Here are my slides from the weekend, the Festival was great. Enjoy. Mark you r calender for next year.

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The first and third Fridays each month-- visit music and art during extended gallery hours, 3200 block of North Davidson, for details visit noda.org

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Charlotte Shout, a month long Welcome to Charlotte event, began Wednesday but the real fun starts this weekend with a host of free events- free museums, and the 30th annual Yiasou Greek Festival on East Blvd through Sunday night. Here is the rundown of free museums for Saturday, 9/8: Discovery Place (from 9am -11am) Levine Museum of the New South Charlotte Museum of History Community School of the Arts McColl Center for Visual Art Charlotte Raptor Center (10-12am) Historic Latta Plantation Also in Charlotte Shout is the Charlotte Film Festival - kids day Sunday 9/9 -1pm at the Light Factory. Later in the month there's a Jazz Festival, Art in the Park (very large exhibition of local artists at Freedom Park for a week) and an International day at UNCC. Those are just the highlights, check out full details at the Charlotte Cultural Guide. A great family day? Start at Discovery Place for 1-2 hours and enjoy the acclaimed hands- on science museum, walk a block or two at most to the Levine Museum of the New South to help understand exactly what is the New South and Charlotte's place in it, and afterwards head over to ImagineOn-another 1-2 blocks and the fantastic technology oriented nationally recognized children's library across from Bobcat stadium. You can budget an hour, but most kids can stay longer. Then, time for some food? Why not head to the Greek Festival on East Blvd--Greek dancers await, great food and of course home made Baklava... if that's too much make Imagine-On another day, it is free all the time and there is easy free parking beneath the building. Our whole family have been to the Greek Festival many times- it is a great party with lots of things going on to keep almost everyone's interest, from kiddy rides to teen dancers, crafts and other fun things to do, each year they try and "out-do the previous year" - we'll be there Saturday night I am sure. Discount tickets are usually available at Harris Teeter. If you are near Imagine-On you might see them testing the Lynx, the light rail. Next year- maybe later in the month- you will be able to take a train over to Dilworth and walk to the Greek Festival. See you in Charlotte! terry

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I took the kids, a couple of "boy-girl friends" and off we went for our 5:00 adventure at the US National White Water Center. The sun was getting low, the temperature about 85 degrees, I enjoyed the look on my son Andrew's face- as I had watched Bobby, Amy and Judy's before him-- the look of awe. You really can't describe this place until you have seen it, and even then words and pictures don't do it justice. There was a gentle breeze and a good crowd filled the waters and viewing decks. We went through the training- I was concerned that the "newbies" didn't get the full training, since we were veterans it was cut a little short-- little did I know I'd have the ride of my life. Surfing in "Biscuits and Gravy" was a great way to work the water and our guide knew how to get us there. Body surfing through the rough stuff was yet to come. I've decided the only thing that would have made it more fun was if I'd spent a bit more time in the boat-- this just wasn't my day. The first may have been the best, falling in slow motion at one of the first gates on the big run in front of most of the spectators. I may have been sitting too far out, but it really didn't matter as there are no exits, or eddy's for a long way, an no matter what the reason, I wasn't getting back in for a while. Here I am catching a breath before I rolled and tumbled again- --feet first almost the whole way, down the chute and thought it can't last long-- and soon enough I was standing on the side in the big lake, the boat out ahead. Exhausted, scared a bit, and banged up more. I've thought about it a lot and come up with no good answers. That was the first of three trips in, two quick dips on the other side, our momentum shifted rapidly, the boat went one way and I went another... once in Biscuits and Gravy, once just below, and by then I'd almost had enough. I insisted on another run through the big stuff, we made it perfectly without incident, not even close to leaving the boat and that was that It's left me tired, bruised and banged up, but none the worse for wear. I'll tighten up the core muscles to give me just a bit more pull, I'll sit a little closer in on the boat edge, and I'm going again in a few weeks. It is just too much fun and too much a challenge to let go.

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What a lineup! What a weekend! Take the family to Matthews Alive--they take over downtown Matthews Friday night through Labor Day Monday for their annual celebration of Matthews, NC. It's a giant family block party, with rides, music, and food. Artists from all over the Carolina come to display their wares. Custom handmade jewelry, pottery, leather works, woodwork- crafts of all shapes and sizes, art from the coast and mountains. Park at Matthews United Methodist Church. We'll be going in our new red toy, hope to see you there!

We've also got a reservation at National White Water Center-- 6 of us will be rafting at 5 on Sunday. You start easy, and learn paddle basics from your guide. After a few runs on the training grounds, you are ready for the class IV rapids out in front of the restaurant. This is a wet roller coaster ride and a workout as you make about 6-8 runs through the course. We'll all come back a little sore, with great stories ready for a beer and dinner. Next weekend we are off to the Greek Festival on East Blvd--and ALL Charlotte Museums offer free admittance next Saturday- by all means get to the Levine Museum of the New South, the Arts and Crafts Museum, and the excellent Mint Museum of Art.

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