Bull City BUCK$ Celebrates First Two 15,000 Point Redemptions

Two enthusiastic Durham explorers have won the grand prize for experiencing Durham to its fullest.

Bull City BUCK$, Durham's loyalty program, recently announced its first two BUCK$TERS who reached the 15,000 buck mark. Participants who use the app can redeemed that quantity of BUCK$ for an iPad - and two have now reached that milestone.

Mayor William V. "Bill" Bell, Wool E. Bull and Jamie Young (General Manager of University Ford & Kia) were all on hand to congratulate David Singleton and Rodney Derrick for being the first to reach the iPad threshold.

About the Winners David Singleton was the first BUCK$TER to amass 15,000 BUCK$. He works on the American Tobacco Campus. Rodney Derrick has participated in Bull City BUCK$ since the inception of the program  in February, 2012. He lives downtown and had to take a 5 month hiatus from the program to purchase an iPhone so he could continue participating.

About Bull City Buck$
Bull City BUCK$ is Durham's loyalty rewards program. It gives incentives for being a patron at Durham's local shops and restaurants. BUCK$TERS use mobile phones to scan QR codes that have been strategically located when shopping or eating. The more BUCK$TERS scan, the more BUCK$ they earn, and the more rewards that can be redeemed.

Learn more about all the unique places to go in Durham!

Durham Arts Council Presents the 2013 Durham Art Walk Spring Market

Imagine taking a leisurely stroll through the picturesque streets of Downtown Durham and browsing hundreds of pieces of artwork, talking to artists, enjoying live music, and tasting scrumptious foods. Your imagination doesn't have to take you too far, because the Durham Art Walk is coming soon.

The Durham Art Walk (DAW) Spring Market will take place on April 13 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and April 14 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m in downtown Durham.  The work of over 200 talented artists will be displayed at 33 venues, including the Durham Arts Council, Vega Metals, West Village Apartment Lofts, the Durham Armory, Bull City Arts Collaborative, Net Friends, LabourLove Gallery, Liberty Arts, the Pleiades Gallery, the Scrap Exchange, and the Smitten Boutique.   The Durham Art Walk is produced and presented by the Durham Arts Council.

The DAW Spring Market brings thousands of visitors for a weekend of art enjoyment, shopping, and exploration of all the great things the newly revitalized downtown Durham has to offer.  Visitors will be able enjoy festive musical performances, eat great food and find creative, local gifts for everyone on their Mother’s Day or graduation lists.  The full Art Walk program, including a list of artists and all Art Walk locations, is available in the Durham Herald-Sun the week before Art Walk and can also be viewed at www.durhamartwalk.com.

This year features a second collaboration with the Bull City BUCK$ mobile app program on the Art Walk “Scan”venger Hunt.  Each Art Walk site will feature a QR code that can be scanned to earn BUCK$, which can be redeemed at local businesses.

Storefront installations by the Durham Storefront Project will create a celebratory and springy atmosphere, providing unique artist installations throughout the Spring Market route.  Storefront installations are temporary, so catch them now before they disappear!  A talk by the Storefront Project artists will be held on Saturday April 13th from 5pm-7pm at the Carrack Modern Art Gallery on 111 W. Parrish St. in downtown Durham.

Art Walk is for the whole family.  Children’s shorts and cartoons are on view in the Durham Arts Council’s PSI Theater during the Art Walk weekend.  The Museum of Durham History’s newly renovated History Hub will feature Durham-centric educational exhibits and Art Walk artists.  The Scrap Exchange will feature a group of re-use artists on site during the Saturday of Art Walk.  Vega Metals will be continuing their tradition of offering a unique Durham Art Walk ornament.  Vega Metals will also have food trucks parked outside their location throughout the Art Walk weekend.

Live music organized by Kirk Ridge of the North Carolina Songwriter’s Co-Op will entertain visitors throughout the weekend at the Durham Arts Council, and the Durham Armory.  On Saturday Vega Metals will also have live music, organized by Squier Red.  The Durham School of the Arts will be showing student work Art Walk weekend and Saturday night at 7:30 will feature a dance performance by Blank Slate Dance Company.  The performance will take place at Weaver Auditorium and is being held to benefit cancer support organizations.

Hungry?  Food is never far away with Durham’s special fleet of food trucks and great restaurants including Art Walk sites Blue Coffee Café, Bull City Burger and Brewery, and Bull McCabe’s Irish Pub.  Also make sure to visit The Parlour, downtown Durhamn’s newest truck-to-storefront food addition, to grab some made-from-scratch ice cream during your walk!

“The creative economy is booming here in Durham,” said Durham Arts Council Executive Director Sherry DeVries, “and this event is a great example of this upsurge with so many talented artists at a single event working in every imaginable medium.  We intentionally keep Art Walk as an unjuried event to encourage visual artists at all levels to share and market their work – from artists showcasing for the first time to experienced, nationally known artists.”

The Durham Art Walk Spring Market is free and open to the public, rain or shine.  Visitors can take the Bull City Connector, a fare free bus service connecting Duke Medical Center and Golden Belt, on Saturday.  Free shuttle service is provided on Sunday by Hendrick Durham Auto Mall.  The Durham Art Walk is presented and produced by the Durham Arts Council with support from community sponsors.  For more information, visit online or call 919-560-ARTS.

Durham Arts Council, Inc. is a private, non-profit organization that promotes excellence in and access to the creation, experience and active support of the arts for all people in our community.  The Durham Arts Council, one of the oldest art councils in the United States and one of the largest in North Carolina, manages a historic building at 120 Morris St., a public facility in downtown Durham that attracts nearly 300,000 visitors a year.  The Durham Arts Council has year-round programs including art exhibitions; classes in the performing and visual arts; artist residencies; advocacy and fundraising; grants for artists and arts organizations; the Durham Art Walk; and CenterFest.  For more information, visit their website. To volunteer with the Durham Art Walk, email Lindsay Gordon.

For more information about great Durham art or things to do and see, please visit online.

Bull City Buck$ Scan-venger Hunt This Holiday Weekend

Some quick fun over the holiday weekend in on tap in Durham. Residents and visitors alike can participate.

Bull City Buck$, the consumer loyalty program in Durham that works by users scanning QR codes with their smart phones to earn Buck$ that can be redeemed for prizes, is running a program this holiday weekend akin to a scavenger hunt wherein participants have to find the codes to scan based on the clues.  It's a short hunt, it'll get folks out and about in Durham, and it's a family friendly good time.

Clue number one is below:

Ready?

Set?

GO!

'On the Lawn' Concert Series Expands in Durham

There are lots of ways to enjoy Durham, NC.  Music lovers have great options in the warmer months because Durham is home to several series of music events - one such is On the Lawn, a spring and summer entertainment series with music (and movies), new ways to dine and more.

Bull City BUCK$, an consumer loyalty app designed to help people explore and enjoy Durham (more below).  The loyalty/rewards program will feature a number of fun ways to scan QR codes and earn points to cash in at area hotspots. 

Jazz on the Lawn series is a new series debuting this year. Activities continue until October 5 with events including:

•    Back Porch Music on the Lawn, sponsored by WUNC-FM and now in its sixth year, will feature acts from the legendary Red Clay Ramblers to developing superstars The Old Ceremony
•    Movies on the Lawn, a series of music-themed documentaries selected by the Full Frame Film Festival
•    Other events including Pops for Pops on Father’s Day, three WNCU Jazz on the Lawn concerts sponsored by NCCU and a special performance by the American Dance Festival.

This year, chowing down ‘on the lawn’ is easier -- and tastier -- than ever with the opening of L’Uva to augment campus favorites Cuban Revolution, The District, Mellow Mushroom,  Saladelia Cafe, Tobacco Road and Tyler’s Taproom. 

“On the Lawn is the complete spring and summer get away, right here in your own backyard,” says Michael Goodmon, vice president of real estate for Capitol Broadcasting Company, which owns American Tobacco.  “As we begin construction on our new Diamond View III building, we look forward to serving even more neighbors and fans with great entertainment and opportunities to plug into this dynamic community.” 

On the Lawn’s schedule is as follows:
* Friday, May 4 - NCCU Jazz Ensemble
* Friday, May 11 - Music Makers Relief Foundation Blues Revue
* Friday, May 18 - Tony Rice Unit
* Friday, June 1 - Movies on the Lawn (tbd)
* Friday, June 15 - Adam Hurt
* Friday, June 22 - Lizzy Rose Band
* Sunday, June 17 - Pops for Pop
* Wednesday, July 4 - John Brown & the Groove Shop Band
* Friday, July 6 - Movies on the Lawn (tbd)
* Friday, July 13 - American Dance Festival
* Friday, July 27 - Justin Robinson and the Mary Annettes
* Friday, August 3 - Movies on the Lawn (tbd)
* Friday, August 10 - John Howie Jr and the Rosewood Bluffs
* Friday, August 17 - Bill & Libby Hicks
* Friday, August 24 - Old Ceremony
* Friday, August 31 - Charanga Carolina
* Friday, September 7 - The Red Clay Ramblers
* Friday, September 28 - Movies on the Lawn tbd)
* Friday, October 5 - Movies on the Lawn (tbd)

DCVB Teams Up with Bull City Buck$

The Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau, Durham's official marketing agency, has teamed up with Bull City Buck$ as a way to give visitors value and increase their engagement when they visit.

BCB is a consumer loyalty program only available in Durham, NC.  It works on smart mobile devices that scan bar codes.  Buck$ can be redeemed for rewards - some of which are rather significant, and many of which are attainable at low point levels which makes the program attractive to visitors here for only a short period of time.

"An important factor in our consideration to join this program," said Shelly Green, DCVB President and CEO, is the fact that in just a few scans, a visitor could amass enough points to redeem a food reward at one of the restaurants on BCB."  Visit BCB's website to see all the places to ear and redeem points.  Points can be earned for visiting places, like DCVB's Visitor Information Center where there is a scan code anyone can grab 24 hours a day since it's posted on the door, and another worth more points for when people come in and get specific information about Durham from one of the staff on hand.

As a way to push local engagement of the application, and to support the effort to get people to come to the CCB Plaza on Tuesday, May 8th at 4:30 AM to be a part of the live broadcast of the NBC-17 Today Show, there will be a scan worth 100 Buck$ and only available on the plaza.  The show will be on air until 7:00 AM.

Additional efforts to encourage crowd engagement are prizes including restaurant gift certificates and a painting from the New Neighbor series, as well as some of Durham's most popular food trucks.  The plaza event is open to the public.

Bull City Connector Launches Art Walk "Scan"venger Hunt

Residents and visitors interested in earning a few BUCK$ while experiencing the creative energy of local artists, arts organizations, and downtown businesses should mark their calendars for the first-ever Bull City Connector Art Walk “Scan”venger Hunt from Friday, April 27 to Sunday, April 29, 2012.

The Bull City Connector is partnering with Bull City BUCK$ and the Durham Arts Council for a new and fun way residents and visitors to experience local art and all that downtown Durham has to offer. Participants will earn Bull City BUCK$ during the Bull City Connector Art Walk “Scan”venger Hunt that are redeemable for goods and services at partnering downtown businesses.

Here's how “Scan”venger Hunt works:

• Sign up for Bull City BUCK$ online or download the smart phone application.

• Download the "Scan"venger Hunt Art Walk Guide on the Bull City Connector's website or pick up the guide beginning at 10 a.m. on Saturday, April 28 at the Durham Arts Council, 120 Morris St., Durham.

• Use the Bull City BUCK$ application to scan the QR Code at each Art Walk site or bonus “Scan”venger Hunt locations on the Bull City Connector and along the route.

According to Jesica Averhart, market and events manager for the Bull City BUCK$ program, “Scan”venger Hunt participants who use the Bull City Connector frequently can earn over $250 BUCK$ during this weekend-long event. “We are excited about our partnership with the Bull City Connector and the Durham Arts Council. There are several bonus locations along the Bull City Connector route that give participants additional opportunities to earn BUCK$, such as Duke’s East Campus, the Durham Convention and Visitors Bureau, and a few businesses on Ninth Street.”

The “Scan”venger Hunt will kick-off with a free event sponsored by the Bull City Connector Advisory Council at Beyú Caffé, 335 W. Main St., on Friday, April 27 at 5 p.m. Participants are encouraged to take the Bull City Connector to the kick-off party to sign up for Bull City BUCK$ and start earning while enjoying live music by The Black Experience.

Free “Scan”venger Hunt After Parties will also be hosted by the Bull City Connector Advisory Council at the following locations:

• The Pinhook, 117 W. Main St., on Saturday, April 28 at 5 p.m. featuring live music by The Wigg Report, Beloved Binge, and All Electronic.

• Bull City Burger and Brewery, 107 E. Parrish St., Sunday, April 29 at 5 p.m. featuring Tubby Ridge with award-winning swing-grass music and joined by celebrated guitarist Justin Johnston.

For more information on the Bull City Connector Art Walk “Scan”venger Hunt or service information, visit the Bull City Connector website, “like” the Bull City Connector on Facebook, or “follow” the Bull City Connector on Twitter. Click the link for more information about the Durham Art Walk.

Downtown Durham Businesses Team Up With Bull City Buck$ Program

Durham is widely known as a place of great innovation, so it's only fitting that such a program as Bull City Buck$ launched here this week.  Consider it a quantum leap forward in rewarding customer loyalty in the social space.

It's also really cool and easy to use and can be downloaded from Apple here; the Android app is coming soon.

Several Downtown Durham businesses have joined forces to announce the launch of Bull City Buck$, a new program that gives community members the opportunity to earn rewards by supporting local companies and doing the things they love to do every day -- plus, trying new things.

A consumer rewards application focused on living, shopping, eating and visiting Downtown Durham, Bull City Buck$ debuted at the American Tobacco Campus yesterday with more than ten Durham hot spots on board and more than $5,000 in prizes available for Bull City Buck$ participants.

By simply downloading the Bull City Buck$ smart phone app, Downtown Durham visitors can scan QR codes at participating restaurants, entertainment spots, shops or community destinations to earn varying amounts of Bull City Buck$. Those Buck$ can then be used to purchase prizes in the app’s prize store. Initial prizes include an iPad, tickets to DPAC shows and Durham Bulls games as well as fun experiences like the chance to become a beer brewer for a day.

“We’re thrilled to partner with fellow downtown advocates like the Durham Bulls and American Tobacco Campus on such an exciting program,” said University Ford and University Kia General Manager Jamie Young.  “Bull City Buck$ will reward folks for frequenting the places they love and encourage them to try out new places as well.”

In addition to scanning codes at participating businesses, app users will also be able to find codes at over 20 spots throughout Downtown Durham, like parking decks, landmarks, and various hidden locations.
The application was developed by Albright Digital, a division of Capitol Broadcasting Company’s New Media Group, located in the American Tobacco Campus’ American Underground entrepreneurial hub. Bull City Buck$ will continue to grow as participating locations, ways to earn Buck$, and new prizes are added frequently. Businesses interested in joining the program can email. For more information on Bull City Buck$, please visit the program's website.

The growing list of businesses includes:

•    Durham Bulls
•    DPAC
•    Bull City Burger
•    Mellow Mushroom
•    Tobacco Road
•    Fishmongers
•    Old Havana Sandwich Shop
•    L'uva
•    Cuban Revolution
•    Beauty and Bull Urban Spa
•    201 (restaurant at Durham Marriott)
•    YMCA