The Independent Weekly's 2011 Best of the Triangle Party Moves to Durham Central Park, Includes More Family Fun

The Independent Weekly's 2011 Best of the Triangle Party, a celebration of the Triangle’s favorite places and things is tomorrow. Coincident with the annual Best of the Triangle which is on stands now, this year’s party will take place on Saturday, June 11, 2011, in Durham Central Park, one of Downtown Durham's most notable public spaces. Best of the Triangle winners are determined by reader vote, and with a record number of ballots tallied again this year, the friendly community competition continues to grow along with the region the Independent—or the Indy, as it’s often called—has covered for the past 28 years.

The 2011 party will feature live music from Floating Action, American Aquarium and more, as well as a special performance by the locally based and internationally recognized Bouncing Bulldogs rope skipping team. Highlighted by food, drinks, products and services from Best of the Triangle finalists, the party will also incorporate more family oriented activities, including a fire truck, clown, bouncy castle, caricature drawing and face painting.

Lenovo, the Morrisville-based computer maker, has enthusiastically and generously taken on the role of Title Partner for this year’s Best of the Triangle Party. Their donation of two laptops will be added to many other items—earrings from Jewelsmith, Hopscotch Music Festival VIP tickets, gift certificates and giveaways—for the charity raffle benefiting Durham Central Park. All of the proceeds from this raffle will go toward building a permanent stage in the park.

As seen in the logo above, acclaimed artist Paul Friedrich has used his beloved character Onion Head Monster to create the Best of the Triangle winner’s plaques, volunteer t-shirts and other graphic imagery. Paul will be on hand during the party exhibiting and selling his work.

Steve Schewel and David Birkhead, both longtime Durham, N.C., residents, dreamt of founding an alternative newspaper in the South during the early ’80s. In 1982, they hired their first editor and did just that, publishing the first issue in April 1983. In the years since, the Independent has helped change the state’s press coverage and political culture by influencing the mainstream media, pressuring political leaders and moving its readers to positive action.

The Independent has served as a consistent and strident cultural critic in North Carolina for decades, regularly winning awards for its arts and music writing, not to mention its long legacy of award-winning news coverage. With the support of its readers, advertisers, people like Paul Friedrich and organizations like Lenovo, the Independent is proud to exemplify its commitment to community with the 2011 Best of the Triangle Party.