06.21.2023

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Today’s Forecast

51º | Cloudy | 0% chance of rain | Sunrise 7:25 a.m. | Sunset 5:17 p.m.

☀️ Happy first day of summer, Raleigh

Raleigh’s summer 2023 bucket list

Learn to paddle or take a kayak tour through the City of Raleigh. | Photo by RALtoday

It’s summer, summer, summertime, and we are ready to sit back and unwind. We put together a bucket list of 18 fun activities to help you plan the perfect summer in the City of Oaks. Bonus: Print this list off, stick it to your fridge, and see how many items you can check off.

Festivals

☐ Sip, shop, dine, and dance at the NC Hops Festival. (June 24)
☐ Show your support for our LGBTQ+ community at Out! Raleigh Pride. (June 24)
☐ Geek out for GalaxyCon, a festival of fandom. (July 27-30)
☐ Have a howlin’ good time at NC State’s Packapalooza festival and block party. (August 26)
☐ Celebrate culture through art, food, music, and community at the 14th Annual African American Cultural Festival. (September 2-3)
☐ Grab tickets for a jam-packed Hopscotch Music Festival. (September 7-9)

People sitting on a lawn watching a outdoor movie. — The next First Friday film is “The Princess and the Frog” on August 4.
|
Photo by RALtoday

Family fun

☐ Celebrate the red, white, and blue with fireworks at a July of 4th Celebration at Dix Park. (July 4)
☐ Don’t miss the sunflowers in full bloom at Dix Park. (Mid-July)
☐ Get silly with the Kirby Derby holiday extravaganza. (August 19)
☐ Watch a movie on a rainy day at an independent theater.
☐ Take the kiddos to explore Marbles Kids Museum’s reimagined water play space within the new Splash exhibit.
☐ Shop, dine, and watch a movie at Moore Square on First Friday.

More must dos

☐ Pack a lunch (or grab a dog from The Roast Grill) to enjoy Raleigh’s smallest park.
☐ Visit local watering holes for during Drink Up during July (participants coming soon).
☐ Sing your heart out with Raleigh’s summer concert lineup.
☐ Take a hike with water views near Raleigh.
☐ Sign up for a paddle or kayak tour at Lake Johnson.
☐ Plan a summer photo shoot at a flowering garden.

Asked

What are you most looking forward to this summer?

A. Festivals
B. Exploring Raleigh’s green space
C. Spending time with family
D. Concerts

Summer vibes only

Events

Wednesday, June 21

Live After 5 Concert Series: Hard Tuck | Wednesday, June 21 | 4:30 p.m. | Lincoln Theater, 126 E. Cabarrus St., Raleigh | Free | Listen to music by Hard Tuck and Kind Akira at this ‘80s- and ‘90s-themed series and take your pick from food, drink, and small business vendors.
Geeks Who Drink Trivia Night | Wednesday, June 21, Wednesday, June 28 | 8-10 p.m. | Video Vortex at Alamo Drafthouse, 2116-D New Bern Ave., Raleigh | Free | Test your knowledge of all things random for a chance to win prizes.

Thursday, June 22

Improv for Networking | Thursday, June 22 | 4-6 p.m. | Raleigh Founded - Warehouse, 310 S. Harrington St., Raleigh | $20 | Get to know your community and meet new friends through this fun improve class.
Crabtree Summer Sale | Thursday, June 22 | 4-8 p.m. | Crabtree Valley Mall, 4325 Glenwood Ave., Raleigh | $5-$25 | Shop local businesses and brands you love at exclusive discounts.
Teens: Music Party | Thursday, June 22 | 6-7 p.m. | North Regional Library, 7009 Harps Mill Rd., Raleigh | Free | Teens can dress up as their favorite musician to chat about music and enjoy making shrinky dinks, listening to music, and snacks; open to teens in grades six and up.

Friday, June 23

PineCone People’s Square Dance | Friday, June 23 | 7-9:30 p.m. | Transfer Co. Food Hall, 500 E. Davie St., Raleigh | $10 | Swing your partner round and round at this fun open dance in collaboration with the group NC Squares.
Outdoor film: “Turning Red” | Friday, June 23 | 8:30-11 p.m. | North Carolina Museum of Art, 2110 Blue Ridge Rd., Raleigh | $0-$7 | Watch this Disney Pixar film on the lawn and grab a snack from the on-site full concession stand.

Jammin' June events

Click here to have your event featured.

Learn

🕸️ Experience “Spiders: Fear to Fascination” at NC Museum of Natural Sciences

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The exhibit is open from June 17 to October 8, 2023 and admission is free for Museum Members. | Jumping Spider photo courtesy of Australian Museum

Explore a web of wonders through augmented reality and video projection technology at the newly-opened “Spiders: Fear to Fascination” exhibition at the NC Museum of Natural Sciences.

Guests of all ages will encounter 250+ live and preserved specimens and get to:

Compete in a mating dance-off with a peacock spider
Hold virtual spiders
Test your fang agility
Create an animated arachnid
Discover how webs are produced and how spiders communicate
See the world through spider vision

Get tickets

News Notes

Open

Burger Village is celebrating its grand opening on Glenwood Avenue this Friday, June 23 at 6 p.m. The organic burger spot is giving away free burgers to the first 100 customers. Browse the menu.

Biz

The City of Raleigh’s Building Up-fit Grant application cycle begins Friday, June 23. Small business owners can apply for the city to match up to 50 percent of qualified construction costs.

Today Is

Make Music Day in Raleigh. This free, musical celebration features concerts all day across the City of Oaks’ streets, sidewalks, and parks. Jam out with events like an “instrument zoo” performance with the NC Symphony at City of Raleigh Museum and a Raleigh Uke Jam at Riparian Provision Co.

Edu

Duke University will offer free tuition to North and South Carolina undergraduate students with family incomes of $150,000 or less starting this fall. Duke will also provide additional financial assistance for undergraduate students with family incomes of $65,000 or less. The university plans to use existing resources to fund the initiative. (The News & Observer)

Drink

Want to shop local for coffee pods? 321 Coffee launched compostable, sustainably-sourced coffee pods in their signature medium, dark, and decaf roasts. Purchase your pods.

Try This

Raleigh Brewing Company is hosting a summer party Saturday, July 8. The celebration will include Big Mike’s BBQ, a live performance by The Ridge Band, JAM Ice Cream + Shaved Ice, the release of the Tiny Umbrella Tropical Blonde Ale, and a dog bar and wading pool.

Health

It’s time to rethink telehealth (and traditional doctor’s visits, for that matter). MakoRx partners with local pharmacies to combine the comfort of in-person services with the convenience of virtual appointments and on-the-spot medication fulfillment. See how it works.*

Eat

This summer sandwich alternative is perfect for the beach, the pool, or the park: recipe this way.*

Finance

Work smarter, not harder, by hiring an investment advisor. These are the top five firms in the US.*

Shop

It’s officially summer. To celebrate, shop our online store (Six & Main), where you’ll find many summer essentials such as new patio furniture by Palmetto Craft and delicious cocktail mixers by Simple Time Mixers. Now, that’s how you start the summer.

Outdoors

The perfect outdoor string lights do exist, and they’ve got a secret weapon: solar power. Light up your yard with a 50-ft strand.*

Environment

🐝 Bee kind to our pollinators

Celebrating pollinators in Raleigh

A bee pollinating a wild bergamot flower at Walnut Creek Wetland Park. | Photo by RALtoday

Let’s talk about some important friends in our ecosystem… the pollinators. This week is National Pollinator Week, which is an annual celebration to raise awareness for pollinator health and ways to help protect them.

Pollinators are any living thing that moves pollen from the male anther of a flower to the female stigma of a flower for reproduction. More than three-fourths of the world’s flowering plants depend on animal pollinators. Why is this important? Thirty-five percent of the world’s food crops count on animal pollinators to reproduce.

The City of Oaks has 23 registered Monarch Waystations (habitats for the monarch butterfly + other pollinators). Lookout for the Monarch Waystation sign to locate the habitat.

Click the link below for thriving Monarch Waystations and native flowering plants that are all the buzz.

Spread your wings

The Wrap

Cat George in a black turtleneck sweater

Today’s edition by:
Cat

From the editor

Last night, I went to dinner with my lovely grandparents (hi Mama + Bop) at Vivo Ristorante. It’s one of our favorite spots to frequent. I always order the ONEHOPE Cabernet and the chicken parmesan. Pro tip: Wine is half-price every Monday.

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