I recently spoke to each of the performers for our 10th Annual Pagan Pride Days Event and they are all excited about being there.  Each group/performer is ready for a great weekend of friends (new and old), vendors and entertainment.  We have a range of entertainment this year from Belly Dancing to drumming to Uilleann pipes.  A great time will be had by all.  Let's not forget to be prepared to give blood for the Red Cross and canned food for the Food Bank.  Let's make it 3 tons this year! See you there

This is our 10 year anniversary! To mark this momentous occasion, we are planting a Forest Pansy Redbud Tree on the NC State Fairgrounds.  Be part of this wonderful gift by becoming an Individual Supporter for as little as $5!  Join us on Sunday Evening during the Closing Ritual at 6pm to  charge the tree before it is planted at the fairgrounds!

The Ghosts of Erin will be back at the Central NC Pagan Pride Days Festival for the third year, on the main stage, Saturday at 3pm. 

The Ghosts Of Erin made their debut in 2006, sharing the stage with such Celtic notables as Albanach, Martin Furey, The Banshee Dancers and Seven Nations. In a short period of time, the band distilled from a 7 member traditional ceili format to a 4 piece dynamic - embracing the Uilleann pipes, Flute, Fiddle, Bodhran, Guitars, Vocals and Dancing - and expanding on regional Irish stylings to include Celtic song as well.

The Ghosts of Erin include Dr. Eric Hahn on Uilleann Pipes and Flute, Chad Roberts on Guitar and Percussion, Heather Roberts on Vocals and Dance and Jerry Jacuzio on Fiddle and Guitar.

There will be lots of entertainment on stage and around the festival on both days.   Check it out at:

                                 http://2010.cncppd.org/attend/entertainment

For the last two years we have asked Rex Blood services to send a blood bus to our event so that we as a community can give back to them.  This year we are really looking forward to working with them once again.  We'd love to have record numbers this year and registration is easier than ever this year as we have an online signup sheet.

Any person who registers and tries to donate on the day of the event will be given a special raffle ticket that will be for a selected item.  We can have 3 people donating every 15 minutes.  Last year we only had 22 units of blood donated so let's increase that number this year and really help the community.  Every unit of blood donated can save up to three lives.  For more information about Rex Blood Services and information about donation facts please see their site.

The Sojourner Whole Earth Provisions http://theSojo.com, will host overnight activities at the festival this year. They will make sure everyone is safe, manage the meals, arrange evening activities like a fire and drum circle, and generally look after things. This is a huge load they are taking off the festival staff and we all appreciate it.

If you want to spend the night in Raleigh, be sure to check out the accomodations options for hotel, camping and dorms at http://2010.cncppd.org/attend/accomodations.   To stay overnight inside the festival, you must register by September 11^th..

More than anything else, the Central NC Pagan Pride Days festival is a charity event, so be sure to bring a can of food each day to the festival for the Food Bank of Central and Eastern NC.  Every year we collect thousands of pounds of non-perishable food from attendees and donate it to the NC Food Bank. Last year we collected food and cash worth 4,100 meals, equivalent to almost two and half tons of food.   Lets do even better this year!  Not sure what to bring?

Check out the details on our Food Drive page:  http://2010.cncppd.org/attend/food-drive

One of the most demanding and important volunteer activities at our festival each year is hosting the front gate. This includes handing out programs, collecting a massive amount of donated food, and providing a welcoming face to thousands of attendees over the course of our two day event. Truely Unique http://truelyunique.com, one of our sponsors, has teamed up with the Wilson Pagans to cover the front gate from opening to closing on both days, a commitment of over 28 man hours. The Central NC Pagan Pride Staff sends out a special thanks to these wonderful people for taking on this important job.

We still have a need for lots of volunteers to bring off this festival without a hitch:

• Light Setup and Breakdown (Putting up canopies, setting out signs, organizing stations, etc.)
• Heavy Setup and Breakdown (Building the stage, setup tables/chairs, loading/unloading trucks, etc.)
• Running errands within the festival grounds.
• Manning a station and assisting with mini-events. (Front Gate, Auction/Raffles, etc.)
• Helping with Childrens' Activities

If you can spare an hour or two and want to help, signup at http://2010.cncppd.org/participate/volunteer.

The festival can't happen without lots of volunteers.  If you would like to help out with the festival, please fill in the Volunteer Form.  Be sure to mark every time and job you think you can help out with.  We will try to spread the work out evenly and will contact you to confirm before finalizing the volunteer schedule.

            http://2010.cncppd.org/participate/volunteer

You can help promote the event by telling your friends and customers about us.  Browse to the CNCPPD.org website and follow the Participate.../Promote menu links to find banners for your website, contact cards you can order from VistaPrint, and fliers you can print and handout.

                 http://2010.cncppd.org/participate/promote