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Downtown News!
Butternut Squash Restaurant has opened at 133 East West Franklin Street (University Square). Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week; Butternut Squash offers contemporary, vegetarian dining. Visit www.butternutsquashrestaurant.com for more information.
The Triangle Diaper Company is opening soon in the Courtyard on West Franklin Street. The Triangle Diaper Company is an eco-friendly diaper boutique providing cloth diaper delivery, accessories and postpartum products. For more information visit www.trianglediapercompany.com.
Vespa Restaurant, located at 306 W. Franklin St., has a new menu, new chef, new look! Vespa's menu redesign keeps in mind what and how Chapel Hillians and visitors like to eat, keeping the prices low, the food very fresh with low fat no carb options and fun quick service. Visit www.vespanc.com for more information. Artichoke Basil has opened at 153 East Franklin Street. Artichoke Basil features gourmet pizza, salads, sandwiches and burgers. Visit www.artichokebasil.com for more information.
Congratulations to SandwHich whose meatloaf sandwich was named in the current issue of Vanity Fair magazine as one their "Favorite Sandwiches Across America". SandwHich is located in the Courtyard on West Franklin Street. Visit www.sandwhich.biz/blog for more information.
R&R Grille is opening Tuesday, July 21 (with a grand opening coming in August) at 137 East Franklin Street; in the Bank of America Building. The menu will feature burgers, ribs and a weekly specials!
Legacy Cuts Barbershop has opened at 400 West Rosemary Street (in Rosemary Village).
The Franklin Hotel has been purchased by Wintergreen Hospitality, a hotel development and management company. For details please click here.
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Keep up with Downtown Chapel Hill's events and news...
facebook - Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership
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Partnership Launches Series of Events for Downtown Community!
July 1st marked the first in a quarterly series of events for downtown businesses and property owners hosted by the Downtown Partnership. The listening session featured Chancellor Holden Thorp and Mayor Kevin Foy along with the Partnership's Executive Director Jim Norton. The event was an opportunity for the downtown community to engage with community leaders, exchange ideas and provide the Partnership with feedback on issues. Held at the Crunkleton Bar on West Franklin Street, the event brought together over 100 downtown community members. Future events are already being planned to continue to support downtown businesses, raise awareness of what the Partnership is doing and provide businesses with networking opportunities! |
NEW Downtown Map & Business Brochure!
The Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership has made it easier for patrons and visitors to enjoy Downtown Chapel Hill with the creation of a new downtown brochure and map! The colorfully coded map and brochure lists downtown businesses and organizations under the categories of: Shopping, Food & Dining, Nightlife, Cultural Sites, Accommodations and Information. Sue Koenigshofer of SCK Design created the beautiful brochure.
If you would like brochures please contact us at 967-9440 or partnership@downtownchapelhill.com. You are welcome to stop by our office (308 W. Rosemary Street, Suite 202) during business hours to pick up brochures or at the Orange County Visitor's Bureau or Chamber of Commerce. |
Keeping Downtown Chapel Hill Clean & Green!
The Downtown Partnership's groundskeepers BJ Johnson and Clay Hudson continue to maintain the 60+ raised, brick planters that line the entire expanse of Franklin Street. The Downtown Partnership has overseen the planters since  spring of 2007. This season all of the planters have been fully mulched and have been replanted with drought tolerant plants and beautiful perennials.
Summer Intern Groundskeeper The Downtown Partnership has partnered with EmPOWERment Inc. to host a high school student as an intern for the fourth summer in a row. Shaq Williams spends his days keeping the downtown clean and green. He routinely picks up litter, sorts out recyclables, clears poles of posters & flyers, and wipes down benches. Shaq also serves as a downtown ambassador; passing out maps and brochures to visitors. Born and raised in Chapel Hill, and a regular at the Street Scene Teen Center, Shaq knows Franklin Street well and is always ready to give directions to visitors or recommend a good place to eat! |
Downtown Courtesy Parking Tickets!
The Town of Chapel Hill and Downtown Partnership want customers and visitors to have positive experiences when shopping and dining downtown. Starting on July 1st the Town of Chapel Hill implemented a Courtesy Ticket program as a way to say 'thank you' for coming downtown.
Under the program, once per calendar year (Jan. 1 through Dec. 31), if you receive a citation for a parking meter violation, your citation will be dismissed. If you have already received a ticket for a meter violation this year, you will not be eligible for the Courtesy Ticket until next year. The Town Council implemented this change as a recommendation of a Parking Study conducted with the Partnership. For more information please contact Parking Services a 932-2912 or parking@townofchapelhill.org. |
Volunteers & Donors Needed -Project Homeless Connect 
Project Homeless Connect 2009 (PHC) will be held Thursday, October 8, at the Hargraves Community Center. The event is a one-day, one-stop center to link people experiencing - or at risk of experiencing - homelessness with a broad range of services. Guests are offered assistance with housing, employment, health and dental care, mental health care, and veterans' benefits. They also receive lunch and personal care gift bags, and are offered hair cuts and showers.
This event is only possible because of the amazing dedication of hundreds of donors and volunteers. Please consider supporting this event!For more information contact the Meg McGurk at 967-9440 or meg@downtownchapelhill.com. |
Coming Soon...Downtown Comes Alive with Music!
The Chapel Hill Mayor's Office and the Downtown Partnership have initiated a special 6-week series of live musical performances on Franklin Street, in order to encourage more people to come downtown and support local businesses while enjoying a welcoming and musical environment along the way. Through this program local artists will be hired to play live music in designated areas along the sidewalk on Franklin Street on Friday and Saturday evenings from 7pm-10pm. The series is set to launch this summer! More information will be coming soon! |
LOCALLY GROWN - Free Concerts & Movies!
Locally Grown is a summer series of Live Concerts and Outdoor Movies featuring local entertainers and family friendly activities in Downtown Chapel Hill!
Locally Grown is held on the Wallace Plaza, on top of the Wallace Parking Deck at 150 E. Rosemary Street in downtown Chapel Hill.
Free Movies and Kid Friendly Entertainment! 
Face painting, sidewalk chalk, misting tent, and live music & dancing before each movie! Movies start at sundown (~8:30pm).
Thursdays: July 16- Princess Bride; July 30 - Happy Feet; August-6 Night at the Museum: Battle at the Smithsonian; August 13- Cool Hand Luke.
Free Live Concerts!
Thursday, July 23:Music Maker Relief Foundation presents: Big Ron Hunter with Boo Hanks!
Thursday, August 20:Local 506 presents: Love Language with Lost in the Trees!
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There's a Better Way to Help Those in Need!
Don't Give Money to Panhandlers! The desire to help those in need is wonderful! However, giving directly to panhandlers may not address their true needs. We often perceive panhandlers as having an immediate need for cash to buy food, shelter, and services. In reality, these services are available in our community for FREE. Although panhandling is often associated with homelessness, many panhandlers are not homeless. Lastly, panhandling has a negative effect on our community by keeping people away from patronizing businesses and services downtown.
If you feel simply saying "No!" isn't enough - you can offer help! As a part of the Real Change from Spare Change initiative, the Partnership has FREE Services cards that can be handed out to those in need. Each card lists the extensive FREE services available in our county. For more information or to get cards please contact Meg McGurk at 967-9440 or meg@downtownchapelhill.com. |
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Town Improves Safety with Call Boxes & Lights!
The Town of Chapel Hill is improving community safety by installing blue emergency call boxes in downtown Chapel Hill at 407 Merritt Mill road, at the corner of Church & Short Streets, and at Mallette Street & Colony Court. The call boxes are expected to be operational at the end of July and are the first installed on town streets. UNC campus has numerous call boxes.
The call box blue towers are designed to quickly connect distressed users, with the touch of a button, to police while automatically transmitting their location to the dispatcher. At the same time, a constantly lit blue light/strobe mounted on top of the 9 1/2-ft.-tall tower immediately starts flashing, alerting anyone in the surrounding area of trouble.
Also, the Town has installed new pedestrian level lighting on McCauley Street and in the Northside neighborhood. New lighting is also being installed on East Rosemary Street between Hillsborough and Boundary streets. |
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Join the Community Read of The Soloist!
Orange County's Partnership to End Homelessness invites the public to participate in a Community Read of the book The Soloist by Steve Lopez. The Soloist is the true story of the friendship between a Los Angeles reporter and a gifted musician and mentally ill homeless man. The book was recently made into a movie starring Jamie Foxx and Robert Downey Jr.
Community Read participants are reading The Soloist over the summer and will participate in discussion groups around the County during the week of September 13th - 19th. This is also an opportunity for the community to learn how to become involved in helping to end homelessness.
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Touch Downtown Chapel Hill encourages football fans to start early and stay late after football games and enjoy downtown Chapel Hill!
Rather than sitting in traffic, two lots offer Tar Heel Express shuttle service three hours before kickoff and three hours after the game with drop-off points including Franklin Street, Tar Heel Town and Kenan Stadium so coming early or staying after to enjoy Downtown Chapel Hill has never been easier.
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Visit the Downtown Calendar of Events to find out about all the exciting events going on in Downtown Chapel Hill everyday! Listings include:
*Art & Culture *Meetings
*Food & Drinks *UNC Events
*Sales & Promotions *Lectures & Classes
*Special Events *LIVE Music & Entertainment
Does your Downtown Chapel Hill business, group, agency or organization have an event that you'd like to include on the calendar or in the Weekend Event emails? Send us an email or add our email to your listserv: partnership@downtownchapelhill.com. | |
