[piano intro] - On the next North Carolina weekend, we go round the state on the Dentzel Carousel.

We'll sample blues and barbecue in Durham, try Downeast seafood on Harkers Island and visit the iconic Green Man Brewery in Asheville.

Coming up next... - [Promoter] Funding for North Carolina Weekend is provided in part by Visit NC.

Dedicated to highlighting our state's natural scenic beauty, unique history, and diverse cultural attractions.

From the Blue Ridge and the Great Smoky Mountains across the Piedmont to 300 miles of barrier island beaches, you're invited to experience all the adventure and charm our state has to offer.

[upbeat music] ♪ [upbeat music continues] ♪ [upbeat music continues] ♪ - Hi everyone, welcome to North Carolina Weekend on Deborah Holt Noel.

And this week we're taking you around the state from the newly-restored Dentzel Carousel in Burlington.

This carousel dates back to the early 1900s and there are only 25 of its kind left in the entire United States.

But first, let's head to the Bull city where Rick Sullivan says, if you love blues and great food, he's got just the place for you at the Blue Note Grill.

- Good, are you coming this way tonight?

All right, I'm gonna sign you up now.

- [Narrator] It's a blues jam night at Blue Note Grill, Kinda like a pickup basketball game.

- Pretty much.

They're like, "Hey, who's hosting?"

And I tell 'em me or Gabe or whatever, and it's like, all right, I'll be there in five minutes or I'll be there in at around 08:00.

- [Interviewer] You've been playing here for some time.

Tell me what you enjoy about coming here.

What keeps you coming back?

- I don't know, it's a good community, man.

It's kinda hard to find.

I've been in a bunch of different states and checked out whatever blues jams they have, but we've got a good community.

[gentle guitar music] - It's a awesome atmosphere.

Lovely people, the staff, you meet awesome musicians.

[upbeat music] - It's the longest running blues jam in the triangle.

We've been doing it since 2010, 2011.

- [Narrator] And doing it well.

Bill Whittington had no idea where his investment in Blue Note Cafe might take him.

It's been a rock and ride, sometimes literally.

- We're thankful to be here.

We've didn't think we were going through COVID but we are here.

I think what's unique is we've had this community develop around us.

We have tons of regulars that come, music lovers and what kind of makes us unique is that folks come here for the music.

The band isn't a fly on the wall, they're not playing while everybody's going about their own business, they're here to see the music, listen to the music, and dance to the music.

- Everybody is here just to hear good music, eat food, enjoy the atmosphere, and that's what we are about.

[upbeat music] - [Narrator] Blue Note Cafe has a variety of music possibilities that play out on various nights of the week, but usually, you'll hear something bluesy woven into every show.

♪ Ride Sally ride ♪ - [Narrator] On this night, the blues is jamming.

- The folks who wanna play come in, they sign up on a list.

Our coordinator slash MC puts a band together.

So, you'll have a drummer, two guitar players, a bass player, a harmonica player, if we have one, put 'em up here, and they work together what they're gonna play.

They do three songs and then when they do their three songs they sit down and another group comes up.

- [Narrator] While the beat goes on, the dancing never stops and neither does the food service.

The popular barbecue and ribs keep things so busy that Bill is frequently called to action.

It's hard work, and that's fitting.

The whole operation has a blue collar every man and woman kind of feel, and it's located down the third baseline of Old Durham Bulls Athletic Park for crying out loud.

When Bill was looking for a new location back in 2015, he knew he wanted an old time feel like a Memphis or a New Orleans vibe.

- And I went and toured a brand new building and it looked nice and everything, but for me, it was like, I asked it's like, well, it's nice, but you have anything with like mud and dirt and dust and... - [Speaker] A little grungier.

- Yeah, yeah, a month later he calls me, so he's like, "I got a place you might be interested, you wanna look at it?"

So, nine o'clock the next day we're in here walking through and it was an old machine shop.

It had everything I wanted.

It was greasy, it was dusty, it was dirty, it was brick.

- [Narrator] It was perfect for what Bill wanted.

And for more than a decade, the beer, barbecue and blues here is still knocking it out of the park five nights a week.

- The Blue Note Grill is at 709 Washington Street in Durham and it's open Tuesday through Saturday from 11:00 am to 10:00 pm.

To order their food online or to find out who's playing the blues that night, give them a call at [919] 401-1979, or check them out online at thebluenotegrill.com.

Seraphim Smith enjoyed his last visit to Harkers Island so much he decided to return and sample some of the local seafood.

Let's join him on his visit to two restaurants to learn about some of those Downeast foodways.

[gentle music] [gulls squawking] - I'm a culinary artist, and earlier this winter I visited Harkers Island and now I'm back to dine on the island's cuisine.

To the locals, this community is the edge of the world.

And for many generations, their livelihoods depended on the providence of these waters.

There are only two restaurants on this small island, and while both serve local seafood, they have a distinctly different vibe.

I've heard about a Downeast lemon pie also known as a lemon milk pie, which sounds intriguing.

My new island friends said I needed to learn how to make the signature pie with Mila Guthrie down at Seaside.

[upbeat music] What you got going on here?

- Well, I'm gonna make some Downeast lemon pies today.

It's the favorite of all of our customers.

- Looks like it's Ritz Crackers.

- Yep, that's our base.

It's gonna be the Ritz.

So, we're gonna crumble them up good.

Gotta have a little salty to the sweet.

So, we use this base.

Some people use Graham Crackers.

We don't we, this is what I growed up on over here was Ritz crackers so.

- Yes - So that's what I use.

My grandma's recipe.

People want a fresh pie.

If they eat that seafood, that shrimp, then they want a fresh pie.

- [Seraphim] So, you've been running this restaurant since 1986.

- [Mila] 1986, yep.

- [Seraphim] What are your dishes that are the most popular?

- [Mila] Some of our specials are fresh local shrimp that we get right here.

- [Seraphim] Mr. Big Seafood is a family-run small business, which provides both restaurants with shrimp and other fresh seafood.

- Our fried chicken is a big hit.

Our burgers, of course, are always a hit too, just a plain cheeseburger.

So, this is our lemon juice.

You gotta put that, 'cause it's gotta be plenty tart.

You don't have that, it won't be good.

Get it all smooth.

We'll get the icing going.

Use the egg white, cream of tartar and sugar.

- [Seraphim] Looks like the beginnings of a meringue.

- Meringue, that's it, yes.

[nostalgic jazz music] Yep, looks like we're about ready.

- This tried and true recipe consists of just six ingredients, eggs, condensed milk, lemon juice, Ritz Crackers, sugar and cream of tartar.

Now, how about some of that local shrimp?

The people over at the museum said I simply must try Seaside's shrimp burger.

And let me tell you, these plump shrimp are perfect.

Let's go just down the road and check out The Fish Hook.

The Fish Hook pride itself in using locally-caught fish and seafood.

- We get our seafood from Mr. Big Seafood right down the road here.

When people are coming down to the island, whether they're going through the ferry or just to check out the area, they see that Carteret Catch flag out there.

They know that we're supporting the local fishermen that's what they're getting on their plate comes from these waters.

- And if you're looking to wet your whistle, The Fish Hook pours fantastic cocktails made with regionally-crafted spirits.

So, now I have given you two more reasons to visit Harkers Island.

Between meals, be sure to check out the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum and the Cape Lookout National Seashore.

You'll also want to bring back some Downeast lemon pie for your friends.

That is, if you don't eat it on the car ride back home.

- The Fish Hook Grill is at 980 Island Road on Harkers Island and they're open Wednesday through Sunday.

For more information, give them a call at [252] 728-1792.

The Seaside Galley is at 311 Island Road, also on Harkers Island, and they're open for breakfast, lunch and dinner every day except Tuesday.

To find out more, give them a call at [252] 728-6171.

[playful music] [playful music continues] Right now, I'm here with Sean Echeverria with Burlington Recreation and Parks.

What a beautiful carousel we have back here.

Tell me all about it.

- Absolutely, it really is beautiful.

So, right here behind me, we have the newly-renovated Dentzel Carousel.

This carousel here, it's got a ton of history with the city of Burlington.

It was built around 1910 up in Philadelphia and it was sold to a city in Ohio and we purchased it from them in 1948.

- Wow, that's really old.

- Yeah, yeah, absolutely.

So, we're coming up on around 113 years old, I believe.

- Sean, tell me a little bit about the construction of these horses and the animals on the carousel.

- Yeah, absolutely.

So all of the horses and other animals are made out of handcrafted wood.

So, they were all blocks of wood that were carved down to the beautiful shapes that you see before us.

And during their most recent renovation that was approved in 2018, they totally got them down to the bare wood and redid them through and through.

- [Deborah] So bright and pretty.

- [Sean] They went even as far as all of the horse tails, those are actually real horse tails.

And the reindeer that is going around, those are actually real antlers as well.

- [Deborah] Amazing that something like a carousel is just so timeless.

- Absolutely, folks here in Burlington really do love it.

And I think the main reason for that is it really is a a staple of Burlington and it's been here for generations.

I mean, we have folks that their parents rode on it, their grandparents rode on it and now they're able to bring their children and their grandchildren on it.

So, I think that it's got some serious deep ties to the community.

- [Deborah] Well, tell us also about accessibility.

- Yeah, absolutely.

When we went over and they redid the restoration, something that they added was a wheelchair ramp.

It's on the far side of where we are now, but there's actually, a gate that drops down and folks will be able to wheel up on their wheelchairs and they'll be able to right behind me here, they'll be able to go on this chariot and they'll actually be able to strap in safely so it'll be safe and secure and they'll be able to go around and enjoy the ride just like everyone else.

- [Deborah] Such thoughtful construction.

I love it.

Now, tell us about the festival.

[Sean laughing] - Yeah, we're so excited to bring the Carousel Festival back to Burlington.

The festival will be taking place this year May 6th and 7th.

That's something new for the folks that have been coming to the Carousel Festival for quite some time.

They're used to it being the third weekend in September, but we're trying it new and we're gonna roll with it for the first full weekend in May from here on out.

So again, that's May 6th and 7th.

The park is gonna be loaded down with so much fun for the families.

We're gonna have tons of musical acts.

We'll have two stages going.

- [Deborah] It is gonna be a big time.

- Absolutely, and another thing that I do wanna mention, the festival brings in over 60 different artisan vendors that will be coming from across the state and region.

And it's the perfect time, it's right before Mother's Day, so people can come get those last minute gifts.

All of the rides, including the carousel, will be free so you can ride it free of charge as well as all of the other amusement park rides.

- Well, Sean, thank you so much for having us.

This really inspires the childlike wonder in all of us.

- Absolutely, Deb, we're happy to have you and we hope to see you at the festival.

- The Dentzel Carousel is open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at Burlington City Park, and for special occasions.

The park is on South Church Street in Burlington.

And don't forget the Burlington Carousel Festival held at the park on May 6th and 7th.

To find out more, go to visit alamance.com.

[dramatic music] - Cliff Hangers it's a really well-managed, well-designed indoor rock climbing gym.

- [Narrator] And part of the wave of popular extreme sports.

- Surfing, skateboarding, snowboarding, skiing, that's where I come from.

- [Narrator] That's Keith Johnson.

He and his family started Cliff Hangers in October, 2016.

- We just decided that we were going to build our own gym.

Incorporate a lot of different ideas from gyms all over the country.

- [Narrator] That concept involves several climbing walls for the most experienced to the beginner.

- Over 20,000 square feet of climbing terrain here.

So, there's a lot of climbing here.

From bouldering to speed climbing to lead climbing, we've got a training circuit board that you can change the angle of.

- [Narrator] As you might expect, safety is important at Cliff Hangers.

So, every newcomer receives an orientation.

- [Casey] And then I'll go through all the rules.

How to put the harness on, shoes.

- [Deborah] More instruction is needed to learn how to belay or secure a rope to the climber.

- Top roping and lead climbing, you have to have a belayer, which means that there is one person on the ground at all times, while the climber is on the wall.

While the climber is climbing, the belayer is to keep up with the slack of the rope.

- [Narrator] Regardless of age, beginners start in the kids' room.

- I started climbing in the kids' room.

The wall is shorter, the climbs are easier, so it's a great way to start.

- [Narrator] This is the main floor with several walls to choose from, like the boulder wall at 15 feet.

- Where you don't need any equipment you just need a chalk bag and you climb.

- [Narrator] Next, is the canyon wall at 40 feet.

- That was designed to be kind of a beginner wall and that's where we have a lot of audible lays.

If somebody is just single climbing, they just have to clip in and then they're good to climb.

- [Narrator] The tower wall is 50 feet.

- It was intentionally designed to have some very good vertical, but also some overhang.

And then we transition over to the speed wall that was created to train kids and adults for Olympics youth climbing.

The monster wall, that's the jewel here I think - [Narrator] 62 linear feet, including three different angle features.

- One, to create a world-class lead wall.

- [Narrator] For world-class athletes, and those simply trying to make the most of what they've got.

- I started when I was 50, and that was almost 27 years ago.

Keeps your body, your muscles, everything tuned up, your core, everything.

- And a lot of people think that rock climbing is all in your arms and your upper body, but it's not.

- It takes core, it takes legs, it takes all of it.

It takes a good mental strength as well.

- It's like playing chess on the wall.

- [Narrator] Except in climbing, the chess pieces are the holds and the moves are called routes.

- They change the routes regularly.

So, we always looking forward to something new to climb.

- We've got some good route setters.

so we've got a lot of really good and fun problems and routes here in the gym.

- [Narrator] These walls also offer more than simply reaching the top.

- Some people come in and they are maybe trying to work over a fear of heights.

I mean, you don't have to go high.

You could go three feet off the ground if you want.

- [Narrator] It's all part of the philosophy at Cliff Hangers.

- It's just to build community.

Be a place for people all over the community to just have a place to come and be a part of something.

- [Narrator] And they do that with a cafe, a fitness facility, yoga classes, birthday parties or group events, summer camps for kids, and of course, those wonderful walls.

- Cliff Hangers is a place that anybody can come in and really enjoy themselves.

- Try out your wall climbing skills at Cliff Hangers, located at 326 Oats Road in Mooresville, and they're open daily.

For more information, give them a call at [980] 444-2650 or go online to cliffhangersclimbing.com.

When you visit the carousel here in Burlington be sure to check out this Stinson organ.

There are only two of them in the world.

Speaking of originals, we all know that Asheville is the beer city, but a lot of breweries are new to the club.

Let's pay a visit to Green Man Brewery, which started way back in 1997, but is probably one of the city's most iconic brands.

[ominous music] - Green Man was originally established in 1997 as a British-style ale company.

They were brewing beer originally in these old dairy containers.

So, about five years after that, Green Man was moved to the brewhouse that we're in now called Dirty Jack's, which is where we still brew all of our specialty beers to this day.

Notable beers, we call them our our three Wisemen.

So we started with an ESB, Extra Special Bitter, so an amber ale, an IPA, and a Porter.

So those were our three original beers.

And if you think about it at the time, not a lot of people in the country were brewing an IPA.

For us to be brewing really the first true Asheville IPA, it was pretty spectacular.

And that's still our, one of our core beers today.

[jugs clinking] Everything that we use for our base beers we use imported British malts that started in 1997 still continues today.

Same thing for IPA, same thing for Porter.

So, Porter actually in 2021 took home not only our first award at GABF, which is Great American Beer Festival, but our first gold for the Porter category.

So, we're really, really excited about that.

- I think a lot of the breweries that are around these days seems to be kind of the new and fresh stuff like hazy IPAs.

In here, you're getting a little bit more of the traditional come drink of pint and hang out one of the oldest sprew pubs let's say.

That's been around for a while now.

I think our ESBs the one to go ahead and try, because it's a little bit off the beaten path.

It's a little bit of a different interpretation of an ESB.

And also, just has been here since the inception.

- 2010 Dennis and Wendy Thies purchased the brewery.

At the time, it was just the Dirty Jack's facility that we're in now, and they kinda had a vision for where this company could go.

We moved next door and installed a 30-barrel brewhouse.

And so, as our distribution footprint grew and our popularity grew, we continued to expand our production.

And so in 2015, we built the what is now known as the Green Mansion.

[upbeat guitar music] which is a 20,000 square foot production packaging facility.

It's a three-story facility with two tap rooms attached.

Upstairs, there's a beautiful view of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

The downstairs we have a, we call it a brewtique.

The Green Mansion is kind of the all-inclusive Asheville experience.

We actually just opened a kitchen last year.

It's full service for all of our tap rooms.

All fresh local ingredients.

- Our number one seller;s, the fish and chips.

Only because it's the centerpiece of the menu and it goes along with our British roots, as far as our beer is concerned - Nothing really beats a good pretzel around here.

And the chef here at Dirty's makes a beer cheese out of Porter, which is one of my favorites.

- It's homey and the bartenders are wonderful.

You feel like this is a family with the regulars.

- Dirty Jack's is not only one of the original Asheville tap rooms, it is also the Asheville soccer bar.

Currently, we use it for our specialty brews.

We made a lot of stuff here.

We kinda went back in time and made a lot of stuff for our 25th anniversary.

- So, the 25th anniversary was really fun.

It took us about a year to plan out and execute.

Get the street shut down.

But we really wanted to focus on giving back to the community.

So, we had a local production company, local bands, local vendors, and then also a portion of the proceeds went to a local nonprofit.

- We've been around the block for 25 years and our customers rely on us.

They give us a certain amount of their trust in walking into a store, knowing that if they're gonna pick up an ESB, an IPA, a Porter, a Nerd Nectar, a new item, that quality is gonna be there.

Dennis and Wendy placed a lot of trust in their leadership team.

Being a family-owned and operated brewery, they consistently place trust in us to make sure that we're putting out the best quality item that we can.

Green Man is synonymous with Asheville and beer history.

When you come here you can really put your hands on part of that history and feel it and see it and be a part of it.

So, I always say that it makes a great base camp.

You can start your day here.

You can end your day here as you explore the South Slope.

So, we just really hope that people will come by and pull up a chair and have a beer with the family.

- Green Man Brewery has two locations, Dirty Jack's and The Green Mansion, both are on Buxton Street in Asheville.

To find out more, visit their website at greenmanbrewery.com.

Well, that's it for tonight's show.

We've had a great time out here on the Dentzel Carousel in Burlington.

It really is a beautiful piece of art.

And remember that first weekend in May for the festival.

And if you've missed anything in today's show, you can always watch us again online at pbsnc.org.

Have a great North Carolina weekend everyone.

[playful music] ♪ [playful music continues] ♪ [playful music continues] ♪ [playful music continues] ♪ [playful music continues] ♪ - [Promoter] Funding for North Carolina Weekend is provided in part by Visit NC.

Dedicated to highlighting our state's natural scenic beauty, unique history, and diverse cultural attractions.

From the Blue Ridge and the Great Smoky Mountains across the Piedmont to 300 miles of barrier island beaches, you're invited to experience all the adventure and charm our state has to offer.

[piano outtro]