Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/1497864
4 UCW APRIL 27 - 30, 2023 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM S A N C T I O N E D E V E N T S Soap Box Derby returns by CHAYENNE BURNS After 50 years, the Soap Box Derby returns to Fayetteville on Saturday, April 29 at the Charlie Rose Agri- Expo Center at 8 a.m. The public is invited to watch the racers compete. The grand marshal of the occasion will be Billy Spears, who took home first place in the 1947 Fayetteville race. In-person registration is underway. The Stock division is open to kids aged 7 to 13, and the Super Stock divi- sion is open to ages 9 to 18. The winner of each division will be awarded a trophy and the chance to compete in the national competition, which will take place in Akron, Ohio, in July. Most racers buy a vehicle kit and build their derby car to compete in the downhill gravity racing event. But, the Kiwanis Club donation car program loans racers to children from low-income, Gold Star, and handicapped veteran households. Anyone can donate to the program through the Kiwanis Club of Cape Fear. For more information, visit w w w.capefear.soapboxderby.org. In a display of community and partnership leading up to the Dog- wood Festival, some local events are approved as Sanctioned Festi- val Events. One such event was the Fayetteville Technical Community College Foundation's 3rd annual Trojan Fit 5K Color Run/Walk on April 22. People of all ages and fitness levels walked, ran, or strolled their way through FTCC's beautiful campus on Hull Road to raise money for the FTCC Foundation. The foundation, which oversees charitable giving for the college, manages scholarships, grants and other monies that might benefit its students' unfulfilled needs. "We want to bring everyone to our beautiful campus for a day of fun and fitness. This time of year, everything is in bloom, and people will get to see parts of our campus they've likely never seen before," said Sandy Am- mons, the Executive Director of the FTCC Foundation. Participants in the 5K received 1st, 2nd or 3rd place medals before the after party, which offered food trucks, vendors and music — a fitting preview of all the good things to come. FTCC Foundation hosts Trojan Fit 5K Color Run by ASHLEY SHIRLEY Crimestoppers host annual BBQ by KATHLEEN RAMSEY While not located in the thick of the Dogwood Festival, the Crimestoppers BBQ will host a Dogwood sanctioned event at 2800 Raeford Road — their annual BBQ plate fundraiser. Crimestoppers assists the local po- lice agencies by paying money from arrests made off anonymous tips. "This is our primary fundraiser so we always have money to pay out reward monies with," said Duncan Hubbard, Vice Chairman of Fayette- ville-Cumberland Crimestoppers. The group's goal is to sell 3,000 plates of BBQ from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday, April 28. Plates will be $10 each, extra donations optional, and will feature chopped BBQ pork, coleslaw, potato salad and dinner roll. "You can buy a plate. You can buy one. You can buy ten. You can buy twenty," Duncan said. All-American Tattoo Convention already planning for next year by ASHLEY SHIRLEY The All-American Tattoo Con- vention wrapped up its sixth year April 14 to 16 at the Crown Complex Expo Center in Fayetteville. The AATC is the largest tattoo convention in the southeastern United States. It offers an oppor- tunity for America's heroes to be tattooed by some of the best artists in the field. Rippling dragons, coy pin-up girls and geometric shapes of all sizes and gradients were inked onto biceps, quadriceps and even the bottoms of feet. Beautiful body art in vibrant col- ors, intense blacks and eye-popping detail was fully displayed over the three-day event. Soldiers and civilians from across the region saw their tattoo visions come to life under the skillful hands of over 50 tattoo artists. Emceed by Spike Tv's Joey Tattoo, former host of "Tattoo Rescue," the AATC offered ticket-holders a little bit of everything throughout the jam- packed weekend. Celebrity guest, actor Robert Mukes, from the cult horror film "House of 1000 Corpses" made an appearance, as well as perfor- mances by Air Born Aerial Fitness and Fayetteville Roller Derby Rogue Rollergirls. Food for nearly every taste and appetite was offered through the All-Amerian Food Truck Rodeo, and guests were treated to the 6th Annual Miss All-American Pinup Contest. In the spirit of competition, every day of the convention allowed artists to put their best needle forward with several contests throughout the day. Artists could enter their work for Best in Show, Tattoo of the Day, or enter for placement, color, gray-scale, or style — giving these incredible artists a platform where their work can be acknowledged and rewarded while surrounded by a community of their fans and peers. Next year's event promises to be bigger and better, with an estab- lished date of April 12-14, 2024. For more information about the convention, artists, or registration, visit https://allamericantattoocon- vention.com/ or call 910-850-2566.