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Published: April 4, 2009
Greetings, Smittyheads!
This edition will be the only one for April. I usually take the month off from Smitty's Notes World (not from my day job as some folks may think . . . lol ) to cool my jets for a bit. As you can see, there is a lot of interesting news and events to keep you thinking-and keep you busy. I'll pop out the foxhole for Evening with Eight-Plus Smitty! scheduled for Thursday, April 23rd, 6-8 p.m. at the Piedmont Club.
And though I'll be making myself scarce, you can still check out what's going on online 24/7 on SmittysNotes.com throughout the month. Since the Eventorama.org database was integrated into the Web site in February, it has become the most popular destination according to page views each week.
Hope to see you out and about during the month.
Now to the business at hand . . .
News from Around the Scene
The Downtown Winston-Salem Partnership has entered the blogsphere
For those of you who follow what's happening downtown, I have new source for you. The Downtown Winston-Salem Partnership
(DWSP) just launched a new blog as a companion to its monthly e-newsletter, "Downtown Developments." It gives you the latest news on retail, restaurants, events and special meetings that you might want to know about. And while Smitty's Notes relays quite a bit of news going in the downtown area, the DWSP Blog and picks up and posts news as soon as it breaks. It's an alternative to receiving more messages in your e-mailbox, and you can be the first to know to be in-the-know. That should impress your friends ;-) DWSP will still publish the e-mail monthly newsletter "Downtown Developments". To find out the latest go to - http://downtownwinstonsalem.blogspot.com/ Here's a tid bit from the DWSP blog...
How Do you Become an Urban Pioneer?
Invited: Anyone interested in buying into downtown
Krankie's Coffee will host the first of several forums on what it takes to become an Urban Pioneer. The event will showcase the experience and insight of people who have done it, as well as provide connections to professionals you who can help you with the pioneering process. Emphasis will be placed on what it takes to find and acquire properties, how to finance renovations and repairs, as well as long-term strategies for energizing Winston Salem's historic neighborhoods.
Date: April 21
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Krankie's Coffee 211 W. Third Street
Twin City Diner Represents the Twin City in Recipe Challenge
If you're a fan of The Food Network's "Iron Chef" series, you've probably been watching the local version of the show on FOX8 every Wednesday morning: "Recipe Wednesday Challenge." Morning reporter Shannon Smith has visited several Triad restaurants during the month of March and has challenged chefs to create a dish every half- hour based on a secret ingredient.
Twin City Diner was the perfect restaurant to represent, duh, the Twin City, in the Recipe Challenge and was the only Winston-Salem restaurant in the series. Twin City Diner Chef Darrick Hines went up against restaurant Chef/Owner Chris "Gus" Karahalios on March 18, and the secret ingredient was ... (drumroll, please) ground beef. The guys cooked up some great-looking burgers and pasta dishes. In the end, Chef Hines inched out a win over Gus. Sorry, Gus, but Smitty still loves your burgers!
You can see several of the segments on Fox8's Web site. The recipes featured in the Recipe Challenge also are listed. Be sure to visit Twin City Diner, which is now open on Sundays from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., to check out the dishes for yourself. Yummo! Oops, that's a different show
Attention Smarty Smittyheads!
Just learned of a new blog in the Triad-www.TriadSmartyPants.com (yes, that's the name). This site is a new source for Triad area moms and moms-to-be who are looking for parenting tips, reviews and family-friendly events, as well as a place to connect with other women who share similar parental triumphs and challenges. It is a sister blog to the popular CharlotteSmartyPants.com that launched in late 2007.
TriadSmartyPants is being led by two Winston-Salemites: Katie Moosbrugger, VP of Mommyhood in the Triad and Rachel Hoeing, assistant VP of Mommyhood in the Triad. The blog features a daily story written by a local mom, weekly event listings, guest blog submissions and Smarty Mom profiles. So, all you Moms (and dads comfortable with your masculinity) check it out!
Part game. Part race. Part city tour . . . and a whole lot of fun!
Discover history and art, and become aware of the community in downtown Winston-Salem. You're invited to take part in the Scene in Winston-Salem Scavenger Hunt to be held Saturday, April 18, 2009 from 2:00 p.m.- 6:00 p.m. Here's the deal: Teams of two will solve clues that will lead them to various downtown destinations where they will perform tasks. The race ends with a party to interact with other Scavenger Hunters, and an awards ceremony. This is a wonderful opportunity for people who are new to the area or for people who have lived in W-S all their lives to discover some of the hidden treasures in downtown. Register your team of two, come up with a creative name, design a costume, and get ready to check out the Scene in Winston-Salem! Registration is open at http://www.sceneinwinston-salem.com.
Proceeds to benefit the Meade Willis Downtown Redevelopment Loan Fund of the Downtown Winston-Salem Foundation. The Fund was established in 2001 for the purpose of assisting restaurants, clubs and galleries that want to operate downtown.
The hunt begins at the Winston-Salem's Visitor's Center located at 200 Brookstown Avenue. Cost: $20.00, which includes an event T-shirt and food at the after-party. For more information contact: Susan Morris at 336-407-8742
Email: susan@sceneinwinston-salem.com
11th Annual RiverRun International Film Festival Returns! – April 22–29, 2009
The RiverRun International Film Festival has announced the full lineup of films to be featured at the upcoming 2009 Festival. Held April 22-29, the 11th annual Festival will screen 37 feature films and 63 shorts from 26 countries. The Festival is dedicated to fostering a greater appreciation of cinema and a deeper understanding of the many people, Cultures and perspectives of our world through regular interaction with great films and filmmakers. This year's Festival includes a broad mix of both emerging and established filmmakers from around the world.
The Festival will kick off with the opening night screening of (500) DAYS OF SUMMER with director Marc Webb in attendance. Guillermo Arriaga's directorial debut THE BURNING PLAIN, starring Charlize Theron and Kim Bassinger, will screen as the Centerpiece Premiere, and the festival's closing night will feature a screening of the Harold Lloyd classic 1928 silent comedy SPEEDY, accompanied by the Alloy Orchestra. RiverRun will also present its inaugural Emerging Master Award to filmmaker (and Winston-Salem native) Ramin Bahrani following a screening of his latest film GOODBYE SOLO.
Tickets and all-access passes are now on sale at the Stevens Center box office, via www.riverrunfilm.com or over the phone (336-721-1945). For up-to-date information, or for details about volunteering at the Festival, visit www.riverrunfilm.com or call 336-724-1502.
12th Annual Hospice Hope Run-10K Run & 5K Walk wants you!
Hospice & Palliative CareCenter and the Twin City Track Club are calling all runners. On Saturday, April 25th, the two organizations are hosting the 12th Annual Hospice Hope Run-10K Run & 5K Walk at Ernie Shore Field at 8:30 a.m. This cardio event will help support the programs and services of Hospice & Palliative CareCenter. The race is huge--as in more than 800 folks from the community participating and MORE are needed. Runners, power walkers, and leisurely strollers are encouraged to take part in the event.
Twin City Track Club will direct the race along with the Winston-Salem Police Department, medical personnel, civic groups, and Hospice volunteers playing supporting roles. The cost is $22 for those who register early (on or before April 10th) and $25 after April 10th and on race day. The entry fee includes a custom-designed T-shirt, goodie bag, post-race refreshments, and awards. Door prizes will be drawn following the race. Everyone is asked to sign up now. With spring here, chances are good that April 25th will be a lovely day to come out and show your support. For more information or to register, please call Amy Williamson at Hospice 331-1301 or Amy.Williamson@hospicecarecenter.org
North Carolina Writers' Network Spring Conference – Saturday, April 25, 2009 at UNCG
The 2009 North Carolina Writers' Network Spring Conference, will be held Saturday, April 25, from 8:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. in the Elliott University Center at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. This yea''s Keynote Speaker will be New York Times best-selling author Sharyn McCrumb who will discuss "Keepers of the Legends: Writing about North Carolina"
The annual event draws more than one hundred writers for intensive workshops in fiction, creative nonfiction, playwriting, poetry, and publishing, led by distinguished writing faculty from across the nation. This year's conference will also feature a Publishing Panel with book and journal editors, a Faculty Reading, an Open Mike Reading for conference attendees, and "Lunch with an Author," in which attendees share lunch and personal conversation with one of the authors on the faculty.
Conference participants may select from a variety of half-and full-day workshops, including "Nowhere to Hide," a creative nonfiction workshop with Sir Walter Raleigh Award-winning writer Lee Zacharias; "Local Atmospheres," a poetry workshop with renowned poet David Roderick; "Writing Life Stories" with author Marianne Gingher, the former director of the Creative Writing Program at UNC-Chapel Hill; and "Playwriting Improv" with playwright Alan Cook. Other instructors include Quinn Dalton, Jack Riggs, and Valerie Nieman on fiction; Carolyn Beard Whitlow on poetry; Carol Roan on reading and speaking for an audience; and NCWN executive director Ed Southern on nonfiction.
Registration for the conference—made possible with support from the Center for Creative Writing in the Arts, UNC-Greensboro, and the North Carolina Arts Council-is $100 for Network members, $150 for nonmembers. To register, visit www.ncwriters.org, or call 919-251-9140 for more information.
Latest News on the opening of Senor Bravo - a upscale Mexican restaurant
In the September Edition of Smitty's Notes, it was announced that owners of Las Estrellas, the popular Mexican restaurant on Peters Creek Parkway, had taken over the location of the old South by Southwest location (241 South Marshall Street). Plans are to open a new white-tablecloth, upscale, authentic Mexican restaurant. It will be called Senor Bravo Mexican Restaurant. Like most renovations and remodeling projects, this one is bound to experience delays due primarily to upgrading the building and bringing it up to code, as required by new health regulations.
The latest anticipated date for Senor Bravo;s opening is now May 1, 2009. To squash the rumors before they start, Las Estrellas will remain open and continue its dining concept and service.
Shepherd's Center Used Book Sale to be Held April 30 - May 2, 2009
The Shepherd's Center of Greater Winston-Salem will hold its 22nd Annual Used Book Sale on Thursday, April 30 and Friday, May 1 from 9 am - 9 pm, and on Saturday, May 2 from 8 am - 1 pm.
The sale will be held in the Education Building at the Dixie Classic Fairgrounds. Entrance for parking is through Gate 5 from Deacon Blvd. (30th Street). There is no admission and there will be thousands of used books and other items on hand for sale at wonderful prices. Parking is free.
The Shepherd's Center is an interfaith ministry whose mission is to support and promote successful aging through educational, service, volunteer and support programs for older adults.
The Shepherd's Center accepts donations of books throughout the year and conducts its annual sale to raise operating funds for programs serving older adults. In 2008, more than 3,000 older adults benefited from our services. Unsold books are donated to other local and regional non-profits to further benefit the community.
All proceeds go to support the ministry's programs and services with older adults in our community. For more information contact the Shepherd's Center at 748-0217 or visit www.shepherdscenter.org
Coming up in May is the return of Salute! The North Carolina Wine Celebration, to be held in downtown Winston-Salem, on Saturday, May 8, 2009.
This has been selected as one of the "Top 20 Events In The Southeast" by the Southeast Tourism Society, Here's a rundown of the Salute! Weekend 2009….
Event: Salute! Wine Festival's "Winemaker Dinners"
Date: Friday, May 8, 2009
Locations: Area restaurants
Description: A "Foodies" Delight!
Winston-Salem's best chefs team up with North Carolina's most notable winemakers to create culinary masterpieces. Gather your friends and choose your favorite menu served at one of Winston-Salem's most popular restaurants. Be sure to make your reservations early...these seats are sure to fill up fast! All Winemaker 20 Dinner Pairings and menus are posted at www.salutencwine.com, or call 336-354-1500 for more information.
Event: Salute! The North Carolina Wine Celebration
Date: Saturday, May 9, 2009
Time: 12 noon–6 p.m.
Location: 4th Street between Spring and Marshall Streets, Downtown Winston-Salem
Description: The fourth annual Salute! The North Carolina Wine Celebration uncorks in the streets of Downtown Winston-Salem, with more than 25 North Carolina wineries offering tastings and purchase of their harvest. Voted a "Top 20 Event in the Southeast" by the Southeast Tourism Society, this event offers a total experience that highlights the fast-growing North Carolina wine industry in a fun and festive setting. Delicious food selections, musical entertainment by Doubletake and Braco and the popular North Carolina Wine University, an interactive and fun educational area will be definite crowd-pleasers. Tickets for the festival may be purchased online at www.salutencwine.com or by calling 336-354-1500.
Event: Salute! AfterParty
Date: Saturday, May 9, 2009
Time: 6:00 p.m.–11:00pm
Description: The grand finale of Salute Weekend features one hot party in the streets of downtown, showcasing high-energy 1970s and''80s disco funk entertainment by The Throwback Band. This free concert, presented by Foothills Brewing Company, will have you dancing in the streets....don't miss it! This event is sponsored by Foothills Brewery and Smitty's Notes. For more information, check out the website, www.salutencwine.com or call the Downtown Winston-Salem Partnership at 336-354-1500
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