A first-of-its-kind picnic experience is taking flight in Raleigh.
Photos by Michael A. Anderson Photography
“Let’s take this luxury picnic experience to new heights—literally—and what better place than the birthplace of aviation itself?!” So says Sweet T Picnics owner and designer Marcie Walsh of her first-in-the-world picnic concept taking flight next week (!).
Enter destination picnics—a husband-and-wife collab between she and spouse Matt. Their businesses—Elite Aircraft Services and Sweet T Picnics, respectively—partnered together to launch the Wright Way to Picnic, which takes guests on a private flight from Raleigh Executive Jetport to Kill Devil Hills (the birthplace of aviation) for an intimate picnic experience.
The idea initially started as Plane ol’ Picnic, in which guests can picnic beside an active runway while watching planes take off and land. Then the couple thought, “Let’s take this luxury picnic experience to new heights—literally—and what better place than the birthplace of aviation itself?!” says Sweet T Picnics owner and designer Marcie.
The elevated experience was actually influenced by The Bachelor, says Marcie. “I remember watching and seeing the couple be whisked away to a private location for a fancy date,” she recalls. “Who’s to say us non-TV stars can’t enjoy the same sweet luxury as what we see on the screen?”
As part of the excursion, attendees will be taken on a private flight in a Cirrus aircraft to First Flight Airport, where they’ll be able to stroll the U.S. National Park and enjoy a luxury picnic with food, beverages and decor all included.
“We’re really excited about this partnership and believe it will open people up to the world of aviation who may have never experienced it before,” says Matt, founder and president of Elite Aircraft Services. “We’re fortunate to have such a historic landmark here in our own state, and we want to not only provide a top-of-the-line experience for our guests, but introduce them to the freedom of flight.”
Adds Marcie: “The Wright Way to Picnic is going to be an incredibly memorable moment for all of its guests. We only want to provide the most elite experiences to our guests, and I know this new picnic package will be just that.” Take flight starting April 23, [email protected]
A new park is coming to town near the Raleigh/Knightdale border.
Prepare to be green with envy over Raleigh’s newest urban oasis (!). The Wake County Board of Commissioners recently approved the schematic design for Kellam-Wyatt Farm, a three-generation family farm and woodland sanctuary located near the Raleigh/Knightdale border.
The land’s roots can be traced back to 2013, when Bob Kellam and Susan Wyatt granted a conservation easement to the City of Oaks Foundation to ensure the protection of the property’s natural heritage. In 2018, the pair donated the land to Wake County, and staff undertook a master planning process that was eventually approved by the Board of Commissioners in December 2021. Now, Phase 1 of the design is finally in the works.
“As Wake County continues to grow rapidly, it’s more important than ever that we preserve our open spaces and provide places for residents to exercise and enjoy themselves,” says Commissioner Don Mial.
The park design includes woodland and meadow trails, community gardens, demonstration gardens, open play areas and a nature playground, as well as a 2,600-square-foot covered community pavilion, parking, a maintenance facility and improved site access.
On top of the already detailed plan, the farm will host a park center that will provide indoor and outdoor classroom space, restrooms, and staff offices. The project will also feat. green stormwater infrastructure, solar panels, native plants and public art for visitors to enjoy.
“Kellam-Wyatt Farm will be a true gem in our community,” adds Mial, “and I’m excited to take the next step toward its completion.” Get excited to get outdoors!
As the weather cools, not much beats cozying up on the couch with a good book (fireplace encouraged). Grab a cuppa and dive into these must-read new releases from local authors.
Handle the Horrible Chasta Hamilton Entrepreneur and author of Trash the TrophiesChasta Hamilton dispels the widely accepted notion that confidence and courage are the end-all be-all in her new book, Handle the Horrible. Analyzing the link between courage, confidence and failure, Hamilton explores the value such a relationship brings to the table and how it can prepare us for moments of tribulation, chaos and change. Utilizing her experiences as a female CEO, dancer, orphan and mother, Hamilton takes readers on a journey of attaining resilience and hope. Fall inspiration, found. So & So Books; Quail Ridge Books; Barnes & Noble; amazon.com
Oh, Lords! Who We Date, Why We Date Them and What We’ve Learned Jes Averhart and Terresa Zimmerman Entrepreneurs, authors and NC locals Jes Averhart and Terresa Zimmerman were tired of the dating scene (um, who else can relate?!) when they decided to sit down and write this ode to dating. The two former self-proclaimed “daters” advise on how to be authentically you while searching for Mr. or Mrs. Right. Promising to be simultaneously direct and vulnerable through the sharing of their own crazy dating stories, Averhart and Zimmerman introduce readers to the “lords” they’ve met along their journey and teach other daters how to stop making the same repeated mistakes. Take note! Quail Ridge Books; Read With Me; Dog-Eared Books; amazon.com
Help! I’m Overwhelmed Woody Rini If the Sunday scaries have evolved into a spooky season for you, check out Cary-based self-help author and life coach Woody Rini’s new book. This relatable, accessible read offers a step-by-step guide on how to cope with feeling overwhelmed by teaching how to live honestly, compassionately and with community, rather than utilizing denial and concealment. By playfully creating an acronym with the word help, Rini explains four essential steps to start living with peace: Halt the panic; Engage emotions; Look for help; and Patiently float. Sunday scaries, who? Triniti Salon; helpimoverwhelmed.com; amazon.com
Local artist Taylor White reveals new mural at The Willard
Photos by Eric Waters
Internationally renowned local muralist Taylor White is bringing major botanical vibes (and a super-’Grammable backdrop!) to The Willard via her newly installed mural, a 664-square-foot piece—dubbed From the Ashes—mixing her loose and painterly style with hard graphic edges located on the side of the rooftop lounge facing Hillsborough Street.
From the Ashes is inspired by the plant specimen collection of nationally renowned botanist William Willard Ashe, who was born at Elmwood, a historic antebellum home near the hotel.
“We did a lot of research and had iterations of ideas before settling on one,” says White. “We found the street Willard Place, which is what [AC Hotel Raleigh Downtown’s] The Willard is named after. … Ashe came up with a lot of the taxonomy that is used in the world of botany. His collection is at UNC, so I spoke to people there and got a lot of access for inspiration for the composition.”
The project is a big feat for White, as one year ago, while on vacation in Iceland—with the intention to head back to Raleigh to start on a mural for Summit Hospitality—she got in a severe car accident that left her with two broken vertebrae.
“I was there for a 10-day trip, and, on the last day, we were driving back to head to the airport and high winds came and flipped our car,” she reflects. “Obviously everything just stops. There was an acceptance in the moment and everything else just went out of my mind. I just focused 100% on surviving and recovering. I started working again a few months ago.”
And while the hospitality group could’ve easily hired another artist to get the job done while White was healing, instead, because of her reputation within the community and the art world as a whole, they waited for her to complete the stunning project.
“I feel very grateful and fortunate to have had this horrible thing happen to me and to have the ability to take an entire year off work, and then when I’m ready to come back, have everything waiting there for me,” says White. “That’s an honor and something that not a lot of people get the privilege to enjoy. Summit Hospitality waited.”
In conjunction with those botanical vibes, The Willard bartender Jessie Rossabi came up with a mural-inspired cocktail that’ll be on the menu until mid-November. Also named From the Ashes, the gorge drink is a vegan gin fizz made with Botanist gin (a nod to Ashe’s contributions to botany, natch!), St. Germain elderflower liqueur, lemon, demerara, lavender and aquafaba. And, obviously, there’s no better spot to enjoy it than posted up by White’s mural. Cheers!
New supportive housing community landing in Raleigh to house those struggling with homelessness
Raleigh’s revolving door of kindness has swung again! Nonprofit affordable housing developer and property manager CASA has officially broken ground on King’s Ridge, its forthcoming permanent supportive housing community for those in Wake County transitioning out of homelessness.
“We are thrilled to have finally reached this milestone,” says CASA CEO Everett McElveen. “The fact that we’ve made it this far proves that our community cares about affordable housing and wants more of it.”
Having launched in 2020, Phase 1 of CASA’s Campaign for King’s Ridge managed to raise $21.5 million in construction funds, successfully leading the program to Phase 2. CASA is now raising money to go toward trauma-informed design, furnishings, program support and a sustainability endowment to ensure the program’s longevity.
CASA King’s Ridge Groundbreaking
King’s Ridge apartments will provide 100 households to many of Raleigh’s most vulnerable residents (with a focus on housing the chronically homeless and disabled who are earning 30% or less of the Area Median Income), and include community space; offices; and access to invaluable services like childcare, integrated primary and mental health care, and case management—NTM it’s conveniently located minutes from Downtown with a bus stop across the street for easy access to public transportation.
All in all, the program expects to reduce the number of people experiencing homelessness in the county by 10% (!)—a huge deal given housing prices are on the rise in the Triangle and across the nation, which we know all too well at this point. “This brings us one step closer to ending homelessness for over 100 of our neighbors,” adds McElveen.
The concept of King’s Ridge budded from other successful permanent housing models like Charlotte’s Moore Place—a 120-unit apartment community providing homes and supportive services to Charlotte’s lowest income individuals and families. King’s Ridge will only add to CASA’s nearly 500 affordable apartments and homes the nonprofit manages throughout Wake, Durham and Orange counties while continuing its mission to provide access to sustainable, affordable housing for homeless populations.
