DECEMBER 28, 2022

A weekly lifestyle e-newsletter covering where to eat, drink, shop, and play in Cabarrus County.

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🎉 Last-Minute New Year's Eve Plans 🎉

Christmas is over and the race to ring in the new year is upon us! Stay close to home with these local celebrations and make the commute easier on a night when careful travel matters. Secure your DD or make other arrangements to get home after saying farewell to 2022!

Reservations NOT Required: Most of the places on our list are drop-in events, so no need to RSVP, which is perfect for those of us making last-minute plans.

Live Music Rules: Cabarrus County will be rockin’ til the stroke of midnight with local artists at almost every celebration. Check out these places and their entertainment:

🪓 Buzzed Viking has a full slate of Live Music starting at 1pm and they are also hosting an Ugly Sweater Contest.
🎙️ Kodiak Bar & Lounge in downtown Concord will feature the Rush Trio playing R&B and Soul with a jazz vibe (9pm-midnight).
🎸 Carolina Beer Money will be playing at Lil Robert's Place in downtown Concord starting at 9pm with an acoustic act at 8pm.
Southern Strain Brewing Company is having a throwback celebration starting at 9pm. Wear your college letters or favorite college outfit and enjoy beer pong, flip cup, and more.

Prefer a DJ to Spin the Tunes?:

Old Armor Beer Company’s celebration will have DJ AXL starting at 8pm and will also have the Big City Bites Food Truck on site.
DJ Terry Harleson will be at Cabarrus Brewing Company spinnin' your favorite party hits all night til' 12:30am. They will also have their annual keg drop and small-batch beer toast at midnight.

🥂 Looking for a Unique Meal? 73 & Main in Mt. Pleasant is having a three-course dinner that is making our mouths water! NOTE: this one does require a reservation, so call ahead.

Celebrating New Year’s in Downtown Kannapolis? Consider staying at The Mill Inn. But hurry - they only have 5 suites (one and two bedrooms) and may be gone fast!

😛 Got Kids? Sea Life at Concord Mills is having a noon balloon drop so grab tickets to the Sea of Lights and give your little ones an early countdown. The Kannapolis Library is also hosting a Noon Year’s Eve celebration for families. Surprise the kids with a room at Great Wolf Lodge and enjoy Snowland through January 4th. The Speedway’s Christmas Lights will be available until the 8th as well and is open until 10pm on NYE.

Social: Tag us @cabarrusweekly on Facebook and Instagram and let us know which of these ideas you used to ring in 2023!

📽️🍿 Gem Theatre Turns 86 on New Year's Eve

Photo Credit: RomanDA Photography

The Gem Theatre, in downtown Kannapolis, originally opened on December 31, 1936. A fire gutted the theatre and was reduced to ashes in 1942.

A Bit of History: The theatre was rebuilt in 1948 and featured a beautiful lobby and 916 seats, including the balcony section. The Gem has been open ever since and is one of the oldest single-screen movie theatres in continuous operation today and is also one of only a few movie theatres that offer balcony seating. Learn more about their history.

Their Gift to You!

To celebrate its 86th birthday, the Gem Theatre is offering a coupon for a FREE small popcorn to Cabarrus Weekly subscribers through the end of this year.

Click here to get your FREE popcorn!

🪓🪓 Iron Axe Society Offers Free Winter League Info Session

Traditional bowling leagues still exist that many of us grew up going to with our parents, and places like Top Golf offer leagues as well. But axe throwing is the latest way to be social and get physical activity at the same time through leagues.

League Play: Located at the historic Gibson Mill in Concord, Iron Axe Society (IAS) will be hosting two separate leagues this winter - one sanctioned with the World Axe Throwing League and one unsanctioned with IAS.

Throw for FREE: Attend their info meeting on Jan. 4 @ 6:30pm to learn about their upcoming Winter Leagues and you get to throw that evening for FREE!

5 Simple New Year’s Resolutions All Homeowners Should Make

The new year is around the corner! For many, that means setting the traditional New Year’s resolutions such as losing weight or getting your finances in control. But why not shake things up a bit for 2023 and set a resolution focused on your home?

Why It's Important: Your home is, after all, one of your biggest assets and the place where so many treasured memories are made.

Check out these suggested resolutions from Team Honeycutt that are incredibly simple to keep...small, actionable items that will improve the value of your home.

⚾ 🧢 Atrium Health Ballpark Named 2022 Ballpark of the Year by Baseball Digest

Atrium Health Ballpark has been everything Kannapolis and the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers (Chicago White Sox affiliate) hoped it would be, and its success is why Ballpark Digest selected it as their 2022 Ballpark of the Year.

GM Matt Millward told us, “We are beyond excited to receive this award, and it solidifies Kannapolis as a premier destination throughout Minor League Baseball. It would not be possible without the support of our community and truly, the best is yet to come!”

Quite an Honor: This national honor places the ballpark in the ranks of the best major and minor league venues across the country.

Since the ballpark opened in 2021, the team has hosted more than 114 events other than baseball games and more than 40,000 people have attended those special events.

New for 2023: 10-game mini plans - lots of options and swaps available.

Learn more on Ballpark Digest and the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers websites.

Noteworthy Nuggets

⛳ The Ben Mynatt Children's Foundation has announced September 25, 2023 as the date for their next fundraising golf tournament annually held at Trump National Golf Course.The Foundation has distributed over $1 million to Cabarrus County children's service organizations over the past 20 years.
✂️ The Cabarrus Chamber held 38 ribbon cuttings for businesses in 2022! These are just some of the many businesses that our community frequents and the Chamber is proud to help share their stories and support their growth.
🎭 Check out the Year in Review video that the Cabarrus Arts Council created to show all of the great things that they contribute to our community!

Cabarrus Weekly to Offer Inside Scoop on Local Businesses, Events, and More

Supporting Cabarrus County: Long-time business owners and residents of Cabarrus County, Brian and Lisa Perry, have felt a void in the media space promoting local restaurants, entertainment, shopping, and civic opportunities for some time.

Learn more about the vision behind this new venture on the Cabarrus Weekly website.