Every North Carolinian must ______

 

I don't recall what it was that spurred this thought, but the other day I wondered, "What are the quintessential things that every North Carolinian MUST do at least once?" 

It may have been an article about the dunes at Jockeys Ridge that had me thinking about it. Or it may have been a discussion about Sliding Rock. Regardless, what do you think are the things that should be givens if you are to call North Carolina home?

Here are a few off the top of my head, in addition to the aforementioned ones:

• Attend an ACC basketball game
• Visit the Biltmore House
• Enjoy barbecue at one of the holy cathedrals of 'cue
• Spend a day (or half-day) at Tweetsie Railroad
• Test out if the legend about The Blowing Rock is legit
• Pay a visit to Old Salem
• Enjoy a pork chop sandwich and the Mayberry sites in Mount Airy
• Watch an outdoor drama like "The Lost Colony," "From This Day Forward" or others
• Play Pinehurst No. 2 (or any other great course)
  

 

What else would you include on this list? Please share in the comments.

Sliding Rock image from Blue Ridge Mountain  Life

A requiem for BBQ

If the news holds up and is to be believed, Wilber's Barbecue in Goldsboro is no more as of today. A sign on the door hints at a Department of Revenue issue; however, some folks could see this demise coming from a bypass away. After all, the new highway around Goldsboro -- that does significantly cut time off for people heading to the Crystal Coast -- seems to have diverted people who may have normally stopped for Wilber's 'cue and hushpuppies. Lord knows that's what we did from time to time.

But, if we are honest, that's just part of the issue. Wilber's is not the only long-standing BBQ joint to shutter its doors recently. Just this January, Bill Ellis Barbecue in Wilson came to a halt after more than a half-century of business.

"Against all obstacles, we fought the good fight, but realized it’s time,” was what the family said in a statement.


And it does appear to be a fight. Cooking pigs is hard, long work. Do people have the patience for it anymore?

So what's left? Skylight Inn in Ayden?  King's in Kinston? Lexington? Ole Time in Raleigh? Parker's and B's in Greenville? I'm sure there are many more, and some -- such as Sam Jones of Skylight fame -- have been able to reinvent themselves and the cuisine itself, actually. And places like The Pit in Raleigh have brought eastern N.C. style BBQ to an audience that may have never tried it -- or couldn't get it once they left Wilson, Goldsboro, Kinston or elsewhere.

But as great as those places are -- and I am grateful for them -- they just don't have the same feel as a place with checkered, sticky tablecloths. Or places that bring you hushpuppies whether you want them or not. Or where you have to walk up to the counter to pay. Yes, I am admittedly nostalgic when it comes to N.C. BBQ. But it's one of those key bellweathers of this state -- it's a differentiator, if you will, between us and others -- even if we don't always agree on which kind is better.

But we can all agree that some is better than none.

Wilber's image from the Goldsboro News-Argus; shirt from House of Swank.

What would be worth fighting for today?

I absolutely love how Our State magazine republishes and re-posts some of its past articles. Even for a Carolinaphile* like myself, I'm constantly learning new things. For instance, earlier this week, Our State promoted a 2016 article by the great Philip Gerard on an interesting footnote of history, something he called The Great Oyster War.

Now, it wasn't exactly a full-scale war. More of a "skirmish," if anything. Writes Gerard:

As wars go, it was a minor affair, pitting a few hundred off-islanders against a small, determined band of about 40 Ocracokers. But the stakes were as high as they get: control of precious watery territory, defense of a community’s livelihood, and the preservation of an endangered fishery.

It began with a government survey, quickly escalated into piracy and an attempted murder in broad daylight on the streets of New Bern — and ended as a footnote in history, most recently recorded in the Ocracoke Island Journal.

Please read the rest of this fascinating story. It's a great snapshot into how folks react when their livelihood is threatened. Also, how does one become the modern Oyster Commissioner? I totally want that gig.

But this got me thinking: is there a modern equivalent of something that would lead Tar Heels to stand their ground and take up arms against outsiders who are infringing on a way of life?

My first inclination was over barbecue, but even within the state there is a passionate yet respectful rivalry that is East-West centered rather than North-South. (It's a very civil Civil War, if you will. Plus, we all can agree that Eastern or Lexington is superior to South Carolina 'cue.)

Here are some other topics that could lead to an uprising, in no particular order:

• Taking away our "First in Flight" designation. (Looking at you, Ohio.)
• Federal mandate that bans The Shag as being "too risque"
• The Quebecois coming down to take our hockey team
• A "reboot" of the "Andy Griffith Show"
• Moving the ACC Tournament to some northern place like New York City. (Oh, wait ....)

What else?


*I may have just made up a term. 

Image courtesy of Carolinafishmarket.com

N.C. 'cue > K.C. 'cue

... at least according to Anthony Bourdain. And I think he knows a thing or two about food.

In an upcoming issue of Budget Travel, Bourdain puts "five great rivalries to rest." One is the N.C. vs. K.C. barbecue debate. The winner? Us.

"It's so minimalist - dressed with only a bit of vinegar, salt, and pepper," said Bourdain. "It's hard to argue with that."

Quick hits: Banning pig pickin's and this time the Rangers party with Canada Dry

EPA dust regulations could threaten barbecues
"Until recently, no one in North Carolina, home to so many tobacco companies, could have imagined a statewide smoking ban in public buildings," writes the Carolina Journal.

"And yet it’s possible that federal environmental regulators could target another signature Tar Heel State tradition: the pig pickin’.

"Several cities in California, Colorado, and other states have banned outdoor grilling — particularly where wood or charcoal is involved — at parks and other public areas and at events including weekend festivals. And if the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency tightens its regulations covering coarse particulate matter in 2011, mobile smokers could be endangered. ..."



Rangers celebrate with ginger ale ... for Hamilton

"After the Texas Rangers clinched the American League East in Oakland in September, the champagne and beer celebration quickly swept through the visiting locker room.

"The celebration took place though without one key figure…the Rangers’ MVP-candidate outfielder Josh Hamilton.

"Hamilton, whose battles with substance abuse are well documented, avoided the alcohol, dressed in a side office and went back into the stands to speak to a church group about his life," says FoxSports.

"But a team that has driven itself all season on unity and family made sure that no one was excluded from the party in Tampa Bay Tuesday night.

"Shortly after Cliff Lee finished his magnificent performance in closing out the Rays 5-1 on the road, it wasn’t beer and champagne that was on ice in the locker room.

"It was ginger ale. ...

"It was a respectful gesture by a team that many thought had no chance to make a splash this season. Facing an unsure ownership situation and bankruptcy, the players all season had each other’s backs and pulled together to shock the baseball world. ..."

An outsider's look at N.C. BBQ

Again, gotta love Google Alerts. If not for it, I would never have come across this blog piece.

"For (American) Northerners there remains a number of unfounded misconceptions about the South. People are fat. People are rednecks. People are racist. Yes, they are, and some of us above the Mason Dixon line hit those marks too," writes Nick Schonberger. "Despite consistent bad mouthing and classist snobbery one thing is universally acknowledged as better down South — the BBQ."

He gets some names and stuff wrong (Allen & Brothers instead of Allen & Sons in Chapel Hill; referring to ECU as "East Carolina State University"), but the romance is there.

To wit:

An almost mystic pull to down home, no frills, dinning, brought me to North Carolina for a weekend in May. Having toured Texas BBQ and Memphis, and sampled a number of places throughout Virginia, I’d largely ignored North Carolina in the past. Yet, the style is the most frequently copied (and ruined) in my regular BBQ consumption. “Carolina Pulled Pork” sandwiches litter menus at bars and taverns up the Eastern Seaboard, and given this an opportunity to investigate the authentic origins of the ubiquitous dish proved impossible to resist.

... Rolling through North Carolina, it became obvious that while blanket statements can define the taste, technique, and texture, there’s no accounting for individual twists and turns in the make up. ...

.. [w]e gathered remaining strength and hit Greenville. A ghost town. A place where even the locals are quick to tell you to leave. One did. A single toothed proprietor of the town’s Skate Shop. He told me, frankly, that there wasn’t a single good thing to eat within miles. I suppose his lack of teeth made living there possible. The best thing in town was a giant sculpture of a Pirate. The rest was genuinely frightening.

Three days. 8 giant meals. Hundreds of miles driven. The lesson learned, people in North Carolina certainly take BBQ seriously, and certainly place a highly localized stamp on a plate of pork.

Quick hits: Skylight highlighted, and a artists mourns for her husband -- and fights jetties

Ayden's Skylight Inn in the spotlight again
"The spotlight is once again on Ayden's Skylight Inn barbecue restaurant," says the Daily Reflector. "The Pitt County purveyor of pig, East Carolina-style, will hit the big time in the Big Apple this weekend as part of a popular festival that celebrates roasted pork.

"A short documentary film about the local restaurant, titled 'Leave It to Cleaver: The Story of North Carolina's Skylight Inn BBQ,' is scheduled to be shown at 4 p.m. Sunday as part of New York's seventh annual Snapple Big Apple Barbecue Block Party. According to the Web site, bigapplebbq.org, the film 'showcases the Jones family of Ayden, N.C., whose restaurant The Skylight Inn carries on a family tradition of whole hog barbecue that has continued in an unbroken line since the 1830s.'

"The film was created by filmmaker Joe York and the Southern Foodways Alliance at the University of Mississippi. ..."

Fight groins (jetties)
My mother alerted me to this blog, whose aim is two-fold: to honor the passing of the artist's husband (shown) AND to help lead the cause against ocean groins.

Says the Sierra Club (via the blog): "For the third year in a row, legislation is before the NC General Assembly that would punch a hole in North Carolina’s long-standing ban on hardened structures that keeps our beaches public & natural. We need your help today if North Carolina’s public’s beaches are to be protected for tomorrow. Please oppose SB 832, Coastal Resource Commission may permit a Terminal Groin, by Sen. Julia Boseman.

"The natural beauty and economic value of North Carolina’s public beaches and inlets exists today in large measure because our state leaders long ago adopted a conservative management policy that bans the use of hardened structures—seawalls, jetties and groins of any kind—from our coast. ..."

Barbecue with 'single-minded devotion'

This article from the Los Angeles Times is almost a year old, but it bears reading again.

"The moon was high over the loblolly pines when Keith Allen arrived for work at 2 a.m. He built a fire of hickory logs, and a plume of rich blue smoke creased the black night sky.

"When the fire had produced glowing red coals, Allen shoveled them into a pit below two dozen hog shoulders on a metal rack. For the next nine hours, he shoveled more coals, stoked the fire, and turned the shoulders as they cooked a ruddy, smoky brown.

"Long after first light, he was still at it. With a cleaver in one hand and a knife in the other, he chopped the pork with a rhythmic whump, whump, whump. Then he plunged two gloved hands into the steaming meat to mix in a homemade sauce of vinegar, salt and red pepper.

"And that, for purists, is the long, hard, wearying way of making genuine pit-cooked Eastern North Carolina chopped barbecue. ...

"Only 20 to 30 barbecue restaurants among hundreds in the state still cook with wood, says Bob Garner, author of two books on Carolina barbecue. 'But nobody does it to the degree Keith does – he’s one of a kind,' Garner said.

"Allen’s painstaking methods – cutting his own hickory, manning the fire for hours, chopping his own meat and making his own sauce – have their roots in a time-honored process. Pigs have been roasted over wood coals in North Carolina since the 17th century.

"The process evolved generations ago into the hickory-smoked, seasoned and chopped pork dish known as North Carolina barbecue. (Sauce in the eastern part of the state is vinegar-based; in the west, it’s tomato-based.)

"But purists say the delicacy is being compromised by modern shortcuts. That’s why holdouts such as Allen are so significant, Garner said.

" 'He pursues it with a single-minded devotion,' Garner said. 'That’s his niche, and he’d be a fool to change now.' ..."

Quick hits: Another N.C. tree to grace the White House, and more on BBQ bible

White House Christmas tree from North Carolina

"A tree farm in the northwestern corner of North Carolina now knows which tree the White House wants for President Bush's final Christmas in office," says the AP.

"River Ridge Tree Farms in Ashe County won the right to supply the tree in August, when it was named grand champion of the 2008 Christmas Tree Contest of the National Christmas Tree Association. ...

"It's the second straight year an Ashe County tree has been chosen. A tree from neighboring Alleghany County was the White House tree in 2005."

Book chronicles history of N.C. barbecue

"Truth be told, the biggest issue in North Carolina is not deciding between Democrat and Republican.

"Heck, no.

"It's deciding whether Piedmont or Eastern-style barbecue is best," writes the Salisbury Post's Susan Shinn.

"And that's a dispute, my friends, that no election will ever resolve.

"It's a fine problem to have. North Carolina will always be pro-pork. We love our barbecue in the Old North State. ..."

A little N.C. flavor in Copenhagen

"There is a distinctively North Carolina flavor at the American ambassador's home in the Danish capital," writes the Winston-Salem Journal.

"Paintings by artists from the state adorn the walls of 'Rydhave,' a house noted for its beauty and history. And business leaders from North Carolina who recently visited found the state flag flying outside and a meal of barbecue, biscuits and pecan pie imported from the Tarheel state.

"The decor and dishes reflect the heritage of Jim Cain, who grew up in Winston-Salem and uses his home-state's heritage to put the best face on American foreign diplomacy."

Read on for more about Cain, who has worked in Raleigh as an attorney, businessman and even president of the Carolina Hurricanes. (Cain even once used the same Raleigh barber as one certain blogger. Ahem.)

"Public attitudes toward the U.S. have worsened throughout Western Europe since the onset of the Iraq War," said Pete Furia, a professor of political science at Wake Forest University.

"However, official relations between the U.S. and Denmark over the same period have been warmer than those between the U.S. and larger European countries like Germany and France."

Cain has "encouraged Danes to visit his home state," says the paper.

"He helped Danish students spend time in both North Carolina and Winston-Salem through various exchange programs during the past three years. He also came to Winston-Salem with the Danish ambassador to the United States, Friis Petersen, in 2006 to speak to law students at Wake Forest."

Lexington BBQ: Authentic America

Time magazine has listed "Authentic America" items from all 50 states. North Carolina's entry: Barbecue - of the Lexington variety.

"The state legislature has designated Lexington the 'hickory smoked barbecue capital of North Carolina,' and that's serious business in a state known for its pork," says Time. "More than 20 'cue restaurants operate in Lexington — even though the town has a population of just 20,000. So who's eating all that pig? A lot of it gets gobbled up by visitors who come for smoky pork shoulder, often served chopped and dressed with tangy vinegar and ketchup. Lexington Barbecue (10 U.S. Hwy. 29-70 S., Lexington; 336-249-9814), a simple roadside shack known locally as the 'Honey Monk,' is the town's institution and has lines out the door most days, but other nearby restaurants offer an equally good barbecue fix."

Unique to North Carolina

Today I finally spotted a U-Haul vehicle with a North Carolina-themed mural on its side. (It seems odd that this is the first time I've seen one; all the others have been for other states. I assume that's U-Haul's marketing plan: "Wow! There are sea turtles in South Dakota! I think I'll move there. Heck, I'll even use U-Haul!")

From a distance, I first spotted what looked like a Venus Fly Trap. I didn't have my eye glasses on, so I mumbled to myself, "that had better be North Carolina" -- after all Venus Fly Traps are native to (and almost totally found in) the Old North State.

It was.

(U-Haul's other N.C. mural is a Wright Brothers-themed one, which you can view here.)

Thinking about the Venus Fly Trap got me thinking about other things, people, places that are unique to North Carolina or are mostly found here.

Some suggestions?

-Calabash seafood

-Lexington barbecue

-Eastern-style barbecue

-The United States' Emerald population

I'm sure there are more suggestions, but it's Friday, and I can think of no more. Any others?

Land of Sky? More like Land of Great Food

The family and I were in Asheville last week for a conference. The conference allowed ample time for getting out and enjoying that city's culinary delights -- a couple of which were new to us.

Upon the suggestion of a former co-worker, we headed to the River Arts District for some barbecue from 12 Bones. We were told to get there early for lunch (they only do lunch). We tried, but failed. Getting there at roughly noon, we still had to wait in line a half-hour just to get in the building. There were people in line from Atlanta who traveled to A-ville just to sample 12 Bones.

But man, oh man, was it worth the wait. I ordered the barbecue plate, which came with two sides and cornbread. I opted for the jalapeno cheese grits and macaroni and cheese. Being a 12 Bones virgin, I also got a side of three rib just to sample them. That was a mistake - not because they were bad. In fact, they were stupdendous. But it was a mistake to order all that food. I never even got to the cornbread, and didn't finish the sides. Oh, and the plate was just $6, not counting the ribs. It's an amazing amount of food for the price.

My wife, by the way, got the BBQ sandwich with two sides: corn pudding (probably the best thing between the two of us) and sweet potato casserole.

(Note: The barbecue is of the pulled variety, not chopped. However, it favors more Eastern N.C. style than Lexington.)

My one regret? That I didn't buy a 12 Bones t-shirt. (Slogan was something like: "Juicy butts. Sweet racks.")

Oh, and by the time we left at around 1:45, the line outside was still 40-or-so people deep.

Later that night, our last night in Asheville, we waddled our way to downtown for dinner at Tupelo Honey Cafe, a place that was closed for renovations the last time I was in Asheville. We were still stuffed from our earlier pork adventure, but we fought through. And we were so glad we did.

Tupelo Honey describes itself as a "locally owned sole proprietorship, offers old southern favorites with creative twists. It has quickly distinguished itself from other regional restaurants by presenting familiar, creative, comfort fare, healthier options, fresh ingredients, and large portions at a fair price."

They are so right, especially about the price. I ordered the sweet potato pancake (at $4 perhaps the best deal in town). That was all I ordered, and that was all I needed. Even if I hadn't been stuffed from 12 Bones, that pancake would've been plenty. The pancake has "flavored with cinnamon and sweet potatoes, topped with whipped peach butter and spiced pecans." Nice.

We enjoyed our Tupelo Honey experience so much that we seriously considered returning the next day for lunch. (In the end, we were too embarrassed to do that.)

(Tupelo Honey Cafe photo from the restaurant's website)

Horwitz discovers N.C.'s true religious differences

USAToday live blogger Tony Horwitz is currently dispatching his "Live from ..." reports from the Great State. (You can read his accounts here.) So far he has researched the Lost Colony, seen just how rural (and wide) North Carolina is, and his latest installment (as of noon on May 14, 2008) had him approaching a very contentious subject.

Barbecue.

"All across North Carolina, there are roadside signs depicting very big men clutching very big pigs. This state may be a Baptist stronghold, but its true religion is barbecue," writes Horwitz.

"There are other food cults in the South, like chili in Texas," says John Shelton Reed, a sociologist at the University of North Carolina. "But barbecue has the most sects, and fundamentalists." ...

We tuck into moist piles of pulled pork, seasoned the eastern North Carolina way, with a sauce of vinegar and red pepper. Farther west in the state, the sauce has just a touch of tomato. Dale [John Shelton's wife]concedes such differences may seem slight, "but it's heresy if your taste strays from the region you're in." John adds: "Part of barbecue's appeal is that it's so intensely local. It's the closest we have to wine, you drive 100 miles and it changes."

Best 'sammich' in the state?

KBrew sent along this Esquire link which describes the best sanwiches/wraps/gyros in America. On this list is Chapel Hill's Allen & Sons barbecue sandwich. I just can't fathom that it could be any better than Wilber's, but I digress. (This list also includes McDonald's McRib and Chik-Fil-A's chicken sandwich, for what it's worth.)

What is the best sandwich you've ever had in the Old North State? The aforementioned Wilber's (Goldsboro) takes the crown in the pulled pork category. I'm a HUGE fan of Sunflower's (Raleigh) chicken salad sandwich. Until it closed recently, The Grape's (Raleigh) $15 steak sandwich was one of the best things I had ever tasted. (Perhaps the fact that a sandwich cost $15 led to The Grape's demise?)

Any other votes?

Quick hits: Road rules and BBQ duels

MTV guidebook series to hit the road
"Need some inspiration for your next road trip? Check out the new guidebook 'MTV Roadtrips U.S.A,'" writes the Associated Press.

"The book is divided into regional themes, like 'Retro Roadtrip: Miami to the Outer Banks,' 'A Southern BBQ Roadtrip,' and 'Cool in the Midwest,' with stops in Minneapolis, Kansas City, Denver and Salt Lake City. There is also a chapter on festival season in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic that includes New York City as well as Bonnaroo in Manchester, Tenn., and a West Coast trip starting in San Diego and ending in Seattle. ..."

N.C. BBQ duel set for spring
"North Carolina's barbecue duel has been postponed," according to the News & Observer.

"The Tar Heel Barbecue Classic to settle the debate over which is better, Eastern North Carolina 'cue or Western North Carolina 'cue, had been slated for Oct. 6 and 7 in downtown Raleigh. Planners now aim for spring.

"Tracey Lovejoy, vice president of the Downtown Raleigh Alliance, said there were several reasons the event got postponed: The alliance just got a new president who wants to study the event, and the N.C. Barbecue Society was struggling to find vendors who weren't busy that weekend. ..."

Eastern BBQ beats Western (yeah!), but there are more Heels than Wolfpackers (boo!)

A recent poll conducted by Public Policy revealed some interesting (if not earth-shattering) news about North Carolinians.

Most North Carolinians prefer the beach to the mountains when it comes to summer vacation. And more than not prefer Eastern-style barbecue to Western/Lexington.

"Forty-seven percent of respondents expressed a taste for eastern-style barbeque, compared to 29 percent for western-style barbeque," said WRAL.com.

"Survey respondents were also asked about their in-state sport teams loyalties.

"For professional teams, 49 percent chose the Carolina Panthers as their favorite North Carolina team. ...

"Among collegiate schools, 33 percent chose UNC-Chapel Hill as their favorite team. Seventeen percent expressed support for NC State and 12 percent for Duke. ..."

Chicago Tribune: 'Cue Country (hint: It's North Carolina)

The Chicago Tribune has begun a series on barbecue across the U.S., and the series (sensibly) starts at the cradle of 'cue: North Carolina.

"There's an evangelical fervor for 'cue uniting residents of the Tar Heel state, who otherwise are deeply split on what that barbecue is. In the eastern counties, barbecue is a whole pig anointed with a little vinegar sauce. In the western reaches of the state, barbecue is pork shoulder dabbed with a tomato-based sauce.

"Carolinians don't budge much on this. They like what they grew up eating. And, they can be scrappy when pushed.

" 'It is, as you will find, every North Carolinian's God-given right to be reckoned an authority on the subject of barbecue,' wrote Terry Mancour for the online guide NorthCarolina.com.

"He wasn't kidding.

"Even the state's official tourism Web site, visitnc.com, warns visitors (we read that to mean mouthy Yankees heading to Florida on the interstates) to steer clear of this food feud.

" 'In this state it's best just to eat and enjoy barbecue, and make sure your mouth's too full to discuss it,' the Web site advises. ..."

The article also has some great Carolina recipes, like hushpuppies from Wilber's, Lexington (red) cole slaw and more.

Oh, and here's to some great research from Trib reporters Bill Daley and Donna Pierce. They've not only captured the Carolina 'cue culture, but all the tricks of the trade, too.

USA Today: BBQ joints keep the flame burning bright

From USA Today:

It isn't even noon and already a line has formed outside the order window at Grady's Barbecue, a 10-table joint awash in burnt orange laminate and the pungent aroma of wood smoke.

Owner Steve Grady, 72, has been here since 1 a.m., laboring out back in the small white cinderblock pit house, where two whole pigs are blistering over a bed of oak and charcoal.

There are secrets to the arduous preparation and to how they achieve what Grady's wife, Gerri, calls the "zing" in the barbecue sauce, a recipe handed down from Grady's granddad. They won't reveal those secrets, but they will divulge a psychic component to producing outstanding barbecue.

"It's loving what you do," Gerri Grady says.

From the wooded byways of North Carolina's fertile tobacco country to the strip malls of its burgeoning suburbs, barbecue isn't just something you heap on a soft white bun and serve with a side of slaw.

In these parts, slow-roasted pork smells of heritage, history and home. It ignites passions and sparks rivalries. And with the creation this year of a statewide barbecue trail, it's attracting tourists, too.

Quick hits: Of Pumpkins, pork and a Parkway musical

Smashing Pumpkins Asheville shows sell out ... in five minutes
"They're gone.

"Tickets for a stretch of shows by alt-rock band Smashing Pumpkins at The Orange Peel sold out in just five minutes Monday night," according to the Asheville Citizen-Times.

"There were 8,478 tickets sold for the Pumpkins' nine-night engagement at the Peel, club spokeswoman Liz Whalen said.

"The club first tried to sell the tickets Sunday afternoon using the TicketWeb online service, but demand was so overwhelming they crashed the system, leaving many fans frustrated.

"Club management spent much of Monday working on a new plan to sell the tickets, this time using the much larger Ticketmaster system. ..."

Two kinds of 'cue to tango in Raleigh
"The state's oldest, fiercest, most fattening rivalry will end peacefully this October, slathered in Texas Pete," writes the News & Observer.

"Organizers announced plans Monday for the Tar Heel Barbecue Classic in downtown Raleigh, lining both sides of newly opened Fayetteville Street and drawing as many as 75,000 people and pork of both eastern and western persuasion.

"For too long, organizers said, the state has let eastern and western rivalries dominate barbecue culture while Memphis, Kansas City or Texas lays claim to the title of world barbecue capital. Raleigh is the fitting spot as the neutral ground between two traditions, they said, and for an end to the eternal vinegar- versus tomato-base squabbling.

" 'We're not here to perpetuate a war,' said Jim Early, founder of the N.C. Barbecue Society. 'We're here to perform a wedding. We've been shooting ourselves in the foot with this eastern-western thing. No other states fight within the state. Let's stop that. Let's fight somebody else if we have to fight. Let's unite as kin.' ..."

Blue Ridge Parkway-based drama premiers next week
"Next week, the musical drama 'Moses Cone: The Denim King' will debut in its world premiere in Blowing Rock, North Carolina.

"To celebrate the world premiere, the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation is collaborating with the Blowing Rock Historical Society, the Blowing Rock Art and History Museum and Appalachian State University (ASU) to host one gala performance 'Denim and Cider' on Saturday, June 2. Tickets ($40 per person) are needed to join the evening's festivities, which include a reception catered by Café Portofino in Boone, music by jazz guitarist Andy Page from ASU, hard cider from Foggy Ridge Cider in Meadows of Dan, Virginia, and an exhibit by the Blowing Rock Art and History Museum.

"Tickets for the gala evening can be purchased through the Foundation's office at (336)721-0260 or online. ..."