We Love Durham NC

Missing Girl Lost Again

Please help look for this girl, and repost widely. She is 12 and she is 8 months pregnant.

Found 11:45am!

She is missing again.

In which we drive, and eat, and shop, and socialize

I crammed together a ton of errands-activities today on the other side of Durham.

Our first errand was in way North Durham, to pick up some yarn in delicious colors for winter hats. I noticed there were several signs indicating you should not dump your agricultural waste on the side of the road. This is an excellent preemptive measure. (Anyone remember the PCB mess in Warren County? People are still suffering there from poor water supply. Yes, please do not dump your agricultural waste in Durham.)

While there, I took advantage of the Staples on that side of town (it’s usually too far to drive).

Kids were hungry, so we next drove to the Biscuitville beside Northgate Mall. There is no drive-through, and it was crowded inside the small space. It was a treat to see biscuits being made, though. Above the observation window was a plaque listing the award-winning biscuit maker for the last 8 years–the same person each year! Will have to return when she is on duty.

The boy was thrilled to see his first spiky (purple) mohawk on the man in front of us. Another man took a cell phone snapshot of him, which made me laugh because he was trying to be sly, and failing. That Biscuitville is tucked right into a residential neighborhood, so close you could hop on one foot from at least two of the houses.

In the corner of the Biscuitville lot, someone had posted a sign against the prepared food tax. It listed a website for No Durham Food Tax, which describes itself as a grass-roots effort, but interestingly appears to be a project of the nonlocal Americans for Prosperity, NC Division. Now why would someone in Raleigh have an opinion about a Durham tax?

We had 45 minutes before the boy’s playdate drop-off, so we quickly popped into the NCMLS Wild About Animals event, where the kids colored animal masks and dressed up in animal costumes. The museum had a table set up to promote A Taste for Durham’s Future in support of the prepared food tax. We gathered a couple stickers to show our support.

A few yard sales (books, winter tights, a Beanie baby) lured us in on the way to Tru-Value for pinebark mini-nuggets. I dropped the girl at home and went back out to meet and greet at an alumni event.

Tomorrow, nothing out of the house on the agenda, woohoo.

Durham National Night Out 2008

National Night Out is August 5th, 2008. Is your neighborhood participating? It’s not too late to sign up for the night out with your neighbors.

Happy Birthday iContact

Congratulations to iContact for reaching 5 years, 100 employees, and 29,000 customers!

iContact celebrated with employees, families, local customers, media, and community members at their Meridian Parkway location. Music was provided by Second String Band of Durham and Holly Springs. Eastern-style BBQ sandwiches with all the fixins were brought in by Thrills from the Grill. Paul of Flow Circus juggled while kids played on a blow-up slide and bounce house. Kay Hagan’s daughter Carrie spoke in congratulations of iContact and support of her mom’s campaign.

Around 6pm, guests were invited to gather around a giant hot air balloon in the parking lot as it rose with iContact founders Ryan Allis and Aaron Houghton, pulling away a tarp covering the new iContact sign. Unfortunately, incoming rain prevented guests from riding in the balloon as planned, but the celebration continued under a large tent.

iContact supports the community through donations of a percentage of payroll to local and international organizations.

Fundraiser for Local Family

Visit the myspace page

“[There will be] a fundraiser on Sunday June 8th 2008 for Arden & Adam Mills and their baby. Arden is a teacher at Hope Valley Elementary and she tutors at the Hill Center in Durham. Her 10 month old baby, Jack, has severe brain damage as a result of a rare condition called Microcephly and the medical expenses have been extraordinary. Adam stays home with Jack because he requires full time care because he is blind, he suffers from seizures as well as other developmental issues.

The event is on Sunday June 8, 2008 from 12-6pm at the Friendly Civitan Club located at 2510 Glendale Avenue, Durham, NC 27704.

There will be live music - jazz and acoustic rock by David Attaway & Austin Hillhouse and folkmusic by Willie Painter & Scott Laird

BBQ plates provided by Billy & Kelli Cotter - Owners of “Toast” Restaurant … $10.00 a plate (with drinks).

Even if you can’t come but you want to help - You can buy raffle tickets– $5.00 each - You can buy them from me just let me know. Prizes include a 2 night stay at the North Raleigh Hilton, $75 gift certificate to Pop’s, $75.00 gift certificate to Rue Cler, Gift certificates for massages and facials and an I Pod Shuffle. We have more items being donated each day. You do not need to be at the event to win.

This will be very kid friendly with a little carnival set up to the side for the kids to enjoy with face painting, bean bag toss, big bouncy house, etc…..”

Contact emily.white@dpsnc.net for further info.

Durham Entrepreneur Releases Book, Does Good

Ryan Allis built three companies to over $1 million in sales by age 21, raised over $5 million in venture capital at age 22, and today at age 23 runs an 85-person company in Durham called iContact that does over $10 million in annual sales.

Tomorrow, February 5th, he will release Zero to One Million: How I Built a Company to $1 Million in Sales… And How You Can Too. His goal is to sell 2500 copies on Tuesday, thus making #1 sales in Amazon for that day.

All proceeds go to his Humanity Campaign, which works to reduce poverty and hunger. (Read more at the “Ryan Allis” link above.)

Durham Community Supports Family

It has been heartwarming to observe the various groups rallying to support the family whose house burned on 9th Street last week. If you’d like to help, visit Broad Street Cafe this Sunday 1/27. They will be donating 30% of sales to the family.

Crash on University Drive

On the way back, we saw what remained of a crash last night. This is a telephone pole that was shattered and knocked off its base. It is supported by the wires. There are black tire marks and mud tracks leading to the pole, and one of the two arrow signs indicating a curve are plowed down. The median is surrounded with police tape.

YMCA Pool and Towels

The Y reports in a recent mailing that they will suspend towel service during the continued drought…if you must shower at the gym, bring your own towel.

Also, they note that the pools do not use more water per day than a typical household. That’s comforting news.

Half Flush

I heard that the toilet flushing uses the most water in the house, and we found a great solution at Home Depot. It’s called the Bull’s Eye Adjust-a-Flush Flapper. I installed it in 3 short minutes, and it works like a charm. I can dial it to 1/2 way and then the tank only send out half of its water. Flushing is still effective. I bet I could dial it down even lower and just double-flush when necessary. We have 59 days left, y’all. (You can stop watering the astroturf now.)

Midway Truants

Rumor has it that Durham City Schools used to let school out for a day so students could go to the State Fair. I suppose all the testing has made days like that history, but I know some desks are empty this week anyway. The fair was full of children all afternoon.

Random notes: The deep-fried Snickers is not an urban legend. The Ring of Fire is very upside-down scary. The carnival games are unwinnable, unless you find the design sketches online, build your own, and practice all year, which I fully intend to do–I want that 6-foot tall Scooby Doo! The lack of rain meant the Dorton Arena waterfall was turned off, and that the should-have-been-least-attended weekday was pretty crowded. I bet fair revenue is up this year.

Twins or Triplets in Durham, Fall Multifamily Sale

The Mothers of Multiples of Chapel Hill and Durham is having their fall sale on Saturday September 22nd, 7am to noon. I have found very good items there in the past, both clothing and equipment. Last time I got there just in time to see another mom buying the last jogging stroller at an obscenely low price, and kicked myself for days for not getting up earlier. There’s coffee and cake there; just slip your shoes on and go!

Something Nice

Waiting at a stoplight in Forest Hills today, I saw a man walk out of his business to the street, where the storm runoff was puddling up, and, while holding his tie to one side with one hand, dig the offending plug of grass out of the pavement with his other, bare hand. I wanted to yell out the window, “Yes! This is what Durham is about! We are not afraid to get our nails dirty to make our town better!”

Welcome to Durham…

… to all the incoming undergraduates! I saw you in the Target today and just had to say, even though you are trying to weas’ on my Einstein bagels, welcome!

Truck, Stuck

Yesterday, going onto Chapel Hill Road off the Downtown Loop, we passed a truck wedged under the overpass. I don’t think anyone was hurt, but the back of the truck was ripped open like a can of tuna. Ouch!