Museum of Durham History Plans Fall 2013 Grand Opening

Among the many things that make Durham an exciting place to visit and in which to live and work, is the rich history that took place here.  In fact, Durham will soon have a one-stop shop in which to learn all about that past, those who were helped shape it, and the places where it occurred.

Less than a year after signing a lease for Durham’s former bus transfer station, the Museum of Durham History has garnered sufficient financial support to move ahead with plans for a grand opening this fall.

The Museum has received facility-focused grants totaling $90,145 since last April, said Executive Director Katie Spencer. “These funds, along with private donations, city and county government operations support and revenues from our growing membership program, are making the History Hub a reality.”

Funds received in recent months include:

• $10,000 from Duke Medicine to support a Health and Medicine exhibit
• $47,145 from Durham City’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development for facility  upfit, signage, an interactive touchscreen linking historical information resources, and a large mounted map depicting Durham’s historic sites
• $7,000 from the Durham Merchants Association Charitable Foundation for Story Booth materials and construction
• $10,000 from the PNC Foundation to support educational programming targeting underserved children and families
• $5,000 each from the Duke Energy Foundation and the Fox Family Foundation to support programming related to exhibits
• $1,000 from SunTrust for exhibit-focused upfit
• $5,000 from Duke University for facility upfit 

In addition, Glaxo Smith Kline and the Mary Duke Biddle Foundation were early supporters of the Hub’s Resource Center and Story Booth, Spencer said.

“It’s been gratifying to see the breadth of support the Museum has inspired,” she said. “Our online Story Booth campaign raised $8,000, for instance, and in-kind donations of expertise, materials and labor equate to tens of thousands more. It’s clear this Museum is something the community wants.”

“With upfit nearing completion, we’ll focus on exhibit design and fabrication in the months ahead. We also have some educational programming in the works for this spring and summer plus four more pop-up museums. We have our fingers crossed that we can open our doors in October.”

The Museum of Durham History is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to bringing Durham's history to life  to encourage an appreciation for the community’s unique heritage, pride in its accomplishments and support for its potential. The Museum’s home is the History Hub at 500 West Main Street in downtown Durham. For more information, visit the museum online.

For another source of information about Durham's history, please look at this online resource.

Bull City Burger and Brewery Announces Golden Bull Scavenger Hunt and Exotic Meat Month

Free burgers for a year sounds too good to be true, right? Getting to choose between Caribou, Python, and Beaver burgers sounds too cool to be true, right? Not so in Durham, a place with an incredible commitment to food.

Bull City Burger and Brewery begins its third annual Golden Bull scavenger hunt on Friday March 1st. along with its second annual Exotic Meat Month.

Clues to the Golden Bull scavenger hunt will be given on the website, Facebook and Twitter for the location of five hidden Golden Bulls.  When a bull is found it must be claimed for the prize - free burgers, fries and drinks, one a week, for a year. The contest is modeled after the movie Willy Wonka and the golden tickets.  The contest is open to anyone 18 or older.  Full details and rules are on the website and can be found by clicking on the golden bull on the BCBB home page.

The purpose of the contest is not only to promote the restaurant and brewery, but also to promote Downtown Durham and like-minded businesses, public places, landmarks and historic markers.  No business knows they are hiding a golden bull until it is found.  The bull hiders are very tricky people and the clues are challenging.  For those who stay in the hunt the rewards are delicious for a year.  Last year, the contest created a legion of followers even creating its own hash tag on Twitter.  This year, the hash tag is #bcbbgoldenbull.  Last year word spread that office workers became distracted, graduate work labs slowed down and people from all walks of life enjoyed the fun.  This year promises the same and more.

This year's Exotic Meat Month will feature exotic meat burgers all month long.  Going by the motto, “I never met a meat I wouldn't eat,” BCBB is specially sourcing exotic meats for limited burgers each week.  The meats range from Caribou, Python, Elk, Ostrich, Beaver,  Alligator and more.  Throughout the month different types of burger meat will be featured, rotating daily or weekly depending on the scarcity of that meat. Each time a new type of meat burger is available it will be posted on the website and on the Bull City Burger Facebook page.

Cece Lopez, head of all things culinary at BCBB, along with owner Seth Gross, have been working for two months to source exotic meats for this month long celebration.  Some of the meats are so difficult to get, there may be as few as twelve burgers available.  The idea is to show that a burger is not made from only beef, to learn about other cultures and foods consumed, plus have a little fun.  Several meats are for only the most adventurous and daring of eaters. T-shirts commemorating the event will be available for sale and if any customer eats any six exotic burgers in March, they earn a free t-shirt. The t-shirts have the motto, “I never met a meat I wouldn’t eat.”  It’s all in the spirit of fun and adventure.

Bull City Burger is a restaurant and brewery that embodies the farm-to-fork philosophy.  “If it’s on the menu at Bull City Burger and Brewery, we most likely have made it from scratch or bought it locally,” said Seth Gross, owner of Bull City Burger and Brewery.  “We grind NC pasture raised beef daily, make the buns, make the mustard, the mayo, make the bacon, pickle the pickles and stuff our all-beef hotdogs.  No corn syrup, no added hormones, no antibiotics, no hydrogenated fats and, we focus on making the best burgers and hotdogs we can produce.”  Bull City Burger and Brewery works with local farmers to source as much of the produce as possible for the restaurant.

For more information about great restaurants in Durham, click here.

Durham Bulls to Hold National Anthem Auditions

Oh say can you sing? What so proudly standing in front of 10,000 Durham Bulls fans? If that's an exciting prospect, the Durham Bull have the job for you.

The Durham Bulls will hold National Anthem auditions to find performers for the 2013 season on Saturday, March 16th from 12:00pm until 2:00pm at The Streets at Southpoint in Durham.

Auditions will take place on the outdoor stage adjacent to Southpoint Cinemas and the Cheesecake Factory. Participants may register upon arrival to perform on a first come, first sing basis. Singers may leave at the completion of their audition and will be contacted later as the Bulls choose those who will perform at limited, select dates during the 2013 season.

National Anthem performers will have one minute and thirty seconds to perform the Star Spangled Banner.  Lyrics must be memorized and performed in a traditional style.

For additional information on singing the National Anthem at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park or if you have a group interested in performing, please contact Josh Trezvant at 919.687.6545 or jtrezvant@durhambulls.com.
                                                                                                                                                                   
The Durham Bulls begin the 2013 International League season on the road before returning to Durham Bulls Athletic Park on April 8th for their home opener against the Gwinnett Braves.  Season tickets, 9-Game Mini Plans, and group outings are on sale now at durhambulls.com, the DBAP ticket office, or by phone at 919.956.BULL.

For more things to do in Durham this weekend, click here.

Doughman Returns to Durham on May 25

For those whose idea of a good time includes team exercise and eating for a good cause, the DOUGHMAN is an interesting event, to put it mildly.  It's coming up again, so read on.  It was good enough for the Travel Channel to cover a few years ago, and it's only gotten better.

The DOUGHMAN relay race is back for its sixth year of running, biking, swimming and - most importantly - eating its way through the Bull City on Saturday, May 25, 2013. The event is designed to celebrate the community and give local charities a platform on which to raise money (dough) and to tell their stories. This year's DOUGHMAN goal is $60,000.

In 2013, The DOUGHMAN dough-nation will support a new project launched by the Durham Public Schools (DPS), the Durham Public Schools Hub Farm.  The Hub Farm's mission is to sustain an active educational hub that grows, feeds and nourishes young minds through the active engagement in environmental stewardship, agricultural production, the local food system, and career development opportunities.

Registration for the DOUGHMAN is limited and costs $180 for a four-person team. Registration is available in the following ways:

• Guerrilla Registration, Sun., March 3: Throughout the week of Feb. 25, DOUGHMAN organizers will send out clues about the 2013 restaurant line-up. Guerrilla registrants can to visit each Durham-area eatery and take a picture with their sign.  Organizers will be waiting for you at the final clue on Sunday, March 3. Guerrilla registration enables participants to get a leg up on other competitors and earn a guaranteed registration spot.
• eBay Auctions, week of March 4-9: For those who miss out on guerrilla registration but still want a guaranteed spot in the 2013 race, there will be a three team slots  auctioned the week of March 4-9. Every dollar over the $180 registration fee counts toward the team fundraising goal, and there are bonus incentives.
• Open Registration, Sun., March 10: A registration link will be posted on the DOUGHMAN website during the next week. Space is limited.

For general inquires, contact info@doughman.org.

For media inquiries, contact communications@doughman.org.

To become a sponsor, contact sponsorship@doughman.org.

About The Hub Farm

The Hub Farm is an emerging project within DPS, spearheaded by Career-Technical Education and guided by values of community and collaboration. The Hub Farm engages DPS students and teachers, as well as the greater Durham community, in all aspects of the local food system, environmental stewardship and career development. Supporting this mission, The Hub Farm site will include food production gardens, all-ages educational gardens, outdoor classrooms, ecological study areas of forest, pond, wetland and stream, cooking facilities, a student-run farmers market, and robust network of community and institutional partnerships that leverage this physical resource for the health and nutritional development of Durham's youth. We envision The Hub Farm as a central component in a healthier local food system for Durham, where hands-on learning across all areas of study will coincide with greater physical activity, food awareness, and outdoor experiences.

About The DOUGHMAN

The DOUGHMAN is raced with a 4-person team in a relay format with each team member performing an individual eating+athletic leg culminating in a final team eating+sprint leg to the finish line. The race comprises 1 bike leg, 1 aquatic activity leg (requires some running), and 2 run legs. One vegetarian and one vegan can be included per team. Non-vegans should assume they are eating eggs and cheese.

The two running legs are normally 1.75 to 2.5 miles, the "swim" leg is a run followed by an activity in the water (not a lap swim), and the bike route is less than 10 miles. Here's the breakdown by food type: Running: meat; Running: vegetarian; Bike: meat; Swim: vegan.

During its six-year history, the DOUGHMAN has raised more than $100,000 to support Durham organizations, while bringing national exposure to the causes through a variety of stories and articles.

The DOUGHMAN - yet another reason why Durham, NC is wacky, fun, and worth a visit.

Downtown Durham Inc Hires Tess Mangum Ocaña to Launch New Downtown Summer Concert Series

The reemergence of Downtown Durham as an arts and culture destination has been gathering momentum for years, and it just got another big boost. Local music luminary and Durhamite Tess Mangum Ocaña has been hired by Downtown Durham Inc (DDI) to start booking a new concert series to start this summer.

Running from May to August, shows will be on Thursday nights from 7:00 PM - 8:30PM on CCB Plaza right in the heart of Downtown.  The shows will feature musical acts from around the Triangle area.

Tess is a seventh generation North Carolinian. Though she grew up in a musical family (her grandmother, Kate Mangum, taught Randy Travis how to play guitar and still lives in Union County and great-uncle Homer Briarhopper was fortunate to call Doc Watson a fan), she always felt her role in the family business was behind the scenes.

From 2002-2012, she served as Concerts Director at The ArtsCenter in Carrboro, a 355 seat non-profit performing arts center, where she developed the critically-acclaimed American Roots Series. This series helped launched the careers of the Avett Brothers and Durham-based Carolina Chocolate Drops, as well as shine a spotlight on American music legends such as Dr. John and Mavis Staples. For her long-term commitment to enhancing the cultural resources of this region, Tess was the recipient of the 2012 Indy Arts Award.  "I'm very excited to join the Downtown Durham, Inc. crew, especially at this time in my hometown's history, and to craft a fantastic, fun, free concert season for the Spring and Summer," said Mangum Ocaña.

“Tess brings the experience, passion and vision we felt necessary to make this concert series entertaining and successful from day one,” says DDI’s Matthew Coppedge.  “We can’t wait to launch the series for the entire community to enjoy!” Tess lives in Durham, with her husband and their two sons. When not talking, reading, writing or thinking about music, she likes to make a run for the nearest whitewater kayaking spot.

For more information about free things to do or music events in Durham, visit the Durham Events Calendar

Voting Ends Thursday at 11:59 PM

The effort to vote Durham as the Tastiest Town in the South in Southern Living Magazine's annual contest is coming to a close this week.  If interested in voting, readers can do so every day and with every email address they have until this Thursday at 11:59 PM.

Scan to Vote for Durham!

Vote HERE.

"To say that Durham has done well in this is an understatement," said Sam Poley who works at the Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau. "Durham rocked in this contest.  We took the lead at launch, held it, took it back from Asheville and then ran neck and neck with Memphis, a city three times larger."

Southern Living had a leader board on their voting page, but they took it down last week when Durham and Memphis were trading the first place position sometimes several times a day. Poley, and others pushing this contest, hope that the lack of knowledge about where Durham is on the list will spur fans on to vote daily, encourage their friends, and push this agenda.  "When you come down to the wire like this, it's the vigilant, the dogmatic, and the tireless who win," Poley said.  Durham's food scene is full of chefs and fans who exemplify those characteristics.

The winner will be announced by Southern Living in the May issue which hits the stands on April 19th.  Promotional efforts will continue until voting closes. The strong use of social media where the hashtag #VoteDurhamTastiest! has gotten significant traction will remain the backbone of the efforts. Addtionally, use of printed material, retweets, shared Facebook posts, and media coverage have helped Durham really make a mark.  "Durham's restaurateurs and food truck operators, as well as its food intelligentsia, have really shown up for us in this effort. We hope our thanks is sufficient for their help...that, and hopefully a title," Poley added.

Food in Durham is getting a boost from a national trend. “Southern cooking has become one of the country's hottest culinary obsessions,” says Southern Living Editor-in-Chief Lindsay Bierman. “But there's a lot more to it than pork belly and grits. Every day, we're discovering hyperlocal microcosms of food culture across our region."

Durham is certainly has food culture galore. Learn more about all of Durham's dining offerings online.

Duke-Carolina, The Blue Blood Rivalry Screening Premiere

The basketball rivalry between Duke and UNC is the stuff of sport legend. Some suggest it is the greatest rivalry in sports. Period.

Knowing the depths of emotion and passion engendered in fans, Durham-based filmmaker Hassan Pinto and his company, GreatestFan Films, has created a 95-minute documentary on this subject. Duke - Carolina, The Blue Blood Rivalry  (Duke-Carolina) highlights historic moments in this greatest of rivalries and captures the essence of the game-day experience from the perspective of basketball fans, players and coaches from each university.

The film contains never-before seen interviews with Hall of Fame Coaches Mike Krzyzewski and Roy Williams, as well as current and former Duke and Carolina greats Phil Ford, Jay Bilas, Eric Montross, Chris Duhon, Antawn Jamison, Seth Curry, P.J. Hairston and many more, as well as notable basketball announcers such as Dick Vitale, Dan Shulman, Tim Brando and Erin Andrews as well as famous alumni like comedian Lewis Black (UNC) and recording artist Mike Posner (Duke).

An event to premiere the film will take place on March 4th at 6 PM at Tyler’s Taproom at American Tobacco in the Speakeasy. The premiere is a private event, but Tyler’s will be showing the movie in their Biergarten, as well. This area is open to restaurant patrons desiring to see the premier of this film and catch a glimpse of those featured in the film. It is expected to be a busy night and fans should remember that Tyler’s does not take reservations.

The event will be covered by video crews from local media as well as a documentary crew. Fans are encouraged to dress in the colors of their favorite team. “We hope fans dress and represent their teams well,” says Pinto. “This is a premiere, so we’d love to see people out there dressed for the occasion,” he added.

For those unable to attend, the entire event will be streamed live on a Google + Hangout that can be viewed on YouTube. A link for that will be shared on social media the day of the event. Fans should check the Durham, NC Where Great Things Happen Facebook page for this link on Monday, March 4. The stream will be live at 6 PM.

Beginning Friday, March 8, 2013, and continuing throughout the 2013 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, Duke-Carolina, The Blue Blood Rivalry documentary film will be available on Time Warner Cable’s On Demand service.

The Duke-Carolina premier screening is held in conjunction with Tyler’s Taproom.

Smoffice Chosen as Finalist for "Best Unconventional Chamber Project in the World"

Have you seen The Smoffice in the front of Beyu? It's that window on the right.  It made some big news when it launched, and it's making more news now. 

At 25 square feet, The Smoffice has been chosen as one of 5 finalists for Best Unconventional Chamber Project in the World.  Yep - the entire big blue marble.

The Smoffice will be competing for the worldwide title this April at the World Chambers Congress, a gathering of the global community of more than 12,000 chambers of commerce, their presidents and CEOs, business members, and influential world leaders.

The 2013 Meeting will be held in Doha, Qatar, where Durham will be competing against 4 others Chambers, three of which are national chambers:

• The Chamber of Commerce of Slovenia
• Korea Chamber of Commerce
• Chamber of Commerce of Nuremberg, Germany
• The Chamber of Commerce of Finland

For those who aren’t “in the know" The Smoffice was a national contest to give away the World’s Smallest Office Space.  The goal of The Smoffice was to begin to create greater national awareness of Durham as an entrepreneurial hub with the intent to significantly increase the density of startups in downtown.

The Smoffice received press on an international scale in 2012, being featured in TechCrunch, Startup Smart, WRAL Tech Wire, New York Times, Fast Company, Tech Journal South, Triangle Tech Talk and Smart Planet.  The chosen company, The Makery Project launched during their time in The Smoffice and continue to grow in Downtown Durham.

This Week at the Durham Farmers' Market

This a scene from Market last weekend. When the farmers starting to arrive there was a light rain falling that turned into huge snowflakes as they started to set up their stalls! The snow continued throughout the market (and not a single flake stuck to the ground...). It was chilly and wet, but it was certainly beautiful!  In total, there were 34 farmers and vendors at the Market with the full range of wintertime market products!

Tomorrow's weather forecast is showing that we will probably have another soggy, chilly Saturday Market.  But, have no fear, our farmers and vendors will be there rain or shine!! One thing that you can count on is that our farmers and vendors take pride in supplying the Durham community with healthy, fresh, locally raised and produced foods (and more!) twelve months a year!

NEW PRODUCT!

 If you look below, Little Tree Farm will be bringing their Guinea Eggs to Market tomorrow!  It will be the first time (to my knowledge) that Guinea Eggs are available at the Market. What are Guinea Eggs? Well, they are the eggs from Guinea Fowl. Guineas are small birds (smaller than chickens) that eat insects and seeds. They also have a very loud call. I know many farmers that keep Guinea around their farms for insect management (they eat ticks!) and they also act as an alert system. When new people or animal intruders come into their territory, they sound their alarm! I have been on lots of farm visits where I am "greeted" by the Guineas before anyone else. I'll be sure to post pictures of the eggs in the morning!

See you at the Market!

Erin Kauffman
Market Manager
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Upcoming Events and Spring Schedule

March 23: Chef in the Market - Katie and Justin Meddis from Rose's Meat Market and Sweet Shop will have a sausage making demonstration.  Starts at 10!

March 30: Chef in the Market - Chef Katie Coleman from Durham Spirits Company will be cooking with seasonal veggies!

April 6: OPENING DAY! The Durham Farmers' Market's 15th Season officially begins on Saturday April 6th! Hours shift to our summer schedule of 8am to Noon!  Chef Amy Tornquist and Kyle Wilkerson from Watts Grocery will be doing the annual Market Kickoff Chef in the Market appearance!

Wednesday April 17th: WEDNESDAY MARKET OPENS! Fun opening day events are still in the works!!

Fresh this Week....
VEGETABLES:  Asian Greens, Arugula, Beets, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, Carrots, Collards, Creasy Greens, Daikon Radish, Escarole, Fennel, Frisee, Fresh & Dried Herbs (Cilantro, Dill, Mint, Rosemary, Oregano, Thyme, Parsley), Green Onions, Gourds, Jerusalem Artichokes, Kale, Kohlrabi, Lettuce, Leeks, Mustard Greens, Parsnips, Potatoes, Pumpkins, Radishes,  Salad Mix, Dried Shiitake Mushrooms, Shiitake Mushrooms (fresh & dried), Spinach, Sweet Potatoes, Swiss Chard, Turnips, Turnip Greens, Greenhouse Tomatoes,  Winter Squash and more
MEATS AND EGGS:  Beef, Bison, Chicken, Duck, Goat/Chevon/Cabrito, Lamb, Pork, Veal
Guinea Eggs, Duck Eggs & Chicken Eggs
CHEESES: Fresh and aged cow and goats milk cheeses.
FLOWERS & PLANTS: TULIPS, ORIENTAL LILIES, Icelandic Poppies, Anemones, Landscaping Plants, House Plants
SPECIALTY ITEMS: Raw Honey, Flour, Cornmeal, Grits, Baked Goods including Pies, Breads, Cookies & Pastries, Fermented Foods, Beer, Wine, Jams, Jellies, Pickles, Preserves, Pastas, Perogies, Wool
CRAFTS: Pottery, Jewelry, Handmade Baskets, Woodwork, Photographs, Hand-dyed Clothing and other items, Handmade Clothing, Goats Milk Soaps, Body Butters, Lotions, Yarn, Roving, and much more...

Produce availability depends on weather conditions

This Week at the South Durham Farmers' Market

This Week's Highlights:

• Cooking with your Neighbor
• New volunteer programs 
• Spring Fundraiser Details 
• Vendors this week 

Market Hours/Information
Winter hours:  Our hours are now 10AM-1PM Rain or Shine (December-March)! Greenwood Commons at 5410 NC Hwy 55, Durham, NC 27713


Cooking With Your Neighbor (Jenna D'Amore)
For years, I have avoided eating tomatoes between the months of November and June because I am a big tomato snob and the winter tomatoes I find in grocery stores tend to be pale, insipid little orbs of sadness.....(read more!)


Market Volunteers Needed
Want to help put on an amazing Spring Harvest Dinner at Pop's BackDoor South on April 14th?  Do you need community hours or just want to get to know your neighbors a bit better? Want to learn more about our Farmer Foodshare Donation Station?  Email our volunteer coordinator, Rhiannon to learn more.

Spring Fundraiser with Pop's Backdoor
We are having a Spring Harvest Dinner at Pop's Backdoor on Sunday, April 14th at 6pm! Menu sourced from our producers and farmers that you see each week. Buy tickets NOW and find more information here! You can also save $3 in processing fees and buy your ticket at market on Saturdays.


Music this Week
Robinson Lee Earle will be performing at the market from 10 - 11a.

Education
March 2nd - Brew School
The two Scott's of Bull City Home Brew will be demonstrating basic home brewing techniques, discussing basic equipment, answering questions, and more!  Our Events Calendar can be found here!

Seasonal Cookbook to Celebrate Durham

While Durham works to be voted the Tastiest Town in the South, there are people here working on some great food related projects.  A cookbook is one of them.

Durhamites Ali Rudel (This & That Jam) and Elizabeth Turnbull (Old Havana Sandwich Shop) seeks to tell the story of how Durham, a former Tobacco Town, has found redemption in food.

Recipes for Starting Fresh will come primarily from Rudel and Turnbull, but at least one-third of the recipes are expected to come from Durham-based chefs and food artisans as well as the farmers who grew the ingredients.

“Agriculture bore our city, and it’s playing a major role in the revitalization as well,” says Rudel. Featured in such illustrious outlets as The New York Times, Bon Appétit, The Food Network, and Southern Living, Durham is known across the US as a food lover’s paradise. While it’s generally understood that this food culture is possible because of the incredible local ingredients available to the area’s chefs, the farmers have to this point remained mostly behind the scenes. Starting Fresh is bringing those farmers into the spotlight where they belong.

While the cookbook’s creators expect to take advantage of modern tools allowing them to engage their readers through features such as links from the cookbook to online video tutorials, this project is slated to be more than just a cookbook. Starting Fresh will also feature profiles of local farmers and recipe contributors as well as meaningful essays from Durham-area writers and journalists.

Without a doubt, one of the major highlights of Starting Fresh will be the photographs from Durham- based photographer, Annemie Tonken of Megapixie Photography. “When this book isn’t open on your kitchen counter, we want it to be displayed proudly on your coffee table,” Tonken says. Rather than the more standard food photography found in most cookbooks, Tonken's images will center on meaningful portraits of Durham's farmers, chefs, and food artisans, as well as images of the landscape that gives Durham its distinct flavor.

Starting Fresh is slated for publication in 2014 by Light Messages Publishing, a small local publisher specializing in emerging authors. Turnbull, one of the cookbook authors, is also the Senior Editor for the family-run publishing firm. “My family has always loved good food, and we love Durham. So, honestly, this wasn’t a hard pitch to make,” Turnbull says. “From a company perspective, we see this as an opportunity to really put us on the map with area readers and food lovers.”

To document the progress on the cookbook, Rudel and Turnbull have started the Starting Fresh Blog. Throughout the project, Rudel, Turnbull, and Tonken will post recipes, photos, and stories about the challenges and triumphs of taking on such an ambitious project.

Durham has lots of great food events each year. Keep up to date on those with the Durham Event Calendar.  Vote for Durham as the Tastiest Town in the South by visiting this page.

Fan Fest to Kick Off 2013 Baseball Season

Soon, Durham baseball fans can stop singing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame," because baseball season is less than a month away!

As Spring Training camps open for Major League teams, a new baseball season has arrived in Durham.   To kick off the season, the Durham Bulls will host 2013 Fan Fest presented by PNC on Friday, March 1st and Saturday, March 2nd from 11:00am to 2:00pm at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park. The annual event serves as the opening day of ticket sales, giving fans their first opportunity to purchase individual game tickets in person.

During Fan Fest, fans will have exclusive access to one of the most celebrated ballparks in Minor League Baseball when they can take batting practice and play catch on the field at the DBAP.  The Bulls box office will be open during the event, selling tickets for individual games including Opening Day on April 8th and the 4th of July fireworks extravaganza. By purchasing at least one ticket to a 2013 regular season Bulls game at Fan Fest, fans will get a free lunch at the concession stands.

New for 2013, Fan Fest will be the first stop of the MLB.com Academy Mobile Tour. The Raleigh-based MLB.com/academy will capture video of fans hitting, then upload and compare their swings against MLB pros using automated video analysis technology.  The MLB.com/academy interactive space will also feature a skills area, magazine cover shoot and new youth equipment testing.

Other events scheduled for Fan Fest include:
• Wool E. Bull posing for pictures and signing autographs
• Up to 50% off select merchandise in the Ballpark Corner Store, including select fitted caps
• Full range of inflatables for young Bulls fans to enjoy
• Select-a-Seat event highlighting available season ticket and mini-plan seat locations
• A special Pepsi Ticket Package will be available, including four tickets to any regular season Bulls game, four Bulls caps and four six-packs of Pepsi for only $48.

From Tuesday, February 26th through Thursday, February 28th, there will be a special online presale for individual tickets, where fans who have signed up for the Bulls email newsletter will get an exclusive code to purchase tickets before they go on sale to the public at Fan Fest. Fans can sign up for the Bulls email newsletter here.

The Durham Bulls begin the 2013 International League season on the road before returning to the Durham Bulls Athletic Park on April 8th for their home opener against the Gwinnett Braves.  Season tickets, 9-Game Mini Plans, and group outings are on sale now at durhambulls.com, the DBAP ticket office, or by phone at 919.956.BULL.

For more information about sporting events, visit Durham online..

Durham to Host 2014 Triple A Baseball All Star Game

The Durham Bulls announced today they will host the 2014 Triple-A All-Star Game at Durham Bulls Athletic Park. The 27^th annual Triple-A All-Star Game will take place on July 16, 2014 and will be nationally televised on MLB Network. It will serve as the centerpiece of a five-day celebration that will make the Triangle the focal point of the Minor League Baseball world.

“This is a five day window for Durham to show its great assets,” said Mike Schoenfeld representing Duke University and the Durham Chamber of Commerce.

The Triple-A All-Star Game, featuring the premier players and most promising prospects from each of Major League Baseball’s top affiliates in the International and Pacific Coast Leagues, headlines a multi-day extravaganza which will include an All-Star Fan Fest, Luncheon, and Home Run Derby featuring Minor League’s Baseball’s most iconic home run target – the DBAP’s famous Snorting Bull.  Durham Bulls General Manager Mike Birling excitedly discussed the Home Run Derby saying that no other stadium has “such an iconic home run target” as the Snorting Bull.

“Hosting the Triple-A All-Star Game is a tremendous honor and a once-in-a-generation opportunity to showcase not only the Bulls organization, but Durham and the entire Triangle community,” said Birling. Hosting this game also packs an economic punch.  According to Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau's Shelly Green, the event will bring about $3.3 million in visitor spending and bump the local tax rolls by over $100,000 as fans, media, and baseball executives from around the country converge in Durham for Minor League Baseball’s signature event.

During the announcement made at a press conference this morning, the Bulls also unveiled the logo for the 2014 Triple-A All-Star Game. The logo (see above) features depictions of some of the iconic buildings of the Durham skyline, including the Lucky Strike water tower and smoke stack, all set on a blue star representing the great players who have participated in the game – 77 of whom have gone on to play in the Major League Baseball All-Star Game. Derek Jeter, Chipper Jones, Pedro Martinez, Mike Piazza, and Joey Votto are among the game’s most notable alumni.

“When baseball executives from around the country gathered in the Triangle last September for the Triple-A National Championship Game, players, fans and officials were treated to a first class experience which made the decision to award the 2014 Triple-A All-Star Game to the Bulls and the City of Durham a very easy one,” said International League President Randy Mobley. “The Bulls represent all that is right about Minor League Baseball and with an MLB Network broadcast, this will be yet another opportunity for Durham to shine in all its glory on a national stage.”

“Durham is a city of champions and championships,” said Schoenfeld.  That’s true.  Learn more about all of them online.

Four Durham Restaurants & Chefs Recognized as Semifinalists for James Beard Award

More great things are happening on the Durham food scene! More because Durham is already in the running to be named the Tastiest Town in the South by Southern Living magazine.  Read about that here, and read on for some great reasons why, precisely, Durham is on that list to begin with.

Durham-admirers will be pleased to discover that the Oscars of the food world, The James Beard Awards, have recognized five Durham chefs and restaurants as part of its 2013 semifinalists list.

The honorees for the James Beard Foundation's 2013 James Beard Foundation Awards Restaurant and Chef Award Semifinalists are:

1. Mateo bar de Tapas in the category of Best New Restaurant
2. Pheobe Lawless of Scratch Bakery in the category of Outstanding Pastry Chef
3. Sean Lilly Wilson of Fullsteam Brewery in the category of Outstanding Wine, Spirits, Beer Professional
4. Scott Howell of Nana's in the category of  Best Chef in the Southeast

To learn more about great things happening in Durham, click here.  For more about the food scene in Durham, click here.

This Week at the South Durham Farmers' Market

This Week's Highlights:

• Turnip Townshend 
• New volunteer programs 
• Spring Fundraiser Details 
• Vendors this week 

Market Hours/Information
Winter hours:  Our hours are now 10AM-1PM Rain or Shine (December-March)! Greenwood Commons at 5410 NC Hwy 55, Durham, NC 27713


Who was Turnip Townshend? 
Sadly, his name was not really Turnip, it was Charles. He was, however, a huge advocate of crop rotation, and, of course, Turnips! Lord Charles Townshend was a British Politician from 1714-1730, until he resigned to a life of agriculture....(read more!)

Market Volunteers Needed
Ever wonder how those people get that sweet gig welcoming shoppers to SDFM?  Do you need community hours or just want to get to know your neighbors?  Email our volunteer coordinator, Rhiannon to learn more.

Spring Fundraiser with Pop's Backdoor
We are having a Spring Harvest Dinner at Pop's Backdoor on Sunday, April 14th! Menu sourced from our producers and farmers that you see each week. More details, menu, and ticket information to come soon. Help us grow!


Music this Week
Robinson Lee Earle will be performing at the market from 10 - 11a.

Education
March 2nd - Brew School
The two Scott's of Bull City Home Brew will be demonstrating basic home brewing techniques, discussing basic equipment, answering questions, and more!  Our Events Calendar can be found here!

This Week at the South Durham Farmers' Market

Winter at SDFM! 
Check out this new cookbook coming soon, all about Durham's amazing farmers, farm to table restaurants, and seasonality! Here is a post from them about winter vegetables....

Events
TOMORROW, 2/9/13 10:45-11:30AM: Special Valentine's Demo from Rose's Meat Market & Sweet Shop - Chicken Heart Salad, featuring Fickle Creek Farm's Chicken Hearts. Sample are sure to be heart warming!

OUR NEW EVENTS CALENDAR! (Click)  - Big Thanks to Mikey Goralnik, Events Coordinator!

Our Spring Harvest Dinner is slowly in the works, details to come as we progress...Should be an amazing time.

Market Hours/Information
Winter hours:  Our hours are now 10AM-1PM (December-March)! Greenwood Commons at 5410 NC Hwy 55, Durham, NC 27713

Market Swag
Our t-shirts were made by TS Designs in Burlington, NC, and are made of organic cotton grown right here in NC, and sewn here as well. Keep your money in the local economy by buying a market shirt, and show off your favorite farmers' market, wherever you go in the world! All sizes S-XXL are available at market on Saturday for $20! We also have bumper magnets! Be one of the first two people to find me and tell me the last three mayors of Durham! Otherwise, they will be on sale for $3.

Volunteering & Spreading the Word
 Farmer Foodshare is rolling! The Durham Crisis Response Center was incredibly thankful for your donations and support, cheers to a great community!

We still need volunteers for our FF donation station to be sustainable, as well as general market volunteers! Love food? Love people? Perfect. By being a volunteer, you can get to know our farmers and vendors even better, and get to understand all the goings-on in food and agriculture in the area. We need help with event planning, the donation station, market breakdown, marketing, community engagement, or you could probably even pitch me a great idea for what you could do to help the market and community grow together.  You can email me at: manager@southdurhamfarmersmarket.org.

Be sure to check out our seasonal recipe of the week at the bottom of the newsletter, and here on our Pinterest provided by our super, fantastic, equestrian, amazing community member and new volunteer coordinator, Rhiannon. We will be adding more photos and seasonal inspiration to our Pinterest!

You are the community, and you know better than anyone else, where to find more people like YOU. Please consider posting this flyer in your work, favorite cafe, gathering space, or wave it in the streets, to spread the word about our market! Click here! (inverted the poster so there is not a ton of black ink!)

As a reminder, please bring a reusable bag if you can. Big thank you from vendors and the environment! Thank you for being a part of the market, and for letting us be a part of your community. Remember to spread the word, and tell your friends to buy local.

Sincerely,
Ben
Your Market Manager

A Dinner to Celebrate Southern Living Magazine's Tastiest Town Competition

Durham is fortunate to have some of the best food in the country, at least according to publications like Bon Appetit and the New York Times. In fact, Durham has been nominated as one of the tastiest towns in the south by Southern Living.  Read more about that in a previous post.  So far the contest has amounted to an essential food fight between the two NC cities on the list, Durham and Asheville who topped the list until Wednesday, February 6th when late in the evening Memphis snuck into first.

Since this is a contest in the south, everyone is being pretty cordial, even polite.  So much so that on Sunday, February 24, a gathering of some of Asheville and Durham’s top chefs will host a dinner at Four Square Restaurant in Durham to promote Southern Living Magazine's Tastiest Town Competition.  The competition itself ends on February 28 and the public can vote every day from every email address they have. The upcoming dinner will draw attention to the fact that Asheville and Durham are contending for the top spot and promote both city's residents to vote.  The six course feast will be a celebration of the amazing food culture that makes North Carolina a great place to eat out!

Chef Shane Ingram will host the dinner at his landmark Durham restaurant Four Square.  The dinner will feature Asheville chefs Jacob Sessoms of Table and Brian Canipelli of Cucina 24.  Durham chefs will include Justin Rakes and Scott Martin of soon to open Salted Pig, Matt Kelly of Mateo and Shane Ingram of Four Square.

Each chef will prepare a course of their choice and meet with the guests after dinner to chat and possibly offer a little persuasion as to why their cities should win.

The dinner will be Sunday, February 24, at 7 PM and priced at $75 per person not including tax and gratuity.  In addition, wine pairings will be made available by Four Square Sommelier Brandon Carr.  Reservations can be made online through www.opentable.com or by phone (919) 401-9877.  Seating is limited to 75 guests. 

To vote for Durham to be the Tastiest Town in the South click here, and also learn more about all of Durham's dining options online.

NBC-17 "Downtown Week" to Feature Durham on Feb 13

The Triangle-area NBC affiliate, WNCN, is coming to Durham again next week to showcase Downtown Durham's revitalization.  The station will be broadcasting live from Brightleaf Square for its 6 and 7 PM shows, and the public is invited to come out and be a part.

The station will visit Durham as a part of its "Downtown Week" series on Wednesday, February 13.  Anchors  Penn Holderness and Pam Saulsby will be broadcasting live. Durham residents are encouraged to participate in the live broadcast by showing their best Durham pride with T-shirts, signs and more!

NBC-17 did the same thing with its Today Show last spring.  Read more about that here, and stay up to speed on all that is happening in Durham with the Durham News Service  and the Durham Event Calendar.

This Week at the South Durham Farmers' Market

Winter at SDFM! 
Check out the Food Network's collection of winter produce tips and recipes, here.

Events
Our Spring Harvest Dinner is slowly in the works, details to come as we progress...Should be an amazing time.

Mikey, our market intern, has put together an awesome market events calendar for 2013, we will distribute this via Google or some other means to everyone in the coming weeks...

There is a great conference happening in Pittsboro, on February 8th. In collaboration with the agricultural community, the Abundance Foundation is bringing NC farmers, NC researchers and technical advisors together along with sustainable agriculture advocates to begin answering questions about how we can modify our production practices in response to climate change.

You can also find information here! -- Registration is only $25 per person until Feb 1st.

Market Hours/Information
Winter hours:  Our hours are now 10AM-1PM (December-March)! Greenwood Commons at 5410 NC Hwy 55, Durham, NC 27713

Market Swag
We have t-shirts! Our t-shirts were made by TS Designs in Burlington, NC, and are made of organic cotton grown right here in NC, and sewn here as well. Keep your money in the local economy by buying a market shirt, and show off your favorite farmers' market, wherever you go in the world! All sizes S-XXL are available at market on Saturday for $20! We also have bumper magnets! Be one of the first two people to find me and tell me the last three mayors of Durham! Otherwise, they will be on sale for $3.

Volunteering & Spreading the Word
 Farmer Foodshare is rolling! The Durham Crisis Response Center was incredibly thankful for your donations and support, cheers to a great community! We still need volunteers for our FF donation station to be sustainable, as well as general market volunteers! Love food? Love people? Perfect. By being a volunteer, you can get to know our farmers and vendors even better, and get to understand all the goings-on in food and agriculture in the area. We need help with event planning, the donation station, market breakdown, marketing, community engagement, or you could probably even pitch me a great idea for what you could do to help the market and community grow together.  You can email me at: manager@southdurhamfarmersmarket.org

Be sure to check out our seasonal recipe of the week at the bottom of the newsletter, and here on our Pinterest provided by our super, fantastic, equestrian, amazing community member and new volunteer coordinator, Rhiannon. We will be adding more photos and seasonal inspiration to our Pinterest!

You are the community, and you know better than anyone else, where to find more people like YOU. Please consider posting this flyer in your work, favorite cafe, gathering space, or wave it in the streets, to spread the word about our market! Click here! (inverted the poster so there is not a ton of black ink!)

As a reminder, please bring a reusable bag if you can. Big thank you from vendors and the environment! Thank you for being a part of the market, and for letting us be a part of your community. Remember to spread the word, and tell your friends to buy local.

Sincerely,
Ben
Your Market Manager