25th Annual International Festival of Raleigh

This year will mark the 25th anniversary of Raleigh's International Festival! The International Festival is consistentently one of the best attractions of the year in Raleigh. My family and I have enjoyed going since we moved to Raleigh. People from more than 25 countries come together to showcase bits and peices of their cultures. There is dance, the world bazaar, cooking demonstrations, art projects for the kids, a beer garden, and a naturalization ceremony. This year, more than 250 people will take their oath and gain citizenship to America! I can't think of a better way to kick off the weekend, and hope everyone will have a chance to attend.

Hillsborough Street Celebration this Weekend

This weekend, we will be celebrating the recently completed construction on Hillsborough Street! Live It Up! on Hillsborough Street will bring together local business owners, artists, musicians, students, and folks from all over town.

There will be tons of live music, spread across three stages (learn more about the bands and check out the schedule here). There will also be tons of stuff for kids to enjoy: special visitors from the Hurricanes, giant inflatables, rock climbing walls, and hot dog eating contests. The adults will be able to enjoy Whole Foods' Iron Chef Contest and a beer garden!

Most events are free and open to the public, but for a few, tickets must be purchased. Learn more about the celebration and buy tickets here. Hope to see you all on Hillsborough Street this Saturday!

ART!

A lot of great things are happening in the Raleigh Arts Community!

I hope that everyone will have a chance to visit SPARKcon this weekend, it will be happening Thursday through Sunday downtown. If you had a chance to check it out last year, you know what an outstanding festival of creativity SPARKcon is! There is plenty to enjoy, and SPARKcon does a great job of highlighting art of all kinds. There are fifteen "sparks" this year: art, bazaar, circus, cyber, dance, design, fashion, film, graffiti, idea, music, poetry, tasty, theatre, and SPARKcon for kids!


Another exciting thing happening at SPARKcon this year will be the kickoff of a new Public Art Campaign! There will be range of events happening at SPARKcon to explore all of the reasons that "public art matters," and the new campaign is entitled "Public Art is a Building Block." The Raleigh Arts Commission has done a fantastic job promoting the arts and engaging the community in art projects and arts awareness over the past several years, we are excited to launch this new program!

There is also some District A arts news I would like to share with you all! Millbrook Exchange Park has become the home to Immigrant Gate II, a sculpture that originally came to Raleigh as part of the 2003-2004 Downtown Raleigh Sculpture Expo. Immigrant Gate II was created in Chicago in 1997, and spent three years touring the midwest. We are excited to have such a great peice of art in District A! Check it out next time you're at Millbrook Exchange Park!

Voting Locations

On September 7, the Wake County Board of Elections voted to relocate seven voting locations. All voters that report to these seven locations will receive new voter identification cards, but I wanted to help spread the word.

Precinct 01-02 has moved from Olds Elementary School on Dixie Trail to Universalist Unitarian Fellowship of Raleigh on Wade Avenue.

Precinct 17-10 has moved from the Apostolic Church of Raleigh on Buffaloe Road to the Raleigh International Church on Capital Boulevard.

Precinct 17-04 has moved from Lockhart Elementary School on N. Smithfield Road to Knightdale United Methodist Church on Forestville Road.

Precinct 13-10 has moved from Raleigh Fire Station #22 on Durant Road to Bedford At Falls River Clubhouse on Bedfordtown Drive.

Precinct 07-13 has moved from Raleigh Fire Station #4 on Northway Court to the North Raleigh Church of the Nazarene on Strickland Road.

Precinct 01-45 has moved from North Haven Church on Six Forks Road to Christ Baptist Church on Newton Road.

Precinct 10-02 has moved from Wendell Elementary School on Wendell Boulevard to Wendell Middle School on Highway 97.

Happy voting everyone! Remember, early voting for the November elections begins on October 14 at the Wake County Board of Elections headquarters. Several other early voting locations will open up the following week. Click here for more information.

Moore Square Master Plan Workshops

The City will be holding two workshops to discuss the master plan for Moore Square. The first workshop will take place this afternoon at 1pm, and the second at 7 this evening. Both workshops will be held at Cobblestone Hall in Historic City Market.

Both workshops will have the same format, include site model discussion, and small group discussion. For more information, please call 996-4797 or visit the City's webpage.

City Council Meeting

City Council Meeting tonight! We have been away for a few weeks, so our meeting tonight should be busy! I encourage you to come if you can. If not, please remember that you can watch streaming video of the meetings and view the full agenda here.

New Welcome Center!

Yesterday, the Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitor's Bureau opened a new Visitor Information Center on City Plaza. Last year, the greater Raleigh area hosted more than 11.5 visitors, and more than 10,000 of them stopped by the Visitor's Center. The new Center is in a perfect location for Raleigh residents and out-of-towners alike.

I encourage everyone to stop in and check it out next time you are downtown!