country music

I have an appreciation for all of the local areas that influenced my growth and development. I still live near one of those areas and it holds a special place in my heart. My college years were spent nestled in the, small in size but large in heart, Carrboro/Chapel Hill area of N.C. My family and friends cherish the time we spent there and always appreciated those moments when we gathered in our favorite local eateries to root for the home team (TAR-HEELS!). This area was good to me and I love opportunities to return the favor. So, it’s my pleasure to invite you to an inaugural weekend of events to benefit local nonprofits entitled: The Not So Normal 5K + Weekend!

EVENT DETAILS

The Not So Normal 5K + Weekend, is a three-day event (September 12-14), presented by the blog Mom in Chapel Hill. This event celebrates community and with a little music and exercise thrown in! “Why isn’t it a normal 5K?”, you ask. Great question! I’m sure the idea of having a 5K to raise money for some great causes is not new to many of you. However, I bet that you haven’t seen one quite like this one. The organizers of this event have elected to donate the proceeds of the race equally to The ArtsCenter and the N.C.Children’s Hospital. However, if you have a nonprofit organization that tugs at your heart-strings, the organizers have also given participants great flexibility in how they want to get involved. You are allowed to form your own team and select a nonprofit organization of your choice to support. Most importantly, 100% of the money your team raises will go directly to that organization.

What else is so special about this event? Well, beyond the 5K itself, this is a weekend is chock full of activities for the entire family to enjoy. A complete list of events is as follows:

Friday and Saturday Night (Sept. 12 and 13): Kids’ parties each night, babysitting options, restaurant specials, comedy shows, outdoor movie and a Carrboro Art Walk, “Meet the Merchants.”

Sunday Morning (Sept. 14):

The Not So Normal 5K race…well, not quite 5K. We shortened to 2.95 miles to make it flatter and a little easier. Why? Because it’s not so normal! Active families will run or walk this fun run, and strollers are welcome on the course. Registration is just $25 and all proceeds go directly to charity. Participants are also asked to bring one book for Book Harvest and/or two canned goods for local food distribution organizations, TABLE and PORCH.
Kids’ races, obstacles, face painting and tons of family-fun activities. Children 8 and under are free!
Sunday Night (Sept. 14): Frankie Ballard Live Presented by 94.7 QDR and The Not So Normal 5K + Weekend. Hosted at University Mall in Chapel Hill, the outdoor concert will feature rising country music star Frankie Ballard, and opening acts Casey Jamerson, Stereosparks and The BuzzTown Band, and DSI Comedy Theater getting the crowd ready to rock. The concert benefits The ArtsCenter, NC Children’s Promise and Kidzu Children’s Museum. Tickets are $9.47 and can be purchased online here.

Obviously, this event is anything but “normal”. In fact, I would call it extraordinary and I encourage you to come out, have fun and give back to some worthy nonprofit organizations. For the Carrboro/Chapel Hill area of N.C. September 12-14 will be a weekend of fun, family, community and philanthropy!

P.S. As an added bonus, take $5 off race registration when you use the coupon code BLOGGER14! The coupon code expires Aug. 15, so go ahead and register! Be sure to put the name of my blog in the referral box when you sign up.

GIVEAWAY TIME!

The generous sponsors of this event have given me two tickets for the outdoor concert to be held on Sunday Night (Sept. 14). One of my lucky readers will have a chance to win this pair of tickets to the closing concert hosted by 94.7 QDQ and starring country music hearthrob Frankie Ballard!

Rules:

Plead read all of the conditions below before entering the giveaway. To enter you must send an email to hltgiveaways@gmail.com and answer the following question: “What is your favorite charitable organization and why?”

You must enter by Thursday, August 29, 2014 at 11:59(EST). This giveaway is open to legal residents (18 years of age and older) of the US only. Only one entry is allowed per person. A winner will be randomly chosen on Friday, August 22, 2014 and be contacted by me directly via email. The winner will have 48 hours to respond before a new winner is selected. I have represented the sponsor with the expectation they will fulfill their prize and in a timely manner. The product offered for the giveaway is free of charge, no purchase necessary. My opinions are my own and were not influenced by any form of compensation. Facebook, Twitter and Google+ are in no way associated with this giveaway. To receive the concert tickets the winner will have to provide their full name, mailing address and email address to myself and the event sponsors. I do not share or sell information and will use any information only for the purpose of contacting the winner.