What a beautiful day - the sun is out and the temperature is cooler! Great weather for visiting the various shops and restaurants located in our Tri-Local downtowns. Lots of events and specials being offered this week, so let's get right to it!

• Barley's Taproom in Spindale is now offering $6 luncheon specials Monday-Friday 11am -4 pm and ALL day of Thursday! There are 6 selections to chose from and all include a soft drink or tea.
• Did you know that you can buy raw pizza dough from Barley's? That's right, for $3 you can purchase freshly-made dough that makes a 14" pie; for $4, you have enough dough for an 18" pie (comparable to medium and large pizzas from the local pizza shops). Great idea for parties!
• MudBones in Spindale is also offering great lunch specials. Each day (Monday thru Friday) there is a $5 special which includes entree, side and drink. Stop by and check it out.
• Thursday, Oct. 1st and Friday, Oct. 2nd - the Norris Public Library in Rutherfordton will hold their book sale from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm on the lawn of the library as well as inside Rutherfordton Town Hall. Come out and support your local library!

With Fall in the air, there are lots of great activities going on across the Rutherford County! Below is just a sampling for the next two weeks:

• KidSenses Interactive Museum will be hosting their annual gala tomorrow evening, Sept. 26, from 6:30-11 pm at the store located at 172 Main Street in Rutherfordton. Event tickets are $50 per person. A raffle and live auction will also be held, with raffle chances to win an extraordinary weekend at Grove Park Inn in Asheville! The package is valued at $5,000! Raffle tickets are $50 each with a limited number of 300 available. For more information about the gala, call 828-286-2120 or visit http://www.kidsenses.com/.


• The Clothes Closet, located at Cane Creek Baptist Church, will be giving away a large selection of mens, womens and childrens clothing at no cost on Saturday, Sept. 26, from 8 am to noon. Clothing is summer and winter. Everyone is invited to join them at 151 Cane Creek Mtn. Road, in Union Mills!


• Also, the Union Mills Community Learning Center will host the Rutherford Community Theater's latest production Aaron Slick from Punkin Crick beginning Friday, Oct. 2 thru Sunday, Oct. 4 in the center's auditorium. See the following youtube clip for more information. Special pricing of $8 each is availabe when six or more tickets are ordered together in advance. This would be a great outing for a Girls Nite Out on Friday evening or a gathering of friends after church on Sunday for the matinee!
  
  
  

Just a few of the activities going on this weekend and next week. Stay tuned for information in Monday's blog on the Hilltop Fall Fest in Rutherfordton, as well as where you can purchase fresh pizza dough for those "Armchair Quaterback" parties on the weekends!

With the week almost over, here are some events happening over the weekend.

• Don't forget - Relay for Life is tomorrow evening, Sept. 11th, at RS Middle School! Come out and support your local teams!


• Join Fireside Books & Gifts in welcoming author Josh Weil to Rutherford County on Saturday, September 12th from 6:30-8:00 pm! He is the critically acclaimed author of the New Valley, which is a a trio of novellas. Come learn more about the man who "thinks his best thoughts on writing while hiking to the top of an Appalachian ridge..."


• Help support the Union Mills Learning Center on Saturday, Sept. 12, by attending the Community-Wide Yard Sale which is being held in conjunction with their all-you-can-eat Breakfast. Tours of their Computer Center and Gymnasium will also be given. For a sneak peak at what will be for sale, check the YouTube video below.

Several openings & re-openings to report!

• 191 Prime, formerly the Rowdy Rib, re-opened Saturday night with entertainment by Firecracker Jazz Band! Not only does the restaurant have a new name, but also a new 1920's era decor, as well as a new diverse menu! With everything from soup & salad to entrees of steak, chicken and fish, there is definitely something for every palate. There is even a Late Night menu to choose from for those of you who like late night snacks after a ballgame or movie! For a complete listing of choices and prices, visit 191 Prime at http://www.191prime.com/. By the way, 191 is the address on Main Street in downtown Rutherfordton!!
• Speaking of Rutherfordton - don't forget that tomorrow night, Thursday, Sept. 3, is Ruff'ton Live. Come out and enjoy good food & drink, as well as live bands and activities for the kids. Located at Courthouse Square, the fun begins at 5:30 until 8:00 pm!
• For those of you who enjoy sewing, a new sewing center is opening Sept. 12th! Seams to be Fabrics will be located at 526 US Hwy 74 Business (beside the Moose Lodge between Forest City and Ellenboro). They will host an Open House on Saturday, Sept. 12 between 10:00 am & 5:00 pm. Alterations and sewing classes are planned for the future. For more information, contact them at seamtobe09@yahoo.com.
• September, I just learned, is National Coupon Month. With that in mind, be sure to check out the new column appearing in this Saturday's Daily Courier entitled "Coupon Queen". Learn great tips from the expert, Jill Cataldo, that is guaranteed to save you money at the grocery store, as well as other businesses that offer coupons. There will also be coupons from local merchants to help you TriLocal!

Trivia - Did you know that the first true coupon appeared in 1909, when grocer C.W. Post offered a penny off his new cereal, Grape Nuts! Happy 100th Anniversary to the coupon!