Fair Fun + Fare, Capital City Ghosts, Holiday Events Roundup, Wye Hill Gold-Winning Beer

Any guesses for which new food brought home the most votes for “best new food” coming to the 2023 State Fair? Drumroll please … Salmon Pops from Oak City Fish and Chips! (These are pictured above and also took our top spot!)

The Willard Rooftop Lounge has created two North Carolina State Fair-inspired cocktails, which will be offered October 13–23. The Root Awakening (inspired by the sweet potato), features Vida mezcal. The Fair-apeutic (inspired by giant cups of state fair fresh-squeezed lemonade) features John AP Conoley bourbon, Dom Benedictine, lemon and cream. Don’t miss the opportunity to sample them!

LOCAL LOVE. The Falling for Local Festival is Saturday, October 15, 11 a.m.–6 p.m. at Dorothea Dix Park on the Big Field. The event is free and features 120-plus vendors, local North Carolina craft beer and cider, 50-plus food trucks, two stages featuring local bands, adoptable pets, a kids zone with inflatables, hay rides, free pumpkins, Touch-A-Truck fun and more. Learn more here.

CAPITAL CITY GHOSTS. In addition to the “Capital City Ghosts” feature in the September/October issues of Midtown and Cary Living, our October “Talk of the Triangle” podcast features a two-part series on the very same subject. In Part 1, we talk to Ernest Dollar, author and director of the Raleigh City Museum and Pope House Museum, about his book, titled “Hearts Torn Asunder,” the True Crime & Curious Tales walking tour and some of the historic souls who may still be wandering around Raleigh. Then in Part 2, you’ll hear from members of The Ghost Guild, including co-founder Nelson Nauss; Al Parker, who has created several Ghost, Legends, and Lore tours using the Durham-based Built Story app; and Kara Leinfelder, creative director for the North Carolina Museum of History. We talk about paranormal investigations of cultural and historical significance they have conducted in the Triangle from a science-based approach.

ROOFTOP RESTAURANT. Samad Hachby has announced plans to expand Umbria Hospitality Group’s presence in Downtown Raleigh with a new concept to the Dillon’s indoor-outdoor space, offering beautiful views of the Raleigh skyline with a restaurant that will be called La Terrazza (which means “The Terrace” in Italian). La Terrazza is expected to open in the spring. Guests can expect fresh Mediterranean fare in an upscale setting. The interior area will seat about 100 people. Applicants who would like to work at the new restaurant are encouraged to apply here for training that will begin at Mulino Italian Kitchen & Bar and transition to La Terrazza prior to the restaurant’s opening.

CHARIOT RACE. The Red Bull Chariot Race, featuring 20 teams from the Triangle, will turn loose homemade chariots at Moore Square on Saturday, October 15. Four-member teams submitted imaginative chariot design sketches and were approved for the race, which includes entries from North Carolina State University, UNC-Chapel Hill and Saint Augustine’s University. The event challenges the most fearless, fun-loving and foolhardy teams to create wacky rides.

FENTON FASHION. Take part in Raleigh Fashion Fest at Fenton in Cary on Thursday, October 20, 5–9 p.m. A portion of the proceeds and 100% of the silent auction money raised will go to The Women’s Center, an organization that provides support services to at-risk and homeless women.

GIVEAWAY! Immerse yourself in an underwater world at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Science’s newest exhibition, “James Cameron: Challenging the Deep,” which opens October 15. The exhibit traces filmmaker James Cameron’s passion for deep-ocean science, technology and exploration, including his record-breaking dive to the bottom of the ocean in the DEEPSEA CHALLENGER, the submersible he co-designed and co-engineered. Fill out the form on our Midtown or Cary Living giveaway page for a chance to win four tickets to the exhibit. Tickets are good for any day during the exhibition through May 7. We’ll select one winner on Wednesday, October 19.

DANCE THERAPY. Express & Release Therapeutic Dance and Nourish Carolina Counseling will host a six-week therapeutic dance series on Sundays from October 16–November 20. The weekly series takes place at Samuel H. Scripps Studios in Durham from 4:30–6 p.m. The sessions focus on easing stress and reducing anxiety.

WINE WALK. The North Hills Wine Walk takes place Saturday, October 15, 2–5 p.m. in the North Hills Commons area. Attendees make a $25 donation to the Kay Yow Cancer Fund by preregistering or checking in on-site. You will be given a “passport” listing the participating stores and a glass for sampling wines as you sip and shop your way through North Hills. Bring your friends and make it a date!

NOW OPEN. Decree Company is officially open to the public after hosting its grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony on September 24. Located across from Moore Square in downtown Raleigh, this historic building from the 1910s has been carefully renovated to host turn-of-the-century machines where stationery is made in-house. Along with shopping, consumers can engage, learn and experience the art of engraving copper plates, card production, and more from the on-site design and production teams. Only 50 people in the world know how to produce this kind of traditionally engraved stationery.

GOLD STANDARD. Wye Hill Kitchen & Brewing’s Luminous Beings hazy pale ale has won two prestigious awards: a national gold medal at the at the Great American Beer Festival in the Juicy or Hazy Pale Ale category, and another gold in the Hazy Pale Ale category at the NC Brewers Cup. The award-winning beer soared above 131 other entrants from around the country at the Great American Beer Festival, and is on draft now at Wye Hill Kitchen & Brewing.

FOR A GOOD CAUSE. An Essential Night, a fundraiser for the No Woman, No Girl Initiative, takes place at Raleigh Union Station on Saturday, October 15 at 6 p.m. The evening includes a dinner program and silent auction. The nonprofit provides everyday essentials to survive crisis or transition.

Triangle Community Foundation has released $750,000 in unrestricted funding to 15 local nonprofits through the Transforming the Triangle Award, a special program designed to acknowledge the critical role nonprofits played in supporting their communities during unprecedented challenges due to the pandemic. Each of the awardee organizations was recognized for having made a meaningful impact in the Triangle aligned with the foundation’s impact areas.

NEW PARK. The Wake County Board of Commissioners has awarded a $20-million contract to build the 300-acre Beech Bluff County Park near Garner and Fuquay-Varina. Beech Bluff will feature trails, community gardens, playgrounds, picnic shelters, a wildlife viewing platform, classrooms and more. Construction on Wake County’s first new park in 12 year is scheduled for completion in spring 2024.

LIGHT THE NIGHT. Wake County buildings will be illuminated green November 7–13 as part of the national Operation Greenlight campaign to show support for local military veterans. Wake County encourages residents and businesses to participate by changing a visible light in their home to green to honor the more than 50,000 veterans living in the county.