Union County Real Estate Talk

Charlotte NC Snow Day!

We don't have many opportunities for snow in Charlotte NC. But today is one of those rare days.  At my house we have about four inches of snow and brilliant blue skies.  Enjoy these photos that I took this morning around my yard.

Want to learn more about weather in Charlotte?

Moving from the North to Charlotte NC?  What You Need to Know about the Weather.

Copyright 2010.  Carol Fox.  Allen Tate Realtors.  *Charlotte NC Snow Day!*

Christmas in Charlotte NC Small Towns

Would you like to find a quaint, old-fashioned setting to celebrate Christmas?  You don’t have to travel far from Charlotte NC to find small, family-oriented holiday festivities.  Just stop by area small towns such as Matthews, Mint Hill and Lake Park.

This is a photo blog of Christmas in these small towns.  Enjoy the holidays!

Christmas in Matthews NC

Matthews NC has the most extensive festivities.  The holidays start in early December with a street festival, a tree lighting ceremony with entertainment and the arrival of Santa.  Downtown businesses also sponsor a candlelight holiday stroll later in the month.

Christmas in Mint Hill NC

Mint Hill NC also has a tree lighting ceremony.  These photos show the Mint Hill Town Hall with the tree in the plaza behind the building.

Christmas in Lake Park NC

Lake Park’s town center is decked out for Christmas.  Each of the town’s neighborhoods has a contest for the best decorated home.

Copyright 2009.  Carol Fox.  Allen Tate Realtors.  *Christmas in Charlotte NC Small Towns*

Veterans Day Activities in Charlotte NC Small Towns

Charlotte NC’s small towns are proud of their veterans and their service to the country.  Several area events honor local veterans this weekend, November 7th and 8th with additional ceremonies on Veterans Day, November 11th.  Here is a recap of some of the activities in the towns.

Monroe NC

The Warriers and Warbirds 2009 Air Show, one of the largest area celebrations takes place at the Charlotte-Monroe Executive Airport in Monroe NC.  This two-day airshow features the Flying Fortress B-17 bomber, the Memphis Belle, and three B-25 bombers.  Gates at the airport open Saturday and Sunday at 9am with the airshow starting at 12:30pm.  Dauntless Dive Bomber rides and helicopter rides will be available to those who want to know what it was like for the veterans to fly into battle.

Local pilots started Warriors & Warbirds in 2005 to preserve the history of aviation and to memorialize those who perished while serving their country.  The City of Monroe, the Veterans Council of Union County and local businesses support the organization and the airshow.

Matthews NC

At the Levine Senior Center in Matthews NC, daily events honoring veterans began on November 2 and continue until November 10th.  These special activities have included a USO show, patriotic music, an ice cream social, a veterans seminar, and a movie.  On November 9th, an F-4 cockpit simulator will be available. A veterans celebration with recognition and entertainment will take place on November 10th at the Levine Senior Center.

The Matthews Rotary Club will sponsor the 5th annual Matthews Rotary Bluegrass Festival on Saturday November 7th in Stumptown Park in downtown Matthews NC.  Activities include a 30-mile/60-mile Bike Ride, a 5K race, a one-mile fun run, a chili cook-off and bluegrass entertainers.

Read more about last year’s Bluegrass Festival:  Veterans Day in Matthews NC.

Mint Hill NC

The Mint Hill Historical Society presents a Salute to Veterans at the Carl J. McEwen Historic Village in downtown Mint Hill on Saturday November 7th.  The grounds of the Historic Village will have Civil War re-enactors and demonstrators and military memorabilia, equipment and uniforms will be on display.

Read more and view photos of last year’s event:  Veterans Day in Mint Hill NC.

Charlotte NC Festival in the Park

Late September is the perfect time for arts and crafts festivals in Charlotte NC and the surrounding small towns.  Summertime heat has cooled but the weather is still warm enough for shorts.  Summer vacations are finished and school has started so families have time to spend enjoying local outdoor festivals. 

The grand-daddy of all the Charlotte NC outdoor festivals is Festival in the Park, an annual event since 1964.  This year's Festival opened last night and will be held over the next three days, September 25th through 27th.  You can find Festival in the Park at Freedom Park, located between Charlotte's Dilworth and Myers Park neighborhoods.  Approximately 120,000 people attend Festival in the Park every year.

One hundred fifty artists and crafts exhibitors will set up tents around the lake at Freedom Park but the Festival is much more than an arts and crafts show.  Six stages at the Festival offer entertainment.  The Main Stage has rock and pop music plus the Charlotte Youth Symphony.  The Charlotte Folk Society will have bluegrass, folk, dulcimer and medieval/rennaissance music plus storytelling at their stage.  Children will enjoy the Carolina Clowns Stage and the Magicians Stage.  The Youth Talent Stage and the Theatre Stage will showcase other performing arts.

No outdoor festival is complete without carnival rides and food.  Festival in the Park provides a Youth Fun area around the locomotive that is a permanent fixture in the park.  You can find your favorite festival foods in the many booths at the park.  Go out and enjoy a Charlotte outdoor festival tradition this weekend.

Learn more about two other arts and crafts festivals in Matthews NC and Mint Hill NC this weekend.

Mint Hill NC's Favorite Festival is Mint Hill Madness

Downtown Matthews NC will be Filled with Artwork this Weekend

Copyright 2009.  Carol Fox.  Allen Tate Real Estate.  *Charlotte NC Festival in the Park*

You can find many opportunities for outdoor recreation in Charlotte NC and its small towns.  One of the best providers of recreational facilities and programs is the Mecklenburg County Parks and Recreation Department.  This department oversees a network of parks and nature preserves that are located throughout Mecklenburg County.  The mission of the Nature Preserve and Natural Resources Division is to protect the region's biodiversity and natural heritage by promoting open space preservation, conserving natural communities and fostering stewardship through environmental education and outdoor recreation.

Outdoor recreation in Charlotte includes six nature preserves.  A brief description of three of these county-run preserves follows.  These facilities have numerous programs for all ages.

Latta Plantation Nature Center and Preserve

The Latta Plantation Preserve is the largest in the parks system encompassing over 1300 acres on a peninsula jutting into Mountain Island Lake.  This preserve includes upland and bottom land forests and a prairie restoration project.  It has been designated as an important bird area due to the diversity of waterfowl that overwinter there.  The Nature Center has live animals and the Raptor Center is a rehabilitation center for birds of prey.  The Latta Plantation Equestrian Center offers horse back rides and horse shows.  Historic Latta Plantation is a living history farm and restored 19th century farmhouse.  Sixteen miles of trail wind through Latta Plantation Preserve.

McDowell Nature Center and Preserve

The McDowell Preserve has over a thousand acres with direct access to Lake Wylie.  It includes upland hardwood forest plus two grassland/shrubland prairies.  Canoeing, kayaking and fishing are popular activities at the preserve.  The preserve also has a 56-family campground with both tent and RV camping.

Reedy Creek Nature Center and Preserve

Reedy Creek is separated into Reedy Creek Park with fishing pond, picnic shelters and ballfields and Reedy Creek Preserve with over ten of trails in over 700 acres.  The ruins of the Robinson Rock House from the 1700s are located at the Reedy Creek Preserve.  The Reedy Creek Preserve protects a natural heritage site of woodlands more typical of the mountains.

Outdoor Recreation Programs at the Nature Centers and Preserves

The Mecklenburg Parks and Recreation Department publishes a catalog of programs available for outdoor recreation in these Charlotte NC preserves.  Examples of the programs follow:

• Nature clubs for homeschoolers
• Garden clubs for adults and youngsters
• Bird and tree hikes
• Geocaching and Segway hikes
• Junior naturalist programs
• Nature programs for parent-child interaction
• Kayak tours

Learn more about living and playing in Charlotte NC and its small towns at www.CarolinaSmallTownLiving.com.

Copyright 2009.  Carol Fox.  *Outdoor Recreation in Charlotte NC-Nature Centers and Preserves* 

The first signs of spring in my Charlotte NC garden.

Click here to learn more about gardening in the Piedmont region of the Carolinas.

About the author:  Carol Fox of Allen Tate Realtors has been gardening in Matthews NC for over twenty years.

Copyright 2009.  Carol Fox.  *My Charlotte NC Garden-First Signs of Spring*

My Charlotte NC garden is my passion.  My husband and I built our current home seven years ago.  Because we are both avid gardeners, choosing the right lot for our new home was just as important as choosing the right floor plan.  We needed a lot that would give us the opportunity to garden in both sun and shade and provide the wooded privacy that we wanted in the back.  We were lucky to find a lot near Matthew NC that met these criteria and more.  We were in love with the lot and still love it after seven years of gardening.

I am going to share my passion for gardening with you in a series called My Charlotte NC Garden.  My years of work as a real estate agent have reinforced the importance of an attractive landscape when selling a home.  There are basic things to know about gardening in Charlotte and the surrounding areas that will help you maintain a nice garden.  If you love gardening as I do, then Charlotte is a glorious place to live and garden.  I hope to share some of my favorite outdoor spots, including gardens and garden centers.  And I'll include in-depth information for those of you who spend as much time in the yard as I do.

Let's start with the basics of gardening in Charlotte NC.

• Charlotte is in the Piedmont of North Carolina.  Most of the soil in the Piedmont is a heavy red clay.  You can maintain a nice lawn and garden in red clay if you know how.  You don't have to truck in topsoil.
• Charlotte has a mild climate.  January is the coolest month with average highs and lows of 51 degrees and 32 degrees.  July is the warmest month with average highs of 90 degrees and lows of 71 degrees.  The temperatures can be very variable within a short period of time.  This week we will have two days with record low temperatures and two days with record high temperatures.
• When you are choosing plants, you need to know that Charlotte is in Climate Zone 7.  The line between Zone 7a and Zone 7b runs east to west through the middle of Charlotte.  This means that temperatures on the south side of town are slightly warmer than temperatures on the north side of town.
• Charlotte usually gets a fair amount of rainfall.  The average annual rainfall is about 43 inches.  Charlotte does go through periods of drought so it's important to plan for plants that can survive dry conditions.
• The best planting time for grass, trees and shrubs in Charlotte is in the fall after the heat of the summer is gone.  The median date for the last frost in Charlotte is April 15.  You should wait to plant annuals after that date even if the days are warm.

This should get you started if you are new to Charlotte NC or new to gardening.

Click here to learn more about homes and neighborhoods in Charlotte NC and area small towns.

Copyright 2009.  Carol Fox.  All rights reserved.  *My Charlotte NC Garden*

Where is the best Christmas lights display in Charlotte NC?

Spend an evening at Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden during the Christmas season and you will agree that you have found the best place to enjoy seasonal lights.   Not only can you walk the pathways of the garden with different areas highlighted with floral and nature lighting displays but you can also enjoy the spectacularly-lit Orchid Conservatory.  The Pavilion at Daniel Stowe has a tall tree decorated with orchids plus live music and hot beverages.  Local model railroaders have set up two model trains in the Orchid Conservatory and a large display in the Pavilion.

Enjoy these beautiful photographs from Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden and have a wonderful Holiday Season!

 Visit www.CarolinaSmallTownLiving.com for more information about living in the small towns of the Charlotte NC region.

About the author:  Carol Fox of Allen Tate Realtors has enjoyed the Charlotte NC Christmas season for over twenty years.

Copyright 2008.  Carol Fox.  All rights reserved.  "The Best Christmas Lights Display in Charlotte NC"