Tammy's Raleigh-Durham Blog

The Raleigh Farmer's Market is going to be just peachy this Thursday, as vendors and customers celebrate the 2008 State Farmer's Market Peach Day. The event is scheduled to take place from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., and will showcase this year's wonderful peach crop.

Visitors will get a chance to enjoy free peach ice cream samples, get free peach recipes and information and meet the N.C. Peach Queen, who will be making an appearance at Peach Day. Visitors who want to show off their baking skills can enter the "Favorite Peach Dessert Contest" for a chance to win their share of the contest's $175 purse.

For more information about event, or about the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (NCDA & CS) Farmer's Markets, call (919) 733-7417.

The bottom line? Even if you can't sneak away from work to join this Thursday's peach-themed lunchtime festivities, make sure to indulge in some locally-grown peaches this summer. The peaches at the Raleigh Farmer's Market are way better than most grocery store peaches. In fact, I've been stopping by the Raleigh Farmer's Market every chance I get to pick up peaches and sweet corn. Trust me, it's worth a special trip!

Raleigh-Durham residents must love their Starbucks stores. Although the coffee giant is closing 600 of its 11, 434 stores in the United States, all of the chain's Raleigh-Durham locations have been spared.

The only Triangle-area Starbucks to get the axe is a relatively new stand-alone location in Chatham Downs Shopping Center, located in a semi-rural area South of Chapel Hill. However, even Chatham Downs' coffee addicts need not worry: that particular shopping center contains a second Starbucks location inside of the center's Harris Teeter grocery store.

So, Triangle-residents can breathe a sigh of relief, knowing that their favorite Starbucks locations will be there to give them the high-priced caffeine fix that they have come to depend on.

WakeMed Soccer Park teemed with activity this afternoon as the Carolina RailHawks faced-off against the Rayados de Monterrey, one of Mexico's most beloved (and competitive) soccer teams.

The match, which was one of a four game Futbol Tecate exhibition series, was a close one that ended in defeat for the Carolina RailHawks. The RailHawks lost the scoreless game to Monterrey in penalty kicks. The game was made even more exciting by the seemingly boundless energy of the fans, whose divided loyalties (it's fair to say that many of those in attendance weren’t rooting for the RailHawks!) led to lots of fan involvement. The fans cheered constantly, and they did the wave with more enthusiasm than I've ever seen any crowd muster.

The crowd was also treated to appearances by soccer legends Manuel Negrete and Luis Roberto Alves (also known as "Zague") who posed for pictures with adoring fans and demonstrated their soccer skills during a half-time show that had the audience on their feet.

The RailHawks' next home game will be on August 1st, at 8:00 p.m vs. the Vancouver Whitecaps. Carolina RailHawks tickets can be purchased online or at the LGFCU Box Office at WakeMed Soccer Park.

Sure, the N.C. State Fair has plenty of sows, plows and tractors on display. And, yes, its mind-boggling array of midway attractions keeps visitors' bellies full and heads spinning. But one of the greatest things about the N.C. State Fair is its nightly concerts at Dorton Arena, which boast big-name performers and relatively affordable ticket prices.

The 2008 N.C. State Fair entertainers include country singer Josh Turner, who will be performing on the fair's opening night (Thursday, October 16), celebrity chef Bobby Flay, of Food Network Fame, and Bucky Covington, a Carolina boy who rocketed to fame on American Idol.

Montgomery Gentry, Toby Mac, Joe Nichols, Leeland, Lady Antebellum, Heidi Newfield, Jason Aldean and Mario are among the other acts performing at the 2008 N.C. State Fair.

Ticket prices range from $5.00-$31.50, but there's a catch: there is no range of ticket prices for each show. Instead, ticket prices are charged at a flat fee for each show. For instance, all tickets to the Bucky Covington concert are $5.00, but all tickets to the Montgomery Gentry show are 31.50. Tickets can be purchased online (they go on sale Aug. 1) or at the Dorton Arena Box Office.

Check out the NC State Fair Image Gallery!

The Dark Knight, a new film based on the comic book character Batman, opens in the Triangle this Friday, July 18. The movie, which stars the late Heath Ledger as the Joker, has gotten rave reviews from critics. Die hard Batman fans have been anticipating the release of this film for months, and accordingly, many opening-weekend screenings in the Raleigh-Durham area will be sold out.

However, there are currently still seats to be had, including some for this weekend's screenings at downtown Raleigh's IMAX theater. My guess is that this weekend's IMAX shows are sure to sell out soon (Friday's tickets are already all gone). In fact, the giant IMAX screen may be the ideal way to watch The Dark Knight, since many of the sequences in the movie were actually filmed in the IMAX format. Tickets to the IMAX shows can be purchased online, or at the Marbles IMAX box office.

Many area movie theaters, including Southpoint Cinemas in Durham's Streets at Southpoint Mall, have added midnight The Dark Knight show times in order to accommodate the anticipated rush of moviegoers this weekend. Tickets to those shows can also be purchased online.

Triangle Segway, a personal transporter dealership located in Raleigh's historic City Market, offers guided Segway tours of downtown Raleigh's landmarks.

I went on one of their tours last week, and I can definitely say that it was a really unique experience and would recommend it to anyone who wants to see Raleigh in a new (and slightly adventurous) way.

Triangle Segway's tours go out daily (except for Mondays), rain or shine. Tickets are $30-$55, depending on the length of the tour. Tickets can be purchased online, or by calling Triangle Segway at (919) 828-1988.

Need a summer vacation? The North Carolina Theatre Company would be glad to escort you on a journey to Neverland this week, as they present a musical adaptation of "Peter Pan".

The show is based on the play written by Scottish playwright James M. Barrie and stars Raleigh's Theatre in the Park founder Ira David Wood III as "Hook."

"Peter Pan" is being held at the Raleigh Memorial Auditorium, and will run through Sunday, July 20. Tickets can be purchased online, and cost $25-$76.

Marbles Kids Museum in downtown Raleigh has gotten into the Olympic Spirit. Their new hands-on "Marbles Olympics" exhibit is scheduled to open tomorrow, and they want Triangle-area families to go for the gold!

Their kick-off event/opening ceremonies are going to take place from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. tomorrow (Saturday, July 12), and will feature craft activities, an appearance by Carolina Hurricanes captain Rob Brind'Amour, games and sporting activities galore. Kids can get some hands-on hockey practice, set new long jump records, make their own Marbles Olympic medals, and feel like winners on the Marbles Olympics awards podium.

Since the Marbles Olympics are presented in partnership with the Carolina Hurricanes, 'Canes merchandise (including autographed pucks and posters) and tickets will be raffled off every hour, all day long.

The activities at the opening ceremonies of the Marbles Olympics are included in the price of museum admission, which is $5.00 per ticket. Tickets are required for everyone who is over 1 year of age.

The NC General Assembly is considering passing a bill (Senate Bill 1695) which would allow longer (53 vs. 48 feet long) and heavier trucks on our roads. Highway safety experts predict that allowing the larger trucks on our roads will lead to an increase in highway fatalities as well as increased wear and tear on road surfaces and infrastructure such as bridges.

North Carolina currently has more fatal crashes involving large trucks than almost any other state in the nation (we're currently in the top five), and we'd be likely to move up in the standings if this bill becomes law.

In addition to allowing dangerously long and heavy trucks on our roads, the bill allows for boats up to 10 feet wide to be hauled day or night, without a permit. Since many of the lanes on North Carolina's roads are only 10 feet wide, and many roads lack shoulders, a 10 foot-wide boat will often cross into adjacent lanes, causing a serious hazard to other motorists. Currently, boats of that width can only be hauled during daylight hours and non-peak traffic times, and must have a permit to be hauled.

The bill has already been approved by the NC Senate, and the NC House of Representatives is scheduled to vote on this bill this Monday, July 14.

If you feel that this bill, which is a darling of the N.C. Trucking Association, will make our roads more dangerous, please let your state representative know how you feel.