More than just a front porch in Bynum

Chatham County is filled with many talented musicians and groups and there are a lot of great venues, stages, and front porches where they play.  One such front porch happens to be in Bynum, off 15-501 in between Chapel Hill and Pittsboro.  Every year they host their front porch music series and it’s an excellent place to hear amazing music from talented folks all across NC.  You can check out their calendar online, but I’ve also put the schedule below.  Bynum is closer than you think!  And, it’s a great destination for live music.  Bring friends and family! 

May 4

Mipso Trio

7-9 p.m.

May 11

SquierRed & The Blues Band

7-9 p.m.

May 18

The Zinc Kings

7-9 p.m.

May 25

JuleBrown

7-9 p.m.

June 1

Zambamboogee

7-9 p.m.

June 8

Onward, Soldiers

7-9 p.m.

June 15

Boys From Carolina

7-9 p.m.

June 22

Hot Rooster

7-9 p.m.

June 29

Killer Filler!

7-9 p.m.

July 6

Les Freres Kairaba!

7-9 p.m.

July 13

The Swayback Sisters

7-9 p.m.

July 20

Samantha Casey and The Bluegrass Jam

7-9 p.m.

July 27

Dark Water Rising

7-9 p.m.

August 3

Lizzy Ross Band

7-9 p.m.

August 10

Justin Robinson and the Mary Annettes

7-9 p.m.

August 17

Smith Family Bluegrass

7-9 p.m.

August 24

The Bluegrass Experience

7-9 p.m.

August 31

Chompin’ At The Bit String Band

7-9 p.m.

Beer Garden in Fearrington open

A BEER GARDEN IN FEARRINGTON?
Yup. Roost is Fearrington’s own Beer Garden, set beneath beautiful oak trees near the Village Center. Lots of local, outdoor art, patio seating, and beer to be had. On Fridays and Saturdays, you can usually hear live musicians play on the front porch. It opened on the 13^th and will continue operating through the Fall.

BEERS ON TAP
They feature draft beers from the Carolina Brewery in Pittsboro and Durham newcomer, Fullsteam. You don’t have to get beer. Roost also has wine, water, and ales available. And, if you need a salty snack, sell Virginia peanuts. Delicious!

HOURS
Open Spring, Summer & Fall
Thursday-Saturday, 4pm-8pm
(919) 542-1239

Earth Day Public Service Announcements (PSAs)

Shameless plug: I made 3 Public Service Announcements (PSAs) for the Briar Chapel Earth Day Celebration to benefit The Abundance Foundation and entered them into the Best Buddy contest.  Why am I mentioning PSAs again? Well, I think the only people who have submitted PSAs so far have been Briar Chapel Best Buddy contestants and I think it would be a shame if folks from the community didn't submit one as well.  Briar Chapel is looking for some environmentally-focused PSAs that are :30 and :60 seconds long. Sing, draw, or talk about an environmental issue that is important to you, video tape it, upload it to YouTube, and submit your video link to Briar Chapel's Facebook page. It's easy and fun! PSAs will be shown on 4/21 in the early evening.
And, need something else fun to do that day? Come to Earth Day at Briar Chapel. Food trucks (Chirba Dumplings, The Parlour, Will & Pop's), Fullsteam Brewery, and Carolina Brewery will be on hand in the afternoon with some awesome vittles, snacks, and brew. And, they'll be donating 10% of what they make to go to The Abundance Foundation and the awesome work that they do (Sustainability Summer Camp for kids, anyone?). So, come out on 4/21 and invite friends and family to come with you - buy some delicious food, drink some beer, and support a wonderful local non-profit and a great community.

Two new PSAs:

Why I am Briar Chapel's Best Buddy

There aren’t many places that feel like home as soon as you get there.  When you do find that feeling, you just want to share it with others.  For me, that place is Briar Chapel. 

When I moved to the area, I had never really had neighbors before and the thought of living in a planned community gave me a lot of pause.  To me, planned communities were unoriginal and lackluster, just another means of squishing a lot of people together, but Briar Chapel is different.  They are focused on building a green community.  This focus is important to them and it shows – in the homes, the 24+ miles of bike and hiking trails, the dedicated green spaces and parks.  And, I think, it attracts a different kind of person, too.  I’ve never lived in a place where I’ve felt so connected to the community and the people who live in it.  I love my neighbors!  They are a collection of interesting, passionate, and charming folks you really can’t find anywhere else.  This whole Briar Chapel Best Buddy contest has been great because it’s given me an excuse to go out and better engage with this community and my neighbors. 

I feel like I am a Best Buddy because I’ve lived and become a part of this neighborhood.  I was one of the founding members of the community garden (when it was only a blueprint and an idea), I’m active on the trails and just running through the neighborhood, I’m not afraid to go up to a neighbor and introduce myself or say hello, most of the people I work around are constantly encouraged to come out and visit or take part in one of the many events that go on in Briar Chapel, etc. etc.  Frankly, there are a lot of reasons, but also because I just love this place that has become my home.  I encourage the folks that I work with, and now I’d like to encourage you to check out Briar Chapel.  They just do things differently here and I think it is a welcome addition to Chatham County.  I am a Briar Chapel Best Buddy and I think you should check Briar Chapel out.  Even if you don’t buy a home here, there is so much to do and wonderful folks to meet.  Give it a try on Earth Day (4/21) and see what you think.

PSA Contest

Briar Chapel is holding a Public Service Announcement contest for their Earth Day celebration on the 21st.  They are looking for PSAs that are :30 or :60 seconds long and have an environmentally-focused message.  You can submit yours via Briar Chapel’s Facebook page.  They’ll be showing the PSAs on the lawn of their large park, Briar Chapel Commons, on the evening on the 21^st.  Be sure to submit yours before the 21^st so you can take part! Here's one on composting:
 

Earth Day at Briar Chapel has events going on all day long, including:

-5k at 9 a.m.

-Food truck rodeo!

-Earth Day Fair with local businesses, artists, and organizations from 3-5

-Watching Wall-E outdoors on the Commons in the evening

It's going to be a beautiful day! Hope you can make it.

Pick Your Own: Strawberries

Unseasonably warm weather means it's almost strawberry picking time!  This is one of my favorite parts of spring.  You finally get through the duldrums of winter, scrambling to find one more bag of frozen berries in the back of your freezer, when it happens -- Spring.  Spring = fresh berries.  Finally.  North Carolina is wonderful because the growing season is slightly longer than in some states and there is a big push back into growing and producing food right here. 

Back to the berries!  The NC Strawberry Association puts together an online list of the strawberry farm closest to you with their Strawberry Farm Locator.  Here are a few that I know about:

• Oakley's Farm: 383 Oakley Farm Rd., Chapel Hill, 919-360-2924
• Jean's Berry Patch: 3003 N NC 751, Apex, 919-362-5800
• Buckwheat Farm: 2700 Holland Rd., Apex, 919-303-0339
• DJ's Berry Patch: 1223 Salem Church Rd., Apex, 919-600-4020
• Vollmer Farm (certified organic): 677 NC Hwy 98E, Bunn, 919-496-3076
• Whitted Bowers Farm (certified organic): 8707 Art Rd., Cedar Grove, 919-732-5132

Don't forget that the Piedmont Farm Tour is April 28-29. You can grab a button for this event at your local Weaver Street Co-op.

Happy picking!

Pittsboro

I'm still amazed by the amount of activites and events that go on in a "sleepy" town, not to mention the restaurants, bars, shops, and organizations that are a part of this same community.  Pittsboro has so many wonderful qualities.  Not only do you get the small town feel of knowing many of the residents by name, you also can quickly become an integral part of the community.  I've been trying to explore this area for a while and I've come up with a list of different places to go and things to do.  It is by no means complete -- there is always room to add more.  Below is a video of what I have uncovered so far. 

And, here are some snapshots. Let me know what I've missed!