May 8th Live Broadcast Support Grows

On May 8th, Durham's CCB Plaza will be the backdrop for the live broadcast of NBC-17's Today Show.  From 4:30 AM to 7 AM, in advance of the national broadcast of the nation's most popular morning news show, NBC-17 will host their morning show with guests and stories about Durham so that viewers can get to know the place a little better.

"This is really very exciting for us," said Sam Poley, Director of Marketing and Communications for the Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau, the organization charged with marketing Durham as a place to visit.  "We get to show off how great Durham is to a whole lot of people and we really hope the community will come out an join us on the plaza," he added.  Poley hopes for a lively Durham crowd to be on hand.

In an effort to overcome objections to the hour, local businesses are stepping up to help draw folks out and to show their support for Durham.

Durham art gallery Outsiders Art & Collectibles has teamed up with Durham artist Dave Alsobrooks to give away a painting to a lucky member of the crowd. One of the pieces from the New Neighbors series that has been hanging in the Durham Convention Center will be given to a randomly chosen person there.  The works sell for between $800 and $1,300 and the subjects of the series are Durham people.  According to Pam Gutlon, owner of Outsiders, "We think this is a really great way to show how much we support efforts to promote Durham - it's a great place for artists and those who appreciate the arts."

Tickets will be distributed to the crowd, and at some point between 4:30 AM and 7 AM the painting will be given away.  Other items, including restaurant gift certificates, will be distributed at random throughout the morning, as well.  "Folks need to be present to win," Poley added.

Monuts Donuts has announced that they will be out for this event, as well - and they're giving away their first 100 donuts for free.  If free donuts are not the motivating factor, others will be on hand, too.  So far, joining Monuts will be Only Burger, Rise (a new operator), Pie Pushers, and Blue Coffee will be open, too, serving their hearty brew from 4:30 AM to 6:30 AM until their regular hours begin.

Visit the New Neighbors and Experience Durham

New Neighbors are moving into the NE Central Durham community. Ok, maybe not literally, but artist Dave Alsobrooks has created a series of paintings depicting Durham residents living their lives. The paintings will be displayed in the windows of vacant buildings to capture the potential of the buildings and encourage their preservation. During the course of the project, close to 50 paintings will be placed in properties such as the Y.E. Smith Elementary School and four other homes within a block of the school.

Called New Neighbors, this project was developed with the hopes of getting people to take a second look at homes, like the ones in the project, to see the preservation potential. The first installation will occur next Thursday, March 3 on the 100 block of Driver Street. The event will last from 5:30 until 7:30 and will include a walking tour of the neighborhood. Food trucks, Only Burger, Farmhand Foods, and Daisy Cakes, will also be on hand.

“New Neighbors seeks to capture the potential of abandoned properties and bring them to life. It’s a community outreach and arts initiative rolled into one local project,” says Alsobrooks. “Vacant buildings and homes share one thing in common: empty (or boarded) windows. What if we could visualize New Neighbors living their lives in abandoned properties?”

The New Neighbors project is an illustration of Durham’s community-minded spirit and innovation. For more information on the project, download this PDF of information, "like" the project on facebook or read more from Dave Alsobrooks’ blog.