why celebrate Labor Day (September 2)?

    NC astronomers meet in Guilford on Saturday, September 23

    how to register to vote anywhere in the USA; 
            visit the Durham County Board of Elections for news about the next election (October 8 primary and November  general)

           

                  September:  Festival Overload in the Triangle

                                primarily music  (for ticket prices, check web site)

                Hopscotch Festival  is in Raleigh, September  5 - 5:  VIP tickets only $349
      

                World of Bluegrass is in Raleigh at smaller clubs up through Red Hat Arena  ... another event with a problem web site
                September 24 - 28

        6th  Art of the Cool is in Durham with headline acts at Durham Bulls Athletic Park and lesser-name acts at smaller venues
                September 27 - 28

        22^nd annual Carrboro Music Fest  Saturday, September 28 (1 - 7 pm) and Sunday, September 29,(1 pm - midnight) 
                 all over Carrboro and it's free

        15^th Capital City Bikefest  (uh... as in Motorbikes.... you've been warned)  various venues in Raleigh, September 20 - 22
                 VIP passes are $30

                                primarily art , food, & culture

         10^th African American Festival of Wake County is in downtown Raleigh
                (along Fayetteville Street, from Martin Street through City Plaza) 
                and it's free
                August 31 (11 am - 10 pm, but art/vendor booths close at dusk both days)  & September 1  (1 pm - 10 pm)

       
       38^th   Greek festival in Raleigh at the NC State Fairgrounds (Jim Graham Bldg)
                admission is NO LONGER FREE with coupon .... although there is a $2-off coupon in Friday (9/6) News & Observer 
                Friday 9/6 (5 - 10 pm), Saturday, 9/7 (11 am - 10 pm), Sunday, 9/8  (11 am - 6 pm)....  see website for event schedule

   
                Taste of Soul: Seafood Edition is in Durham's Central Park on Sunday September 8 (4 - 8 pm)

                SPARKcon (celebrating creativity art, music, dance, fashion, circus, design, poetry, theater, film, ...)     
                    Fayetteville St., Raleigh
                September 13 - 15...  but good luck figuring out what's where and when..... the website is opaque, as usual

        36^th Hillsborough Hog Day(s):  Friday, September 20 (6 - 10 pm) and Saturday, September 21 (10 am - 6 pm)
                    at River Park
                Hillsborough's longest running festival

                feast of insects at  Bugfest at Raleigh's Museum of Natural Sciences  Saturday, September 21, 9 am - 7 pm
                        the 2019 theme: beetles!

        6^th  Jerkfest, a celebration of Caribbean culture in Durham, West Point on the Eno is Saturday, September 21, 11:30 am - 7:30 pm
                it's 'free', but parking is $5

       45^th  Centerfest 2019 Durham in the downtown loop and is the longest-running street festival in NC.      
                it's free, and this year the suggested (& outrageous) $5 donation is well hidden             
                Saturday, September 21 (10 am - 6 pm) -  Sunday, September 22 (11 am - 5 pm)...  with extended Saturday entertainment: 6 - 10 pm              
             
      26^th Fiesta del Puebla 2019  is in Raleigh along Fayetteville St.   and it's free
                Sunday, September 22^nd (noon - 6 pm) ...  but beware if re-routed traffic from   Capital City Bikefest  that same day

       12^th annual PepperFest  moves back to Pittsboro's Main Street,  Sunday, September 22, from 3 - 6 pm;
                tickets jump 33% this year to $37.59   kids: $6.27 )only in advance?) ...  but the food samples are included

        Last Fridays Arts Walk in Hillsborough is September 29^th,  6:30 - 9:30 pm  also has a free concert    

        and the 46^th  Festifall in downtown Chapel Hill on West Franklin St. is later and shorter than usual, and on a different day:
            SATURday, Oct 12 (noon - 3 pm) and it's free
              (Durham's festival is longer running, but has not been held every year)

        32^nd International Festival is also later than usual:
                Friday, Oct 20 (10 am - 10 pm), Saturday, Oct. 15 (10 am - 10 pm), Sunday, Oct. 16 (11 am - 6 pm)
                at the Raleigh Convention Center.... tickets: $5 before 5 pm of Friday; who knows about other days/times
                    [last year: from $7.50 per day (or $20 for all 3 days)]

        78^th NC Gourd Festival is not until November this year:   Saturday (11/9: 9 am - 5 pm) and Sunday (11/10: 10 am - 4 pm)
                At the NC State Fairgrounds, Holshouser Bldg.      This year's theme: Fun and Games with Gourds        Admission is $2

        Bull Durham Blues Festival   is now defunct after 30 years

        Hillsborough Jazz Fest  is also  defunct      

                                    and other stuff

      
        Southern Ideal Home Show is at the NC State Fairgrounds
            Friday (9/20: 10 am - 8 pm), Saturday (9/21: 10 am - 8 pm), & Sunday (9/22: 11 am - 6 pm)
                tickets are $8 (online)  - $10

         Raleigh Home Show is at the Raleigh Convention Center
            Friday (10/4: 11 am - 9 pm), Saturday (10/5: 10 am - 9 pm), & Sunday (10/6: 10 am - 6 pm)
                        tickets $8 (online) - $10

                        so apparently Raleigh is neither ideal or in the South?

                 the fall Art Season in the Triangle

• the Nasher  has  Cosmic Rhythm Vibrations  9/28/2019 - 3/1/2020   (focus on the 'rhythm' not the 'cosmic')

                        and  Native Voices: 1950s to Now   8/29/2019 - 1/12/2020   (including 2 Norval Morriseaus)

• the Ackland has  some bland stuff
  
  
• the NC Art Museum  has Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera:  Mexican Modernism starting October 26 through January 19, 2020
  
  

      buy some exotic fruits 

    NCAA football scores from the NCAA    or   from USA Today

      have an active autumn

      mountains-to-sea trail  finally has maps with trails


                    awards

      the McArthur Foundation fellowships  are announced in mid-September

      National Book awards (the long list)  are announced September 16 - 20
   
      Emmy awards:  nominees and winners (announced September 22 on live TV)

                it's back to school...

             2018 ACT scores :  NC in about the same as last year

                For the 18 states (like NC) where ACT is required,
                NC is  5th-Last (tied) in Reading;  4th-Last in Science;   3rd-Last in English; 5th-Last (tied) overall (NC beat MS, NV, and SC)
                    and the 'bright' spot: only 9th-Last in Math (we're in the top 2/3!!)
             
              but as to ACT college-readiness benchmarks, the ACT calls NC 'a leaky pipeline':
                                        47% of NC students are not ready for ANY of the 4 fields of study vs. national average of 33%
                                        whereas 28% passed 3 of 4 benchmarks vs. national average of 39%
                                        and 18% passed all 4.... and only 59% of students are taking a curriculum that readies them for success in college

         2018 SAT scores

                NC students score above national average, but only 50% of students met benchmarks, and participation was around 50%

        2018-2019 NC standardized state test scores are in

           
        (mostly silly) college rankings:

            this month it's USNews & World Report's best colleges 2019
                     but also read  how the US News' rankings "has done more damage to higher education" than anything else

            and the totally different 2019-2020   Ratings by Payscale   
                                        (including best schools for Science Major: Harvey Mudd tops the list)

            and the Obama-started  College Scorecard lists public colleges that have good student outcomes
                (but apparently not maintained by the Trump administration)

      the Graphical Flight Tracker is back ... follow an in-flight plane's path in real time

    check the weather  in 

      last month is here

    always here, always weird