Greetings from Carrboro,

I get it naturally. Or, rather, the lack of it I get naturally. Basically, advance planning is not my thing. Try as I might, I have no interest in being thoughtfully organized about most anything happening six months from now. I’m just not that guy. Today, if someone earnestly were to ask me to “check my September calendar” it would have about the same plausibility as their asking me to play Anti-Hero on a didgeridoo. 

For that I kindly blame my mother. She once bought several items at some summer sale that she meant for Christmas presents. She felt very superior about the whole enterprise, bragging to anyone who would listen about her foray into aren’t-I-clever holiday organization. But come December, the gifts were nowhere to be found; she’d lost them. They appeared a good five years later, squirreled away in a random, unlabeled box in our garage.

But some things just require a really good plan. And are oh-so worth the time and effort. Even for me. Starting in November of 2013, and then for the next seven Novembers, I threw a rather large party right here in Orange County. It was a celebration of fall in our corner of the South. It was a party that turned into a festival and then a tradition. Then the pandemic threw a rather large wrench into our 2020 plans. And our 2021 plans. Then, yes, 2022. Through it all, you’ve all been very patient. Over the past six months, many of you have emailed or spoken to me in person, all wanting to know if, pretty please, this just might be the year. So it is especially thrilling to announce that, yes, the wait is over. In October,  Salt & Smoke will be back. Hallelujah and pass the cornbread. And, don’t worry, I promise that this year’s event will be better than ever. 

We’ve teamed up with our friends at The Barn at Sonark Media for the 2023 festival. If you don’t know of it, The Barn is a world-class music venue just up the road off of Old 86. And it’s also quite the ideal bucolic setting for Salt & Smoke. Steven Raets is the brains (and braun) behind the operation that features great concerts with a local audience, yet live-streamed world-wide. And for a number of the events at The Barn, we are providing food and drinks before and during the show. We did two sold-out events with The Connells last month and have teamed up again for another great show featuring renowned singer-songwriter Dawn Landes on June 3rd. A few tickets for that show are still available. That’s really good news for all you music lovers.

This year, Salt & Smoke will be on Saturday, October 28th. For those of you new to the game, Salt & Smoke is kind of the epitome of fall — squeezed into one perfect Saturday. It’s a full afternoon and evening of live music curated by Sonark Media, our world famous whole hog barbecue, and raw oysters & roasted clams from our friends at Shooting Point Oyster Co. It’s all the delicious Southern sides that you crave and plenty of the right beverages to wash it all down –  local beer, wine, and cocktails. We’ll have magicians, games, and – most importantly – a few hundred of your favorite people. And did I mention great music? What more could you want from a Saturday. In my mind, it’s just about the best day of the year. And you’re invited. 

Through the end of this month, there is a $25 discount for all tickets purchased. Basically for all the people not genetically too inferior to plan in advance. I will admit to being jealous. All you have to do is use the code FINALLY when checking out. I’ve definitely marked my calendar. Well, at least I told Siri. Or was it Alexa?

And if you want to mark a date on your calendar that’s a tad closer, we will have soft shell crabs this weekend. Until we run out. And that may be the very last of them for the near term. 

Well, that’s all the news from Carrboro. The staff at Acme look forward to serving you soon.

Cheers,

The Staff at Acme