Still Smokin' After All These Years: TWIN CITY RIBFEST IN WINSTON-SALEM June 10-12

"Now in its 12th year, the Twin City RibFest once again heralds summer's arrival to Winston-Salem, filling the streets of downtown Winston-Salem with the succulent aroma of smoking meat, the sizzling sounds of outstanding music and much more.

This year's event will be held on the parking lots located at 401 W. Fifth Street in downtown Winston-Salem and runs June 10 (11 AM – 11 PM), June 11 (11 AM – 11 PM) and June 12 (Noon – 6 PM) Admission is $7 for adults, Children are free. $2 discount coupons are being sponsored by LaLey Radio will be available in Que Pasa, YES! Weekly and at all local Metro PCS dealers. On Fri., June 10 between the hours of 11 AM and 4 PM the admission for adults is only $1.

Every year since 2005, 15-20,000 BBQ fans come out for the good food and fun. Promoter Allen McDavid launched the first Twin City RibFest in 2005 with Shiner Bock beer as the title sponsor. His goal, along with that of his wife, a native of Corpus Christi, Texas was to introduce BBQ styles manylocals were not familiar with. familiar to many locals back then. McDavid asked, "There is more to the pig than shoulders and butts. And, what about beef brisket?"

The success of the Twin City RibFest was immediate and helped it gain recognition in Bon Apetit magazine, Martha Stewart.com and Our State magazine, as well as being named a Top 20 Event by the Southeast Tourism Bureau several years running.

The RibFest's formula is simple, outstanding BBQ cooked by “Ribbers” from around the country, cold beer, a marketplace, kids' activities and great music. Our Ribbers have included several who have been featured on the Food Network and BBQ Pitmasters TV show. Musical acts over the years have included an array of acts like the Avett Brothers, Vanilla Ice, The Carolina Chocolate Drops, Cyrille Neville, Hal Ketchum and many more. In 2014 Lucha Libre wrestling and a real sideshow were added to create the most unique BBQ festival in the Nation. It's all part of an effort to distinguish the Twin City RibFest and broaden its appeal.

This year, four new Ribbers are coming to Winston-Salem. They are Billy Ray's BBQ from Wilmington, NC, Pork Brothers from Indiana, Smokin' J's BBQ from Georgia and Texas Smokehoues, from, well you know.

Each day of this year's festival will feature a different music theme and corresponding acts. On Friday the theme is MOTOWN Night with the MOTOWN tribute band, Legacy. Then comes Soc Au Lait! (Wow!) Saturday featuring the Grammy nominated Lost Bayou Ramblers and the Dirty Bourbon River Show, both out of New Orleans. “Sunday Divertido” will be Latin themed, with the Raleigh-based Descendientes Descendientes.

As always, there will be a marketplace, a Kids Zone, and the Twin City RibFest's signature attractions, Lucha Libre wrestling and the Squidling Brothers Side Show. A special guest this year is “Special Head,” who became famous for his levitating act on America's Got Talent.

New sponsors this year include Corona Beer and Devil's Backbone Beer, along with Direct TV dealer Piedmont Triad Communications Solutions and PNC Bank.

About AKA Entertainment & Media, LLC.

Allen McDavid, owner of AKA Entertainment & Media, LLC. is an experienced marketing professional. In a 22+ years advertising career, Allen has worked for many major clients and brands including Hanes, Jefferson-Pilot Financial, AIG, eDiets, VoiceGlo, NoNonsense Hosiery, Purolator, Regal Boats, Burlington Socks, NC State Athletics, and more. Allen co-founded and helped build four companies prior to forming AKA Entertainment & Media - McDavid & Holbrook Advertising, SpyderByte Communications, Stratapult Studios, and Emisare, Inc."

- A Press Release

DOWNTOWN RESIDENTIAL LOFT PROJECT ANNOUNCED

"WINSTON-SALEM, NC—GEMCAP recently announced acquisition of the property located at the corner of Fourth Street and Marshall Street in the heart of downtown Winston-Salem, North Carolina. GEMCAP will serve as the developer and general contractor of Twin City Lofts, a 70,000 square foot luxury residential condominium development that will change the landscape along Fourth Street. Leonard Ryden Burr, led by agents Clare Fader and Jeff MacIntosh, has been named real estate agency of record. Twin City Lofts is the first new for sale residential development downtown since One Park Vista was completed in 2009. For more information, visit www.twincity-lofts.com or call 336.779.9200.

Named for its historic location and home of the Twin City Club, Twin City Lofts will have an urban feel with open interiors, expansive windows, exposed ceilings and polished concrete floors. Residential units will occupy the third, fourth, fifth, and half of the sixth floors with rooftop access for residents and their visitors. The 21 unit, comprehensive renovation is a $10 million project to be completed in the summer of 2016.

GEMCAP started as a strategic merger between The Arden Group and GEMCAP Properties, and has grown into a full-service commercial real estate development and construction company.

This highly experienced management team prides itself on creating a dynamic work environment that delivers a consistent mission of maximized efficiency and value-add client service. Based in the Piedmont Triad region of North Carolina, GEMCAP has completed projects across the state with core business rooted in design-build projects by leveraging many of its long-term client relationships across the retail, automotive and mixed-use market segments.

Founded in 2004, Leonard Ryden Burr is the Triad's largest independent real estate firm receiving local and national recognition for excellence in relocation, marketing, and client services. With more than 80 agents, Leonard Ryden Burr has deep local insights and boasts the area's top listings. The agency is known for its commitment to downtown development and has been instrumental in supporting neighborhoods and initiatives that add to the city’s viability and culture of arts and philanthropy. Clare Fader and Jeff MacIntosh have played a major role in the agency’s commitment to downtown development personally and professionally and both currently serve on the Board of the Downtown Winston-Salem Partnership."

- A Press Release

Arts Council Seeking Applications for Duke Energy Regional Artist Project Grants

Deadline 5:00 p.m. Friday, July 11th

"The Arts Council of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County is seeking applications for its Duke Energy Regional Artist Project Grants. These grants offer support to artists in a six-county region to help them further their professional development.  Committed, gifted individual artists and unincorporated arts organizations in Forsyth, Davie, Davidson, Stokes, Surry, and Yadkin counties are eligible to apply.  Deadline for applications is Fri., July 11 at 5:00 p.m.

“We are looking for opportunities to make modest grants that in turn can have significant impact on the careers and professional lives of artists. These grants always are diverse because the needs of individual artists at particular points in their lives vary dramatically,” said Dara Silver, Director of Member Services and Grants for The Arts Council.

Guidelines, applications, and information sessions are available online at www.intothearts.org.  In addition, Arts Council staff will hold information sessions in the six counties.

SCHEDULE

Information Sessions

Tues., May 13, , 5:30 p.m., Surry County Arts Council, Andy Griffith Playhouse, 218 Rockford St. Mount Airy

Wed., May 21, 3 pm, Stokes County Arts Council, 500 N. Main St., Danbury, NC 27016

Wed., May 28, 5:30 p.m., Conference Room, Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts, 251 N. Spruce St., Winston-Salem

Thurs., May 29, 1 p.m., Conference Room, Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts, 251 N. Spruce St., Winston-Salem

Thurs., May 29. 6 p.m., Davie County Arts Council, Brock Performing Arts Center, 622 N. Main St., Mocksville

Mon., June 2, 6 p.m., Foothill Arts Council, 129 Church St., Elkin

Mon., June 9, 5:30 p.m., Arts United for Davidson, Uptown Lexington, Inc., 4 East First Ave., Lexington

Tues., June 10, 6 p.m., Front Yard of Yadkin Cultural Arts Center, 226 E. Main Street, Yadkinville

Duke Energy Regional Artist Project Grants are funded jointly by The Arts Council of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County; Duke Energy Foundation; and the North Carolina Arts Council, an agency of the Department of Cultural Resources. In the last funding cycle, The Arts Council made a total of $30,000 in awards in this grant category.

The Arts Council of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County, the first locally established arts council in the United States, enriches the lives of area residents every day. It raises funds and advocates for the arts, sponsors events in conjunction with other arts organizations, promotes and funds arts education, creates cultural opportunities, develops social capital and aids economic development.  Winston-Salem’s robust arts community accounts in large part for the recognition it continues to receive as a great place to live.  In 2013, The Arts Council made Organizational Support Grants to 19 Funded Partners totaling $1,675,000 and other grants brought the total awarded to $1,905,000."

Submitted by Dara Silver

Winston-Salem city officials propose extended hours for sidewalk cafés

Winston-Salem city officials are proposing changes to the current ordinance that regulates hours of operation for sidewalk cafés adjacent to restaurants, bars and clubs in the downtown area. Under the proposal, sidewalk cafés in downtown Winston-Salem would be allowed to extend their late-night hours from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m., operate seven days a week, and serve alcoholic beverages other than beer and wine. The changes to the ordinance will be discussed during two public information sessions at the Bryce Stuart Municipal Building on Wednesday, Aug. 24.

Hosted by the city’s Community and Business Development Department, the first meeting will run from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. The second meeting will be held from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Residents, business owners and community stakeholders are encouraged to attend and offer their input, said Reuben Gonzalez, the city’s business development administrator.

The proposal to change the sidewalk café ordinance came as a result of the city’s proactive approach to encouraging economic development in the downtown area, Gonzalez said.

“Ten years ago, there was probably one restaurant downtown that a sidewalk café. Now we have 15,” he said. “We’ve had 20 new bars and restaurants open up in the past seven years. When you consider the fact that every restaurant, bar or club opening creates on average 10 new jobs, that’s a significant impact on our local economy.”

The city began a dialogue with downtown stakeholder groups like the Winston-Salem Downtown Partnership and the Downtown Arts District Association several months ago and gleaned their input before making the proposed changes, Gonzalez said.

The Downtown Partnership’s Justin Gomez said Gonzalez made a presentation at a recent restaurant roundtable meeting about the proposed revisions to the sidewalk café ordinance. Subsequently, the roundtable and the partnership’s executive committee voted unanimously to support the changes.

If the city council approves the new ordinance, restaurants, bars and clubs will still have to maintain some type of barrier between their café area and the sidewalk and allow at least five feet of pedestrian space. Gonzalez lauded the Winston-Salem Police Department’s bike patrol unit as being integral to maintaining a safe, family-friendly environment in the downtown area as nighttime activity has spiked significantly in recent years.

“It’s a standard public safety finding that increased development increases public safety,” Gonzalez said. “When you have thriving businesses and a pedestrian friendly [environment], you have an increase in safety.”

Cary Clifford, owner of Camino Bakery, opened the doors to her bakery and wine bar in the 300 block of West 4th Street last month. She says she supports the proposed changes to the ordinance.

“The downtown is starting to feel more European with how pedestrian it is and I love that,” Clifford. “I love how the city is supporting that. This is becoming a city that is rated higher and higher as a place people want to live. Anything involving loosening of regulations on businesses helps with that.”