The 25th Annual Food Lion Taste of Charlotte food festival kicks off June 7th for a three-day weekend in Uptown Charlotte. The event, set up on S. Tryon Street from Trade to Brooklyn Village, is the Carolina’s largest food festival.

The festival offers family entertainment, unique shopping, live music, kid’s activities, and a wide array of beer and wine. More than 100 menu items from Charlotte’s hottest restaurants will be available for sampling.

 

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This year, the festival features a cooking demo area, dueling pianos, dance showcases, and more. Admission is free, but food samples, kids’ activities, and beverages require festival coins. Coins can be purchased on the Taste of Charlotte Guest App and at coin booths along S. Tryon Street.

Festival highlights include:

• Food and Drink: Over 100 menu items and a variety of local beers and wines.
• Entertainment: Live music, cooking demos, and dance showcases.
• Activities: Kid’s activities, rock climbing, face painting, and balloon twisting.
• Unique Shopping: Local, regional, and national vendors offering information, coupons, and free samples.

Festival coins are used for all purchases, including food tastings and kids’ activities. A coin cup costs $20 and contains 14 coins. Coins can be bought at coin booths or via the Taste of Charlotte App.

Participating Restaurants and what they’re serving:

• 5th Sin Wood Fired Kitchen: Bacon-wrapped steak, scallop, and chicken
• 800 Degrees Latta Arcade: Honey badger pizza slice, Margherita pizza slice, meatball parm slider
• A Little Taste of Chicago: Chicago dog, Chicago vegan style fries, breaded mild sauce tender
• Aroma Indian Cuisine: Dosa, tikki masala, samosa
• Barley and Burger: Rocky Balboa burger slider, All American burger slider, house-made chips
• Basil Thai: Chicken green curry rice, chicken Bahn Mi, basil egg rolls
• Biryani Pot: Biryani, tandoori chicken, chicken 65
• Boujeesoulfood: Oxtail slider, collard green & lobster wontons, fried mac & cheese bite
• CFT Bistro: Pork fried rice, sea red pea cake, blackberry lime margarita cake
• City Barbeque: Brisket mac n’ cheese, smoked turkey slider, not a sloppy joe slider
• Cuzzo’s Cuisine: Lobster mac ‘n cheese, handcut lemon pepper tenders, BBQ cauliflower
• Dock Local: Street style blackened shrimp tacos, Old Bay crab nachos, elote style corn
• Enat Ethiopian: Derek lamb tibs, red split lentil stew, beef sambusa
• Hawkers Asian Street Food: Po Po Lo chicken curry, roti canai, twice-fried Korean wings
• Hooters: Steamed shrimp, buffalo wing, fried pickles
• Mama’s Caribbean Grill: Mama’s spice grilled chicken, curry chicken, Caribbean rice and peas
• Mr3’s Crabpot: Garlic shrimp, Cajun crawfish, Mr.3’s garlic egg
• Nathan’s Famous Hot Dogs & Bruster’s Ice Cream: Hot dog w/ chili toppings, hot dog plain, ice cream
• Noom Yai: Pad Thai, marinated grilled pork, grilled chicken skewer
• Piada Italian Street Food: Chicken avocado piada, veggie avocado piada, lemon kale Caesar salad
• Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse: Creole burger slider, sweet potato canopies, tomato mozzarella skewer
• Sabor Latin Street Grill: Chicken empanada, guava pineapple empanada, black bean empanada
• Showmars: Mini pita burger, Mediterranean pasta salad, traditional baklava
• Sizzle: Pork dumpling, chicken dumpling, sticky rice sesame pancake
• State of Confusion: Planca chicken, chocotora cake, beignets
• STIR: Crab cakes, spicy tuna bite, STIR chopped salad
• Tacos Don Coyotl: Chicken quesadilla, quesabirria, tacos al pastor
• The Smoke Pit: Slice of Texas brisket, wet spare rib, Texas pintos with jalapeno crema
• Tupelo Honey Southern Kitchen & Bar: Shrimp and grits, chicken & waffle bites, heavenly banana pudding
• VooDoo Wing Company: Buffalo chicken slider, loaded sidewinder fries, signature voodoo wing
• Food Lion: Lemonade samples (while supplies last)
• Renaissance Patisserie: French macaron (assorted flavors), petite mini croissant (butter, chocolate, or almond), mini kouign amann
• Donut NV: Fruity Pebble donuts, cinnamon sugar donuts
• Small Cakes Huntersville: Cupcake, cookie sandwich, brownie
• Oh My Ganache, The Cheesecake Bar: Cheesecake with pie topping, cheesecake with sauce only topping, plain cheesecake
• Golden Girls Funnel Cakes: Mini funnel cake w/chocolate, mini funnel cake w/caramel, mini funnel cake w/cinnamon sugar
• Chocolate Moonshine: Chocolate covered pretzels, truffle bars, pecan turtles

Kid’s Activities Include:

• Giant Slide, Radical Run Obstacle Course, Candy Land Bouncehouse, and more
• Sunday is Family Fun Day with discounted wristbands for kids’ activities

The Best of the Taste Competition will award the Silver Plater to winning restaurants in categories like Best Entrée, Best Dessert, Most Unique Taste, and Healthy Choice Winner.

Here’s a video showing some of what you can expect this weekend:

Oz fans rejoice! Tickets for North Carolina’s legendary “Land of Oz” theme park are going on sale this week.

Join Dorothy and friends on a journey down the yellow brick road during Land of Oz’s annual Autumn at Oz Festival 3 weekends this fall (Sept 6th – 8th, 13th – 15th, and 20th – 22nd)

Follow Dorothy through a classic story-line. Escape the ‘cyclone’ and run to the storm cellar and enter into the magic Land of Oz.

Walk through the tilted house or the old witches castle. The park features hundreds of oz-themed props, buildings, and actives for visitors of all ages.

This video from a few years ago gives a little more insight into the historic rise and downfall of ‘The Land of Oz’;

Tickets to the Land of Oz are $35 and sell out quickly (Children two and under are admitted free) and they will be going on sale this Wednesday, June 5th for the upcoming fall season.

 

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For more information or for tickets you can visit landofoznc.com.

Vice President Kamala Harris is coming to Charlotte next week as part of her Economic Opportunity Tour. The tour focuses on investing in communities, building wealth, and ensuring all Americans can thrive, according to the White House.

The tour began in Atlanta, Georgia on April 29, followed by Detroit, Michigan and it was just announced she’ll be coming to Charlotte on Wednesday, June 12th.

Last year, Harris announced over $1.73 billion in grants to 603 Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) through the Treasury’s CDFI Fund. In 2022, she launched the Economic Opportunity Coalition (EOC), a public-private partnership with more than 20 private sector organizations. The EOC has invested over $1 billion into community finance institutions.

“President Biden and I are committed to creating an economy in which every person has the freedom to thrive,” said Vice President Harris in a press release about the tour. “That is why we have taken historic steps to advance economic opportunity by increasing access to capital, investing in small businesses, addressing housing costs, investing in infrastructure, and championing additional policies that put money in people’s pockets and build wealth.”

The new report notes, “While we can’t speak for everyone, our latest PODS data suggests that many people have the Carolinas at the top of their lists as the best state to live in. And we can’t blame them; the low cost of living, good quality of life, access to nature, thriving food scene, and vibrant metro areas are easy to fall in love with.”

Cities With the Highest Number of Move-Ins Ranked

The Charlotte Fire Department just broke ground on the very first all-electric fire station in the Southeast.

Located next to the department’s training center on Shopton Road, the new $16 million firehouse will span 14,000 square feet. It will feature three bays, two stories, and the first all-electric North American-style fire engine.

Features:

• 14,000-square-foot, two-story building
• Three bays
• All-electric fire engines

Benefits:

• Economic Gains: Reduced costs through water conservation and waste reduction
• Air Quality: Minimized chemical impact on clean air
• Safety: Decreased exposure to toxic substances for firefighters

Construction on the Charlotte Fire Department’s Firehouse #30 will take one to two years. The new site at 3019 Beam Road will replace the current Firehouse #30 on Belle-Oaks Drive, originally built in 1955.

The Bank of America Stadium, home to the Panthers and Charlotte FC, might soon get a $1.221 billion facelift. Tepper Sports & Entertainment (TSE) and the City of Charlotte have just announced plans to completely overhaul the 28-year-old stadium.

Under the plan, TSE would spend an initial $150 million, the City of Charlotte would add $650 million, and TSE would agree to spend $421 million more in progressive upgrades over the next 20 years.

This is our home. This is our future. Welcome to the Crown Jewel of the Queen City.

We are excited to unveil a first look at the proposed renovation of Bank of America Stadium.#KeepPounding pic.twitter.com/n1JfPUK0QA

— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) June 3, 2024

The new stadium would feature:

• A park-like setting and exterior video boards for watch parties.
• New sound system, scoreboard, and video boards.
• Social areas with skyline views and improved concessions.
• Expanded Team Store for Panthers and Charlotte FC fans.
• New seats and upgraded restrooms.
• Improved accessibility for individuals with disabilities.
• Enhanced safety and security features, including better lighting.
• Redesigned South Lawn Pavilion for community use.
• Modernized building systems to reduce environmental impact.

“Bank of America Stadium has been a special place for our Panthers, and now Charlotte FC, fans for nearly 30 years,” said Panthers President Kristi Coleman in a press release. “While Bank of America Stadium has solid infrastructure, investments are needed to ensure that our decades-old venue continues to deliver the best experience for our players, fans, and community.”

The Charlotte City Council will review the proposal over the coming weeks.

Construction start dates remain undetermined until approval.

What do you think about the plans?