Image by BojanMirkovic/GettyImages
BLACK HISTORY MONTH. Wake County Public Libraries will recognize Black History Month with a series of more than 100 free programs at locations across the county in February. “Celebrate Black Brilliance” features author talks, oral histories, art lessons, movies, family storytimes, musical performances and much more. View a list of events here.
VALENTINE’S DINNER DATE. Good Day Good Night is offering a three-course menu for Valentine’s Day. The meal is $75 per person and includes a choice of appetizer, entree and a shared dessert. Options include lamb lollipops with a soy pepper glaze and Vietnamese herb salad; and a duck breast with sweet potato puree, miso caramel cornbread stuffing and cranberry gastriqué. Dessert offerings include creme brulee and fresh berries with a Grand Marnier chantilly.
Photo by Cindy Huntley
FLOWER POWER. The North Carolina Museum of Art hosts its annual floral fundraiser, Art in Bloom, from March 15–19. The event will feature more than 30 floral arrangements, offering visitors a unique way to connect with art through floral interpretations of the museum’s latest acquisitions and visitor-favorite works from the newly reimagined “People’s Collection” in West Building. Tickets are $30 for members and $33 for non-members.
DONUT RUN. The Krispy Kreme Challenge takes place this Saturday, February 4. The challenge begins at the Memorial Belltower at North Carolina State University. Runners then travel 2.5 miles through historic downtown Raleigh to the Krispy Kreme donut shop at the intersection of Peace and Person Streets, where they attempt to consume one dozen original glazed doughnuts, then run 2.5 miles back to the Memorial Belltower. Register here.
FUNDRAISING. Auction items have been set for the annual Triangle Wine & Food Experience February 2–4. The Main Event Live Auction lots include a trip to High Hampton Resort in Highlands, North Carolina, a private box for 16 to see Stevie Nicks at PNC Arena on May 12 and a custom-crafted piece of jewelry from Bailey’s Fine Jewelry valued at $10,000. Proceeds benefit the Frankie Lemmon School & Developmental Center. View the auction lots here. Ticket sales for this event have closed.
FARM PRESERVATION. Wake County is taking steps to protect farms and forest land from an increasingly hot development market. A new Farmland Preservation Program aims to conserve Wake County’s nearly 700 farms and help combat North Carolina’s ranking as the second highest state in the nation for farmland loss, as calculated by the American Farmland Trust. In the last nine years, Wake County lost 22,964 acres of its farm and forest land. Learn more here.
ON THE HUNT. Search in the City is hosting the Durham Black History Car Scavenger Hunt, a $10 interactive challenge featuring 10 locations that span across Durham. Just hop in your car and get going! This edition of the scavenger hunt takes participants on a 90-minute self-guided tour of historic Durham and features the rich history of the black community. Follow clues by using the internet to unearth secret locations. Take photos and videos of your adventure, and correctly finish the word challenges to complete the hunt.
Join in a winter scavenger hunt for ages 8 and older at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences’ Prairie Ridge Ecostation this Saturday, 2–3 p.m. Participants will meet in the outdoor classroom, which is down the gravel path from the entrance gate. There, they will receive a list of items to seek, then they can search independently for the items on the list. Participants will need to take photos of the items, so please bring a phone, iPad or other device with a digital camera.
SUMMER MEAL PROGRAM. The Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina is seeking new vendors and meal sites for the upcoming Kids Summer Meals program, which offers free nutritious meals to children 18 and under from mid-June through mid-August. The program is looking for restaurants or catering companies interested in providing healthy, prepared meals. Site interest and vendor interest meetings can be scheduled online.
Photo courtesy of the Poe Center
TERRIFIC TEETH. The Poe Center for Health Education, in partnership with the Raleigh Wake County Dental Society, will host its annual Terrific Teeth Day this Saturday, February 4, 9 a.m.–1 p.m. The event is free and open to the public, and is designed for ages pre-K through grade three. There will be dental screenings for kids under age 12, courtesy of the Colgate Bus; an oral health-themed magic show; a tooth fairy pillow-making activity; a dentist Q&A; make-and-take healthy snacks; and more.
BASEBALL FREEBIES. The Carolina Mudcats’ 2023 promotions schedule includes 10 souvenir giveaways events and 11 Friday Night Fireworks nights for the upcoming season at Five County Stadium in Zebulon. The giveaways include hats, replica jerseys and tote bags, and will be provided to the first 1,000 fans in attendance. Additional giveaways and theme nights are scheduled all season.
GOODWILL GRANTS. Goodwill Industries of Eastern North Carolina, Inc. will award $1.5 million in grants this year to 33 community service organizations in 51 counties in eastern North Carolina. Goodwill Industries partners with organizations to ensure continued and sustainable progress in combating homelessness, food insecurity, addiction, human-trafficking, poverty and other circumstances.
ARTISTS IN RESIDENCE. Artspace in Raleigh welcomes artists Anna Payne Rogers Previtte,
Photo of Anna Payne Rogers painting courtesy of Artspace
Isabel Lu and Jalen Jackson as part of its NC Emerging Artists in Residence and HBCU Artist Residency programs. The residency includes a monthly stipend along with a private, rent-free studio for one year. Artspace is a nonprofit visual arts center providing studio space to more than 35 artists.
