Grab the Auston Grove RSS Feed
Raleigh's landmark Pullen Park, the fifth-oldest operating amusement park in the nation, has been closed to visitors for almost two years. But on Nov. 19, the sounds of concrete trucks will be replaced by carousel music once again.
The $6.3 million project included updates to old attractions and modern additions.
There are new boats on the lake, the updated version of a childhood memory special to Raleigh City Councilman Russ Stephenson.
"The boats would just go round and round and round," he said. "You got to steer, and there was a string to a big bell on the front of the boat, so you got to make a big racket," he remembered.
The horses that ring the 100-year-old antique carousel were each sent away for a new paint job and new tails. Next week, they will be installed in a new, climate-controlled carousel house.
"if a grandparent brings their grandchild out to Pullen Park to say, 'This is my favorite animal. This is what I rode and it looks just like it did when I was a kid,' that's important," said Richard Costello, amusements director at the park.
"I think we all had those great memories, and we wanted to make sure those memories were preserved," Stephenson said.
The children's train will get new cars, and they will run on a new track. It will travel through a new tunnel and pull in to a revamped station.
At the playground, a climbing wall, spider webs and water and sand areas are new, as are misters to keep children cool on hot days.
Sarig Agasi, owner and chef at Raleigh restaurant Zely & Ritz, will run concessions in a new cafe featuring local, organic fare.
The project was funded by a bond approved by voters in 2003. On the day of the grand reopening, amusements will open at 10 a.m., the park will be dedicated at 2 p.m. and entertainment will follow at 3 p.m.
The heat is on; the Carolina Mudcats play the Montgomery Biscuits (8/11-15) and the Jacksonville Suns (8/21-25) at Zebulon’s Five County Stadium. The Carolina RailHawks take on the NSC Minnesota Stars (8/17) and the Fort Lauderdale Strikers (8/20) at Cary’s WakeMed Soccer Park. Or perhaps there’s no better place to spend the day than out on the water. Visit the N.C. State Fairgrounds for the Carolina Fall Boat Show and Sale (8/19-21), the largest boat clearance sale in the state. Motorcycle enthusiasts will love the East West Classics Motorcycle Swap Meet and Show (8/20-21), at the N.C. State Fairgrounds, where they’ll find everything there is to know about bikes built before 1990. Major League Gaming, the largest professional video game league in the world, brings the MLG Pro Circuit 2011 (8/26-28) to the Raleigh Convention Center. The 18th Annual 2011 Jimmy V Celebrity Golf Classic (8/26-28) takes place, culminating with a game (8/28) at the Lonnie Poole Golf Course at N.C. State University’s Centennial Campus. 
American Pop Legends featuring Ben E. King, The Original Tymes and Shirley Alston Reeves (8/6) perform at Meymandi Concert Hall in the Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts (PECPA). The Raleigh Little Theatre presents the hilarious musical parody Ruthless! The Musical (8/12-28). Raleigh’s Theatre In The Park performs John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men (8/19-20, 25-27). The North Carolina Museum of Art’s Summer Dance Series on the City Block presents nosi DANCE Theater (8/20), a mixture of modern, contemporary and hip-hop dance performances inspired by the NCMA exhibit 30 Americans. Enjoy William Shakespeare’s classic A Midsummer Night’s Dream (8/25-28) outdoors at Cary’s Koka Booth Amphitheatre. Part of the Hot Summer Nights at the Kennedy, PECPA presents Violet (17-21, 24-28), a story a disfigured woman who travels across the county to be healed. And catch Oh What A Night! (8/31-9/1), a compilation of various musicals and plays, showcasing the talent of local artist and performers, also at PECPA. Visit the North Carolina Museum of Art’s exhibit 30 Americans (through 9/4) where you can view 75 works of art in a 15,000-square-foot gallery. While you’re there, enjoy Mirror Image: Women Portraying Women (through 11/27) which features North Carolina artists as they explore what it means to be a woman in today’s society. 
Whether or not you’re in the market for a wedding dress, grab your girlfriends and head over to the Southern Bridal Show and Expo (8/14) at the N.C State Fairgrounds; you’ll find fabulous dresses, floral arrangements and beautiful cakes, from more than 200 companies. The Raleigh Flea Market (Sat. and Sun.), also at the fairgrounds, puts one-of-a-kind fashion, jewelry and hand-made goods right at your fingertips. 
Catch Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2: An IMAX 3D Experience (show times vary) on North Carolina’s only 3D-capable giant screen, at Wells Fargo IMAX Theatre at Marbles. The doors stay open late for the Museum of Natural Sciences’ First Friday (8/5). The Dixie Gun and Knife Classic (8/6-7) at the N.C. State Fairgrounds puts on display collectible firearms, custom-made knives, hunting and fishing equipment and much more. Attend GLBTQ workshops and seminars, take advantage of health screenings and participate in networking opportunities at Triangle Black Pride 2011 (7/28-8/1). Visit the Toy Train Sale and Swap Meet (8/14) at the N.C. State Fairgrounds, and you’ll find items on display from more than 100 vendors. If you’re in need of a good laugh, head over to Goodnight’s Comedy Club, where they’ve got a full line-up: comedy legend Sinbad (8/4-7), Pauley Shore (8/11-14) and Tim Wilson (8/18-19). The Summer Movie Series at the North Carolina Museum of Art brings a full line-up: Rango (8/5), Our Hospitality (8/12), The Social Network (8/19), Back to the Future (8/20) and Inception (8/26). And it’s not just movies; the Summer Concert Series at the North Carolina Museum of Art brings your favorite musicians to an outdoor stage. Enjoy An Evening with Gillian Welch (8/3), the American folk singer who worked on the soundtrack album for the film O Brother, Where Art Thou? Later, acoustic guitarist Leo Kottke (8/6) entertains crowds with his fingerpicking style. Finally, the Scottish music group Battlefield Band (8/13) takes to the museum’s outdoor stage, performing traditional songs fused with new sounds from the fiddle, bagpipes, guitar and whistles. 
During the N.C. Museums of History’s Time for Tots: George Washington’s Breakfast (8/2, 16, 30), little ones will learn about colonial breakfast foods and even get recipes they can try at home. Ever wonder how a waterwheels work? Visit Historic Yates Mill County Park, and take a Mill Heritage Tour (8/6-7, 20-21) to learn how energy is transferred from a mill’s waterwheel and used to process grain. The Joyce Meyer Conference Tour 2011 (8/18-20) stops at the RBC Center. Watch as costumed interpreters demonstrate how corn was ground into meal using waterpower during a Half-Hour Corn Grinding Tour (8/20-21) at the Historic Yates Mill County Park. The Story of North Carolina (ongoing) at the N.C. Museum of History gives you a chronological look at the history of our state, dating all the way to the 1830s. 
Grab your friends and head to Raleigh’s Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion at Walnut Creek, where this month’s calendar is packed with fun, exciting shows. First up this month, alternative rock band 311 with Sublime and Rome (8/2); then the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival (8/3) brings a full day of excitement. Don’t miss Kenny Chesney’s Goin Coastal Tour (8/5) with Billy Currington and Uncle Kracker. Legendary rock band Journey (8/20) also performs there. The Budweiser Superfest Summer Block Party featuring Jill Scott and special guests Anthony Hamilton and Mint Condition (8/23) stops at Walnut Creek, and finish off the month with Kid Rock (8/25). Pop icon Britney Spears (8/24) performs at the RBC Center during her Femme Fatale tour. Don’t miss Death Cab For Cutie (8/8) at Cary’s Koka Booth Amphitheatre. Just days later, Alison Krauss & Union Station featuring Jerry Douglas and Special Guest Dawes (8/11) bring their Paper Airplane Summer Tour 2011 to Koka Booth. The Raleigh Amphitheater and Festival Site offers three great shows this month: Check out The Goo Goo Dolls with special guests Michelle Branch and Parachute (8/3); Ke$ha (8/9) hits the stage with her Get $leazy tour; and Slightly Stoopid’s Seedless Summer 2011 Tour (8/25) finishes off this month’s lineup. And enjoy a night of free music, when the Midtown Music Concert Series at North Hills brings live beach music to the streets every Thursday. This month, catch the Fabulous Kays (8/4), Band of Oz (8/11), Liquid Pleasure (8/18) and The Embers (8/25). 
