restaurant’s former executive chef who had worked there for 11 years.
The Pickled Onion is planning to open a fourth location at 701 Tarboro Road in Youngsville in 2025. At the restaurant’s Forestville Crossing location (8440 Louisburg Road), the space will soon include a tree-shaded, outdoor dining area directly behind the current restaurant.
Johnny’s Pizza has signed a lease to take over the space previously occupied by Papa’s Pizza & Subs at 7713 Leadmine Road, Suite 45 in Raleigh. Johnny’s already has locations in Cary, Apex, Fuquay-Varina and Wake Forest. The new location will open after a few months of renovation.
Sunday’s AM Eatery will move into 14460 Falls of Neuse Road, the spot formerly occupied by The Pickled Pub
Plans call for breakfast and brunch from 6:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m.
The owners of City Market Sushi are planning to open Daijoubu at 170 E. Davie Street in Raleigh, a location previously occupied by Kaiju and The Darby. The restaurant offers fast-casual ramen and sushi with an emphasis on bowls of porky, tonkotsustyle ramen and brothless mazemen ramen.
The USA Today Wine & Food Experience returns to Raleigh at The Big Field at Dix Park on Saturday, October 26, 1–4 p.m. Guests can taste food from acclaimed local chefs and culinary leaders while enjoying beer, wine and spirits from regional and national brands. Tickets are available at wineandfood. usatoday.com/raleigh.
After a run of more than 10 years, Glenwood South’s Plates Neighborhood Kitchen, located at 301 Glenwood Avenue, closed at the end of July. The location has been approved for two high-rise towers. Beyu Caffé in Research Triangle Park closed its Boxyard RTP location in July after three years of business
Postino Village District has opened in the former location of Cafe Carolina and Bakery at 401 Daniels Street in Raleigh’s Village District. The wine cafe’s menu includes boards, bruschetta, paninis and more. Postino also has a Charlotte location.
The owners of the Osteria G restaurant at 5160 Sunset Lake Road in Apex are planning a new two-level steakhouse with an event space and private cigar lounge in Holly Springs. OG Prime Steakhouse will be located at the corner of Linksland Drive and Holly Springs Road. It is billed as a fine-dining restaurant with “old New York Gatsby” style. The restaurant is expected to open in fall 2025.
The Starbucks location at 103 E. Franklin Street in Chapel Hill will move across the street to 100 E. Franklin Street, taking over the ground floor of the Top of the Hill Restaurant & Brewery building. Raising Cane’s, located at 101 E. Franklin Street, will take over the previous Starbucks space. Trolly Stop Hot Dogs at 104 W. Franklin Street in Chapel Hill has closed. Que Rico! Paletas & Ice Cream is coming soon to Carrboro Plaza. They’ll be serving up Mexican-style ice cream, popsicles and savory snacks. They have an existing location in Raleigh at 4205 Fayetteville Road
Birria
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Postino Village District, a wine cafe, has a location in Charlotte as well. Photo courtesy of Postino WineCafe.
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1. THE PROVINCIAL, APEX
Spicy Tuna Poke Taco (raw, marinated). Crispy corn tortillas, avocado and sesame Sriracha mayo. Photo by Kurt Dusterberg.
3. SAAP, CARY
Seafood Green Curry. North Carolina coast seafood, green curry coconut broth, purple eggplant, vegetables, garlic chives, basil; with a side of jasmine rice. Photo by Elizabeth Brignac.
2. THE ROOF AT THE DURHAM, DURHAM
House-cured Gravlox. Sticky rice crisps, creamy green garlic pesto, caperberries, pickled mustard seed, onion and Bull City microgreens.
Photo by Anna Routh Barzin.
4. DRIFTWOOD CANTINA, RALEIGH
Pork Carnitas Tacos. Pork carnitas (braised and fried), spicy chile de arbol sauce, onion and cilantro. Photo by Dathan Kazsuk.
WOOLLY WORMS AND HOT AIR BALLOONS
Fall into autumn with celebrated festivals in Banner Elk and Statesville
BANNER ELK
Nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Banner Elk welcomes those who enjoy a natural playground swathed in rich Southern culture. Autumn’s glory in the High Country begins in late September when the delicate leaves of native hardwoods turn brilliant red, orange and gold, and crisp nights invite an extra layer of warmth. Idyllic vantage points, from the Mile High Swinging Bridge atop Grandfather Mountain to the Emerald Outback near the summit of Beech Mountain, attract leaf peepers through mid-October, while varying elevations along the entire length of the Blue Ridge Parkway dazzle through early November.
Banner Elk’s population swells each October when thousands turn out for the annual Woolly Worm Festival. Both legend and the Old Farmer’s Almanac extol the woolly worm (a caterpillar with brown and black bristles) as a predictor of winter weather—the wider its brown section, the milder the coming winter; the more black, the more severe the winter. Jim Morton, son of Hugh Morton, who owned Grandfather Mountain, delighted in watching these fuzzy creatures crawl up milkweed stalks. This gave rise to an event where attendees could “race” a woolly worm up three feet of nylon, with a cash prize awarded to the winner proclaiming the forecast. The event also features 160 crafts and food vendors. The 47th annual Woolly Worm Festival takes place October 19–20. Learn more at bannerelk.com and woollyworm.com
STATESVILLE
Located two hours from the Triangle, the small city of Statesville beckons day trippers to bask in autumn’s splendor. From its Downtown Statesville Art Crawl on September 21 to its Fall Living History event on September 28 at Fort Dobbs State Historic Site, Statesville enchants visitors of all ages. Stroll through one of the area’s renowned vineyards or antique stores, or search for 60 different types of gems and minerals at nearby Emerald Hollow Mine. Corn mazes, hayrides and pumpkin patches add even more enjoyment.
For 49 years, Carolina BalloonFest—regarded as the second-oldest hot air balloon festival in the country—has delighted thousands of spectators in Iredell County. This year’s festival, held October 18–20 at the Statesville Regional Airport, will delight visitors, with multi-hued balloons sweeping across the countryside, playfully competing against nature’s vivid fall color. Watch the mass ascensions, take to the skies in either a tethered or untethered balloon, or walk inside one of these aircraft to admire the breadth and billowiness from a different view. Live music and food vendors, along with an artisan village, kids area and wine and beer garden, round out the event. Advanced ticket purchase to Carolina BalloonFest is recommended as admission booths close when maximum capacity is reached. Learn more at visit.statesvillenc.com and carolinaballoonfest.com.
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Grandfather Mountain during the fall. Photo by Stock.Adobe.com – Chansak Joe A. Watch hot air balloons ascend over Statesville at Carolina BalloonFest. Photo by Stock.Adobe.com – garytog. Banner Elk’s unique Woolly Worm Festival has been drawing crowds to the area for 47 years. Photo by Stock.Adobe.com – Ezume Images. People shop along the streets of Statesville during its popular Art Crawl. Photo courtesy of KaleyLoveD Photography
