Spring is here!

Welcome, gentlefolk, to the official launch of the HeartNC Blog!

Today, we wanted to take some time to explore some of the events upcoming in the Piedmont area. It is finally spring - despite winter's recent attempts to keep hold of us - and we're finally getting to be at the time of year to get outside and appreciate the beauty of a renewed and blossoming landscape!

© 2016 Emily Godrich

And what better way to explore and celebrate the splendor of a North Carolina spring than with spring festivals!

The area hosts a number of spring festivals and community activities to suit just about any interest! You like craft beer? We got you covered! Wildflowers? Got that, too! Fascinated by science, trains, or gold mining? There are events coming up you're sure to enjoy! Maybe you're more of an indoors kind of person and super into the arts? The Piedmont area is also pretty into the arts. Or, perhaps, you just want to get to know your neighbors and surrounding communities a little better. Whatever the case, central North Carolina has an abundance of upcoming events to get you into the swing of springtime.

Just the first full weekend of April is jam-packed with events! The Full Frame Documentary Film Festival in Durham, featuring nonfiction films from around the world, begins April 5th and runs through April 7th, 2018. Meanwhile on the 6th and 7th, at the far western end of the Piedmont area, Surry Community College is hosting the 9th Annual Surry Old Time Fiddlers Convention, which includes jam sessions, individual and band competitions, raffles, and Luthier displays. Nearer to the Triangle, The Farm in Selma is hosting the NC Wine & Beer Festival on April 7th. The festival features North Carolinian wineries, breweries, and distilleries, in addition to musical entertainment, chef-inspired menus, and tons of local vendors! And - the best part - a portion of the proceeds from the festival will go to the Foundation of Hope for Research and Treatment of Mental Illness.

HeartNC's hearted events, April 2 - 8:
April 5-7 – 21st Annual Full Frame Documentary Film Festival – Durham 
April 6-7 – 9th Annual Surry Old-Time Fiddlers Convention – Dobson 
April 7 – NC Wine & Beer Festival at The Farm – Selma 
April 7 – Rowan Arts & Ag Beer Festival – Gold Hill 
April 7-8 & April 14-15 – 50th Annual Spring Pottery & Glass Festival – Creedmoor 
April 8 – Near & Far: A Celebration of Global Cultures – Chapel Hill 

Mid-April boasts a number of festivals and events too! On April 14th, UNC Chapel Hill is putting on the UNC Science Expo, one of the signature events of the North Carolina Science Festival that runs for the entire month of April and has myriad events statewide. In Greensboro, UNCG University Libraries and the North Carolina Brewer's Guild are teaming up to host, on April 14th, the launch event of Well Crafted NC, at Little Brother Brewery - the Well Crafted NC project is meant to celebrate the tradition of brewing in Greensboro and to introduce the craft breweries in the area to a wider audience. If you really want to soak in the beauty of spring in the Triangle, though, the Wildflower Hike put on by Moorefields is the event for you: the hike will give you the change to explore Seven Mile Creek and, with a botanist as your guide, check out central North Carolina's bouquet of springtime wildflowers.

HeartNC's hearted events, April 9 - 16:
April 13-14 – Tractors & Trains Festival – Spencer 
April 14 – UNC Science Expo – Chapel Hill 
April 14 – NC Piedmont Gold – High Point 
April 14 – Well Crafted NC – Greensboro
April 14 – Eighth Annual Moorefields Spring Wildflower Hike – Hillsborough

As April moves headlong toward May, both Mebane and Fayetteville will host dogwood festivals and, though the two overlap, because they both stretch over multiple days you can actually check out both! On April 21st, the city of Aberdeen is hosting Blue & Brew: A Festival at the Farm, which will feature a number of bands, including Tommy Edwards & the Bluegrass Experience, and food, beer, and cider will be available for purchase. Of course, if you enjoy the sound of bagpipes and the prospect of throwing a battle axe, then you should definitely head over to Huntersville and check out the Loch Norman Highland Games, which is celebrating it's 25th year and is hosted by Historic Rural Hill.

HeartNC's hearted events, April 17 - 30:
April 20-22 - Loch Norman Highland Games - Huntersville
April 21 - Blue & Brew: A Festival at the Farm - Aberdeen
April 21-22 - 10th Annual Spring Pottery Tour - Seagrove
April 27-28 - 30th Annual Dogwood Festival - Mebane
April 28 - Cleveland Strawberry Festival - Garner
​April 26-29 - Spring Dogwood Festival - Fayetteville

There is not nearly enough space here to discuss all of the different events in the area, but if nothing here strikes your fancy, hop on over to the events page at VisitNC.com. Their search feature allows you to narrow by region, city, time frame, and type of event.

Here's to springtime!

And as always: Love where you live!