Charlotte, NC

Y’know, one of the coolest things about Charlotte is its flair for comedy. And if there’s one thing we need more of in this daily blend of rush-hour, work-til-the-boss-lets-us-off, Excedrin-headache-#3 world, it’s laughter – something to take the “edge” off our troubles a little.

The QC’s got some prime comedy clubs that are among the best laugh dispensers in the country – and, believe it or not, they only cost you an arm and a leg to get in: An arm to extend with the admission price (and, later, to join with the other in applause), and a leg to cooperate with the other one to walk into the clubs and find a seat!

For example, there’s the runway for improv comics of the future, the laugh-filled Charlotte Comedy Theater, located (as of Friday, July 13) at 1308 E. The Plaza (yep … their former stomping grounds). Now, if you dig the ABC Family hit, Whose Line Is It, Anyway?, you’ll really love these characters! Their interactive (meaning audience participation, so be ready!) improv nights are Fridays and Saturdays. Oh … and they even have a class where aspiring comedians can learn the ropes. Check their site for more!

Of course, you’ve gotta have a good Comedy Zone if your city’s really gonna rock … and we’ve got one in Matthews. With hilarious stand-up, improv and entertainment by some of America’s best comedians, this comic superstore is definitely the place to be! For their hours and more, just click on the link above.

Now, some of the smaller clubs around here also offer comic relief, but I’ve got to add this disclaimer:

• Some of the shows performed at these spots may be rated “R” (not all — I said some!). So you’ll wanna check their sites and schedules before you bring your kids with ya.

On occasion, you’ll see the “big-ticket” comedians like George Carlin, Carrot Top, or President Bush coming to Charlotte. When that happens, you’ll wanna get a ticket to whatever venue they’ll be playing here, and git while the gittin’s good! At least to see two of the above. But as far as the local comedy stores are concerned, remember: No matter who’s appearing, he or she could be the next big TV comedian. One day, you just might see these on a comedy special, Showtime, or their own TV show some day, and you can say that you knew them before they were rich-and-famous!

Keep in mind that the main idea behind visiting these comedy spots is to get the mind off the week’s troubles and give it a little breathing room. Let it smile awhile … and take those smiles with you into the next work week.

Geez … after readin’ allllll these blogs I’ve put up, and you’re still hungry for somethin’ to do around Charlotte??
Well, I can’t say that I blame ya: July is scorching, and it kinda makes us all a little restless. Hey … here’s an idea:

How about taking in the sights and sounds of The Afro-American Cultural Center? It’s a magnificent wonderland of culture, music (especially their jazzfest, Swinging with Soul, going on right now!), art and more! The Eagle highly recommends it for anyone (of any age!) who enjoys anything beautiful!

They’ve got this big Family Cultural Appreciation Day coming up on July 28, as well. There’ll be youth arts and crafts, storytellers, films, workshops, a puppet show, dancers, vocalist exhibitions, Shotgun House Experience tours and plenty of games! The festivities start at high noon and continue ’til 6 PM.

Incidentally, the AACC is now carrying the name of former Charlotte mayor Harvey Gantt, who was the first African-American to graduate from Clemson University, much less hold the esteemed political post here!
Now, the Center is located at 410 N. Myers Street in Charlotte (ya go to N. McDowell St., turn left onto E. 8th St., then left onto N. Myers.

What?? Need more?!? Hmmm … lemme see: How about goin’ on a good, old-fashioned camping weekend over at Kings Mountain State Park? This historic attraction just barely to our west — the Redcoats were defeated by us in 1780 in what Thomas Jefferson referred to as a turning point in the Revolutionary War — has some of the best camping, horseback and walking trails in the Tarheel State.

Of course, you’ll wanna visit the legendary grave of Scottish Col. Patrick Ferguson, near the top of the mountain, as you visit the battlefield. A centuries-old legend has it that, if you throw a rock on the grave of the Scotsman, you’ll keep his spirit from arising and attacking the colonies again.

Still the whole shebang is loads of fun and fresh air … and, along with the AACC, can provide you with a fantastic July …

Y’ever wonder where the Queen City stands in relationship to other cities’ social structure? Okay … the results have just been published:

• First, you’ll be pleased to know that we’re the 29th Most Fun City in the United States
• Of the 50 most adventurous cities, we clock in at #9.
• Doin’ a lot of grilling this summer? We’re #49 in the Top 100 cities to do it.
• We’re considered #4 among the best-walking cities in the nation.
• For African-Americans, we’re the 7th of America’s top ten
• We’re among the top 50 as far as our variety of restaurants go.

Y’know, we have so many wonderful things to do around here that a simpleranking page doesn’t even begin to cover them all.

Hey … if ya want to give your kids something productive to do this month, why not enroll them in the Comedy Acting Daycames that are going on right now at the Theatre Charlotte (it’s for boys and girls ages 8-18. Monday-Friday, from 9 AM to 3:30 PM)? This isn’t only a place where kids can learn to get a laugh, though; they also learn how to work with the public, discipline and so many other things they’ll need to know as they grow. At the end of their classes, the kids get to show what they learned by putting on a show for their families and friends. It’s really a one-of-a-kind, fun (and educational) endeavor. Need more info? Dial 704-540-7781 to get the lowdown on it.

Or how about music? We’ve got Brad Paisley coming to the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater on July 21 (with Taylor Swift, Kellie Pickler and Jack Ingram), The Vans Warped Tour on the 23rd (it’s a Monday) with some terrific new rock groups, including Red Jumpsuit Apparatus (seen recently on The Tonight Show) and the highly popular The Unseen. If you dig your rock-n-roll straight up and no lemons, you’ve got it served here, with 59 bands slated to perform (NOTE: the band list is subject to change. Check with Live Nation for updates.

All told, there’s still a lot of ground to cover this month, if you’re in the market for something to do. Keep an eye on your newspapers, Creative Loafing© and your fave Charlotte blog (ahem … this one, I hope!) … ’cause, here in Charlotte, there’s always something good right around the corner!

HURRY! You’ve only got about four more days (including today) to see the amazing event that’s causing a buzz worldwide: The UniverSoul Circus at the Charlotte Merchandise Mart!

This one-ring extravaganza is the first African-American circus in America … and, man, does it have it all! With clowns, trapeze artists, motorcycle daredevils, acrobats, lions, tigers, elephants and more. the show is a mix of everything a child could want in a circus! It’s also a tribute to one man whose dream wouldn’t be “shot down” by naysayers: Cedric Walker.

Back in 1994, he envisioned a showcase for African-American talent (to that point, it had been relegated to dancing, singing and acting). In his own words: “We wanted to apply our gathered years of experience in the live appearance industry, to make a difference, to change the industry we lived in, creating growth and new opportunity. ” After much research into the various ways to present this talent, he finally decided a combine hip-hop musicals, vaudeville and animal acts into a circus that everyone could enjoy.

Although he had a number of backers for the project, he still fell short of funding — so he paid a large portion of it himself. And, after a time of not making a penny of profit, he kept his idea in motion; soon, he had ten venues … then thirty … and now plays over five hundred shows a year!

The clowns (especially “Onion-head”) are hilarious, the animals thrilling but beautiful. There’s so much to see at the show that this post can’t list them all; you’re just gonna have to see it for yourself!

The shows will run on Thursday and Friday at 10:30AM and 7:30 PM; Saturday at 12Noon, 4:30PM and 8:00PM and Sunday at 1:00PM and 4:00PM. So take a break from the weary week and have some fun — you’ll certainly never forget the experience!

HAPPY JULY 4TH, CHARLOTTE!!

I hope your holiday plans are workin’ out the way you want ‘em to! For myself — well, there’s a big, juicy watermelon from Food Lion that’s got my name on it (ahem … they didn’t see me with the magic marker when I was in the store a coupla days ago)!

The fireworks tonight are gonna be nothing short of amazing … and, for some reason, an ice-cold Pepsi’s gonna feel reallll gooooood washin’ down a few grilled hot dogs!

Of course, we all have great memories of Independence Days long past. Whether it was taking in the fireworks display with your girl-or-boyfriend/companion/mate/family/tax auditor or just lounging in the back yard, waiting for Dad to burn .. er, cook up the hamburgers, it was a cherished experience. That’s one of the reasons why the Day is so important for our children; it builds a relaxing, color-filled experience that they’ll remember for the rest of their lives. It’s one they’ll undoubtedly want to carry with them and share with their kids some day …

And, all during the I-Day week, there’s still gonna be a lot to see and do. One event’s taking place this Saturday at the Center City Green Market, when folks are getting together to honor our firefighters and police. Called Heroes’ Day, it’ll feature the Firefighter’s “Red, White and Blueberry Pancakes” Breakfast. Y’all come on down and show your support for these folks who risk their lives on a daily basis. Of course, you’ll wanna come hungry! The Market opens at 8 AM.

Now, we tend to forget that, despite the War going on in and around Iraq, the gas prices being higher-than-ever and “security alerts” becoming the norm here in the US, we’re still a free people. We can move from one location to the other without worrying about getting permission, speak our minds to Congressmen and local Commissioners without fear of being harassed or jailed, and worship however and whomever we please without being “shut up” or “shut down.”

This country’s as free as we wanna make it, folks. And, thanks to the freedom we already have, the opportunity’s there to make it just a little better … for ourselves … for our families … for our neighbors, both locally and nationally … and for our children.

For that, we can be most thankful.

So, once again, lemme say HAPPY JULY 4th, CHARLOTTE!

WOW!!! In all the excitement coming up about Charlotte’s big July 4th wingding downtown, I forgot to include some of the other festivities happening around the area on I-Day! (Saw-reeee! I’ll make it up to ya somehow …)

For example, the theme park of Carowinds will be offering its Nights of Fire show, while WBT radio’s famed Skyshow will be at Knights Stadium in Fort Mill, S.C., for the second year. The Skyshow will be following the 7:15 PM game between the Charlotte Knights and the Durham Bulls (yep … right after the last “out”!) Now, organizers are asking everyone who comes to see it to use free parking and shuttle buses from Carolina Place Mall (hey … ride the shuttle bus and you get a free ticket to a future Knights game! How ’bout that for a reason to do it??). A ticket for the game itself is $7-$12 … but stick around for the fun, okay?

The Carowinds show is at 10 p.m. and, as it does every year, promises to be a bang-and-boom-filled spectacular for folks of all ages (and it always fulfills its promise!). Again, though, it’s best to find a sensible place to park; not only do you wanna get the best view, but you also want the most sensible and least-jammed way out when the show’s done (and there’ll be a load of star-spangled spectators for that one).

Now, at Lowe’s Motor Speedway (for the newbies, it’s the old Charlotte Motor Speedway you’ve heard about … only now it’s all dolled up with a corporate name!), fireworks will be following the exciting Summer Shootout Series, which features Legends car, Bandolero and Thunder Roadster racing beginning at 7:30 PM. The fireworks display will start at 10:30 PM … a pleasant, patriotic ending to the action-packed evening. The tickets are wallet-friendly, incidentally: $7, $3 for 6-12 and free for kids 5 and younger.
(By the way, I’m told that, if you encounter congestion on your way to the speedway from Interstate 85 or 485, try a shortcut by way of N.C. 49. Turn onto Morehead Road and the speedway will come up on your right.)

Once again, the “ticket” to a happy, healthy and carefree evening of lights, sounds and booms is … not to get a ticket (traffic, that is!). Be sensible out there on the road … and experience the “freedom” of safety!

Well, we finally made it! July 4, 1007 — the 231st birthday of this nation of ours — is just a few days away (are ya excited yet?? Gotcher hot dogs in the fridge and ready to grill? How about a few sparklers?).

And, of course, Charlotte’s goin’ all-out to make sure this is one you’ll remember for a lonnnnnng time to come! (Awwww, I know the County declared its independence a year before the nation — on May 20, 1775 [hey ... you can look it up!], but let’s just go with it, okay??) Now, I know we’re a day or two early, but, hey … how ya gonna do whatcha like to do on Independence Day unless ya know what’s happenin’, right?

First of all, we’ve gotta congratulate the nearby town of Gastonia. Y’see, it’s going to hit its own birthday at that time — its 130th one, to be exact — and it’s got a load of festive fun waitin’ for its folks at their Rotary Pavilion! For more, check out their celebration site.

Now … on to our city:

At 6:00 PM on I-Day, US Airways is gonna present a Family Fun Fest at Memorial Stadium along with personalities from WLYT (Lite 102.9) and WKKT (96.9 Kat Country) hosting it from mike-side. There’ll be stadium and grass seating to watch the fireworks downtown, so you may wanna bring a coupla good lawn chairs with you. Best of all, the event is family-friendly — meaning NO alcohol — but there’ll be plenty of scrumptuous food and soft drinks on sale. C’mon … bring your kids and have a ball!

But the main attraction, of course, is gonna be the fireworks (and what’s July 4 without its traditional light, sound and simulated thunder, huh?) They’re going to be set off from the Central Piedmont Community College campus and some streets around the campus will close around 7:00 PM to accommodate the fallout zone (don’t want anybody to be burned or hurt!), so expect traffic in that area to be heavy. The streets will reopen immediately after the show … but you may wanna wait awhile ’til the traffic “thins out” a little before hittin’ the highway.

About those streets: The only ones that, as far as I know, will be closed for downtown’s July 4th Fireworks are:

• Charlottetowne Avenue (formerly known as Independence Boulevard) from E. 3rd Street to E. 5th Street3rd/4th Street connector from Charlottetowne Avenue to Kings Dr.
• Elizabeth Dr. from Torrence to Kings Dr., and
• E. 4th Street from Torrence to Kings Drive

The display’ll be approximately 20 minutes long, starting at 9:30pm (weather and fire department clearance permitting). Timed with the big bangs will be a music track that will be played live throughout all the viewing areas and also simulcast on all five Clear Channel Radio stations.
That means you can hear the patriotic tunes even if you can’t make it to the show! Just tune your radio dial to a Clear Channel station!

But, listen … during this holiday season (especially on your way to and from the show!), please drive carefully, okay? Don’t lose your own “independence” by accident (you know what I mean here, right?). And, for a few days, kids’ll still wanna play with sparklers or leftover firecrackers. If they do, please monitor them and make sure they do it safely!

Now … as we get closer to The Big Day, remember to make it as safe as it will be enjoyable!