If your child is between the ages of 4 and 16, email the following items to info@lilchefraleigh.com:

• A picture of your Lil’ Chef
• Your contact information
• Reasons why you feel your child would be a good fit for hosting a cooking show

They will be conducting in person “meet and greets” during early May to meet parents and children. Deadline is April 30th!

October 27

Saturday

We’re kicking off the Fall season with a Halloween and Fall Festival at North Hills! This event will include lots of costumes, games, seasonal foods, pumpkins, music, and fun for the whole family.

View All 2012 Events

Saturdays 8:00-noon, April 16th – November 19th

On the Commons at North Hills

Midtown Farmers’ Market Newsletter           October 2011 This has been one of those weeks where I’ve been tempted not to turn into work each morning. Not for any dislike of my career, but for the fact that the mornings are crisp and not yet biting, setting the stage for a day that’s bound to unveil the perfect weather. As my hands inevitably steer the final turn, I imagine the traffic signals envious of the trees in their ability to be green, yellow and red at the same time and that the crosswalk sounds notifying it’s safe to walk are imitating geese flying south. Fall in North Carolina is gorgeous, this past week being especially spectacular. Though the weather is expected to turn comeFriday and Saturday, there will be warmth and celebration of Halloween at the Midtown Farmers’ Market. All our vendors will be providing their usual healthy, sustainably grown, local goodness while the commons will once again come alive with pumpkin painting, games and crafts, a parade and costume contest,  dancing and a monster mash! Check out more details here. Hope to see you out there this Saturday morning! Upcoming event in the area: CFSA Conference is happening November 11-13th in Durham this year.  Lots of great speakers, workshops, tour opportunities and MORE.

Saturdays vendors: (subject to change based on vendor availability each weekend) * Annelore’s:  authentic, German baked pastries * Art Glass by Deborah McGuinn: beautiful hand made glass art jewelry and more * Bluebird Hill Farm: Certified Organic produce, herbs, rubs, honey * Brigitte’s Bakery: 100% gluten free baked goods * Carolina Grits & Co.: fresh, stone ground grits! * Cedar Rock Farm: sustainably grown produce, eggs *Chocolate Flower:  handcrafted artisan treats: flavored truffles,chocolate-dipped caramels, enrobed fruit and specialty bars. * Cohen Farm: sustainably grown produce, Animal Welfare approved eggs, beef and pork pasture raised on Certified Organic pastures and grain, seasonal produce, no chemicals. * Connies Concepts: sewn from home creative artisan goods. For pets too! * Coon Rock Farm: sustainably grown produce, eggs, meats (beef, pork, lamb, poultry) NOW Accepting WINTER CSA * Creative Handz: solar oven! * Edible Earthscapes: sustainably grown produce, specializing in Asian varieties * Godwins Orchards: seasonal produce *Great Harvest Bread Co: fresh, made from scratch breads, scones, muffins * J.Rods Backyard Grill : BBQ rubs and sauces * JannWorks: free range poultry, eggs. Handmade jewelery * Kellam-Wyatt Farm: sustainable grown produce, eggs * Melina’s Fresh Pasta: freshly hand made pastas and ravioli! * Moondance Soaps & More: hand made soaps, lotions, balms, and,of course, more! * Pleasant Bee: local honey, soaps, candles, giftbaskets, lotions and so much more * Prodigal Farm: Animal Welfare approved goat cheese, cheescakes, bread made from whey, goat meat * Randye’s Gardyns: herb, vegetable, unusual annual and perennial plants, sustainable produce, all grown or propagated using only organic products * Rocky River Farm: sustainably grown produce, flowers * S&L Farm: Animal Welfare approved poultry, eggs, sustainably grown produce CSA * Senora Dixie Salsa: fresh made salsa, using locally sourced ingredients * Stagers Roses: Beautiful rose bouquets * Terra Soul Farm: sustainably grown produce * Twisted Sisters Barkery: made from scratch natural dog treats * Wild Onion Farms: sustainably grown produce, eggs CSA

Eternal gratitude towards our market sponsor:

Saturday, October 29

10am – Noon

Bring the whole family to Halloween at the Midtown Farmers’ Market! Festivities include:

Games & Crafts 10am-noon

Halloween Parade 10:30am at the Movie Theater

Monster Mash 10:45am

Costume Awards 11am

Games & Dancing 11am – Noon

Merchant Trick or Treating Noon – 6pm  *Participating merchants have balloons on their doors.

Chick-fil-A at North Hills at dawn

First things, first - Chick-fil-A at North Hills is dishing out FREE breakfast September 6-10th. RSVP here. You can choose between Minis, a Spicy Chicken Biscuit, or a Chicken Biscuit.

In honor of the 5 days of FREE breakfast, here’ are my top 5 reasons for loving the Chick-fil-A at North Hills:

#5: They’re the only fast food joint to provide table side service…really! They come by and ask if you need refills or if you want to taste the Banana Pudding Milkshake. And might I add — they are not motivated by tips…genuine service.

#4: Chick-fil-A at North Hills has some of the BEST customer service in the land of fast food — cows, chickens, pigs, you name it. I recently ordered a Mini Tray for an 8am meeting and they not only took the order at 6am, but they also delivered it to me in time for my meeting!

#3: I’ve been to the North Hills location at all times of day — morning, noon, night — and it is ALWAYS clean. I never have to grab a napkin and wipe over the seat or table before sitting down to dine.

#2: They have the cool activities on Kid’s Night (Tuesdays 5:30-7) when my daughter gets a free meal if I buy a regular combo for myself AND she gets to do crafts with the  Cow. Keeps my baby busy and full before bedtime.

#1: Did I mention they are treating us all to FREE breakfast next week after Labor Day?!  What a way to end the summer and kick-start the school year. They’ve done this twice before when introducing the new Spicy Chicken Biscuit & Sandwich. As always, I’ll take mine with a Sweet Tea please; and thank you!

Stay connected with your North Hills Chick-fil-A on Facebook and Twitter for Fan Day and so much more!

• Cupcake decorating
• Chef hats
• Face painting
• Edible art
• Raffles
• Prizes & more!

Be one of the first 10 people in line and get a $10 gift certificate to use towards any class or camp! Lil’ Chef is located across from Ben & Jerry’s, next to Learning Express.

Grand Opening 9/10/11

Thanks to Target, community takes on a whole new meaning with the 28^th

National Night Out at North Hills on August 2nd

Annual National Night Out (NNO) at North Hills on Tuesday, August 2, 2011 from 6pm-8pm.

On Tuesday, the Commons will be filled with cars, cruisers, ambulances, horses, McGruff the Crime Dog, and more from the following organizations:

• CPI Security
• Duke Raleigh Hospital Public Safety
• Duke Raleigh Hospital Flight Team
• NCSU Campus Police
• NY Life Insurance
• Raleigh Fire Department
• Raleigh Police Department
• Wake County EMS
• Wake County Sheriff’s Office

Each Tuesday, answer questions about North Hills, North Hills businesses, current events, pop culture and more! The winner with the correct answer will pick up their prize from a store or restaurant. Prizes include gift cards, jewelry, monogramming, shoes – anything!

The end of May means the end of this year’s Midtown Plein Air painting season and we are excited to show you our painting submissions! Have a look:

Can’t see slideshow? Click Here

Remember, the Festival and Auction are Saturday, June 11!

Festival Details: 10am – 1pm in the Commons at North Hills

Festivities Include:

Live Music

Silent Auction of Submitted Plein Air Paintings

Art Vendors

Kendra Harvey Chalk Art

Quick Paint Competition (9am-12pm)

Kids Chalk Central with the Stroller Strides Moms

Face Painting

Monotype Prints with Explore Creative Learning Center

Create your own cow costume with the Chick-fil-A Cow

Sand Art with the Lollipop Shop

Arts and Crafts for Kids

Auction Details: 9am – 1pm in the Commons at North Hills

Plein Air Paintings are up for auction at North Hills!  All submissions were completed on site at North Hills by local artists.  Bidding opens at 9am and will close at 1pm in the Commons.  We request that winners of the silent auction items remit payment for the item by 2pm after the auction closes.  Checks only please made out to Midtown Events.  A portion of proceeds goes to benefit the United Arts Council.

What is it?

Amazing Athletes is a sports-based fitness program specifically designed for all children (18 months to 6 years old). The primary age group is 2 ½ to 6 years old.  The program is very fun, dynamic and unique!

What will your child learn?

Amazing Athletes coach the basic fundamentals of nine major ball sports (football, basketball, soccer, volleyball, baseball, hockey, lacrosse, tennis and golf). They also teach key developmental skills such as hand-eye coordination, gross and fine motor skills, cardio, muscle tone and speed and agility. They have a specific curriculum that they work off of, so it’s not simply throwing a ball around for 35 minutes – there are specific goals they’re trying to reach with the kids. Amazing Athletes is very aware of the developmental skills children need to be learning at this age, and will work those milestones into the curriculum.

Why should you sign your child up?

This class helps build confidence, improves coordination, promotes teamwork and sportsmanship and helps enforce a healthy and active lifestyle. With the rapid growth of childhood obesity, this is a great way for parents to get their children active at an early age. There are numerous studies showing the direct correlation between children who are active at a young age and their overall health when they are adults. In addition, there is no other class offered in the RTP area that allows your child to learn nine sports all in one class!

How long are the classes?

The classes are 35-40 minutes each and are held once a week. The program is year-round. We have some children start the class when they’re 18 months old and stay in until they’re 6. There are four classes each month.

Bookmarked! 2011 reading: The Commons at North Hills

The Lucy Daniels Center and Lucy’s Book Club invite young children and their parents to join them for two free Bookmarked! readings at The Commons at North Hills on Saturday, May 7, at 10 and 11 a.m. The event’s “celebrity-hero” readers will be employees of The Body Shop, Bookmarked! 2011’s presenting sponsor, and Lara O’Brien, principal dancer with Carolina Ballet. A fun children’s activity will follow.

Bookmarked! 2011 is a two-week celebration of the special joys of reading with children, being held May 6 – 22. Part of the Lucy’s Book Club public outreach program, it features children’s book readings by local celebrity-heroes at venues including Marbles, Artsplosure and the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences; a Lucy’s Book Club Book Fair at Quail Ridge Books; and a Family Fun Concert featuring Mommie and other kid-friendly performers at Fletcher Park. This year’s featured author is award-winning author/illustrator Molly Bang, who will make several public appearances on May 14 and lead a workshop for parents and teachers on May 15.

The goal of Bookmarked!’s public readings is to further LBC’s message that reading and talking about important developmental themes is good for children and their parents.

“The books selected by the Lucy’s Book Club panel explore many of the feelings that young children experience in everyday life but that are sometimes difficult for them to understand and verbalize on their own,” explains Jennifer Reid, teacher at the Lucy Daniels Center and chair of the LBC panel. “Hearing the perspectives of characters coping with similar experiences allows children to feel more comfortable with their feelings and reactions and sometimes even open up to talking about how the stories relate to their own lives.”

North Hills Kids has partnered with Lucy’s Book Club since last year’s inaugural Bookmarked! festival, hosting readings of children’s books from the LBC recommended reading lists by such local celebrity-heroes as Chef Ian Sullivan from Coquette Brasserie and NC State cheerleaders Sally Reed and Sheldron Fulcher.

Additional readings at The Commons are planned for Wednesday, May 11, featuring DeAnna Calloway and other members of NCSU’s All-Girls Cheerleading Club, and Wednesday, May 18, featuring airline pilot Tom Sylvester. Both readings take place at 10 a.m. and are free and open to the public.

Visit www.lucysbookclub.org  for more information and the most up-to-date schedule of public readings throughout Wake County.

The Lucy Daniels Center, founded in 1991, is devoted to promoting the healthy emotional development of young children. It is the largest and most comprehensive non-profit agency providing children’s mental health services in North Carolina’s Triangle region. The Center serves children up to age 11 who have behavioral or social difficulties or show signs of emotional problems through mental health assessments, family counseling, and therapy in both one-on-one and classroom settings. The staff of more than 25 social workers, psychologists, psychiatrists, psychoanalysts, and educators offers individualized care for each child and family.

For more information, please visit www.lucydanielscenter.org

Go Ask Mom will be hosting the open play area during that time when North Hills Kids pulls out its large, colorful foam blocks for kids to climb all over and build with. The blocks are set up under tents in the Commons area (next to Starbucks and Ben & Jerry’s).

But wait! There’s more planned for Wednesday! We’ve added a couple of more details since we last wrote about it. So we’ll start with those first. Here goes …

1. The Chick-fil-A cow will be there from 10:30 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. with cow hats for the kids. He was a big deal last year when he stopped by our event!
2. We’ll have coupons to REI, while supplies last, plus a contest for two kids backpacks and two kids stainless steel water bottles, thanks to REI, a North Hills merchant.
3. Lynda Loveland, Go Ask Mom blogger and co-host of Mix 101.5 WRAL-FM’s Bill & Lynda in the Morning, will stop by to say hi around 11 a.m.
4. Stroller Strides – Midtown Raleigh will provide a FREE Stroller Strides workout class at 10 a.m. This class is great for moms with stroller-riding kids. It’s a fabulous workout and designed for people of all fitness levels.
5. We’ll have a contest for two family four packs to the Magic Wings Festival at the Museum of Life and Science in Durham. This annual festival, a popular one at the museum, is May 21.
6. Master Deputy Sheriff Karen T. Muhammad with the Wake County Sheriff’s Office will be on hand with her cruiser for kids to see. She also will be offering parents FREE child identification cards, which record your child’s vital information. She’ll be there from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
7. FREE snacks – juice boxes, water, Goldfish, fruit snacks and bananas – while supplies last.
8. And we’ll have some sticker crafts and coloring pages to keep the kids busy. They’re welcome to get crafty there or take it all home in a bag.

So call your friends, alert your playgroup. We’d love to see you there!