Ginny from the Blog

I’ve got the Austin blues. After spending a week in Austin, Texas, for the SXSW Interactive conference, I’m back in the tamer Triangle. Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy to be home, but I definitely left a piece of my heart in Austin. To remind myself that the Triangle still has it going on, I looked up what was going on this weekend. Here’s what I found:

Raleigh:

• Tom Green, of Tom-Green-Show-Slash-I-Was-Briefly-Married-to-Drew-Barrymore-Fame, is doing standup at Goodnight’s Comedy Club on Friday and Saturday.

• Rita’s Italian Ice is celebrating the first day of spring by giving away free 10 oz. servings of Italian Ice on Sunday. Details and store locations here.

• If you’re into beading/making jewelry, then stock up on beads at the Bead Mercantile Show in the Kerr Scott Building at the N.C. State Fairgrounds. No need to make your friends or lover suffer through a bead show. Set them loose on the flea market, which also takes place at the fairgrounds this weekend.

• Trip out at the Lincoln Theatre on Saturday night. Go see The Machine, a Pink Floyd cover band that is scheduled to perform two sets of Pink Floyd hits.

Durham:

• There are virtually no seats left to the Blue Man Group, or if there are, then I don’t know how to use the ticket chart on Durham Performing Art Center’s website. But a few single seats appear to be scattered throughout the theatre. One of my coworkers wouldn’t stop gushing about the show today, so I’m guessing it’s truly incredible. So if you don’t mind sitting by yourself, then look into getting tickets.

• Learn about the role Christianity played in slavery during the Civil War. Dan Fountain, director of Public History at Meredith College, will talk about his recent book “Slavery, Civil War, and Salvation: African-American Slaves and Christianity, 1830-1870″ at 2 p.m. Sunday at Historic Stagville.

Chapel Hill:

• Learn how to bake biscuits so good your grandma will be asking you for the recipe. Chefs Willard Doxey and Marilyn Marke are teaching a Southern Biscuit class at A Southern Season at 11 a.m. Saturday. For $30 you can learn how to make two types of tasty biscuits and sample some other delicious foods.

Carrboro:

• DSI Comedy is donating 50 percent of proceeds from all of its shows this weekend to help aid those suffering in Japan. There’s a total of five shows on Friday and Saturday night that you can attend. Full schedule and details here.

I’m certain there’s more going on this weekend. If you know about something fun, interesting or unusual, leave it in the comments section.

My Saturday plans have been crushed with the rescheduling of the Raleigh St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Forecasts of rain and chilly temps prompted them to push it back to March 21.

So I figured it was time to see what else was going on this weekend. Here are some events that should keep you dry, warm and entertained:

* Artistic bailout. Go see the Bailout Biennial exhibit at Golden Belt in Durham. The exhibit features 57 works by 26 artists all center on the messed up economic situation we’re facing and the scandals and greed that got us there. Not only is the show worth checking out, but so is the venue. Golden Belt is a restored historic textile mill that is simply gorgeous. Here’s a snippet from an N&O article about the show:

The staging could hardly be more spare; the works are arrayed around a vast second-floor room with tall windows and high ceilings. The show is remarkable not only for the variety of media it includes — painting, photography, sculpture, installation, audio — but the variety of perspectives and approaches the artists took. Some of the works are subtle, others distinctly less so, and some offer no easy or obvious interpretations.

The exhibit is scheduled to end Sunday. So this is your last chance to check it out. The gallery is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays and Saturday and from noon to 5 p.m. on Sundays.

* Political theater. Can you believe the Iraq war started six years ago this month? Carolina Theatre is marking the anniversary with a one-man show by ex-soldier and playright Kenny Carnes. “Pieces of War” starts at 8 p.m. tonight. Tickets are $24.

* Hang out with some live alligators and sea turtles. Saturday is Reptile and Amphibian Day at the North Carolina Museum of Natural History. The 16th annual event will feature hundreds of live creatures. Best of all? It’s free. It’s from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Just don’t snicker about the theme “Extreme Herps” in front of your kids (they mean Herpetology, of course. Geez, I can be immature sometimes).

* Get your comedy on. You know I’m a big improv fan. If you’re in Raleigh on Saturday night, check out the return of the Super Sparkle Showcase at Comedyworx. The talent competition is supposed to be hilarious. Or if you’re closer to Carrboro Saturday, head over to DSI Comedy Theater for the “Best Show Ever” — a comedy showcase.

The Super Sparkle Showcase starts at 10:30 p.m. Saturday and costs $10. The Best Show Ever starts at 9:30 p.m. and costs $12 (or $10 if your a student, in the military or a senior).

* Look at the stars. The Morehead Planetarium in Chapel Hill has several shows scheduled this weekend. Admission is $6 for adults and $5 for children. Though there are discounts, including this $1 coupon for Sunday shows. News & Observer subscribers can get buy one, get one free admission using this coupon.

As always, there are plenty of other events worth checking out around the Triangle including the Bishop Allen concert at Local 506 Saturday, the craft fair at the State Farmers Market, the Hillsborough Street Renaissance eco event in Raleigh, Art After Dark at the Ackland Art Museum and more.

If there are other events we should know about, please share in the comments section.

Happy chilly, wet weekend!

I think there’s a law that says if you live in North Carolina, you must be a James Taylor fan. So the folks pulling the strings behind the Barack Obama campaign were pretty smart to snag the Carolina Crooner for five free concerts throughout the Tar Heel state given how much of a battleground state it has become.

He performed for free Tuesday in downtown Raleigh’s Moore Square during a lunchtime political rally. It may have been the first time a concert in Moore Square featured political paraphernalia instead of Bud Light.

Here’s a video I made for 30THREADS that includes some of Taylor’s Obama freestyling. I was able to record a few of his songs from the media risers as well. I posted those on 30THREADS.

And, for the record, if John McCain’s campaign organizes any free concerts in downtown Raleigh, you better believe I will totally be there with my camera in hand.

If you were at the concert and posted any pictures or video online, feel free to share links to in in the comments section.