Ginny from the Blog

I went to the Mountain Aid festival at Shakori Hills this weekend with little (OK, pretty much no) knowledge of mountaintop removal mining. I was just planning to listen to some live music, eating some smores and enjoying nature with my BF.

Instead I was moved to tears by the powerful documentary “Mountain Top Removal” by local director Michael Cusack O’Connell. The film outlines the mountaintop removal process and follows the efforts of West Virginia residents who are trying to get the government to halt the process. They also want to relocate Marsh Fork Elementary School, which sits near a sludge pond. Take a look at this Flickr photo from “ILoveMountains.org” to see where the school sits in relation to the sludge.

The documentary shows the black water pouring from residents faucets. For me the tear-jerking moment came when 16 people were arrested at the West Virginia Governor’s Office after demanding to speak to the governor about relocating the elementary school. Whether you support them or not, it’s hard not to feel their passion and plight as police hauled off their limp bodies. I’m posting the trailer for the documentary below, it recently won the Reel Current award, which was picked and presented by Al Gore at the Nashville Film Festival.

Mountaintop removal mining involves blasting summits to reveal coal, and then dumping all the extra rock and dirt. In some cases, the coal has to be washed, creating nasty sludge ponds that no one would want in their backyard.

What really made the Mountain Aid festival hit home was seeing the same people from the documentary camping beside. Several of the folks whose lives have been reshaped by mountaintop removal were at the festival, which featured performances by Kathy Mattea, the fabulous Ben Sollee and Donna the Buffalo. Proceeds from the festival went to Pennies for Promise, which is trying to relocate Marsh Fork Elementary School.

Today I read that about 200 people gathered Tuesday at a Massey Energy operation in West Virginia (the same company that the documentary references) to protest mountaintop removal. Thirty people were arrested including actress and activist Darryl Hannah. The article by Triangle writer Sue Sturgis outlines the issue and what folks protesting mountaintop removal in West Virginia would like to see happen:

Concerned citizens of Coal River Valley, as the area is known, are also pressing for the construction of a wind farm on Coal River Mountain, which is located across the river from the elementary school. A study has found that it would be possible to build more than 300 megawatts of wind energy capacity on the mountain — enough to power 70,000 homes and put $1.7 million in tax revenues in the county’s coffers annually. However, Massey — the fourth-largest coal company in the U.S. — is seeking permits to blast off the mountaintop, which is the last one left standing in the area. That would destroy the site’s wind potential.

On Thursday, the Senate Subcommittee on Water and Wildlife will hold a hearing about “the impacts of mountaintop removal coal mining on water quality in the Appalachia.”

So if you’re not already familiar with mountainaid removal, take the time to do some research. You can see what your connection to mountaintop coal removal here.

I was driving through downtown Durham Sunday when I spotted this mangled Herald-Sun box. Looks like a car smashed into it this weekend. A couple of other newspaper racks were tipped over too, including the Indy’s.

Also, I think it’s amusing that the photo of the Herald-Sun on the front of the rack features one of the stories I wrote when I worked for the paper about five years ago. I guess it can get pretty expensive replacing these advertisements, but it is interesting that they haven’t been swapped out of some Herald-Sun boxes for at least four years.

In the past month, I’ve seen two of my favorite bands on stage in the Triangle: The National at Lincoln Theatre and The Decemberists at Progress Energy Center. I bragged about the awesomeness of the shows on my facebook page and one of my friends asked me how I find out about all these cool concerts. I told him, he needs to read Triangle music blogs.

I don’t want you to miss out on cool shows or find out about them too late to buy tickets. So here are some of my favorite Triangle music blogs:

* Triangle Music: Bloggers Kevin and Valerie are pretty quick to post concert announcements, they attend most of the major (and cooler) shows and provide commentary, photos and videos afterward.

* Mann’s World: No show is too small for Blogger Karen Mann, who does a great job keeping readers up-to-date on local music, complete with reviews and videos. She also links to relevant local music news. If you want to learn more about the Trianlge music scene, this is an excellent place to start.

* Music.MyNC.com: My co-worker Jake Seaton found a way to take advantage of working at a TV station. He invites local bands and touring acts into NBC17 Studio B and records a live session with them, posting it in full on the music blog he created. He’s also pretty quick to post concert announcements and local music news. Jake is responsible for this beautiful slideshow from The National concert.

* Scan (the Independent Weekly’s music blog): I don’t always agree with their reviews, but some of the best written music commentary in the Triangle can be found here.

* WKNC 88.1 blog: The blog for N.C. State’s student-run radio station is relatively new, but continues to be loaded with a pretty diverse mix of music news, promotions and randomness.

Unfortunately, I don’t have tickets to any upcoming concerts, so it’s time to check the local listings and pick out what I can afford. Let me know if I left out any music blogs that you love.

The Triangle is receiving a shout out in this weekend’s New York Times. The Travel section features an article outlining 11 things you must do if you’re spending 36 hours in “Research Triangle, NC.”

I’m happy to report that this trusty Triangle blogger has done almost everything on the list. But somehow during my time in the Triangle, I’ve never made it to two of the must-visit places on the NYT list: Mama Dip’s in Chapel Hill and Taqueria La Vaquita in Durham (the place with the plastic cow on its roof).

On the bright side, I’ve driven (or walked) past both of these restaurants many times and have always intended to go, but I’ve yet to make it. I’m sure they’ll get a boost in business in the coming weeks thanks to the article. I can assure you I’ll be one of them.

Here are the 11 places the New York Times say are worth a visit in the Triangle and my 2-cents on what they missed:

1. The N.C. Art Museum (with emphasis on the museum park). If you haven’t been, consider bringing your bike and biking over the pedestrian bridge above I-440 and waving to passers by and then heading over to Meredith College and stopping for ice cream at Ben and Jerry’s. Or pack a picnic and go watch a movie outside. Tonight they’re showing “All the President’s Men.”

2. Father & Son (the awesome vintage/antique shop in downtown Raleigh). I love this place. It’s where I scored my 1960s kitchen table. If you go, be sure to hit the recently reorganized basement (duck your head when you walk down the stairs so you don’t hit your head on the pipes) where last time I checked they still had a New Kids on the Block sleeping bag.

3. Eat at Poole’s Downtown Diner. The NYT forgot to mention the dish that all my friends dish about: The Macaroni and Cheese. OMG! It’s heaven. Seriously, I think when you get to heaven you’re surrounded by tubs  of Poole’s Mac & Cheese.

4. Grab a beer at Raleigh Times. I love the Times. Of course the journalist in me loves it for the history and the decor. But in addition to a fabulous (although sometimes overpriced) beer selection, the Times has outstanding deep fried pickles!

5. Get lost in The Scrap Exchange. I’ve blogged about this Durham treasure a few times. The nonprofit is a warehouse stuffed with random scraps that businesses probably would’ve thrown away. If you’re a craft lover, then this is a must visit. But if you’re just amused by randomness, make a Saturday morning day trip out of it. Hit up the Durham Farmer’s Market across the street and then browse the Scrap Exchange.

6. Taqueria La Vaquita in Durham. Like I said, I’ve never been, but now I definitely plan to go.

7. Eno River State Park. The Eno river is one of Durham’s treasures. If you’ve never been, start at West Point on the Eno, a 338-acre Durham city park where an old mill, farmhouse and museum of photography await your exploration. There are also some great swimming holes along the Eno River. And, of course, The Festival for the Eno during the July 4th weekend is packed with music and crafts.

8. Eat BBQ at The Pit. This downtown Raleigh restaurant has received so many rave reviews in national media lately that it’s starting to make me yawn. Yes, the BBQ is good. Yes, you should go there. They used to have tasty green bean cassarole, but they took it off their menu. #fail.

9. Take in a minor league baseball game at Durham Bulls Athletic Park. A Bulls game is a lot of fun, even if you’re not a baseball fan. There’s a lot of amusing entertainment between innings, beer and you can even get seats in the lawn for some games. And, best of all, on Friday nights there is always free fireworks after the game.

10. See a show at Cat’s Cradle in Carrboro. This music venue draws a lot of hot and up-and-coming indie acts. But if you see an act you love coming to the Cradle, don’t delay in buying tickets. The last thing you want to do is find yourself without Jenny Lewis tickets (not that I’m bitter, Daniel).

11. Eat at Mama Dip’s or Crook’s Corner both in Chapel Hill. I haven’t made it to Mama Dip’s yet, but I was unimpressed with Crook’s when I visited it once last summer. But, a lot of people love it, so don’t judge it based on my experience.

Of course, there are plenty of fun places to visit if you only have 36 hours in the Triangle. Share some of your favorites in the comment section.

Also, let me know what you think of the NYT list. Did they get it right? Are these the top places to visit in the Triangle? What would you remove or add?

I’m giving you a little over a week to plan for a weekend event that I predict will be the most fun and the best value: Mountain Aid 2009.

The weekend concert at Shakori Hills aims to bring awareness to mountaintop removal and creating a clean energy future. Gates open at noon Friday June 19 and the two-day series climaxes with Donna the Buffalo. Then you can wake up in your tent Sunday morning and leave.

If you haven’t been to the Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival in Chatham County before, then Mountain Aid is a good way to ease yourself into it. You can camp on the beautiful grounds (the Shakori Hills festival farm is a little less than an hour from downtown Raleigh and Durham) and take turns dancing to about a dozen bands over the course of the two day event.

I’m a big fan of Shakori Hills after camping out there for the spring grassroots festival.

Tickets for Mountain Aid 2009 are $22.50 in advance or $30 at the gate. There’s a $10 tent camping fee, but I highly recommend spending the extra dough to spend some time out in the woods. Kids 12 and under are free. The money will benefit “Pennies for Promise.” Here’s an explanation of the campaign:

To build a new school for the children of Marsh Fork Elementary. Located in Raleigh County, West Virginia, the school is threatened daily by a 2.8 billion gallon coal sludge impoundment in the hills above them.

Here are a few bits of advice if you plan to camp there:

* Bring closed-toe shoes. There’s a gravel road and rocks in the campsite. It gets very dark at night. You’ll thank me later.

* Bring a cooler of beer if you plan to drink. Coolers are allowed and you’ll be happy you brought your own.

* Bring bug spray and have your camping partner check you for ticks often. Trust me on this one.

Finally, the Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival happens twice a year. Tickets for the fall festival go on sale June 22 and are $20 cheaper if you buy them early, so it might be worth marking your calendar if you plan to buy a festival pass this year.

If you’ve noticed a splash of pink in downtown Raleigh this week, it’s because of the Susan G. Komen Triangle Race for the Cure.

I drove past the Sir Walter Raleigh statue in front of the Raleigh Convention Center last week and saw a group of women wrapping a tutu around his waist. I snapped these photos of Sir Walter’s new look on Friday. The Shimmer Wall, the Capitol Building and the Governor’s Mansion are other downtown sites that are supposed to be pink this week, but I haven’t had a chance to check them out yet.

The newly-dressed statue and other pink decorations downtown are part of the “Go Pink for the Cure” celebration, which is a week-long event leading up to Saturday’s race. It’s not to late to register for the race.

I recently returned from a fun vacation. I went to Illinois to see my kid sis graduate from 8th grade. I cruised to the Land O’ Lincoln in a rented convertible with my BF (I highly recommend renting a convertible and driving through the mountains … I only wish we had more time to drive the Blue Ridge Parkway).

Then the three of us went to Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tenn. So, I promise to return to my blog with some fun updates soon. I’ve got a lot to catch you up on and a few Triangle treasures I need to share.

In the meantime, see if you can spot me and the little sis on Timber Tower (it should be pretty easy since I used Photoshop to highlight us).

I’ll be back soon. In the meantime, feel free to fill me in on any Dollywood memories you may have.