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Green Thumbs Up - Tour D'Coop, Sat. May 18th 

Some people have kids, others care for cats or dogs, but the only living thing you're responsible for is the black layer of funk sporing in your shower grout.  There's bleach for that, and we see growth potential. 

Take the first step by learning something about gardening and raising hens by attending this year's Tour D'Coop on Saturday, May 18 from 10 am to 4 pm, rain or shine.

The Tour D'Coop is a one-day garden tour in Raleigh that seeks to educate visitors about keeping hens and delight them with garden ideas and inspiration.  Open to adults and children, the tour showcases various hen houses and breeds.  Coop owners are on hand at each location to discuss the how-tos of chicken keeping and there are opportunities for photographing and getting to know the chickens.  The wide variety of coop styles as well as the surrounding back yard gardens makes the tour interesting for the whole family.

All tour proceeds benefit Urban Ministries of Raleigh.  Tour Tickets are available at Whole Foods on Wade Ave and Six Forks Rd. in Raleigh, and on New Waverly Pl. in Cary, and at Seaboard Ace Hardware on Semart Dr in Raleigh.  Or tickets can be purchased Online with a credit card, and by going to one of the tour locations on the day of tour. 

Tickets with directions to each coop will also be available on the day of the Tour at sites throughout Raleigh and Cary and on the website.

The event raises non-perishable food and money for Urban Ministries, a Raleigh-based non-profit that provides essential services to close to 20,000 Triangle residents each year. Coop owners and the tour organizers volunteer their time to promote back yard poultry and urban farming.

If you give a cluck - you'll go nuts gathering ideas for your own gardens and coops.  Consider the seed planted.

Tour D' Coop: Saturday, May 18 from 10 am to 4 pm.  Website.

To Bee or Not to Bee

WATERGATE: Political Scandal & The Presidency Exhibit at NC Museum of History

Vintage Scandal:  Look around ... everything's gone vintage (aka. The Great Gatsby & Mad Men).  So how about a vintage scandal?  It was the summer of 1973 and Americans stayed glued to their televisions as one of the nation's most serious political scandals, known as Watergate, began to unfold. May 17, 2013, marks the 40th anniversary of the first televised hearing of the Senate Select Committee that investigated President Richard M. Nixon's 1972 campaign for re-election.  May 17 also brings the opening of Watergate: Political Scandal & the Presidency, an exhibit at the N.C. Museum of History in Raleigh. The exhibit will run through Aug. 10, 2014, one day after the 40th anniversary of President Nixon's resignation. Admission is free.

The NC Connection: The Watergate exhibit tells the story of this complicated turpitude in a very straightforward, alluring way.  It includes artifacts, photographs, video clips and a 1970 living room setting  will intrigue both younger visitors (who weren't around) and those who recall this transformative time in our nation's history. Watergate also highlights North Carolina Senator Sam Ervin Jr. and many other Tar Heels who played important investigating roles.  Visitors will see significant artifacts from the Senate Select Committee hearing including:  

• A memo and a page from one version of the Nixon administration's "enemies list." 
• A page from Sen. Ervin's handwritten draft of the opening statement he delivered on the first day of Senate Select Committee hearings.
• The gavel Sen. Ervin used while chairing the Senate Select Committee. It was presented to him by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.

• One of the subpoenas (delivered by North Carolinian, Rufus L. Edmisten) served to President Nixon's lawyer on July 23, 1973, to obtain recordings of Nixon's White House conversations.

"Nobody . . . wins. There are just losers."  The Watergate scandal permeated popular culture, inspiring board games, humor books, songs and other items. One example is The Watergate Scandal, "a game of cover-up and deception for the whole family".  Perhaps this Christmas we will see the sequel board game ... The Benghazi Bluff.  Everything comes full circle.

Straight From the Art:  34th Annual Artsplosure Festival (May 17 - 19)

   This year's Artsplosure festival (May 17-19) brings three days of entertainment, music, art, and festival activities to Raleigh's Moore Square and City Plazas and spreads the tinkle ivory throughout downtown.  The fun starts on Friday at 1pm in City Plaza with Squonk Opera's Go Roadshow and Artsplodes on Saturday and Sunday with full festival regalia.  Highlights include: Art Market: Original pottery and ceramics to creative canvasses, jewelry and photographs for every d�cor; The Raleigh Street Piano Project:  Pianos that were destined for the landfill have been beautifully decorated and placed in locations across downtown Raleigh for you to play; Music in the Park: Iincredible music (15 acts) on two stages in Moore Square; Chessworks:  Challenge others to a game of life-size chess; and much more!

Two Lots for Sale

Core Results - Personal Training is teaching people from all over the Raleigh, Cary andTriangle area how to meet their fitness goals. From kettlebells to TRX, everything is top of the line and brand new at the private Core Results studio. Call and make your first appointment for a Complimentary Session!

Core Results: 1330 St. Mary's Street, Suite A00, Raleigh, 27605, Phone: (919) 946-1737, Email:[email protected], Website. 

Kenna Custom Painting is available to tackle your residential painting needs.  With their great crews that perform very professional jobs on residential homes, you won't believe how quiet and unobtrusive they are.  So if you have that "itch" to freshen up your home, interior or exterior before springtime, contact them now.  Call 919-855-0082 or Email: [email protected].  Website.

Join My Blog Simply-Refined: We are an Interior Design team that can inspire and help you with your designs and decorating needs.  We have been designing and decorating homes for over 20 years.  Please call for a consultation. We can serve with a whole design package, or just consulting only...no job is too small.    

Call Zaytoun Interiors if you're finally ready to decorate or re-decorate your home or office.  What's your style?  If you're not sure, we can help you tap into your inner self and find what makes you want to come home again.  Website, Email, Phone: 305-793-8510. 

Did You Know?  For every $100 spent at a locally-owned business, $68 stays in the local economy compared to only $43 if spent at a national chain. Please support our local businesses!  This is what the Beltline Buzz is all about.