WEB EXCLUSIVE It’s no secret that Raleigh’s economy has taken a beating from the coronavirus pandemic. Government-mandated shutdowns have caused many locally owned businesses to shut down temporarily—or even forever, layoffs are discouraging locals from going out and spending their money and regulations such as banned large gatherings have caused several annual Raleigh events that serve as a large source of city revenue to be cancelled. Below, we break down a recent report from Visit Raleigh predicting just how badly the pandemic will affect Wake County’s restaurants and tourism industry this year.
$145 million
Total revenue losses of Wake County businesses due to cancelled events (5% of the total spent by tourists in a typical year)
300
Total number of canceled meetings, conventions and sports events this year
370,000
Number of tourists lost from cancelled events alone
25%
Percent decrease of sales tax collections from Wake County restaurants (down $6 million from 2019)
52%
Percent decrease in Wake County hotel lodging tax collections (down $11.9 million from last year
46.1%
Percent decrease in hotel occupancy from September 2019 to September 2020
$79.13
Average daily hotel rate in September (down 29.7 percent from last year)
41
Number of events out of 299 cancelled events that have been rescheduled
$30.1 million
Revenue Visit Raleigh expects to bring back into Wake County’s economy with various projects
WEB EXCLUSIVE Coronavirus cases in North Carolina continue to grow to staggering numbers, especially after all the travel we saw during the Thanksgiving holiday. On Saturday, December 5, another case record was broken, with 6,018 new positive cases overnight, and on Sunday, December 6, positive case numbers broke 6,000 again. The rate of positive cases is now over 10 percent.
As many other states experience the same staggering increase of positive COVID-19 cases and begin to roll back their restrictions and even push for statewide quarantines again, Governor Roy Cooper has taken additional action to combat the virus.
On Friday, December 11, a modified stay at home order will go into effect throughout North Carolina. North Carolinians are required to stay at home between the hours of 10 p.m. and 5 a.m., meaning that businesses—restaurants, retailers, entertainment venues, etc.—are all required to close by 10 p.m. as well. Additionally, all on-site alcohol sales must end by 9 p.m.
Capacity limits are still in place, and everyone is encouraged to wear their masks whenever leaving their house. “It’s more important than ever to take this virus seriously,” Cooper said in a press conference held Tuesday, December 8. Cooper also said he will take additional actions if needed.
While a promising vaccination is on the horizon—DHHS secretary Dr. Mandy Cohen said that vaccines could arrive in North Carolina as early as next week—they are not here yet, and so we all must do what we can do to stop the spread, including practicing the 3 W’s.
“Do not wait until you or a friend or family member are in a hospital bed,” Dr. Cohen said in today’s press conference. “Do not wait until it’s your family. Do those 3 W’s now. Protect yourself, your loved ones and the community.”
The first exhibition, called “A Space For Reflection”, will be on display at Saint Augustine’s University and Shaw University through December 20. At both locations, the murals will be displayed on shipping containers, making it easy to see them from the road or sidewalks without having to actually enter the campuses, though the public is invited to view them more closely during daylight hours.
“This exhibition merges creativity with the fight for social justice, two attributes that can be clearly seen throughout history of both of these institutions,” said Linda Dallas, one of the curators of the exhibition.
Pictured, left to right: Artwork by Gemynii and Sarahlaine at the Saint Agnes site on the campus of Saint Augustine’s University.
“A Space for Reflection” highlights Black artists and artists of color who responded to the events in May with their artwork, including Dare Coulter, Bobby Danger, Akira Dudley, Gemynii, Okirah Harris, Grayson M. Howell, Shaun Knight, Victor Knight, Lord PHLY, Sarahlaine Calva and Wel Sed.
“‘A Space for Reflection’ is exactly what the title alludes to: a reflection of our times,” said Michael S. Williams, another curator of the exhibition. “This is something art has done for centuries, and artists in the Triangle have done a great job of documenting what’s been happening in 2020. In addition to that, the artists in this outdoor installation are asking that we create a more equitable world so the atrocities addressed in the artwork will be less frequent. We appreciate them lending their voice to this project.”
To learn more about the artists in the exhibition, see maps of the outdoor installations on Saint Augustine’s University’s and Shaw University’s campuses and watch a curated conversation on how art is a catalyst for change, visitblackonblackproject.com/black-on-black-project-space-for-reflection.
WEB EXCLUSIVE After the long holiday weekend of eating lavishly with family and friends and buying a plethora of sale items for yourself and/or for those on your Christmas list, take a day to give back to the community. Giving Tuesday is celebrated the Tuesday after Thanksgiving throughout the world. It’s a day where people come together to “show kindness and generosity by giving their voices, time, money, goods and more to support communities and causes.”
There are an abundance of nonprofits in Raleigh and throughout the Triangle and the state that make it their mission to help support people in need every day. This Giving Tuesday, do your part by contributing to these nonprofits and giving back to the communtiy with the resources you’re so fortunate to have. Below, we look back on some nonprofits that we’ve featured in our magazine; click the links to read more about their missions and go to their websites to donate.
It’s been more than five years since Durham Distillery last released one of its award-winning Conniption gins. The distillery’s Conniption Navy Strength gin and Conniption American Dry gin have held fans over, but we’ve all been eager to see what the esteemed, state-of-the-art distillery comes up with next. Now, the wait is over—just last month, Durham Distillery released an exciting new Conniption Barrel Aged gin, the first in its new annual series of barrel aged Conniption gins, and boy is it good.
Durham Distillery president Melissa Katrincic says that both she and her husband and head distiller, Lee, started thinking about aged gins in 2016, just a few months after they released their first two Conniption bottles. They spent the last few years researching other barrel aged gins, seeking advice from fellow great gin minds and thinking about what botanicals they really wanted to hone in on for the final product. Durham Distillery’s Navy Strength gin served as an inspiration for them, along with a beloved cocktail of theirs, the Martinez, which Melissa describes as essentially a gin-based Manhattan.
Lee, who took charge of the first of the distillery’s barrel aged gin release, played with the botanicals in the Navy Strength gin, adding in and removing flavor notes he thought would work best with the remnant bourbon leftover in the barrels they sourced from High West Distillery in Park City, Utah. The resulting Conniption Barrel Aged gin—which they aged for 10 months—delivers a botanical makeup of plum-iness from dried mission figs they sourced from California and cold distilled at their distillery, lemon, juniper, caraway, cardamom and an oakiness from the barrel itself.
“What you get is this luxurious mouth feel,” Melissa explains. “I’m really proud of it. I feel like it was just such a long thought process to figure out what to do, and then to have it come out and be everything we hoped for… it just feels really good.”
Durham Distillery will release a new barrel aged gin annually, and Melissa, who’s taking the lead on the second release, already has a few ideas up her sleeve. She’s currently looking at using a sherry or port barrel, honing in on flavors of juniper, orange, dried cherry and rosemary. Melissa also wants to look at potentially venturing into rum barrels and tequila barrels for future releases.
“The most exciting thing for Lee and me is really about those flavor combinations,” says Melissa. “You know you’ve hedged your bets—you’re doing what you think is going to work well with that barrel and what used to be in that barrel, but at the end of the day, it’s going to do what it’s going to do.”
When it comes to drinking Durham Distillery’s new barrel aged gin, Melissa recommends first trying it neat—no ice—and to take at least two sips, as she says you can never judge a gin on your first sip because your palette has to get accumulated first. Then, try mixing it into a cocktail. Cheers!
