Food Truck Rodeo Jan 27 at Durham Central Park

That Durham is a great food destination is no surprise. And in Durham, good food does not necessarily mean fancy food. In other words, folks in Durham know that good food can come from a truck.

Really. Good. Food.

Durham foodie folk are so fond of food trucks that there are even food truck parties here called rodeos, and they are quite the scene.

"Food trucks are part one of the great things about Durham's food scene. There is no pretension, no frills, just genuine and authentic quality food for a fair price," said Sam Poley who works to market Durham. "Rodeos are crazy fun and always a memorable scene, for sure."

A Food Truck Rodeo will be held Sunday. Jan. 27, 2013 from 12:30 – 4:30 PM at Durham's Central Park. The event will feature 42 vendors, which is one of the largest assemblages in the area. This event will feature improvements such as reduced generator noise, more space, and more entertainment. The trucks have all contributed to the rental of a large “quiet” diesel generator powered by Hertz, which eliminates a lot of the single use generators.

Two entertainment venues will offer a “Jam Session” on the lawn at the Sister Cites Tree Grove and DJ PiddiPat will spin records at the leaf. The Durham Craft Market and the Art Market at Vega Metals will have a special showing.

This timing is especially important given that Durham is currently vying for the top spot in Southern Living's Tastiest Town in the South promotion in which Durham was named a top ten contender alongside powerhouse destinations like Charleston, Miami, and New Orleans. Durham food fans are encouraged to vote daily from each email address they have and to use the Twitter hashtag #VoteDurhamTastiest.

Food Trucks planning to participate and a link to their info:
American Meltdown
BAGUETTABOUTIT
Bandidos
Big City Sandwiches
Big Mikes BBQ
bikeCOFFEE
Blue Ribbon Delights
Boxcarr Farms, Local in Motion
Bulkogi BBQ
Cafe’ Prost
Captain Ponchos
Chick-N-Que
ChirbaChirba Dumpling
CJ’s Street Food
Crossroads-Kettle-Corn
Daisy Cakes
Deli.icious
Greek Gussys
Hibachi Xpress
Humble Pig
Klausies
Kona Chameleon
Lo Yo On The Go
Mama Dukes
Monuts Donuts
Only Burger
Old North State BBQ
Parlez Vous Crepe
Philly’s Cheesesteaks
Pie Pushers
Porchetta
Refectory, Slow Food Fast
Roll Dogs Express
Sarges Chef
Stoke & Smoke BBQ
Sweet N Savory
Sweet Stacey Cakes
Sweet Traditions by Leane
Sympathy for the Deli
Tooties Mobile Kitchen
Triangle Raw Foods
Valentino’s Food Truck & Catering

Future Food Truck Rodeo events are planned for March 10, June 16, and September 1. All rodeos will be from 12:30 – 4:30.

Durham does have many traditional restaurants. Learn more about them online.  Also, use the Durham Event Calendar to stay on top of all events in Durham, food-related, and not.

World Cask Ale Festival Returns to Trotter Building

Now in its the World Cask Ale Festival (WCAF) returns to the Trotter Building, October 22nd, 6:30 to 10:00.  One of the leading fundraisers for Durham Central Park (DCP), the WCAF gives beer lovers and DCP fans a chance to taste beer presented in a classic fashion with definitely unclassic flavors.  In addition to the twenty plus casks, festival attendees will get to enjoy food samples from eight of Durham’s favorite restaurants and watering holes.

“We started this years ago with the vision of creating one of the more distinctive cask ale events in the Southeast,” says Daniel Bradford, Publisher of All About Beer Magazine. “We partnered with DCP because the Park has become such an epicenter for that classic sense of community that also lies at the heart of English cask ale.”

The sign of a good English pub, cask ale is the traditional English method of preparing and serving ales.  Unfiltered, it still continues to evolve while in the cask.  Although this could lead to cloudiness in the ale, special attention is given to the presentation, going to great lengths to make sure the ale pours beautifully.

Furthermore, most cask ale is given an extra dosage of hops, through dry-hopping, which gives the ale an added spicy flavor.  Finally, through experienced cellarmanship techniques, the casks are presented with just the right balance of carbonation, producing a soft enjoyable flavor.

“Serving cask ales correctly is a labor of love and a work of art,” adds Bradford.  “At the WCAF we aspire to perfect presentation by putting the casks into stillage with enough time to drop bright and using a glycol system to maintain correct cellar temperatures.”

Durham Central Park is an exciting downtown destination that offers a venue for cultural activities and is part of a 24-hour, authentic, walkable neighborhood for arts, recreation, and locally-owned business.

Located adjacent to the DCP, 30-year old All About Beer Magazine educates the public about beer appreciation and beer quality, hosting the celebrated World Beer Festival in both Durham and Raleigh.

Participating restaurants include: Dos Perros, Pop’s, Back Door Pizza, Rue Clair, Bull McCabes, Tyler’s Taproom, Alivia’s, and the Federal.  Several food trucks have committed to showing up during the night.

Tickets can be purchased through eTix, who is waiving the ticket fee as an event sponsor.

Durham, Where Great Developments Happen

More than a dozen facilities, restaurants and exhibits are slated to open in Durham before the year's end. This makes for an exciting follow up to a year that saw Durham grow by two breweries, two music venues, a multitude of restaurants, and improvements to the transportation sector including the addition of the Bull City Connector and the renovation of RDU’s Terminal 2.

2011 Visitor Related Projects

Durham Convention Center - The 44,000-square-foot facility is currently undergoing $6.1 in major renovations to offer planners and attendees with a state-of-the-art center beginning in Fall, 2011.

Carolina Theatre- $1.8 million renovations to the 85-year old theatre include new carpeting, plaster repairs and painting, new doors and windows, and the opening of six private boxes in Fletcher Hall. The theatre closed on June 13 and will reopen in October, 2011.

Amtrak - Durham county is slated for expanded service. A new commuter rail service is projected to operate 18 round trips daily to Wake County. The heaviest service would be in the morning and evening rush hour; round trip tickets will be $12.

The Leaf – Public structure, whose shape resembles a leaf, will have seven steel columns and a series of wooden fins that will hang from several steel ribs that connect the columns. The $30,000 structure will be located near the Liberty Arts Pavilion in Durham Central Park and will provide an artistic shaded seating area as well as a stage for performances.
 
History Beneath Our Feet - A new searchable resource created by the Museum of Durham History that helps users discover the origins of Durham's street and school names with a focus on the Downtown Durham Historic District and the Hayti/Fayetteville Street corridor. Through lively stories and images, the site engages visitors in the very human side of Durham's compelling history.

The Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau tracks new developments and maintains a database online as a public resource, click here to see more of them.

Bull Durham Blues Festival Meets Durham Central Park

The 24th season of the Bull Durham Blues Festival will be unlike any other. Every year the Festival brings national recognition to the home of the "Piedmont Blues" and is considered an important piece of the local tapestry. As a special thank you to the community that has supported the annual Blues Festival, St. Joseph's Historic Foundation has made this year's event free to the public.

In direct response to feedback from Festival supporters, the Bull Durham Blues Festival will return to an outdoor setting: namely, Durham Central Park. The St. Joseph's Historic Foundation has partnered with the city and Durham Central Park  to present the Bull Durham Blues Festival on September 10 from 6 p.m. to midnight.

Through the years, Festival goers have shared the richness of the blues heritage and experienced an event well-suited for families, friends and Blues lovers of all ages. Lawn chairs are encouraged for maximum enjoyment of this distinctly Durham event.

 24th Annual Bull Durham Blues Festival
Saturday, September 10, 2011
6pm-12 Midnight (gates open at 5pm)

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.