30 Days Of Meetup - Day 21

Toy Dogs Of Raleigh
Down by the Tracks
(http://mutts.meetup.com/102/calendar/8642054/)

Ever notice that the small dog sections of our dog parks aren't as active as the big dog sections? Let's change that! We will meet at local dog parks or do short hikes with our little dogs.

Any breeds or mixes 20lbs or less full grown are welcome!

Join the SPCA for a howling good time at the most dog-friendly block party in Wake County!

The Shops at Seaboard Station, led by Seaboard Imports and Redpin Gallery, is celebrating its seventh year of Down By the Tracks, a premiere fund raising event benefiting the SPCA of Wake County.

For a minimum $5 donation cover charge, you can bring your dog and enjoy an evening of live music by The Peace Street Band, a silent auction, doggie pools, family portraits, wine and beer tastings, and more!

Last year over 1,000 people and 350 dogs came out to help raise more than $15,000 for the SPCA. The 2008 event promises even more excitement: more vendors, more cold beverages, new music, and more of Wake County's coolest canines!

Organizer : Leiha

30 Days Of Meetup - Day 20

The Raleigh Durham Single Parents Meetup Group

BugFest
(http://singleparents.meetup.com/32/)

The Raleigh Durham Single Parents Meetup Group is support group for single parents and their children and provides opportunities for friendship and emotional support. The parents in our group have a variety of backgrounds - divorced, never married, separated or widowed. The ages for the kids range from infants to teens. It doesn't matter how you became a single parent or how old your children are, you are welcome to join us. Most of our events are kid-friendly and include museums, amusement parks, picnics at the playground, ZOO visits, kid-friendly hikes and camping trips.

Bugfest:
We will primarily focus on the kid-friendly exhibits and learn about different kinds of insects, spiders and other arthropods. There will be an opportunity to hold tobacco moth caterpillars, giant cockroaches and other creepy crawalers. Watch the Roachingham 500 -- the famous cockroach race and taste the food from Cafe Insecta made from real insects. The Kid Zone activities include Doodle Bugs street art, Create-A-Bug with the scrap exchange, flea circus, face painting, button-making and anthropod olympics. For more information, go to: www.bugfest.org

Organizer : Peter

30 Days Of Meetup - Day 19

The Durham Beginners Triathletes and Half-Marathoners
swimming
(http://running.meetup.com/394/calendar/8761305/)

First time Triathlete and/or Half-Marathoner? Still trying to make it into the pool? Haven't joined anything yet but REALLY want to get involved?!

Then you've come to the right place! Durham’s first beginners Triathlete/ Half-Marathoner Meetup!
Race, train, cheerlead, give advice, and get advice. We are here to get you motivated.

All you have to do is sign up and answer a few questions. Look at our upcoming events. Best thing to staying motivated... Connect, commit, and communicate. We do it all here.

Swim - Bike - Run!

And for everyone who is a part of the group... use the group... as a resource, to train with, to post questions... this is your place to connect with others who are in training in Durham and surrounding areas

Join us for a 40 minute swim at your own pace. It is $2.50 for Durham residents.
We look forward to seeing you there.

Organizers: Itta and Jessie

30 Days Of Meetup - Day 18

The Raleigh Portuguese Language Meetup Group
The Raleigh Portuguese Language September Meetup
(http://portuguese.meetup.com/286/calendar/8474089/)

Want to practice your Portuguese? Meetup with others in your area who are also interested in the Portuguese Language. All ages and levels of proficiency are welcome!

Thursday nights at Panera Bread-Crabtree is where the Portuguese Speaking folks hang out, courtesy of the Portuguese Language Meetup. The group is about 110+ members, but typically we have 15 to 25 members show up at Panera Bread on Thursday night. The group is a mix Americans learning Portuguese and Portuguese or Brazilians helping us. We've been meeting at Panera Bread for over a year now and Panera Bread has been very good to us. If you are interested in learning to speak Portugeuse, want to practice, or if you are a native speaker, come by Panera-Bread every other Thursday and hang out with us.

Organizer: Kim

30 Days Of Meetup - Day 17

Triangle Inline Skate Club Meetup
Wednesday No-drop Trail Skate in Durham (with dinner afterwards)
(http://inlineskating.meetup.com/100/calendar/8757631/)

If you like being outdoors in the Research Triangle Park area of North Carolina with wheels on your feet (or if you haven't tried it yet but the idea sounds intriguing?) then you've come to the right place! The Triangle Inline Skate Club Meetup is for skaters of all levels, from the beginning recreational skater to professional speed skaters. We have a little something for everyone, so sign up today and see what we're about.

This is a no-drop skate open to all skaters and we skate at a speed that everyone is comfortable with, so beginners are encouraged to attend. The American Tobacco Trail (ATT) is built on an old railroad bed that is relatively flat and straight, making it one of the best skating trails in the Triangle. Any hills are very gradual, although a couple are long enough that you can pick up some speed. Braking skills are required to stop where the trail intersects with roads. (Let us know if you need some braking tips.) As with all our group skates, helmets are required. Wrist guards, elbow and knee pads are recommended. You should also bring water or a sports beverage for hydration.

The ATT is about 6.5 miles from end-to-end and we skate out-and-back for a total distance of 13 miles. Since you can turn around at any point, let us know if you're not comfortable with this distance.

Organizer : David

30 Days Of Meetup - Day 16

The Triangle Environmental Network
Entomophagy and the Environment
(http://environment.meetup.com/246/calendar/8691674/)

Join us as we explore the natural areas in the Triangle, work to conserve our local resources, and look at alternative energy issues and solutions. Meet with like-minded individuals to take action that makes a difference in our local community.

The Science Café will be held on September 16th at the Irregardless Café, Raleigh. This should be a fun and interesting café - we will be discussing entomophagy (the eating of insects for food) and how using insects as a source of protein may be beneficial to the environment.

Entomophagy, or the practice of eating insects for food, is a topic that is objectionable to many. Still, eating our six-legged friends may be a viable way to feed hundreds of millions of people while at the same time lowering humanity's impact on the environment. Join us to learn about arthropods as food -- and if you want, even sample a few on your own!

Organizer : Ken

30 Days Of Meetup - Day 15

Guitar Meetup Group RTP area
Guitar Meet-up/Open-Mic, Raleigh, Oliver Twist, 9/15 - 7pm
(http://guitarist.meetup.com/151/calendar/8652636)

This meetup group is for guitar lovers of all skill levels. We have meetings aimed at beginners, intermediates, bluegrass and have been running a bi-monthly open mic in Raleigh for those who don't mind taking that plunge. We have a great group of people who are eager to learn and share what they know. There are various meetups through-out the RTP area and we have active members from Angier to Chapel Hill.

We average 15-25 players at OT each week so there's always some new music and people to meet.

C'mon out and invite your friends to come and listen if they don't play. $2 domestic beers and mixed drinks PLUS live music. How can you beat that on a Monday night??

OPEN MIC Starts at 7PM. Please sign up early to give Paul some visibility. He's had to turn people away or limit songs for those trying to play late in the evening so SIGN UP LATE AT THE RISK OF NOT BEING ABLE TO PLAY.

The back room should be available for jamming or working out that last minute kinks prior to playing the open mic. So come on out.

Organizer: Terry