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If you love to read, then this event is definitely for you. Want to meet authors and learn of the inspiration for their works? Book ‘Em North Carolina is national event that brings together brings together more than 75 authors, publishers, literary agents and publicists under one roof for one common cause; to promote literacy.

Book ‘Em NC Writers Conference and Book Fair is open to readers of all ages. There are book readings and events scheduled for children from pre-school to teens, panel discussions and talks for writers trying to break into the field and  lectures and events for readers of various genres, including mysteries, romance, true adventure, historical, biographical, …

Authors will sell and sign their books, participate in panel discussions and talks, network and interact with fans one-on-one. Headlining authors include: poet LeJuane Bowen and fictional author Jill McCorkle.

A series of talks occur between 10 – 3 pm and include:

• Writers Conference – for aspiring or published authors of all ages and levels
• The Children’s Corner – readings for younger children, arts and crafts and special activities
• Panel Discussions and Talks – for readers of various fiction and nonfiction genres, including autobiographical, biographical, historical, mystery/suspense, romance, fantasy, paranormal, science fiction, horror, true crime and others

Each talk begins on the hour and feel free to attend one or all of the talks throughout the day.

The purpose of The Book ‘Em Foundation and this event is to raise public awareness of the link between high crime rates and high illiteracy rates. The Book ‘Em Foundation was co-founded by suspense author P.M. Terrell. Proceeds from the Book ‘Em North Carolina book fair will go directly to increasing literacy in Robeson County, North Carolina and to reducing crime in the area.

 This event is FREE and open to the public.

Location: Robeson Community College, 5160 Fayetteville Rd, Lumberton, NC
Date: Sat, Sept 23, 2017
Time: 9:30 – 4pm
Tel: 910-272-3362
bookemnc.org
For Regional Accommodations. Restaurants & Attractions: lumberton-nc.com

Join the Carroll County Farm Museum for a Chincoteague Pony-themed tea. Program includes: book signing, luncheon and meet a real Chincoteague pony.

Tea features a boxed lunch with ice cream and lemonade. After tea, learn about the Chincoteague ponies and their wetlands with fun facts, colorful slides and inspirational stories with a presentation given by children’s author Lois Syzmanski  on the wild ponies of Chincoteague.

Afterwards, visit with a real Chincoteague Pony and horse trainer, Summer Barrick.

Spots are limited. Reservations by September 15 –  800-654-4645.

Location: Carroll County Farm Museum, 500 S Center St, Westminster, MD 21157
Date: Sat,  Sept 30, 2017
Time: 11 – 1pm
Tel: 800-654-4645
carrollcountyfarmmuseum.org/event/pony-tea/?instance_id=438
For Regional Accommodations, Restaurants & Attractions: carrollcountytourism.org

The 2nd annual Clean Water PaddleFEST in Annapolis is to celebrate and bring awareness to clean up efforts in Spa Creek while enjoying a day full of fun.

Paddle at your own pace or take a guided on-water tour of Spa Creek. Guided tours available at 2pm. See educational stops along Spa Creek detailing conservation efforts which aim to make it again fishable and swimmable. Afterwards attend the Eco-Fest with informative exhibits from area environment groups with plenty of activities for kids.

All human powered paddlers and vessels are welcome to attend. Bring your own craft or use a stand up paddle board or kayak from Capital SUP. There will be a mass paddle and foot show of support for clean water in Spa Creek at 12 noon, on and in the water around the Spa Creek bridge.

Fun activities and prizes for all ages. Kid and dog friendly. All proceeds benefit Spa Creek Conservancy.

Your ticket includes:

On-water guided or self tour
Food BBQ beverages
Wine and beer
Event tee shirt
Admission to EcoFEST
Dry Bags to first 200 ticket holders
Live Music from 1-3pm

Location:Capital SUP on Spa Creek, 808 Boucher Avenue, Annapolis, MD 21403
Date: Sat, Sept 16, 2017
Time:  11  – 4pm
spacreek.net/index.php/events/special-events
For Regional Accommodations, Restaurants & Attractions: visitannapolis.org

Imagine an attic full of personal memorabilia of many submariners, and you get the feel of this homey museum.

The St. Marys Submarine Museum gives visitors a real feel for life aboard a submarine. The museum’s 5,000 square feet of exhibition and displays feature real and working shipboard equipment. A ship’s control panel, ballast control panel, periscope, and working sonar panels give exciting visuals of the interior of a submarine.

At St. Marys Submarine Museum a wide variety of Submarine artifacts, memorabilia and information are available for viewing. You can see early submarine designs (pig boats) right up to nuclear ones, consoles, a working Type-8 periscope, listings of boats built and lost in WW II and tons of command plaques.

For the truly addicted, submarine movies play all day, and you are invited
to read actual files of each U.S. submarine or support commands. More than 99% of all WWII Patrol Reports and their command history files are here (even previously classified documents); these are not usually seen by the average person or submarine veteran.

Location: St. Marys Submarine Museum, 102 W. St. Marys St., St. Marys, GA 31558
Hours: Tues-Sat 10am – 5pm, Sun 12pm – 5pm
Tel: 912-882-2782
stmaryssubmuseum.com
For Regional Accommodations, Restaurants & Attractions: visitkingsland.com

Now in its 18th year, the Rhode Island Chinese Dragon Boat Races & Taiwan Day Festival is an extraordinary event for the whole family to enjoy.  Join the thousands of people who attend each year for exciting competition, family-fun, and a great opportunity to learn more about Chinese culture.

Racers continue to use the fiberglass Taiwanese-style dragon boats gifted to them from the Republic of China (Taiwan)  and incorporate the skill of flag-catching in each race.

The course length is 1,000 feet long up the Pawtucket River, with three boats racing at a time. A unique element to the races is the larger Taiwanese-style dragon boats, wood paddles, and the flag-catching in each race. If the flag is missed a penalty is added to their time.

Sanctioned by the Eastern Regional Dragon Boat Association, the RI Chinese Dragon Boat Races consist of two divisions: the Mixed Division, which requires a minimum of 6 female paddlers, and the Open Division that has no gender restrictions.

In addition to the exciting boat races, under the giant tent you will find Taiwan Day festivities with some top notch entertainment including  cultural performances, many art & crafts tables, and the ever-popular dumpling eating contest. The festival also has a great selection of vendors, interactive activities, and food trucks.

Don’t miss the great entertainment throughout the day including:

Ready for some homemade ice cream? Lucky you, it’s that time again for the annual Ice Cream Churn-Off at Ashantilly Center. What a tasty idea, combining everyone’s favorite dessert with a fundraiser benefiting the nonprofit Ashantilly Center.

Competitors will vie for awards for a people’s choice, best individual ice cream and the best ice cream from a business or organization. The competition is opened to everyone, adults and youth alike, so churners bring your churn and your primo recipe – but no raw eggs allowed, and Ashantilly will provide ice and salt.

If consuming the coveted ice cream is more your speed, you are welcome to bring your own chairs and find a shady spot to enjoy the frozen dessert and the live music. A $5 donation gets samplers two tastings, and ice cream lovers can purchase additional samples – 3/$5.

Ice cream doesn’t get fresher than this! There’s also Free lemonade and popcorn and great raffle prizes and live music.

Location: Ashantilly Center, 15591 GA Hwy 99, Darien, Georgia 31305
Date: Sun, Sept. 3, 2017
Time: 4PM – 6PM
Tel: 912 437-4473
ashantillycenter.org/ashantilly-events/33-10th-annual-churn-off
For Regional Accommodations, Restaurants & Attractions: visitdarien.com

The Barberville Pioneer Settlement is celebrating the end of summer with the coolest hottest event ever – Fire & Ice. Feast on delicious chili and fresh-made ice cream at this exciting fall festival that occurs on a 30-acre historic site with a village museum and over 10,000 artifacts.

Enjoy this FREE admission festival and for only $4 you get to sample and judge chili & ice-cream, where you can cool your tongues with homemade ice cream after voting for your favorite chili. Cash prizes to be awarded to People’s Choice.

With a plethora of activities sure to keep you entertained: FREE music workshops and jam session with volunteers teaching everything from the guitar and banjo to the dobro and dulcimer, community yard sale, antique tractors and engines display, and lots more, and of course the infamous Chili Cook Off and Ice Cream Churn Off.

Tastings are at noon, until it’s gone, so arrive early.
Location: Pioneer Settlement, 1776 Lightfoot Lane, Barberville, FL 32105
Date: Sat, Sept 2, 2017
Time: 9 – 4pm
Tel: 386-749-2959
pioneersettlement.org
For Regional Accommodations, Restaurants & Attractions: daytonabeach.com

There is no better place to be a kid than at Hampton Beach. That’s especially true during one week from August 14th to 18th when the Hampton Beach Children’s Festival returns to delight the young and young at heart again.

The family fun event kicks off on Monday, August 14th with a magic show by BJ Hickman on the famous Hampton Beach Seashell Stage at 10 a.m., and building up to a huge Costume Parade that marches almost the length of Hampton Beach on Friday, August 18th. Every child gets a prize just for being a part of it.

Enjoy five days filled with free non-stop activities and entertainment for children and their families, including sand castle contests, costume parades, Ronald McDonald Magic Show, children’s entertainment on the Sea Shell Stage.

There will be also be mini-golf, dancing, storytelling, balloons, Monday Movies on the beach and a kids’ bumper sticker contest where the winner gets a free bike.

Free ice cream, Coca-Cola and…every child wins a prize! All Children’s Festival activities are free and open to the public.

Download the 2017 Schedule

Location: Hampton Beach, Hampton, NH, 03862
Date: Mon, Aug 14 – Fri,  Aug 18,2017
Time: 5:30pm
Tel: 603-926-8717
hamptonbeach.org/events/childrens-events/
For Regional Accommodations, Restaurants & Attractions: portsmouthnh.com

The excitement of the fashion runway come to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts this spring with Yves Saint Laurent: The Perfection of Style. showcasing highlights from the iconic designer’s 44-year career.

Drawn from the collection of the Fondation Pierre Bergé—Yves Saint Laurent,  and other private acquisitions, this impressive compilation offers an intimate and extensive view at the lifetime achievement of Yves Saint Laurent, one of history’s most avant-garde  and influential fashion designers.

Featuring 100 examples of haute couture and ready-to-wear garments—some never shown publicly before—this exhibition reveals Saint Laurent’s artistic virtuoso, as well as his working technique, and the origins of his design inspiration. Witness his immersive operative process from his first sketch and fabric selection to the various stages of production and fitting before a final garment was realized.

In addition to haute couture ensembles and ready-to-wear clothing, Yves Saint Laurent: The Perfection of Style also includes accessories, photographs, drawings, films, and video from the Fondation’s vast archive.

Photo by David Stover © VMFA

The exhibition traces the trajectory of Saint Laurent’s style as it developed over the course of his career, beginning in 1953 with the Paper Doll Couture House that he created when he was a teenager, the exhibition is a journey from his first days at Dior in 1958, through his groundbreaking designs in the 1960s and 70s and the splendor of his final runway collection in 2002.                            

Location:Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, 200 N. Boulevard, Richmond, VA 23220
Dates: Until August 27, 2017
Hours: Daily: 10 am – 5 pm, Thu & Fri: Until 9 pm
Tel: : 804-340-1405
vmfa.museum
For Regional Accommodations, Restaurants & Attractions: visitrichmondva.com

The Daytona Beach Drive–In Church – Back in 1953 when this was still the Neptune Drive-In Theater, The First Christian Church organized the first drive-in service.

Buying the property in 1957, they now welcome everyone – tourists, the physically challenged, families with kids or those looking for a unique way to worship (honking your horn = clapping).

Services typically last for about 55 minutes and they offer hot coffee and Krispy Kreme donuts before and after each service in Friendship Hall.

Perfect for those going to swim on Sunday (don’t need to wear your Sunday best!) – just stay in the car, tune in on your radio, and at the end Rev. Robert Kemp-Baird will shake your hand through the window – then you can zip across the street to the beach.

Location: Daytona Beach Drive In Christian Church, 3140 South Atlantic Avenue
Daytona Beach Shores, FL 32118
Hours: Sun 8:30 & 10
Tel: 386-767-8761
driveinchurch.net
For Regional Accommodations, Restaurants & Attractions: DaytonaBeach.com