Where to see Christmas lights

North Carolina has long been known as the "Variety Vacationland." It could also be known as the "Christmas Lights Variety Land." No matter where you are in the state this time of year, there are noteworthy light displays for your enjoyment.

I am biased toward the Meadow Lights because I grew up not far from there and we tend to make an annual pilgrimage with the kids due to its close proximity to Raleigh.  

"Out west," McAdenville, N.C., is actually known as "Christmas Town, U.S.A."  And then there is Biltmore Estate in Asheville, which has established itself as a national draw when it comes to holiday decorating.

What are some other notable Christmas light displays we should all be aware of? VisitNC.com offers some potential places to visit. Among the list are Chetola's Festival of Lights in Blowing Rock, Speedway Lights in Concord, Beary Merry Christmas in New Bern, and much more. 

Images courtesy of Mcadenville-christmastown.com and Biltmore.com.

Cheerwine and Avetts join up for a great cause

Arguably two of the greatest "products" of North Carolina are Cheerwine and the Avett Brothers. Well, the two have teamed up for a good cause.

From a press release that just went out:

Cheerwine®, the legendary soft drink of the South, is joining forces with North Carolina indie-rockers the Avett Brothers to present the Legendary Giveback concert, an evening that will raise awareness and funds for a number of nonprofit organizations this fall. The two Southern icons are teaming up for one night, in one town in the Southeast, to bring their fans together and raise awareness of the causes in need. 

A portion of the proceeds raised by the concert will benefit a number of local and national charities, specifically addressing the needs of families. Operation Homefront, a national charity that provides emergency financial and other assistance to the families of our service members and Wounded Warriors, will be one of the primary recipients, and the other partner organizations will be announced this summer. ...

The Legendary Giveback builds upon the relationship Cheerwine and the Avett Brothers have cultivated in recent years, which includes Scott Avett voicing a series of Cheerwine radio advertisements. The partnership will allow Cheerwine and Avett Brothers fans to enjoy the concert experience of a lifetime, with the added bonus of supporting a number of important causes. ...

"As musicians, an event like this is a natural way for us to give back to our fans," said Scott Avett, lead singer and multi-instrumentalist for the Avett Brothers. "To realize the needs of these groups is humbling. We're proud to be able to contribute."
Details of the concert will be revealed in July. Fans are encouraged to stay tuned for updates at Facebook.com/Cheerwine and on Twitter at twitter.com/DrinkCheerwine.

What a terrific partnership. A good buddy of mine once had cartons of Cheerwine shipped to him when he lived in Washington, D.C. And we have addressed on this blog how the Avetts may just be the "most" North Carolina of acts.

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/05/16/4494454/the-avett-brothers-partner-with.html#storylink=cpy

We talk funny: Place names

This is the first in what I think will be just a two-parter about the ways we "talk" in North Carolina. And by talk I mean the way we speak and the way we pronounce place names. I've always been fascinated with this subject, especially after reading Walt Wolfram's "Hoi Toid on the Outer Banks."

This first part is geared at the various place names in the state. North Carolina is lucky in that we have A LOT of places that have some interesting pronunciations. In fact, the N.C. Collection at the UNC-Chapel Hill Library offers a database, of sorts, on its website called, "Talk Like a Tar Heel." You can view it here. In fact, the list is organized by county, which is quite helpful.

Among my favorites are ...
Conetoe (kuh-NEE-tuh)
Concord (CON-CORD -- not CON-kerd)
Etowah (EH-tuh-wuh)
Harnett (HAR-nit)
Mebane (MEB-in -- not muh-BAIN)
Tyrrell (TERR-il)
Zebulon (ZEB-you-lon)

Of course, I don't necessarily agree with some of these; I've always heard Edgecombe as "EDGE-comb," not "EDGE-cum," as listed here.

Any other place names that don't necessarily sound like they look?

AP: Avetts' success brings distance

"When Scott Avett sings the last bars of The Avett Brothers' 'I and Love and You,' he puts his fingers over his heart, then gestures out to the audience.

"It is a symbol of what he and his brother Seth say the song is about -- not a lost love, but the growing distance that success has put between them and their audience. It's a rare occurrence now for them to sit at a bar after a show and chat with fans; after some shows, too many fans show up at the bus for them to even shake all their hands."

This is a nice piece by the AP that touches on a big part of what makes the Avetts so darn appealing (aside from, you know, the music). They appear to be fairly normal guys who had an upbringing not dissimilar to you or I. Of course, they've now sold hundreds of thousands of albums.

The Avetts have had "their best commercial success with their eighth CD, 'I and Love and You,' which was produced by Grammy-winning producer Rick Rubin, whose credits range from Johnny Cash to the Dixie Chicks to Jay-Z."

The album has sold 181,000 copies in the United States, according to their record label, and garnered plenty of critical acclaim. It was named Paste magazine's best of 2009 and one of the best of the decade.

Their concerts in medium-sized venues sell out across the country, and they started their first major international tour in mid-March with performances sold out in London, Amsterdam and Dublin. They're now performing mostly at festivals in the United States, Great Britain and Canada through September.

The guys in the band -- which includes one non-brother, Bob Crawford -- describe themselves as overthinking romantics who don't really excel at vocals or playing their instruments, although they hope to improve at the latter. Their popularity lies both in their deeply emotional lyrics and their unusual sound. It's a mixture of pop, country and grunge influenced by the country music that their parents listened to, and the music they embraced as youths -- Nirvana, Alice in Chains and Hall and Oates, Michael Jackson and Boy George.

"We grew up in the country, and country living didn't exactly promote the Ramones. That just doesn't fit," says Scott, 33. "But when you're 14 years old, you don't really care what fits in the country. I bet you anything there are 14 years old in Brooklyn who are going straight to Hank Williams. That's what they want to go to. Rebellion, that's given."

But that country upbringing kicked in eventually as the brothers realized, over time, that "we had a yearning to write songs about things that were understandable and relatable, which is a great jump," says Seth, 29. ...

The Avetts like to think that success hasn't changed their lives. Both married, they live with their own families outside Concord, about 40 miles northeast of Charlotte, near the 60-acre farm where they grew up. Cows, dogs and roosters are part of the landscape at their parents' home, where, until just this year, the brothers were as likely to be found rolling hay as writing songs. As they sing in the barn during this interview, the cows' moos override the music, and Scott tosses two bales to the muck below to quiet their complaints. ...

$1 million pledged to Tryon Palace

Philanthropist Mariam Cannon Hayes (of Cannon Mills fame) recently bequeathed $1 million to New Bern's historic Tryon Palace, site of the first permanent capitol of colonial North Carolina and home to the royal governor.

Hayes died in August at age 91.

"The Tryon Palace money will help build a $60 million historical education center at the facility, palace Director Kay Williams said," according to the Charlotte Observer.

"The gateway in the new building will be named for Hayes' parents, textile magnate Charles A. Cannon and his wife, Ruth, and will feature information about the family's philanthropy. In the 1930s and 1940s, Ruth Cannon helped start the reconstruction of the palace, which had burned in 1798.

"Williams had discussed a donation with Hayes for several years. Construction on the education center will begin in June, and it should open in April 2010 in time for New Bern's tricentennial.

" 'She agreed the project was valuable and wanted to do something to honor her parents' involvement,' Williams said. 'In a way ... (the bequest) is a fitting memorial to her as well. It's a gift to history in North Carolina, her parents and a gift for education.' ..."

Hayes also pledged $3.5 million to UNC-Charlotte, $1million each to Davidson College and Queens University, $500,000 to the Blowing Rock Community Center and $600,000 for the Jeff Gordon Children's Hospital at Carolinas Medical Center-NorthEast in Concord. She also bequeathed, according to the Observer, $200,000 for a scholarship fund at Cannon School, an independent school in Concord. She forgave the debt on the 2005 sale of a Beechcraft Baron airplane to her nephew, William Cannon Jr.

"And she left her Blowing Rock property, worth an estimated $2.2 million, to the Appalachian State University Foundation.

"She gave her Concord home to the Cannon Foundation. The house, valued at $413,170 according to her estate inventory, was built in 1907 and will serve as the foundation's new home, Executive Director Frank Davis said."

Quick hits: Water woes and water parks

Drought likely here until February
"Last week's rainfall and the soaking showers of Thursday haven't been enough to ease the statewide drought, meaning North Carolinians need to continue conservation measures, Gov. Mike Easley says," writes the News & Observer.

"In the face of plummeting water supplies from a drought expected to last until February, Easley warns that the worst might lie ahead.

" 'The rain last week certainly helped, but forecasters say we need several months of normal to above-normal rainfall before we see any improvement in the drought,' Easley said in a statement Thursday. 'We must do all we can to save water now so we do not face even more severe shortages this fall and winter.' ..."

Concord lands water park, resort
"Great Wolf Resorts has decided to make a $140.million splash in Concord," writes the Charlotte Observer.

"The company will announce today it plans to build its indoor water park and resort in the city, a Cabarrus economic development official said.

"The Wisconsin company also had been considering other sites for its Charlotte-area project, including Fort Mill, S.C., and Charlotte’s University City near where Ikea is being built.

"Great Wolf contacted the Cabarrus Economic Development Corp. Thursday and indicated the company would name Concord as the project site today, said John Cox, the EDC’s chief executive officer.

"The move is welcome news for Concord. The city has been hit hard by the pending loss of all 2,500 jobs at the Philip Morris U.S.A. plant and the purchase of CT Communications by Windstream Corp., which is slashing jobs and selling the local headquarters. ..."