Experience: Romare Bearden Park Grand Opening Celebration

There's something about a city park, no? Charlotte has a few green spaces but nothing quite like the new Romare Bearden Park. Maybe, I'm taking it too far but with the opening of the park could it be that Charlotte now has its own, albeit small, version of Central Park in its midst? {OK--did I take it too far? You know, I don't think so!}
Named after the famed 20th century artist who grew up in Charlotte, the 5.4 park will feature two gardens, event lawn, tables and chairs, children's area, formal lawn, as well as areas for events including weddings.

                              
                              

Romare Bearden Park will have its' grand opening celebration this weekend with performances, activities and of course the opportunity to view the park. Here's just one thing you can do each day of the grand opening celebration:

*Ribbon cutting (Friday at 4pm)*

*Art Show (Saturday at 10am)*

*Storytelling (Sunday at 1:30pm)*

Throughout the day there will be live music, fitness demonstrations, jugglers, face painters, caricature artists, stilt puppets and much more! Please go here for the entire schedule of events and best locations to park. This park brings about many gifts--the gift of music, art, fitness and community. In addition, this would make for a not-so-run-of-the-mill date--did someone say gift of a great date?

Bzzz: Throughout the year the park will host fitness and cultural arts programs. For more on these specific activities including bootcamp classes, music box lunch series and art and photography classes go here. 

source: charmeck.com, architects newspaper, arts and science council 

Experience: Derby Days at The Mint Museum

Derby Days, an annual event hosted by the Young Affiliates of the Mint Museum brings together young professionals outfitted in seersucker and big hats to celebrate the Kentucky Derby. The event has been named  "Best Party for Young Socials" by SouthPark Magazine and takes place at the Mint Museum Randolph. This is one event that should not be missed, it is not your average gathering! Just imagine, the landscape of the beautiful Mint Museum and the many guests watching the "most exciting two minutes in sports", enjoying a live band, food and drinks from local restaurants--and to put the mint in the julep--all these extras are included in your ticket price! Did someone say all-inclusive?! Love that!

There will also be a silent auction featuring everything from jewelry to fly-fishing. In addition, if you are feeling lucky there will be a raffle where you can try your hand at picking the winning horse of the race.

Bzzz: Be sure to purchase your ticket to this fun event this week, as tickets will not be sold at the door.

source: derbydayscharlotte.com

Experience: ArtFusion: Surrealism

If you are in the Charlotte area, it's time to grab a some free art and culture at the Mint Museum Uptown tomorrow: Tuesday, March 6th at 6pm.The museum will present ArtFusion: Surrealism featuring Luis Machicao and Tara Davis. Both are talented fashion designers in their own right and during the event everyone will get a glimpse into their creative minds. Ever wonder how they come up with their designs and what inspires them? Well, you can find out during the event! In addition, to hearing from Luis Machicao and Tara Davis, attendees will also hear from Dr. Randall Mishoe and Dorothy Campbell as they explore the symbolism of dreamscape and more. All presenters will give you a glimpse into surrealism which is a movement that  brings thoughts from the subconscious mind to various forms of art; whether it be fashion, paintings, literature or some other creative art form.

About Art Fusion
ArtFusion is a fairly new series which includes a selection of free monthly events that include music, dance, fashion, interaction with local artists and more. This new series hopes to bring newcomers and longtime supporters alike to both museums.

Event Details
Mint Museum Uptown at Levine Center for the Arts

500 S. Tryon St, Charlotte, NC 28202
6-9pm
Free
More details here


source: mintmusem.org

Experience: Runway for the Ballet

 Runway for the Ballet is the perfect mix of fashion, fun and culture. This fifth annual event is organized by NC Dance Theatre’s young professionals group, Opening Night Insiders and will take place on Saturday, February 11th at the Patricia McBride and Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux Center for Dance. There will be two shows: a matinee which begins at 4pm with a pre-reception (show begins at 5pm) and late show beginning at 8pm with a reception following the show.  

You can expect to see models sashaying down the runway in superb spring fashions from Neiman Marcus. In between runway looks, the talented dancers from NC Dance Theatre will perform vignettes from their most popular shows. Oh--and you may also catch a dancer doing double duty as a runway model! There will also be complimentary drinks and hors d'oeuvres. Could it get any better than this?

This would be the perfect gift for a giftee that enjoys fashion, arts & culture and dance. It would be a great Girls Night Out or perfect date night. I have a feeling that men could win major brownie points by bringing tickets to this event home to their lovely lady! In addition, Runway for the Ballet is such an interesting mix of creativity that any giftee would be happy to experience something new or make it an annual gift "to-do".  

Tickets are still available and can be purchased via www.ncdance.org/runwayfortheballet or by calling 704.372.0101. The price range for adults is $40-75, depending on which show you decide upon and if you want to upgrade your giftee to VIP.

Bzzz: Need help figuring out what to wear? Check out pics from last year!

Experience: The Wine Palette

Want to become your own Romare Bearden...or get to know your creative side a bit better? Why not give it a go with The Wine Palette (TWP)?
TWP is a locally owned company who wants you to express yourself through art. The concept is simple--enjoy a sip of wine while creating your own masterpiece! Being an amateur painter myself I love this concept...and what isn't better with a glass of vino? You are allowed to bring your own wine to the party, and food if you'd like too. The owners, Neha Negandhi and Monika Shah (who also happen to be sisters!) want to make the environment just right for all their customers and they truly go the extra mile.
When I visited the studio they were hosting Raise Your Palette Night where they partner with a local charity and 50% of all proceeds made that evening go towards the charity. That evening's beneficiary was Promising Pages, a local non-profit group who provides books and literary programs to children in need. Neha welcomed all the attendees to the event and Monika was the paparazzi of the evening, taking photos of the guests. In addition to Raise Your Palette events, TWP hosts private events (why not blow out your birthday candles at TWP?) and will even come to your office for team building opportunities with your employers.

While having your social painting experience, there is an instructor that walks you through creating your artwork, step by step so there is no reason to be intimidated. There are various designs that can be created such as landscapes, guitar, zen tree, etc and all are posted on their online calendar.

When it was just an idea

When speaking with Neha she shared how The Wine Palette was born. Her first "sip and paint" experience was with friends in Atlanta. She literally had not picked up a paintbrush since she was 5 years old but felt so accomplished after putting the finishing touches on her painting with her friends. She loved the idea and had a great time doing it. She called her sister, Monika that night to share how much fun she had. When her sister came to visit she took her to the same sip and paint place, along with a friend to experience it firsthand. After that visit, the sisters really began to think about the idea of creating their own sip and paint place. Neha said she and Monika "just kept talking (about it)". She went on to say that the idea "took hold of us, it wouldn't leave us". The idea was born in January and now seven months later it is a reality".

While Neha said that owning a business is all consuming and like birthing a child, she still walks in the building, sister by her side and they look around and say "I can't believe I created this". What a wonderful feeling!

Gift this experience

The Wine Palette would be a great experience for the wannabe artist, anyone creative or someone with a keen eye for design, or so they think. Taking it a step further, I could see this as a great date night...a guy taking a girl to TWP would get extra points for gifting such a unique experience, don't you think? This could also be a fun Girl's Night Out or an impromptu drop-in after a stroll down Central Avenue.

source: thewinepalettenc.com

Experience: Southern Cake Queen Mobile Cupcakery

This is a dream come true for me- delicious cupcakes that could greet me at my door, by way of a cute pink truck, no less! According to their website, Southern Cake Queen (SCQ) Mobile Cupcakery made its first stop on February 19th in the NODA neighborhood. I first met Owner Emma Merisier at one of her special "stops" during an event at a local boutique. She was bubbly, personable and ready to sell some cupcakes. She did not have to twist my arm--her lemon cupcake was delish!
Giftwise, I could see Emma's truck pulling up to a kiddie birthday party where children gather around for one of her rainbow (vanilla cake w/vanilla buttercream topped with sprinkles) cupcakes or a family reunion or cookout where Pina Colada cupcakes are served to the crowd. Who wouldn't be impressed by their party having its own cupcake service?

In addition, to SCQ Mobile Cupcakery, Merisier has a home bakery where she creates special occaion cakes and other delicious treats like sweet potato pie and pound cake. For more information, visit her site here.

Experience Charlotte

This year I have had the pleasure of working on the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Charlotte Chapter Awards Celebration taking place tonight. I am chairing the silent auction portion of the evening and the theme is Experience Charlotte. The entire committee has been great about bringing in items for the auction and I have been lucky to bring in some pretty snazzy experiences that I hope will cause bidding wars at the event:)

As many of you may know from reading this blog, I am all about creating experiences so the PRSA silent auction theme was right up my alley! Here are a couple of items that will be auctioned off:

Ladies Night Out at local boutique

Dinner and a Show with car service

Chocolate and Wine Pairing

In-Home Wine Tasting

VIP Lounge at local lounge

I will share details of each experience following the Gift Insight posts. Over 30 silent auction items were secured and I can't wait to share the experiences with you, in hopes that you will create the same experience (only better) for someone special in your life. Can't wait!

Experience: Candy bars from Enchanted Expectations

I had the pleasure of attending Shannon's--one of my BFF's bridal shower this weekend in MD and these two days were filled with fun, love and laughter. We went bowling at Lucky Strike in DC and hung out at the National Harbor for Girls Night Out and the next day we went to the Mandarin Oriental Hotel for her bridal shower. There were many fab highlights and her sister (and maid of honor) Jenn really made the shower unforgettable. One element that I will focus on for the purpose of this blog is Shannon's Sweet Shoppe, a beautiful candy bar done by Enchanted Expectations. Here are a few pics:

More pics are available on her blog and I checked out some of her other work and I really enjoyed her take on candy bars. Shannon's bar was elegant and classy but Monique (the owner of Enchanted Expectations) had a cute candy bar for a kiddie Easter party which included mini cotton candy funnels, Peeps and more. Its always good when a planner is versatile.

Enchanted Expectations is located in Owings Mills, MD and also focuses on various events and her moniker is "enchanted parties to exceed your highest expectations". Be sure to check out her site.

source: enchantedexpectations.blogspot.com

Experience: CIAA

The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) is an athletic conference consisting of eleven historically African-American institutions of higher education including my alma mater, Bowie State University and the local Johnson C. Smith University.

Established in 1912, the CIAA is the nation's oldest black athletic conference, rich in history and heritage. The CIAA is entering its ninety-sixth year of athletic competition in which they will continue to reap success and recognition on the field and on the court. The reputation, in conjunction with the academic success of the athletes, is a proud legacy for the CIAA.

The Basketball Tournament is the most popular competition of the conference and takes place in Charlotte, NC.

Some highlights of the events that I encourage you to check out include:

• The Ford Fan Experience: (Feb 24-26) will include Steve Harvey Morning Show live, cooking shows, drumline exhibition, performances by national artists including Melanie Fiona, Ginuwine and more! The experience will take place at Charlotte Convention Center.
• CIAA Stepshow Showdown: (Feb 26) Many schools take part in this annual event and is hosted by 106 & Park's Terrance J. Last year 5,000 people showed up to get crunk.
• The CIAA Career Expo (Feb 25)
• THE PARTIES are what brings most people out for this conference. I must admit that this time of the year is one of the most fun times in Charlotte. There are so many parties it is hard to pick. The official post CIAA Party is taking place at the Charlotte Convention Center and will feature The Temptations. If you want my party picks, send me an email at simonemcdowell at gmail.com.
• The actual basketball games (duh!) The women's tournament begins on Tuesday the 23rd and the men's tournament begins on Wednesday the 24th at Time Warner Cable Arena.

Please note: Moving around Uptown (where all the activities are taking place) can be frustrating with all the traffic and I would advise you to get out early for the parties. The lines are ridiculous....and it's all worth it in the end. Just plan.

For more information about the CIAA Tournament, click here.

More details on the CIAA Conference...The conference is divided into Eastern and Western Divisions in all sports except baseball. The CIAA annually sponsors 16 men's and women's championships. The eight men's championships include football, cross country, indoor track, basketball, golf, tennis, baseball, and track & field. The eight women's champions are bowling, cross country, volleyball, indoor track, basketball, softball, tennis and track & field.

source: ciaatournament.org

Experience: Teavolve Cafe & Lounge

Teavolve, housed in Harbor East in Baltimore is a tea house with so much more to offer including live jazz, brunch, desserts and more. It is a tea lovers dream with almost 50 different types of tea to choose from and an atmosphere that urges you to just chill. In addition to tea and the aforementioned items they have house made tea-infused sangrias. Yummy!

This place would be a great experience for a date, lazy brunch with family, or the corporate folk that want to forego Starbucks with all the same amenities.

Gifting-wise, you could invite a friend for an "I appreciate you" night out, start with a glass of wine and take in one of the many local artists that play on Friday and Saturday nights at Teavolve. The genre of music is almost as varied as the loose leaf teas including jazz, soul, rock, funk and the list goes on. Many local favorites play there and is sure to be a fun evening. Also, there are happy hour specials on drinks and food after 5pm until closing.

On a visit with one of my BFF's at Teavolve we chatted up our waitress, Casandra and she told us English Breakfast tea is the most popular tea but also encourages people to try her favorite, Lime Blossom. I'm a pretty plain Jane and I have branched out with my teas and have never had one I did not like at Teavolve!

The first Teavolve located on Eastern Avenue is a small space that is available for special events only. If you had the opportunity to visit that space, it was a treat...felt like you were home listening to Coltrane with a glass of wine. The new space in Harbor East is more than four times the size of the original but has the same great ingredients to make it a success.

Be sure to stop by Teavolve located at 1401 Aliceanna Street.

Experience: Winestore

Moscato d' Asti is my favorite (wine) but taking a trip to the winestore made me think about a few other strong contenders! The winestore is a concept that I am sure plenty of people wish they would have thought of first. Its a wine store that sells moderately priced wines but what I love most about this place is the wine sampler. Yes, you can sample select wines! The sampler is what really made the winestore an "experience" in my book!

Picture yourself and someone special going to go pick up a bottle of wine for a quiet dinner at home. You step into the winestore. You see the sampler. Let the fun begin.

The wine sampler is a wonderful machine that allows you to literally sample various wines for a nominal fee. To use the wine sampler you have to purchase a card (similar to a credit card in size) to slip in the slots of each wine you choose. The sample prices range from 50 cents to $2.50 and there are 16 red wines and 8 white wines to choose from. After sampling, you can pick up your bottle of wine, as originally planned (remember that quiet dinner at home?) and stroll back to the crib.

Here are a few of the winestore's best sellers....who knows you may find one of these in the sampler.

• Atteca Old Vines


• Burgans Albarino


• Chateau Smith


• Conundrum


• Evodia

Again, the wine sampler is a fabulous "pit stop" of sorts that makes wine shopping fun. Of course, if you have any wine questions (i.e. what is the best celebration wine, what wine should I pair with pasta, etc) just ask one of the informed folks behind the counter.

Want to experience the winestore? Check out http://www.winestore-online.com/. There are two locations: SouthPark (the one I checked out!) and the latest one in Blakeney. Always remember to drink responsibility!

source: www.winestore-online.com

An Experience as a gift

When most ask what they want for their birthday, they usually answer with the traditional gift answer....an object of sorts. Whether shiny (ahem...diamonds) or lacy (umm..lingerie) certain tangible items come to mind BUT I want you to think of experiences as gifts. For example, a bottle of wine turning into a trip to wine country or sneakers turning into personal training sessions with a running coach.

I want you to rewire your brain to not just think of picking up a dress for your wife but instead scheduling an appointment with a style expert at her favorite boutique to fit her for the best dress she has ever worn, all while getting style advice on the most flattering pants for her figure, why accessories are so important and of course, why she should be so in love with her husband for this experience.

I'm talking about not only giving your hubby tickets to the next home football game but giving him tickets to his home team's game when they are away. Giving him the opportunity to visit another city, while cheering on his fave team, in some fab seats. Oh and while your at it...have a signed jersey in his hotel room. Who's still in the running to becoming America's Next Top Wife?

See where I am going with this? It's time to amp up some gifts and turn them into experiences. I want to note that all experiences do not have to be expensive but they must be special....you're in the right ballpark if you get anything in the range of a smile, tears or jaw-dropping antics.

Please know, that gifts are still wonderful and treats in themselves, I'm just giving more options to this gift thing!:)

So in future blog posts be on the lookout for Experiences.

source: flickr.com