NC’s Rescue Ranch Launching Virtual Auction To Help Fund Local Animal Rescues

Charlotte Stories
-
0
NC’s Rescue Ranch Launching Virtual Auction To Help Fund Local Animal Rescues

Kicking off at 6 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 10 Rescue Ranch will launch a virtual auction to raise funds for the 87-acre animal education nonprofit. The online auction will run until Thursday, Dec. 17 and will feature items such as a custom-made dining room table, artwork, a private meal by the Moyer’s restaurant, an assortment of NASCAR items from different drivers, and more.

All proceeds from the auction will benefit Rescue Ranch’s missions of utilizing educational programs to promote respect for animals and responsible pet ownership, as well as agricultural, environmental and wildlife conservation.

Due to the ongoing pandemic, the auction replaces the annual holiday dinner which would have celebrated its 16th year in 2020.

“Like all nonprofits, we’ve shifted our fundraising events to help keep our community safe during this time,” said co-founder, Krissie Newman. “We’re sad to not have the opportunity to see our supporters at our annual holiday dinner, however, we’re excited to launch the auction online so that supporters from across the country can participate. We have some amazing items for folks to bid on with all proceeds going directly back to the Ranch.

“More importantly, we have a really exciting announcement that we will make during the virtual auction on Dec. 10 that involves the continued growth of the Ranch and our mission!”

To join the live auction on Dec. 10 head to rescueranch.com, Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

York County High Schools Art Show 2020 Winners Announced

Charlotte Stories
-
0
York County High Schools Art Show 2020 Winners Announced
Image credit: Best of Show, in memory of Sandra Schug Stevens, educator & artist | Self Portrait by Abe Shoaf
The Arts Council of York County announced the awards for the York County High Schools Art Show in an online Gallery Talk with juror Dr. Bradley Sabelli. The video was released on Thursday, December 3 and is available to watch on the Arts Council’s website, Facebook page, and YouTube page. This year, 16 art teachers from 6 York County high schools, representing 3 districts, selected more than 70 works for exhibition. The students’ work will be on display in the Edmund Lewandowski Classroom Gallery at the Center for the Arts through December 31, 2020.
The following students received awards sponsored by the Yorkville Artists’ Guild for their artwork:
Best of Show, in memory of Sandra Schug Stevens, educator & artist | Self Portrait by Abe Shoaf
South Pointe High School | Teacher: Ashley Beard
First Place | Vintage Reflections by Maggie Deer
Fort Mill High School | Teacher: Kelly Lucarelli
Second Place | Brainwashing by Lorien Greenlee
South Pointe High School | Teacher: Ashley Beard
Third Place | The Likeness of Me by Jordan Robinson
Clover High School | Teacher: Olivia Chinnes
Honorable Mention | Dreamscape by Rossie Letigio
Rock Hill High School | Teacher:  Kim Looper
Honorable Mention | Single Father by Syrrhia Alcide
Northwestern High School | Teacher: Sandy Queen
Honorable Mention | City Limits by Arden Seeger
Fort Mill High School | Teacher: Marjorie O’Shea
Honorable Mention | Radial Playground by Madeline Price
Fort Mill High School | Teacher: Anna G. Dean
Todd Baxter, Gerry King, and Dr. Bradley Sabelli of the Catawba River Art Guild served as jurors for the show. The York County High School Art Exhibit is coordinated by the Arts Council of York County and the Catawba River Art Guild, and is sponsored by the Yorkville Artists’ Guild.
The Arts Council is headquartered in downtown Rock Hill, a state-recognized cultural district. For more information on Arts Council events, you can visit their webpage at http://www.yorkcountyarts.org.

A Charlotte Charity Just Bought An 88-Room Hotel To House The Homeless

Charlotte Stories
-
0
A Charlotte Charity Just Bought An 88-Room Hotel To House The Homeless

As we now enter the coldest time of the year, one heartwarming Charlotte charity has just decided to purchase an entire hotel to house those less fortunate this winter.

Roof Above just purchased an 88-unit hotel at the intersection of Clanton Road and I-77 that will be transformed into permanent housing for many in Charlotte’s homeless community.

“As the pandemic has created financial challenges for hotels and motels nationally, nonprofits like Roof Above are stepping in to buy facilities we can use for important public purposes – creating a win-win for everybody,” said Liz Clasen-Kelly, CEO of Roof Above. “The hotel is already equipped to serve as safe shelter to help the community through this winter, and by the end of 2021, we aim to bring these units online as permanent housing for 88 of our most vulnerable neighbors.”

 

The project is currently being paid for through donations from the Springsteen Foundation, Duke Energy Foundation, McKibbon Family Foundation, and a City of Charlotte CARES Act grant.

Renovations are now set to start this coming summer to eventually house over 80 families facing homelessness in Charlotte. The Hotel will serve as an emergency winter shelter over the next few months before renovation begin.

Give the Gift of Unique Experiences from the North Carolina Zoo

Charlotte Stories
-
0
Give the Gift of Unique Experiences from the North Carolina Zoo

If you’re struggling with what to get your younger family members or friends, consider giving the gift of a unique experience this holiday season from the North Carolina Zoo.

The Zoo offers an array of online adventures for kids of all ages and a gift shop with items from around the world.

Virtual Experiences

Price range: $10 – $100

Holiday Break Camps: Our virtual, one-day camps provide fun activities such as visiting Zoo habitats, meeting zookeepers, and hands-on crafts. Kids will have fun learning about Animals in Winter while staying socially distant and safe. Camps are designed for students in grades 1-6 and focus on three ways animals have adapted to survive the winter – migration (Let’s Move It, Move It), hibernation (A Long Winter’s Sleep), and being built for winter (Designed for Winter).

Species Spotlight: This virtual encounter introduces you to ambassador animals or an animal in the Zoo. Spice up your next online meeting or gathering with a personalized experience with a Zoo animal! A virtual gift that can be tailored to any audience and any age.

Creature Connections: An online afterschool program from the Zoo and the North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher, starting in November 2020 through June 2021. Creature Connections is a one-hour, live program every second Thursday of the month. Give the gift and get registered, so you don’t miss any of the land-to-sea fun.

In-Person Experiences at the Zoo

Snorin’ Safari: Price range: $40-$50 per person. A family adventure where you can spend the night at the Zoo doing fun activities and wake up hearing the lions roar or wolves howling. The Snorin’ Safaris would begin in March 2021 or later, depending on COVID-19 restrictions in place at the time.

Ride-and-a-Guide: Price range: $150-$190 per group. Give the gift of a private tour of the Zoo with a professional guide! The North Carolina Zoo Society offers “Ride-and-a- Guide” outdoor programs for small groups wishing to visit the Zoo and travel in comfort in a golf cart.

Online Gift Shop

• Support the Zoo through the North Carolina Zoo Society’s online gift shop. A large array of animal plushes, fair-trade jewelry and crafts from around the world, toys and much more. Price ranges to fit every budget.
• Adopt the North Carolina Zoo Society’s “Jingle Bear Rock” grizzly bear this holiday season. The $50 adoption package includes a plush grizzly bear, a personalized adoption certificate, and a fact sheet on Grizzly Bears.

For more information, you can visit the North Carolina Zoo’s Holiday Gift Guide here – www.nczoo.org/holiday-gifts

An Immersive Exploration Experience Has Just Launched in Charlotte – #WALKCLT

Charlotte Stories
-
0
An Immersive Exploration Experience Has Just Launched in Charlotte – #WALKCLT

This holiday season, Sustain Charlotte and OrthoCarolina have partnered to give the gift of exploring Charlotte by walking with friends and family with #WALKCLT 2020. Now in its fifth year, this annual event goes digital and expands from a one-time evening event to a month-long campaign that encourages Charlotteans to explore new neighborhoods, public art, and pathways that can only be discovered on foot.

The campaign will launch on Giving Tuesday (December 1st), with a ‘Giving Back Tuesday’ release of the digital portal, loaded with the first two tours of a 5 tour collection. A new walking tour will be released each week and will include a detailed map along with curated content like Spotify playlists to make your walk more enjoyable. All content is free!

“Walking is one of the few activities we could enjoy outside of our homes this year,” says Sustain Charlotte’s Bike + Walk Program Coordinator Eric Zaverl. “That is why #WALKCLT couldn’t be more critical for an auto-centric city like Charlotte. Having a walkable community makes it possible for residents to thrive socially and economically while improving our overall health.”

WHEN: December 1 – 31.

HOW IT WORKS: Participants will visit https://www.sustaincharlotte.org/walkclt to grab a QR code that will allow them to access the maps and playlists via Linktree on their mobile device. Load it up and walk!

WALKS: The areas of Charlotte included #WALKCLT are: Wesley Heights, UpTown, NoDa, and the West End. There are also opportunities and tools to ‘create your own adventure’ and to incorporate earth-friendly undertakings like cleaning up your neighborhood while you walk.

LEARN MORE: Learn more by visiting: https://www.sustaincharlotte.org/walkclt  #WalkCLT

The First Movie Filmed In North Carolina Since The Shutdown Has Just Been Released

Charlotte Stories
-
0
The First Movie Filmed In North Carolina Since The Shutdown Has Just Been Released

The first movie to be filmed in North Carolina since the COVID-19 shutdown took effect has just been released.

USS Christmas is a Hallmark movie filmed this year in Wilmington, NC, starring Jen Lilley (from Days of Our Lives, Mingle All The Way, and The Spirit of Christmas) and Trevor Donovan (from NCIS and 90210).

The movie tells the story of Maddie, a reporter for a Norfolk newspaper, going on a cruise for Christmas and magically falling in love with a really really really ridiculously good looking naval officer while attempting to unravel a mystery in the ship’s secret archive room.

USS Christmas will be airing a number of times on the Hallmark Channel now through the end of the year, with showtimes at 2 p.m. Dec. 1; 12 am Dec. 4; 8 pm Dec. 6; and 11 am Christmas Day.

Christmas Town USA Just Lit Up With Scaled Back Pandemic Restrictions

Steve
-
0
Christmas Town USA Just Lit Up With Scaled Back Pandemic Restrictions

America’s #2 Best Christmas Light Display has just officially turned on.

For the first time in 65 years, however, Christmas Town USA has significantly scaled back their annual festivities and decorations.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the town of McAdenville announced massive changes for this year’s Christmas season, including cutting their tree lighting ceremony, the yule log parade, and making the Christmas Town 5K a virtual-only race.

They also noted they will have a revised lighting schedule and they will not be putting up any lights around Christmas Town lake.

Here is the official announcement from the town:

This year’s official changes include: 

• Revised dates with lights turning on December 1st-26th

• Revised lighting schedule with lights only turning on 5:30-10 p.m. nightly

• No lights at Christmas Town Lake

• Christmas Town 5K as a virtual race

• No Tree Lighting Ceremony

• No Yule Log Parade

In spite of the town’s public reductions, private homes around McAdenville still have some of the most impressive Christmas light displays in the entire Charlotte region:

What do you think about their changes?

North Carolina’s Old Dominion Ranked as the #1 Carrier in America

Charlotte Stories
-
0
North Carolina’s Old Dominion Ranked as the #1 Carrier in America

For an unprecedented 11th consecutive year, Old Dominion Freight Line (OD) has earned the Mastio Quality Award for national less-than-truckload (LTL) carriers. The industry’s most comprehensive study ranked OD as the top carrier according to logistics professionals assessing carrier performance across 35 key attributes. OD is based in Thomasville, N.C.

Old Dominion’s premium service stood out from other national carriers in a quantitative ranking of attributes such as “Carrier is trustworthy,” “Shipments delivered when promised,” and “Drivers are courteous and professional.” Mastio & Company’s annual survey collects LTL shippers’ responses and identifies the importance of performance factors upon carrier choice.

“In a year that brought many challenges to our industry, we are incredibly honored to be recognized by Mastio and Company for our premium service,” said Greg Gantt, President and CEO of Old Dominion Freight Line. “Our customers depend on OD to keep their promises, and we are thankful they have recognized the responsiveness, speediness, and customer focus we put into our services. This recognition is for the more than 19,000 dedicated OD team members who go above and beyond every day.”

“Carrier performance indicators are analyzed based on discussions with LTL industry customers in the annual MASTIO survey,” said Kevin Huntsman, senior vice president of Mastio & Company. “We then use all of the ‘non-cost/performance’ attributes to name the recipient of the Mastio Quality Award. For the eleventh consecutive year, we are pleased to announce Old Dominion was ranked No. 1 among national LTL carriers. They earned this distinction for being consistently rated as a top LTL carrier, preferred by their customers for any shipping needs.”

The 16th annual MASTIO study interviewed 1,576 shippers providing approximately 5,000 total observations between July and November 2020. The 2020 survey includes more than 7,800 qualitative responses and ten open-ended questions via telephone interviews with key freight decision-makers.

For more information about Old Dominion, visit www.odfl.com.

Charlotte is Home To The Carolinas’ Largest Frankie’s

Charlotte Stories
-
0
Charlotte is Home To The Carolinas’ Largest Frankie’s

Did you know that the Charlotte region is home to the largest Frankie’s in the Carolinas?

The massive Huntersville facility is their 5th location in the Carolinas and their first in the Charlotte region. They currently have locations in Charleston, SC (opened 1990), Columbia, SC (opened 1994), Greenville, SC (opened 1999) and Raleigh, NC (opened 2005). Frankie’s of Charlotte is unique in that it is by far the largest family entertainment facility in the Carolinas. The park sits on 20 acres and has 84,000 sq. ft. of indoor entertainment space.

The indoor portion of Frankie’s features 24 lanes of Luxury Bowling, a full-service Chef driven Restaurant, Bar, and large Event Room designed for corporate events and parties.

The Fast-Casual Cafe with indoor and outdoor seating, offers a menu that includes something for everyone to enjoy.

The Park has many attractions including Charlotte’s largest arcade. In the Laser Tag arena, two teams compete head to head in a Post-Apocalyptic Charlotte. The towering Drop Zone features multiple thirty-foot drops that overlook the entire arcade. The Fun House is a massive three-story playground that will keep the kids amused for hours. Everyone from kids to adults can also enjoy the LED illuminated Bumper Cars.

The Dark Ride is a fully immersive 7D motion ride that will keep you coming back for more with four different movies available! The Hologate is a state of the art VR experience that pits four combatants against a common enemy to see who posts the top score.

Outside, the twenty-acre Park features Pirate Island Golf consisting of three unique 18 Hole Miniature Golf Courses where no two holes are alike. The three custom-designed Go-Kart tracks are The Road Course, a quarter-mile track for the whole family, The Slick Track that will put your racing skills to the test against other drivers and the new Drifter Track, with its hairpin turns, will challenge even the most experienced of drivers.

If rides are more your style, the Tea Cups and Swing Ride are two nostalgic rides for all ages. Swinging a full 360 degrees, the high flying Discovery will have riders hanging upside down nearly sixty feet above the ground. The Mega Disk’O has you seated on a saucer, spinning and traveling up and down a giant half-pipe.

Frankie’s Charlotte has already hired 213 employees and they now plan on hiring an additional 100 – 150 before our peak season hits next Spring and Summer.

For more information or to apply to one of their open positions, you can visit their website here.

How to Start Taking CBD Oil

Sheep Bell
-
0
How to Start Taking CBD Oil

Every day someone is trying CBD for the first time. This new user is excited to begin benefiting from the medicinal properties of cannabis without the high. 

Starting a CBD regiment can be intimidating. There are a lot of phrases that are foreign to those outside the cannabis community. Plus, most new CBD oil users don’t have experience with sublingual administration. Most people don’t! In this guide, we will go over how to use CBD for the first time. 

What is CBD?

Before going over the best way to take CBD, you must understand exactly what CBD is. Cannabis consists of over 100 known chemical compounds known as cannabinoids. Both THC and CBD are cannabinoids. 

CBD is non-intoxicating, unlike THC, which is infamous for the ‘high’ users feel after consuming. CBD became federally legal in the United States in 2018. The US government decided to separate THC and other cannabinoids from the cannabis plant. Hemp is now classified as cannabis containing 0.3% THC or less. Marijuana is classified as cannabis, with over 0.3% THC. 

During the hemp extraction process, companies choose from 3 types of CBD oil. 

  • Full Spectrum CBD – Extract with all cannabinoids and terpenes (the beneficial chemical compound in plants) from the original hemp plant. Full spectrum contains THC
  • Broad Spectrum CBD – All the cannabinoids and terpenes excluding THC
  • Isolate CBD – Pure CBD. No other cannabinoids or terpenes

There are also different ways to administer CBD. 

Each administration method is processed by the body differently. Sending CBD through the digestive tract takes much longer to feel the effects than smoking or vaping CBD. Topical CBD can be applied directly to sore joints or muscles, but because our skin is not permeable, the CBD isn’t absorbed very efficiently. 

Understanding the different types of CBD oil and administration methods is essential. Each new user needs to consider the pros and cons for each one and choose the right way to take CBD for themselves. 

Best Way to Consume CBD

In my opinion, taking CBD oil is the best way to take CBD. When done correctly, CBD oil drops are efficient, fast acting, and not much is wasted in the absorption process. Edibles and CBD tablets may be easier to take and more familiar, but CBD is too expensive to waste. While smoking and vaping are extremely efficient, I’m not interested in putting hot smoke in my lungs. CBD oil is the best method, but it must be done correctly. 

How to Use CBD Drops

CBD oil is meant to be taken sublingually. It means that the oil is absorbed through mucosal glands in the mouth. When taking CBD oil drops, the user wants to let the oil absorb under their tongue. This allows the CBD to go directly into the bloodstream. Hold the CBD under your tongue as long as possible. When users ingest CBD oil, they send it to the stomach. They will have to wait longer to feel the effects, and a good percentage of their CBD will be wasted. 

Taking CBD for the firsts time can be an intimidating experience. New users must understand the different types of CBD oil, the different administration methods, and how to take CBD oil correctly. Using this guide, any first-time user will have the confidence of a seasoned cannabis enthusiast. 

All newbie CBD users should start with a small dose. Take 10-15 mg your first few times and see how your body reacts. Work your way up to larger doses. 

When taking CBD for the first time, remember to consult your personal physician if you have any concerns. CBD is well tolerated in humans, even in high doses, but it’s always better to be on the safe side.  If you are interested in cbd products, you can check this website – saltleafhemp.com. 

1...794795796...1,315Page 795 of 1,315