AFFORDABLE TREATS. Hillsborough Street $4 Food Walk Summer Series returns on Wednesdays. Visitors can stroll several blocks near Meredith College and sample $4 small plate offerings during regular business hours. Participating merchants include Aloft Raleigh WXYZ Lounge, Blend, Bruegger’s Bagels, Bussin Pizza, Cha House, Coco Bongo, Cup A Joe, Hemp Generation, Hibachi & Company, Jasmin & Olivz Mediterranean, Moge Tee, Nature’s Juice Bar & Cafe, Oak City Pizza, Red Line Beer & Wine, Rush Bowls and Taqueria Los Toros.
DINING DELIGHTS. Triangle Restaurant Week has arrived! Enjoy specials June 5–11 across the region at 50-plus restaurants. Colletta Italian Food and Wine in Cary’s Fenton development will offer a three-course dinner menu for $50. (Colletta is now also open for lunch from Thursday through Sunday.) Mandolin in Raleigh welcomes wine enthusiasts for a spring wine mixer tasting event on Saturday, June 10, noon–3 p.m. The restaurant has invited eight of its top wine purveyors to pour more than 24 selections. Hors d’oeuvres, fruit and cheese will be served along with these exceptional vintages. Tickets for Triangle Restaurant Week are available online.
SUMMER MOVIES. Summer is a great time to enjoy a movie—outdoors or indoors. From rom-coms to blockbusters to family-friendly classics, there’s something for everyone. Contributing editor Janice Lewine has rounded up summer outdoor and indoor movie series across the Triangle. Get your popcorn and picnic blankets ready!
GIVEAWAY! The “KIDZ BOP Never Stop Live Tour” introduces Jackson, Kiya, Shila and Tyler, who will perform pop hits like “Anti-Hero,” “About That Time,” “Sunroof” and “Late Night Talking.” We’ve partnered with Live Nation to give away a family 4-pack of tickets so one lucky winner can see the performance at Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek Friday, June 30 at 7 p.m. Fill out this form for a chance to win. We’ll choose a winner Wednesday, June 14. You can also purchase tickets at Live Nation.
LIVE MUSIC. Celebrate the music of one of the world’s most successful pop groups—Fleetwood Mac—at the next Summerfest performance: “Never Break the Chain: The Music of Fleetwood Mac,” Friday, June 9 at 8 p.m., at Koka Booth Amphitheatre in Cary. A full rock band joins the North Carolina Symphony to relive hits like “Rhiannon,” “Say You Love Me” and “Landslide.” Purchase tickets here.
Theatre Raleigh, which is located at 6638 Old Wake Forest Road in Raleigh, will host the new musical “Has Anyone Seen My Life?” on Saturday, June 24, 7–9 p.m. Written by local creative duo Dale Baron and Alex Baker, the evening will feature live music from the original cast album, mingling and magic. The show is a reflective performance that offers a glimpse into the lives of people who lived through the height of the pandemic.
The Willard at The AC Hotel Raleigh Downtown will combine its rooftop jazz brunch with a dessert pop-up series on Sunday, June 11, 10 a.m.–2 p.m. Bold Batch Creamery will be on hand for the first of three monthly events, featuring a three-course brunch, a dessert from a local sweets entrepreneur and live jazz music. The brunch costs $55/person.
Celebrate African American Music Appreciation Month with a concert by award-winning trumpet player Al Strong at the North Carolina Museum of History on Saturday, June 10, 7–10 p.m. Strong, co-founder of the nonprofit Art of Cool Project, will be joined by a string quartet for the performance.
JUST FOR LAUGHS. #IMOMSOHARD Ladies Night comes to Carolina Theatre in Durham on Thursday, June 14 at 7 p.m. Real-life best friends, comedians and moms Kristin and Jen have sold out two national tours, written books and hosted a comedy podcast. Tickets are also available for a VIP meet-and-greet.
RIDE WITH THOMAS. Thomas the Tank Engine will celebrate the magic and beauty of color at Tweetsie Railroad in Blowing Rock, North Carolina from June 9–12 and June 15–18. Guests will enjoy live entertainment, photo ops with Thomas and Sir Topham Hatt and lawn games.
MAKE IT MODERN. The public is invited to vote for the 2023 George Matsumoto Prize, hosted by NCModernist. Choose among 19 modernist houses from Asheville to the coast through online voting. A separate jury process will offer cash awards. The Matsumoto Prize is North Carolina’s highest award for Modernist residential architecture, honoring one of the founding faculty members of North Carolina State University College of Design.
Photo of the Domeck House (last year’s first place jury winner) courtesy of NCModernist
PETS IN NEED. The Wake County Animal Center is facing maximum capacity with an overwhelming number of pets in need of permanent homes. To encourage adoptions, the center will waive fees for dogs that have been living in shelter pens for 21 days or more through Monday, June 12. There are currently 95 dogs on the adoption floor, 32 in foster care and another 44 in staff-only areas.
GIVING BACK. In May, local mortgage lender Movement Mortgage presented a $10,000 GraceWorks grant to Healing Transitions, which is located at 1251 Goode Street in Raleigh, to support its mission to provide support services to men and women struggling with addiction or homelessness. The nonprofit provides long-term recovery, overnight shelter, nonmedical detox and family services at no cost to men and women.
Vieni Ristobar (242 South Main Street, Holly Springs) has launched 100 Helpings, a charitable giving program. On the third Tuesday of each month, Vieni will give a partner charity 100 helpings of a dish from the restaurant’s menu to sell. The nonprofit will keep 100% of the proceeds from the donations provided by supporters.
Take part in Lunch with Poe at PlayWELL at the Poe Center for Health Education at 224 Sunnybrook Road in Raleigh on Wednesdays from June 21–August 2, 11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. The lunch is free for ages 18 and under and includes fun health-themed activities. Groups of six or more are asked to RSVP to Katie Barker at .
PORCH Communities, a nonprofit organization that mobilizes local volunteers to create sustainable hunger relief programs, has collected more than 2,500 pounds of food for 665 families through its student ambassadors program across North Carolina, Virginia and Pennsylvania. The partnership includes University of North Carolina football players, Heels4Life and the North Carolina Hall of Fame organizations.
FIRE ACADEMY. Wake County is accepting applications for its fire academy. No experience is required, and the county will pay a salary and benefits to recruits over the course of the 38–week training program. The application period for Career in a Year is open through Friday, June 23. Graduates will earn EMT and firefighter dual certification, and are guaranteed a job with a local fire department. Wake County currently has a shortage of firefighters.
Photo by TylerOlson/stock.adobe.com
BODEGA SUMMER FUN. Brookside Bodega and The Optimist are hosting a Summer Fest event in their parking lot Saturday, June 10, 2-6 p.m. Families are invited to celebrate the end of the school year with live music from the Adam Lee Decker Band and Oren Bailey, food trucks, local vendors, kids’ games and more. The event takes place at 1000 Brookside Drive in Raleigh.
FOR DAD. Olde Raleigh Distillery will host a Father’s Day market Saturday, June 12, 11 a.m.–3 p.m. Along with a bottle of your choice, order a custom basket from among the nine vendors participating, including Dirty Candle Company, Outward Apparel, 3 De Prints and Gifts, Avon (for men and women), Designs by Tina, Double Tree resale, M’s Salsa and Flavor and Grace cookies.
MEET AND GREET. Midtown Raleigh Alliance presents Emerging Midtown at Level7 Rooftop Lounge in North Hills on Thursday, June 8, 5:30–7 p.m. The event brings together young professionals for networking opportunities.
