Buehler-Walker Documentary

The public is invited to attend a truly historic evening, the Bull City GridironClassic Movie Night, featuring the Grant Hill narrated and produced film, Starting at the Finish Line: The Coach Buehler Story, on Sunday, September 1st at The Carolina Theater in Durham, NC. The timing corresponds with the Bull City Gridiron Classic Football Game (Duke v NCCU) to bring together Duke University, North Carolina Central University, and the community. The public screening is FREE.

Duke’s Jon Scheyer and NCCU’s LeRoy T. Walker Jr. host the special evening, honoring the partnership of Durham's legendary Olympic track coaches, Al Buehler (Duke) and the late Dr. LeRoy T. Walker (NCCU). The film includes interviews with Olympic icons including Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Shane Battier, Carl Lewis, Joan Benoit, and Coach K. A standout on Duke’s 2010 NCAA National Champion team, Scheyer took Coach Buehler’s class while at Duke and is featured in the film.

This is a story bigger than track and field. It is a story about friendship, history, integration, accomplishment, and ultimately change. The two coaches were ahead of their time, effectively using the track as a place to create harmony among races, nations, and gender. They set an example of equality and understanding while practicing their teams together at Duke's Wallace Wade Stadium during the heart of segregation in the South. The evening marks the first time that Duke and NCCU have partnered on a screening of this kind, inspired by Buehler and Walker's mission of unity, respect, and community. Today, as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of integration at Duke, it is fitting the film will be screened in the once-segregated Carolina Theater, which is featured in the film.

Tickets are FREE and distributed on a first come, first serve basis at online.  After the first screening (5PM), Frank Stasio (NPR’s State of Things) will moderate a discussion with special guests from the film including Coach Al Buehler and producer/director Amy Unell. The second screening starts at 7PM. Food trucks will be on hand and live music will be provided by The Art of Cool Project.

Learn more about the great things happening with the Durham Event Calendar.

A Great Weekend in Durham

Marketing is a job that never rests and takes on any form imaginable – destination marketing is no different.  Sometimes the best marketing is simply showcasing all the things that are happening organically, and Durham, NC most certainly seems to be that place for the weekend of September 14-16.

Durham is a diverse and welcoming community located within a day’s drive or an hour flight for more than half the population of the US. Coming up in mid-September there will be a weekend with so many reasons to visit that the organization responsible for marketing the place, the Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau (DCVB) is making a full-court press effort to ensure that everyone is aware.

DCVB has built a website to help people see all that is happening on this weekend, as well as give them easy access to the services and information they would need to plan a visit and enjoy several events. “Travel decisions are far more spontaneous than they used to be, so we’re doing our best to ensure that potential visitors have access to the information they need to decide to make Durham their destination,” said Sam Poley, DCVB’s Director of Marketing and Communications.

The organization is also using its social media channels on Facebook and Twitter to push out information about the weekend, as well as an email blast to thousands of interested people. “The email is a great resource and it’s linked to all the online tools we have that make Durham an easy choice for visitation,” Poley added. “Getting here is a breeze, staying here is a blast, and with a line up like we’ve got from September 14-16, we’re betting that getting people to go home will be our biggest challenge.”

Among the events upcoming are CenterFest, the longest running outdoor arts festival in NC which has undergone a major overhaul to make it more exciting and engaging, a concert by gospel superstar and Durham native John P. Kee, the Bull City Gridiron Classic which is a football game between Durham’s two university teams from Duke and NC Central, and much more.

Visit Durham online, and also see the website just for the weekend of September 14-16 to make planning that visit easier.