Ginny from the Blog

North Carolina musician Jan Johansson needs a heart transplant, and in the meantime, he’s been living with a heart pump. Jan, who has mastered the guitar, fiddle, and mandolin, is fortunate to have health coverage through is wife’s employer, but with the cost of a transplant totaling about $750,000, his family is seeking help to help defray medical expenses and lost income.

So the good folks at Pinecone, the Piedmont Council of Traditional Music, are sponsoring a benefit concert for Jan from 1 to 6:30 p.m. Sunday at Bond Park Amphitheater.

The lineup includes: Kruger Brothers; Al Batten & the Bluegrass Reunion; String Machine; Kickin Grass; Hank Bowman and Lin Petersonand a grand finale with Jan and Friends, including Carolina Junction; Julie Elkins; Danny Gotham; Joe Newberry; John Wade; Lindsey Tims; Jerry Stuart and John Teer.

The performers and event organizers are donating their time and talents to raise money and show support and appreciation for all that Jan and his wife have done for the music community. Jan is a music instructor, but because of his health problems, he has not been able to offer as many lessons. All donations from Sundays show will go directly to the National Foundation for Transplants to help Jan and Theresa.

You can read more about Jan and Sunday’s concert here. If you are unable to attend and feel compelled to help, there’s also info on how you can make a donation.

The Town of Cary is planning to revise the strict sign ordinances that require everything in the town be beige and white. It’s the first time in 10 years that the town has looked at major changes to the sign ordinances, reports the News & Observer.

I have mixed feelings about Cary’s sign ordinances. The Punky Brewster side of me says the town needs to stop being so lame and relax the laws, let some color shine through. But the former Hilton Head Island resident in me says there’s something nice about tight controls that prevent tacky signs from proliferating.

I’m eager to hear more about the process though. The N&O reports that a 15-member task force is being created for the review. Then a consultant will review the task force’s findings and the town council will make whatever changes suit its interests (I mean constituents) and suddenly pink will be the new beige. Seriously though, who will these 15 people be? What will their backgrounds be? Will they be required to know anything about design, architecture, marketing, ordinances, etc.?

No matter what, I’m guessing the town will find a way to get rid of giant “Screwed by The Town of Cary” sign that David Bowden had painted on the side of his house to express dissatisfaction over the way the town handled a road construction issue that supposedly messed up the drainage around his house.

If there’s any doubt over whether Cary’s sign ordinances are too restrictive, take a look at this awesome list of memorable violations the N&O compiled. Here’s my favorite:

“October 1996. Nonconforming exterior. Location: Gypsy’s Shiny Diner. Why: Too shiny. Owner Gypsy Gilliam locked horns over having her old-fashioned diner clothed in chrome. Some compromises included taller landscaping and building up the brick base. There was a later skirmish about holiday lights adorning the bushes. On her grand opening in 1997, about 600 people lined up at 4:30 a.m. to be the first diners.”

Residents will have a chance to share their input about the sign ordinance during the next two months. In the meantime, tell me what you think about it. Is Cary too beige? Or does that make sense for the “Containment Area for Relocated Yankees?” BTW, I have a crush on Cary, so try to be a little nice.

I love video games. When I was a little girl, I named a hamster Zelda because of my love for “The Legend of Zelda.” I’ve been known to go on video game binges. The latest is Claustrophobia for the iPhone. I’ll play a game every spare second I get for a few days or a weeks, then move onto something else. Earlier this year I was obsessed with Rock Band and then Grand Theft Auto IV. I already told you about the time I went on a Guitar Hero binge.

That’s why I’m so excited about the upcoming video game symphony scheduled Saturday night at Koka Booth Amphitheater at Regency Park. The concert will be performed by the North Carolina Symphony and the Concert Singers of Cary. It will feature music from Sonic the Hedgehog, Legends of Zelda, Sim City 4 and more.

Best of all, there will be graphics from the games on big screens above the orchestra to accompany the music. Here’s a preview that was submitted to MyNC.

Now the sad part … I already have unbreakable plans on Saturday night, so I can’t go. But don’t let that stop you from checking this out and telling me how awesome it is. Tickets range from $25 to $30. The show starts at 8 p.m. Saturday, July 11, at Koka Booth Ampitheatre in Cary.

Triangle residents rejoice! It’s that time of year when the area starts coming alive with festivals, outdoor events, and more. The randomness that will ensue every weekend between now and fall will be so much fun. And I will try to keep you posted on some of the more interesting events (especially for families and those of us on a budget).

Let’s start with this weekend:

* Dog owners might want to take their pooches to Moore Square between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday for the SPCA Dog Walk.

* Go camping, dancing, crafting, Earth-saving, concert rocking at the Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival, which starts Thursday and continues through Sunday.

* Listen to a free performance by the Durham Symphony at 5 p.m. Sunday at Trinity Park in Durham as part of the Pops in the Park concert series. And if the weather holds up to the forecast, then head over to Francesca’s Dessert Cafe on Ninth Street for some stellar gelato (the Sweet Cream is my favorite) or to LocoPop’s on Hillsborough Street for a gourmet popsicle treat.

* Check out the Durham Art Scene. This weekend is the annual Durham Art Walk. Make a day out of it by wandering over to the American Tobacco complex and hanging out by the water or head in the opposite direction to the Scrap Exchange to make crafts with the kids.

* The weather will also be perfect for a picnic at the Sarah P. Duke Gardens. I plopped myself down on a blanket there last weekend, played some frisbee and snacked on Peanut Butter sandwiches. Cheap way to be romantic with your honey or let the kids burn off some energy.

* Go to the North Carolina Museum of Life and Science for the Butterfly Bash. It features dung beetle races, butterfly releases, insect eating and more.

* Saturday is Earth Action Day at the Morehead Planetarium. The family-friendly event is from noon to 5 p.m.

* You can go see “Pride and Prejudice” on stage at 8 p.m. Thursday, Friday, Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at the Paul Green Theatre in Chapel Hill.

* The Durham Bulls are out of town this weekend. But UNC baseball has a home game against Miami at 1 p.m.  Sunday.

* If you’re a Wilco fan, you might want to check out the screening of the band’s new documentary “Ashes of American Flags” which airs at 11:55 p.m. Saturday at Galaxy Cinema in Cary.

* Go to the N.C. State Fairgrounds. The flea market is best when the weather is beautiful, so I can almost guarantee this weekend’s market will be filled with a variety of vendors. The flea market is from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. every weekend. While you’re at the fairgrounds you can eat some Mediterranean food and learn about Turkish culture at the N.C. Turkish Festival, which runs from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday.

* And finally, consider supporting local comedy (you know I’m a fan). DSI Comedy in Carrboro has an out-of-town guest who tracked me down on facebook and made me laugh with her message, so I’ve got to give her a plug. Sara Benincasa will be performing a one-woman show at 9:30 p.m. Saturday at the theater.

Of course, I probably inadvertantly snubbed about 50 other local events happening this weekend. As always, feel free to promote them and post links to them in my comment section. Let us know if there’s other events we should be checking out.

When I want to get into the Christmas spirit, there are certain no-fail traditions I can fall back on. Watching “It’s A Wonderful Life” or “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas.” Decorating the Christmas tree. Sipping yummy Egg Nog. Tuning to the All-Christmas music radio station. Watching the kids line up at the mall for their chance to whisper their wishes to Santa.

But there’s something happening at Crossroads Plaza in Cary that seems more dangerous than festive: Riding in a horse-pulled buggy with Santa Claus. Traffic at Crossroads is crazy this time of year. I don’t see how having a horse clopping up and down the parking lot hauling small children is a good idea.

When you’re a kid, it’s probably pretty cool to ride around with Santa for a few minutes. But is this really the best venue?

What are three reasons why you love the Triangle (or greater Triangle area)?

I stuffed myself with some BBQ Saturday afternoon, hoping to prevent a hangover from all the wine I assumed I’d be drinking at the “Great Grapes! Wine, Arts & Food Festival” at the Koka Booth Ampitheatre at Regency Park in Cary, NC. Turns out that wouldn’t be a problem because most of the wines were much too sweet for my taste. The featured wines were all produced by North Carolina wine makers, many of whom fancy the muscadine — a gross-tasting grape of sorts that is fancied by many in North Carolina (clearly not by me, though).

I still had fun at the festival, thanks in part to the grape stomping contest, which featured NBC17’s morning anchor Donald Jones. I’m lucky because my shift briefly overlaps with Donald’s, so for a couple hours each morning I’m entertained by his antics. Donald has an incredible sense of humor and makes mornings much more fun.

Donald is an avid cyclist, and he disclosed after the contest that he biked 42 miles earlier in the day. So all the stomping you see him doing in this video is after an already busy day for him. BTW, Donald also blogs about his cycling ways.

If you’re looking for some canine contact this weekend, consider heading to Circuit City to meet Hank.

Hank is the local Golden Retriever who is a finalist in the electronics store’s “Find the Next Firedog” contest. I blogged about him earlier this month, saying that if he wins, the local nonprofit Neuse River Golden Retriever Rescue will receive $50,000.

Hank will be on hand from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday at the Cary Circuit City, 1490 Piney Plains Road, along with representatives from NRGRR, according to a news release I received yesterday.

And it’s not too late to vote for Hank (NRGRR officials say he is the only dog from North Carolina in the contest). To vote, click here. I’ve been told that if you vote you will receive an e-mail with a link to confirm your vote and it may go to your junk/spam filter.

Cary Police are seeking help finding a new breed of criminal: A puppy thief.

Police say a man allegedly broke into a Cary home on Monday and stole a Golden Retriever named LuLu — in addition to jewelry, a laptop and digital camera. So police issued a press release this afternoon asking for help locating the “puppy pincher.”

Here are the first two paragraphs of the release:

CARY, NC –Cary Police are asking for your help in retrieving a female Golden Retriever puppy named “LuLu” who was stolen during a home burglary on Monday, January 14, 2008 on East Cornwall Road in Cary; LuLu was last seen wearing a pink collar. Police are also seeking help in locating a person of interest who was seen near the home during the burglary.

The person of interest is described as a white male, about 5-feet-10-inches to 6 feet tall, with sandy-colored, medium length hair and was last seen wearing a tan windbreaker and khaki pants. He was also seen driving a beige Ford Taurus at the time of the theft.

By the way, if you’ve seen LuLu, police ask that you contact Crime Stoppers at 226-CRIM(E) or call Capt. Dave Wulff at (919) 469-4017; you may also visit www.carycrimestoppers.net.

Obviously, someone has to be a real jerk to break into someone’s home and steal anything, nonetheless a puppy. And it makes sense that police would want to track down the perpetrator. But do you think it’s also the responsibility of the police to track down the puppy?

If your dog is missing, you should look for it.

No-duh, right? Wrong, apparently.

For some reason, a Wake County animal shelter is seeing an influx of lost dogs, and no one appears to be claiming them. The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals issued a news release today urging “Pet Owners to Search for the Lost Dogs.” SPCA officials suspect that up to 30 of the 73 dogs currently in its lost and found pet center have owners who just haven’t found them.

“It would be tragic for these dogs not to be reunited with their owners just because the owner didn’t know where to look,” said spokeswoman Mondy Lamb. The shelter takes in stray animals found outside the Raleigh, Cary and Garner areas, according to the news release. She speculates that the influx might be the result of dog owners being out-of-town for the holidays and their dogs got out. Now, she guesses, they don’t know where to look or haven’t done a thorough search

So what should you do if your pet goes missing? Fill out a lost animal report online. Then go to the lost and found pet center to look for your lost pup anytime between 3 to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and noon to 4 p.m. Saturday.

Have you ever lost a pet? If so, did you find it or was it lost forever?