She’s a little bit country, a little bluesy, and packs a punch behind a mircophone. Don’t miss the Triangle’s own Rissi Ralmer on WUNC’s The State of Things Friday, July 15, where she’ll be previewing her full band performance at Durham Central Park that evening. Between sets at Durham Central Park, Rissi will conduct a free “powerhouse” blues vocal workshop–all part of the 13th annual Warehouse Blues Series. Tune in to 91.5 (and other stations in eastern NC) from 12-1 p.m. Rissi’s music and interview segment begins around 12:40 p.m. Click here for more info and line up of local food trucks and beer at the show. Durham Central Park’s Warehouse Blues Series is made possible by The Blue Note Grill, Marriott Durham, Questell Foundation, Leaf Filter, Downtown Durham Inc., AARP North Carolina, Home Advisor and Cricket Wireless.

On Saturday, a large group of Duke Alumni came down to the Park and spent a few hours cleaning and sprucing up! Weeds were pulled, vines were cleared out, gravel was added to pathways, and lots of mulch was spread around the Park. Including around the cardinal…

If you have a group that is interested in participating in a workday at the Park, please contact Erin. We hold 6 regular workdays each year – on the first Saturdays of April, May, June, September, October and November. We are always happy to schedule as special workday to accommodate a group.

Have you seen the new benches and the new sign at Mt. Merrill yet? On April 26th, Al Frega and a crew from Durham Marble Works installed 5 benches and a lovely new sign at the entrance of Mt. Merrill!

The 5 benches are made from re-claimed limestone cornice stones from the Southern Railway Freight Depot, which was once located at the intersection of Roxboro and Pettigrew (adjacent to the jail). The building was demolished in 1993 and Al go a hold of these lovely stones which are now in the Park! If you look closely at the benches, you’ll see diagonal holes in the top of each. Al told me that those holes were used to lift and place the stone. You’ll also see a mark that was engraved in one of the pieces a long time ago. Al said that those marks were used to help place the pieces.

The sign was created by Ron Bartholomew at Durham Marble Works. It is made from a piece of Limestone that came from Indiana. Ron doesn’t often have the opportunity to work with limestone (he usually works with granite), but he took on the project without hesitation! As the design came together, he did some research on how to best protect the stone from wear and tear. He found that the best process was to create a limewash (crushed up limestone and water) and spread several layers over the stone. He told me that it was a very antiquated process that is not used very often anymore, since limestone is not regularly used for signs these days.

While the finished product is beautiful, the process of installing the benches and the sign was pretty fascinating. My two year old son and I spent about an hour watching the team use a crane to move the stones from the truck and install them in the Park. Enjoy the pictures below!

See you at the Park!

Erin Kauffman, DCP Executive Director

On April 16th, a large group of folks from Berkshire Hathaway Home Services and Old North State Landscaping descended upon their adopted garden in the southwest corner of the Park to do a spring spruce up! Weeds were pulled, bushes were pruned, ground was mulched, plants were planted and a new pathway was installed. It’s never been more beautiful! If you get a chance, take a stroll through this lovely corner of the Park.

Enjoy some during and after pictures!

Thanks so much to Tracey Goetz, Berkshire Hathaway and Old North State Landscaping for their dedication to Durham Central Park!

Adopted by the Durham Central Park Board of Directors April 20, 2016: Durham Central Park, Inc. does not and shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, national original, disability, marital status, sexual orientation or military status, in any of its activities or operations or activities. These activities include, but are not limited to, hiring and firing of staff, selection of volunteers and vendors and provision of services. We are committed to providing a welcoming and inclusive environment for all members of our staff, clients, volunteers, subcontractors, consultants, vendors and the general public.

Durham Central Park, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. We will not discriminate and will take affirmative action to ensure against discrimination in employment, recruitment and advertisements for employments, compensation, termination, upgrading, promotions, and other conditions of employment on the basis of race, color, gender, national origin, age, religion, creed, disability, veteran’s status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression or genetic information.