Outdoor films under the stars, livestreaming plays and more Best Bets for the week
Don’t go bacon my heart! Did ya know Oct. 12 is National Pulled Pork Day? Time to get piggy wit it (NC pork, of course) — plus plenty o’ other “non-boaring” fun around the Triangle. That includes Downtown Raleigh Restaurant Week, Black Cinema on the Durham Bulls Athletic Park screen, and Unscripted Durham’s Cocktail Cruise By (cheers!). You’ll also find Raleigh Parks fam-friendly Halloween events and so much more. Go hog wild, y’all, and #SpreadLove.
Downtown Raleigh Restaurant Week
Dig in on Downtown dining, Raleigh! Local restos need us more than ever. Dine in (out), take out, or gift up through Oct. 11, for the return of Downtown Raleigh Alliance’s Downtown Raleigh Restaurant Week. #DineOutDowntown continues Saturday as the city closes two blocks of Fayetteville Street (5-9 p.m.) decked with lights, art, picnic tables and expanded outdoor dining spaces. Check the site for menus, details and more. downtownraleigh.org/restaurant-week
Black Cinema at DBAP
Black cinema takes the big screen at Durham Bulls Athletic Park with the Candid Yams Kickback Movie Experience on select October evenings (6–9:30 p.m.) as a means “to use edutainment tools to facilitate impactful conversation centered around rebuilding healthy relationships and solidarity with the African American community.” This Friday, Oct. 9, don’t miss “The Great Debaters” (PG-13). Future films include “Best of Enemies” (Oct. 15), “Just Mercy” (Oct. 22), and “Selma” (Oct. 25). Tickets are $10 and free for 10 years old and younger. For more information, go to info@beatsnbarsfestival.com. facebook.com/BeatsnBarsFestival.
NC Roots Music Series
Tune in every third Thursday for this homegrown music series of livestream performances by North Carolina musicians. For this month’s installment, don’t miss the impassioned harmonies of Dedicated Men of Zion on Oct. 15 (6 p.m.). “Harmony is serious business where the Dedicated Men of Zion come from,” says their eldest member Anthony “Amp” Daniels The series runs through December. Next up in November, Martha Spenser. You can watch the streams on Music Maker’s Facebook Live or YouTube Live.
NC Radio Play Festival
Cary Playwrights’ Forum (CPF) is co-producing the first-ever NC Radio Play Festival — 10 10-minute radio plays by North Carolina playwrights. Produced in partnership with the Greensboro Playwrights’ Forum, the Halloween-themed plays are chock-full of elements of fantasy, horror and the supernatural. They’ll be released online this month October, premiering Oct. 10, 17, 24 and 31 as prerecorded audio podcasts featuring local voice talent and fully produced sound effects. Don’t miss the likes of “Hallovenge: Part XIX” (by Larry Bliss), “The Case of the Haunted Inheritance” (by Andy Ralston-Asumendi), “Picky Zombies” (by Clinton Festa) and more. No ticket or fee is required to listen; donation links will be posted to support new, local theatre. Suggested donation is $5. All audio plays and series produced by the Cary Playwrights’ Forum are published to the CPF Radio Hour podcast website and will be available indefinitely: cpfradiohour.podbean.com
Moonlight Walk
There’s no place like Knightdale as scenes from such children’s classics as “The Wizard of Oz,” “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” “Harry Potter” and more unfold live before you on “A Drive Through Magical Books” Oct. 9 (from 6–8 p.m.) at East Regional Library. Grab the fam and load up the SUV for the 16th annual Moonlight Walk — with fun giveaways to boot. Registration recommended. wakegov.com/libraries
‘Still Waiting’
Technically, the wait is over. Part II (aka “Still Waiting”) of Raleigh Little Theatre’s newest production (“Waiting for the Host”) streams live online Oct. 8–10 (times vary, $10). Directed by Patrick Torres, this two-part comedy by Marc Palmieri is “about a handful of parishioners gathering via video conference to perform a theatrical reading of the Passion story for their church website. As exes bicker and technology confuses, this socially distant endeavor quickly becomes chaotic. Still, in the effort, the group finds a strange, painful closeness, and that their comic and clumsy reading has become a kind of desperate prayer.” Visit the site for schedule, or purchase your tickets here. raleighlittletheatre.org
Food Trucks at Eno
Celebrate stretchy pants season by rolling over to Eno’s biweekly Food Truck Rodeo in all its scrumptious fun, Oct. 14, where some of the best trucks in town will be ready to stuff you full of fab fare. Bring a blanket, grab some grub and chill out for awhile—and don’t miss the homemade Eno ice cream. 2127 St. Marys Road, Hillsborough. facebook.com/enoriverfarm
Third StrEATery
Smithfield’s Downtown outdoor dining room comes to life with expanded outdoor dining areas as Third StreEatery rolls out its second installment this Friday, Oct. 9 on Third Street, serenaded by Petals String Duo. Visit the event page for full details. downtownsmithfield.com.
Pumpkin Festival Vendor Event
Welcome fall at the “Welcome Fall Y’all” vendor market at Clayton General Store for Oct. 10 (10 a.m.–6 p.m.) for the free Pumpkin Festival Vendor Event for all your pumpkin, mums, cornstalks and fall galore needs. Did we mention the store has started serving huge, amazing milkshakes at their milkshake bar? https://www.facebook.com/claytongeneralstore
Raleigh Parks Halloween Parties
Parks and rec get a spooky upgrade as several local centers host Halloween happenings. Friday, get your gourd on at Greystone Community Center’s Pumpkin Palooza (Oct. 9, 6–7:30 p.m.) for a night of family fun to ring in fall with pumpkin decorating, tasty treats and more.
Cocktail Cruise By
Is it Friday yet? Head over to Unscripted Durham’s All Day Bar for its weekly Cocktail Cruise By event, Oct. 9, featuring “Not A Cosmo” as the resident bartender prepares the Grey Goose, thyme-peppercorn syrup, fresh lemon juice and Pama liqueur signature cocktail from 5 to 7 p.m. Insider tip: The first sample is on the house; if you want more, it will be available at the patio for purchase. (These cocktails will also be available for the weekend only as a specialty drink.) facebook.com/UnscriptedDurham
Spanish Heritage Wine Dinner
Salud! Deep-dive into the influence that Spanish cuisine has all over the Mediterranean Thursday, Oct. 15, at this decadent five-course Spanish Heritage Wine Dinner beneath the starry autumn skies of the Parizade courtyard (weather permitting). Take a journey through the three main winemaking areas (Rias Baixas, La Rioja, Ribera del Duero) via Trinchero Family Estates’ Laurence Vuelta’s curated vino selection picked to pair perfectly with Executive Chef Jason Lawless’ menu. Get a taste (literally) of sommelier life as you delve into the cause-and-effect nature of chemosynthesis with the wine and food, as well as the amazing history and heritage of each of the unique families of wine. Tickets are $99 per person (tax & gratuity not included) and will sell fast! Make your reservations online or call 919-286-9712. parizadedurham.com
Feed The Pack
Top that pizza with some feel-good philanthropy as Papa Murphy’s Pizza hosts a fundraiser Oct. 8, donating 25% of sales from all eight of its Wake County locations (via in store and online orders) to Feed The Pack, a food pantry open to all members of the N.C. State community, by donating take ’n’ bake pizzas to students, faculty, and staff battling food insecurity. Oct. 8, we all go to NC State. Order online today at papamurphys.com.
Carving Pumpkins with Goats
ICYMI. Fall fun just “goat” a serious upgrade. Carve pumpkins with goats at Spring Haven Farm Tuesdays through Sundays from Oct. 7 to 31, when you pick your perf pumpkin in the patch and then trot over to the pasture for carving. Dreams do come true. Bonus: Tractor Train Express, Haunted Farm Maze, fall treats, music—and did we mention goats and their animal friends? Visit site for ticket info. facebook.com/events/331084091550182