November

16th Annual Carolina Renaissance Festival (near Charlotte, NC)
16445 Poplar Tent Road Crafts Program, Huntersville NC 28078.  Located just north of Charlotte between Concord and Huntersville on Highway 73 at Poplar Tent Road (between I-77 and I-85). Exit 25 on I-77 or exits 52 or 55 on I-85.  Saturdays and Sundays, 10am - 5:30pm.  From the website: "The Carolina Renaissance Festival is a medieval amusement park, a 9-stage theater, a 20-acre circus, an arts and crafts fair, a jousting tournament and a feast -- all rolled into one non-stop, day-long family adventure!"  Rain or shine.  No pets.  Free parking.  Kids under 5 free.

Editor's Note:  We look forward to the Carolina Renaissance Festival every year - it is one of our favorite annual family outings, and well worth the drive.  The fair is a renaissance village featuring physical buildings and structures that are permanent year-round, but used just for the Festival during Festival season.  (It's not an empty field, it's a reproduction medieval village with trees, grass, shady areas, buildings, stages, all enclosed, with an area encompassing 20 acres.)  When arriving at the gates, visitors feel as though they are entering a medieval town; everyone is dressed in period clothing and acting various roles from knights to knaves, fairies to jugglers, ladies in waiting to falconers.  Watch knights on horseback jousting; see medieval jugglers and jokesters; experience a falconer show; enjoy minstrels and merriment; try your hand at archery; ride a camel; give the Jacob's Ladder a whirl; enjoy live music and comedy; greet the strange and fascinating walking tree; see the royal procession headed by the reigning King & Queen in full royal regalia . . So much fun for the whole family!  Dress up in period clothing (not required) and join in the fun!  Both children and adults love it.

www.royalfaires.com/carolina/
1-877-896-5544

Duke Children's Hospital Benefit Hunter Jumper Horse Show - Daily show Tuesday through Sunday begins at 8:00 am with FREE ADMISSION during the day. Admission is charged for Saturday night Grand Prix at 7:30 pm.

The 26th annual Duke Children's Benefit Horse Show features six days of competition by horses and their riders from the United States and Canada. In addition to competition, the show offers all ages a behind-the-scenes look at how horses are cared for, trained and shown. Youngsters can see the horses in their stalls in the tents and five permanent barns on the complex grounds.

The show also features equestrian collectibles and unique gifts from around the country as well as a silent auction open for bidding Tuesday through Saturday night. Family fun night 5:30 - 6:30 pm with a stick race at 6:45 pm Friday night (bring your own stick horse).
www.trianglefarms.com

16th Annual Carolina Renaissance Festival (near Charlotte, NC)
16445 Poplar Tent Road Crafts Program, Huntersville NC 28078.  Located just north of Charlotte between Concord and Huntersville on Highway 73 at Poplar Tent Road (between I-77 and I-85). Exit 25 on I-77 or exits 52 or 55 on I-85.  Saturdays and Sundays, 10am - 5:30pm.  From the website: "The Carolina Renaissance Festival is a medieval amusement park, a 9-stage theater, a 20-acre circus, an arts and crafts fair, a jousting tournament and a feast -- all rolled into one non-stop, day-long family adventure!"  Rain or shine.  No pets.  Free parking.  Kids under 5 free.

For more info, please scroll up to see Oct 31 - Nov. 1 listing for the Carolina Renaissance Festival.

www.royalfaires.com/carolina/
1-877-896-5544

Dine Out and Make a Difference: 10% donated to IFC help fight hunger in our community!  (around a 100 participating local Chapel Hill/Carrboro area restaurants!)
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
When you dine out on Tuesday, November 10, 2009, around 100 local Chapel Hill and Carrboro restaurants give 10% to the Inter-Faith Council for Social Service (IFC) to help fight hunger in our community.  Last year, IFC served over 92,000 meals through IFC's community kitchen, and over 14,000 bags of groceries were distributed through IFC's community pantry. 

Visit www.ifcweb.org for more info and to see a list of participating restaurants.  Dine out and make a difference at your favorite restaurant, or else take this opportunity to try a new restaurant and help fight hunger in our community. 

FALL HARVEST at the NC Museum of Life + Science
433 Murray Avenue, Durham, NC 27704
(919) 220-5429
Saturday, November 14, 2009, 10am - 4pm; (museum closes at 5pm) $ Admission (events are free with admission or membership)

Image courtesy of
NC Museum of Life + Science website

Fall into the Harvest Season at the Museum with a variety of hands-on activities and meet local experts who will share information on sustainable farming and green living.

Featured activities/workshops at the NC Museum of Life + Science's Fall Harvest:

The Travelling Teacher ShowTeacher show: Come play with your food! The Traveling Teacher Show is making art with fruits and vegetables. Create a wonderful painting with apples, pears, corn, and more. Imagination and creativity are a must for this eco-art activity! Children of all ages are welcome from 10am-2pm!

The Goat Patrol! Meet Alix Bowman and learn more about targeted grazing with this environmentally friendly solution to weed and brush removal.

Storytelling - Tales of Autumn: Join beloved local storyteller Louise Omoto Kessel as she weaves tales of Autumn.

Elodie Farms, Atritourism and Goat Chees Making: Dave Artigues, owner and operator of Elodie Farms stops by to talk about the making of farmstead goat cheeses and the history of this unique dairy that sits on 21 acres in the Piedmont. Learn more about how Elodie Farms is promoting Agritourism in the Triangle.
1:00 pm ? 4:00 pm

?What's For Dinner??: Join members of the Piedmont Chapter of the American Association of Zookeepers who will be sharing information about what animals eat and how different animals eat. Learn more about the diet of some of your favorite animals here at the Museum! This group of motivated animal keepers works together to help animals by expanding knowledge and by educating others. They will be raising funds to benefit the animals at the Museum of Life and Science as well as their friends in the wild. There will be note cards and calendars for sale, and donations will be welcome. All proceeds benefit the NC Piedmont AAZK chapter.
Geology (10:00 am ? 2:00 pm)

Meet members of the EPA Speakers Bureau from the RTP campus. The EPA booth will focus on how we can all use sustainable practices from day-to-day by conserving both energy and water. How much water do you use in a day and what have you done to limit the amount of water you use? How much energy do you use and what can you do to use less? Come by the EPA booth for some hands on conservation activities and tips on how to conserve water and energy.

Permaculture Workshop: Come and learn how to make a worm bin at home and explore Permaculture, a method of sustainable landscape design that uses thoughtful planning in the incorporation of the many elements that lead to a more self-sufficient, energy efficient, waste deficient home. In this workshop you will learn how to: grow your own organic fruit and vegetables, raise chickes in your back yard, conserve water and energy, and reduce your overall ?waste' production. One does not need a hundred acres, or even a quarter acre, to attend.

?An Apple a Day?  Join museum staff and volunteers to learn more about the variety of apples grown here in North Carolina and try your hand at pressing apple cider!

www.lifeandscience.org
(919) 362-5416.

16th Annual Carolina Renaissance Festival (near Charlotte, NC)
16445 Poplar Tent Road Crafts Program, Huntersville NC 28078.  Located just north of Charlotte between Concord and Huntersville on Highway 73 at Poplar Tent Road (between I-77 and I-85). Exit 25 on I-77 or exits 52 or 55 on I-85.  Saturdays and Sundays, 10am - 5:30pm.  From the website: "The Carolina Renaissance Festival is a medieval amusement park, a 9-stage theater, a 20-acre circus, an arts and crafts fair, a jousting tournament and a feast -- all rolled into one non-stop, day-long family adventure!"  Rain or shine.  No pets.  Free parking.  Kids under 5 free.

For more info, please scroll up to see Oct 31 - Nov. 1 listing for the Carolina Renaissance Festival.

www.royalfaires.com/carolina/
1-877-896-5544