BEER, BOURBON + BBQ. The Beer, Bourbon & BBQ Festival returns to Cary’s Koka Booth Amphitheatre this weekend: Friday, 6–10 p.m.; and Saturday, 2–6 p.m., with VIP access at noon. View the menu here and purchase tickets here.
Carolina Brewery in Pittsboro will celebrate its 16th anniversary with a crab and shrimp boil on Saturday, August 5, noon–8 p.m. The Brewery will tap a new IPA brewed with New Zealand hops and give away anniversary pint glasses while supplies last. Enjoy live music by Durham Ukulele Orchestra (2–4 p.m.) and Big Fat Gap (5:30–8 p.m.)
Mystic Farm and Distillery (1413 Stallings Road, Durham) hosts the Hot Wings Challenge on Friday, August 4, 12–4 p.m. The challenge is to eat one entire wing with nothing to drink for at least 20 minutes. Those who complete the challenge will receive a cocktail of choice and a t-shirt. Entry is $10.
The Mayton hosts Martini Monday on August 7, featuring classic and espresso martinis using 712 Vodka, a small-batch boutique vodka made with water from Pisgah National Forest. Enjoy $12 martinis all day, and sway to live jazz music from 6–8 p.m.
LIVE MUSIC. The Koka Kids Concert Series, presented by WakeMed, continues Tuesday, August 8, 11 a.m.–noon, at Koka Booth Amphitheatre in Cary with Mister G (Ben Gundersheimer), a Latin Grammy-award winning artist, author and educator. Hailed as a “bilingual rock star,” Mister G will present a fun and energetic concert weaving together a variety of musical styles and languages. A picnic and playtime takes place from noon–2 p.m. Purchase tickets online.
DESPERATE PLEA FOR HELP. For the first time in seven years, the Wake County Animal Center will begin euthanizing pets from the adoption floor due to lack of space after the shelter was overwhelmed with more than 208 dogs and cats over the last seven days. Staff are pleading to the community for help, discounting adoption fees and reaching out to partner rescue organizations in an attempt to quickly find homes for 220 homeless pets. If you can help save some of these animals’ lives, the shelter is open for adoptions daily from noon–6 p.m. seven days a week at 820 Beacon Lake Drive, Raleigh.
PET EXPO. The NC Pet Expo, presented by Hollywood Feed, takes place this weekend, August 5–6, at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds Exposition Center in Raleigh. Shop for furry, feathered or scaly friends. Check out main stage activities such as a pet costume contest, demos and more. Donations will be split among attending rescues, which currently includes the Chihuahua Rescue & Transport, Perfectly Imperfect Pups, Spirit Canine Rescue, and Saving Grace Animals for Adoption. Purchase tickets here.
SUMMER MOVIES. JB Duke Hotel and Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club in Durham are hosting Flashback Flicks, a summer outdoor movie series for hotel guests and Triangle community members each Thursday in August at 8 p.m. The films are as follows: “A League of Their Own” (PG), August 10 at JB Duke Hotel; “Jaws” (PG), August 17 at Washington Duke Inn; “Roman Holiday” (G), August 24 at JB Duke Hotel; and “Raiders of the Lost Ark” (PG), August 31 at Washington Duke Inn. Local gourmet popcorn shop The Mad Popper will be on site selling its popcorn creations before and during the films.
SASSOOL NEWS. Sassool’s fifth annual Hummus Mix Off is set for Saturday, August 19, 2–5 p.m. Tickets are $15, and guests can vote on their favorite flavors. A percentage of the ticket sales will be donated to the Help Center NC. The winner takes home $200, and their hummus creation will be featured as a special at the Lebanese Mediterranean restaurant.
Sassool Cafe in Cary and Raleigh has opened its new outdoor venue FigMint Farms. Located at 1501 Two Pond Lane in Apex, the venue offers a serene and intimate setting that includes a renovated shelter for 75 guests, two walkable pine forests, a fishing pond and dock, picnic tables, and a mint garden. FigMint Farms can be reserved for personal or business events such as parties, yoga classes, family reunions, corporate enrichment, photoshoots and more. Per request, Sassool Cafe will cater Mediterranean cuisine for FigMint Farms events.
RUNNING NEWS & BREWS. Sir Walter Running has announced the final elite fields for the 2023 Sir Walter Miler, which takes place Friday, August 4 at Meredith College in Raleigh for its 10th year. The 2023 event will again feature elite men’s and women’s mile races, as well as the Coaches Clash and Run Club 4×400 meter relay. The men’s field includes three athletes who have run 3:34 in the 1500 meters: Eric Holt; 2023 Portland Track Festival champ Amon Kemboi; and Andy Bayer, who won the mile at the 2012 NCAA Indoor Championships. The women’s elite field includes 4:26 miler Abby Nichols and 2023 USATF Outdoor Steeplechase champion Krissy Gear, who also boasts a 4:26 personal best in the mile.
In partnership with Wake Forest’s Blackbird Brewery (3608 Rogers Branch Road, #101), Sir Walter Running has established Record Jogger Brewing Company. The first release from Record Jogger is Local Miler Lager, brewed for the Sir Walter Miler on Friday. Find the beer at local bottle shops and at Blackbird Brewery’s taproom.
AT THE MUSEUM. The North Carolina Museum of History hosts a variety of upcoming events, beginning with two on Saturday, August 5. The History Garden Tour is set for 11 a.m., then artist Jan French weaves together natural and found materials into new creations during Artist at Work from noon–3 p.m. On Wednesday, August 9, historian Heather Leah takes guests on a deep dive into North Carolina lakes and finds the remnants of lost history beneath the surface during History at High Noon: Hidden Beneath Their Waves. This program will be hybrid, both in person in the Daniels Auditorium and virtually over Zoom from noon–1 p.m.
Steep Canyon Rangers will play at the North Carolina Museum of Art Friday, August 18 at 7:30 p.m. The bluegrass band from Asheville and Brevard is on a lengthy tour of North America. Amythyst Kiah will open the concert. Steep Canyon Rangers will release a new album, “Morning Shift,” on Friday, September 8.
