Published: 12:00 AM, Thu Sep 02, 2010
Best bets
The Cape Fear Fair kicks off tonight at the Fayetteville Motor Speedway, offering plenty of family friendly entertainment through Sept. 12. There will be live music, a demolition derby, monster trucks and monster truck rides, "Rocky" the Trick Mule, a High School Quarterback Scholarship Challenge, a petting zoo, food, games, amusement park rides, agricultural exhibits and more. Tickets are $10 per person and include parking, all rides and shows. Refunds will not be given due to inclement weather, and there is a no re-admittance policy. The Fayetteville Motor Speedway is at 3704 Doc Bennett Road. Go to capefearfair.org for more information.
The soul, R&B, rock and reggae sounds of the Josh Phillips Folk Festival band will headline the First Friday community event and concert series in Southern Pines Friday. First Fridays take place every first Friday of the month between May and October and are held at the grassy knoll adjacent to the Sunrise Theater in downtown Southern Pines. (The theater is at 250 NW Broad St.). The family centered event runs from 5-8:30 p.m. Admission is free, and there will be food and beverage vendors on hand. For more information, go to firstfridaysouthernpines.com.
If you love fine wine and fine dining, then you'll want to head to the 22nd annual Pinehurst Food & Wine Festival. The festival, which runs through Monday, will feature wine competitions, daily wine seminars, cooking demonstrations from guest chefs ("Cupcake Wars' Florian Bellanger, left) and gala food and wine dining events each night. Hundreds of bottles from wineries across the world will be uncorked throughout the weekend, giving festival-goers a chance to sample an incredible array of tastes. Various ticket packages are available, and you can purchase tickets a la carte per event. Most seminars begin at $30. Call (910) 235-8415 or go to pinehurstwinefest.com.
Are you ready for some football? Of course you are, and so are the alumni and fans of Fayetteville State University and UNC-Pembroke, as the two schools will battle it out on the gridiron at the second annual Two Rivers Classic. The rivalry game will kick off Saturday at 6 p.m. at Grace P. Johnson Stadium on the campus of UNC-Pembroke. The UNCP Braves won last year's inaugural game 41-34 in a double overtime thriller, but will they be able to hold on to the Two Rivers Cup? Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 on game day. Go to .uncp.edu for more information.