FEBRUARY 8, 2023

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

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🍪 💖 Cookies with a Purpose Baked In

Contributor: Jamie Richardson

Cara’s Cookie Company owners Jennifer and Tom Hamilton didn’t start out as bakers, but their popular store is serving up delicious baked goods while also supporting their charity, Cara’s Purpose.

• Located in the bustling Gibson Mill Market food hall, Cara’s HUGE cookies are putting smiles on their customers' faces, especially their best-selling chocolate chip and their toffee coffee cookie, which is a partnership with their neighbor at the market, Defined Coffee.

🧈 The newest yummy addition to their menu is the butter board, which Jennifer says came from a TikTok trend.

• The bread-and-butter snack board consists of Jennifer’s handmade butter topped with sprinkles of truffle salt, pistachios, and cranberries. Add a drizzle of honey and three types of artisan bread and you have a butter board!

This sweet story only gets better as you learn about what inspired them to start this business through their daughter’s memory and how they are giving back to other families.

💝🌹💝🌹💝🌹 Valentine’s Day – Date, Dinner, and Gift Guide 💝🌹💝🌹💝🌹

Contributor: Jamie Richardson

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, we have compiled a list of restaurants that are offering special dinner options, places to celebrate, and gift ideas that will wow your loved ones.

🌳 Make a Date with a Trail This Month

Artwork by: @briannahaferman

Did you know that 2023 is the Year of the Trail in North Carolina? Our friends at Walk Cabarrus have an entire section of their website dedicated to Where to Walk, including all of the great trails around Cabarrus County.

🥾 Each month, there's a theme for Year of the Trail, along with an activity to go along with it. For February, they want to invite you on a date on one of your favorite trails...and for you to invite a friend or loved one to join you!

Share your “trail date” pictures on social media and be sure to tag the Great Trails NC on Instagram or Facebook and Walk Cabarrus on their Instagram or Facebook to share your trail story.

Not registered for Walk Cabarrus yet? It’s free and easy… sign up today!

CABCO LIVE!

🏫🎭 Cabco Schools Vie for Blumeys

Photo Credit: Blumenthal Performing Arts

The Blumey Awards is a regional High School Musical Theatre Awards program, and eight of our local Cabarrus County schools have nominated their upcoming musicals to be judged for the competition.

• Why is it important? Because in 2021, the Blumey Best Actor Award went to our very own CabCo student, Bryson Battle of Hickory Ridge High School in Harrisburg. He went on to win a national Jimmy Award as well that included a $25,000 college scholarship.

Sponsored by Blumenthal Performing Arts, the program recognizes, rewards, and encourages talent and achievement in musical theater among high school students within the Charlotte region.

• How does the judging work? A panel of three professionals view and evaluate a public performance of each participating school's musical production in the school's home venue. Judges then utilize a comprehensive rubric to score all qualifying categories.

When can you attend? Clearly, our high schools are putting on award-winning caliber performances, so why not plan a night out while supporting our local students? Two of the eight school performances are this month including Cannon School’s Freaky Friday, Feb 16-18 at 7:00pm, and Hickory Ridge High School’s SpongeBob the Musical, Feb 23-25 at 7:00pm.

Read our entire article to see the full list of participating schools, their performance dates, and learn more about the ultra-talented Bryson Battle. We even included a link so you can hear him sing!

CABCO LIVE!

🐢 🐇 Register Now for This FREE Musical Version of The Tortoise and The Hare

This is one of our favorite family events across all of Cabarrus County…and it’s FREE! Opera Carolina comes to town to perform two shows on the Davis Theatre stage as part of the Cabarrus Arts Council’s Family Day.

🎭 Reserve your seats for either the 1:00 pm Show or 3:00 pm Show. This lively performance is sure to delight kids and adults alike!

Enjoy the other free activities that are part of Family Day (1-4 pm), including craft stations perfect for preschool/school-age children and their families. English and Spanish-speaking volunteers will be available to help with crafts.

The Cabarrus Arts Council is located at 65 Union Street South in downtown Concord, and the Davis Theatre is on the second level.

-- CABCO LIVE! MUSIC THIS WEEKEND --

SouthPark Magazine Spotlights Downtown Concord in Recent Issue

We were thrilled to see SouthPark Magazine feature Downtown Concord in its February 2023 issue. So many great photos and flattering comments about our local businesses!

Be sure to give it a read.

Noteworthy Nuggets

• 👨‍🍳 The Cabarrus Health Alliance is offering a 4-Week Family Healthy Cooking Series in April at their Wellness Kitchen. Each week they will focus on a specific vegetable and all the different ways to make it. Each class will build on the one before, expanding your skills and knowledge. They are also hosting monthly Kids (ages 8-14) Cooking Classes through May as well.

• 🤠 Country Line Dancing is coming to the Swanee Theatre on Friday, Feb 24th from 8 pm-Midnight! DJ Doublebass will be playing all your favorite classic 90’s country songs. The evening will also feature giveaways, a 360 photo booth, a full bar, and the Tastebudz Gourmet Burgers Food Truck. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased on the Swanee Theatre website.

• It’s an animal extravaganza at the Cabarrus Arena this weekend! Both events are Feb 11th and 12th and require a $7 parking fee.

• 🦎 Repticon is your opportunity to see live animals from around the world, purchase pets and pet products direct from the experts at amazing prices you won't find anywhere else, and learn more about reptiles and exotic animals. Admission is $5-10.

• 🦙 The Carolina Alpaca Show will include demonstrations, fiber arts, alpaca fleece products for sale, and even an alpaca costume contest on Saturday around noon! Admission is free.

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