"Battle of Bands" Emcee & Music Judges Announced

Not only will a variety of music be served with the “Battle of the Bands” on September 18, but the season finale of the Clayton Town Square Concert Series will be seasoned with comedy since comedian Leroy Seabrooks has been named to emcee the event.



The Clayton Town Square Concert Series is presented by the Clayton Downtown Development Association (CDDA). The “Battle of the Bands” begins at 7:00 pm.

Leroy Seabrooks (left) has been performing for more than 15 years headlining at comedy clubs across the country. He has even opened for Jay Leno, Ray Charles and Pattie LaBelle. Seabrooks will introduce the five bands scheduled for the “Battle of the Bands” and entertain while each band sets up with routines about his childhood, raising his own children and advice on keeping relationships going. “Leroy is very entertaining and will keep us engaged during each break,” said Lyn Austin, CDDA’s Promotion Committee chair. “We’re very excited to have him as our emcee.”

Five bands from the Triangle region will perform at the Clayton Town Square Concert Series “Battle of the Bands”, a first-time event, on September 18. Only the top 3 bands will receive prizes of $1000, $500, and $250 respectively. The bands, in alphabetical order, are: Hip Sauce, Sandbox Band, South Station, The Grey Area, and The Whistlestop.

Four judges have been named to determine the top three bands in the contest.

Jody L. McLeod is a native of Johnston County and a life-long resident of Clayton. In 2003 he was elected as Mayor of the Town of Clayton and he is the first mayor to serve a four-year term. Mayor McLeod began his political career with the Town of Clayton in 1993 when he was elected to the Town Council as a Councilman and he also served asthe Mayor Pro Tem from 1995 to 1997. He currently serves on the Johnston Community College Foundation Board and the Johnston County Economic Development Board.



Bud Moffett is a New York native who spent 28 years in the music business as a lead singer, guitarist, and band leader. In touring extensively throughout the United States, and Canada, Bud has shared the stage with such music “legends” as, 3 Dog Night, Hank Williams Jr., The Band, Bo Diddley, Gregg Allman, The Marshall Tucker Band, Leon Russell, Delbert McClinton, and B.B King. Since moving to North Carolina 15 years ago, Bud has been a successful photographer, specializing in glamour and pageant photography.




By day, Cliff Morgan is a management consultant/trauma response specialist, at Nash Health Care Systems, in Rocky Mount, NC. By night, he co-owns, with his wife, Jodi Sager, the restaurant/music venue, The FlipSide, and coffee shop: The Coffee Mill, in downtown Clayton, at the corner of Second and Lombard Streets.





Heidi Stump is the Executive Director of The Clayton Center Auditorium and Conference Center. As Director, she selects and promotes shows for The Clayton Center Palladian Series and Sundays in Clayton performances. Prior to her position in Clayton, she served as the Performing Arts Coordinator for the Town of Cary following a career in event programming at college campuses in North Carolina and Virginia. She has served on numerous local and national artist selection panels for arts agencies.

The ballots will be tallied by Accounting Advantage, an accounting firm in downtown Clayton.

Refreshments available at the Town Square include pizza, hot dogs, beer, wine and soft drinks. Although folding chairs and blankets are encouraged for people to sit on, coolers are not allowed.

Sponsors for the concert series include Town of Clayton, Time Warner Cable, Clayton News Star, Novo Nordisk Pharmaceuticals, and Clayton Steak House. Contributing sponsors include Avent-Permenter Group Appraisals, Clayton Glass & Mirror, Hometowne Realty, Matthews Motors and True Line Surveying.

If you plan to attend the concerts, consider dinner out before the music begins. Downtown Clayton offers a variety of restaurants for an enjoyable pre-show meal. Consider The FlipSide on 408 E Second Street, 553-0123, Clayton Steakhouse, 307 E Main Street, 553-2299; Mulberry on Main Italian Restaurant 217 E Main Street, 550-7400 or El Sabor de Oaxaca, 226 E Main Street, 359-1477 for traditional Mexican cuisine. All are in the heart of downtown and within walking distance of the Town Square.

The Town Square is in downtown Clayton and sits between West Main Street and S. O’Neil and Fayetteville streets. For further information call (919) 553-1545.

From: The Coffee Mill and The Flipside!

"Early Bird" Special in The Coffee Mill
6:00 to 8:00
Medium brew coffee + a bagel = $3.00

Wednesday is Mid-week coffee break.
Buy 1 pound of fresh, locally roasted coffee and receive a medium espresso drink (with a flavor if you desire) FREE!

Come in and have lunch with us!
11:30 to 2:00
Call ahead if you want: 553-0123

Tonight is Open Mic with Tracy Wiebeck hosting.
Everyone is welcome!

Thursday is Karaoke with KJ Ray
What a blast karaoke has become.

Friday:
The Triangle's very own
Valentino and The Piedmont Sheiks
http://www.myspace.com/thesheiks

Saturday:
Lynn McGee and The Monarchs
http://www.myspace.com/lynnmcgeeandthemonarchs

REWARD OFFERED FOR VANDALISM INFORMATION

The Town of Clayton Police Department is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information that helps them find and convict those responsible for what Chief Glen Allen calls a “significant” amount of damage at the new Community Center work site over the weekend.

Detective Andy Jernigan is the lead investigator on the case, and the public can contact him at 919-553-1599 or 919-553-4611 with information.

“The damage at the work site is significant, but dollar estimates on the damage aren’t available yet,” Chief Allen said. “We’re aggressively pursuing this senseless act of vandalism, and we’re asking the community to help us out by providing any information they might have, no matter how insignificant they might believe it to be.”

Police believe those responsible broke into a construction trailer on the site late Saturday afternoon and managed to start up some heavy equipment, including a bulldozer. Using the heavy equipment, they damaged the buildings under construction, a large quantity of building materials as well as other equipment.

Town Manager Steve Biggs said the vandalism is certain to delay the expected spring opening of the town’s new Community Center, though an estimate of how long won’t be available until the contractor has a chance to evaluate the damage in more detail.

“We don’t yet have a report on how this vandalism will impact the construction schedule,” the Town Manager said. “I’m sure that will take a few days to compile.”

He said the project will get back on schedule as soon as possible.

“It’s unimaginable what motivates individuals to do something so senseless,” Biggs said. “I feel confident we’ll receive information from the community that will lead us to an arrest.”

The 30,000-sq.-ft., six million dollar Community Center complex at 715 Amelia Church Road will have classrooms for a variety of classes, a childcare center, and a gymnasium and lighted outdoor patio suitable for events and receptions. It will also be the new home of the Parks & Recreation Department.

Leadership Johnston County Accepting Applications Through August 22

Leadership Johnston County is accepting applications through August 22 (this Friday). It is sponsored by the Johnston County Chambers of Commerce and is a terrific program whether you've just arrived in the county or have lived here your whole life. There are a limited number of spaces available. Call the Clayton Area Chamber of Commerce (553-6352) for an application or email Kelly Wallace at Smithfield-Selma Chamber.

Sept 18 "Battle of Bands" Lineup

Five bands from the Triangle region have been selected for the Clayton Town Square Concert Series “Battle of the Bands” on September 18. A dozen bands from Boone to Rocky Mount applied for the five slots in which only the top 3 bands will receive the prize money of $1000, $500, and $250 respectively.
The bands, in alphabetical order, are:

Hip Sauce Fuquay-Varina
Sandbox Band Raleigh
South Station Raleigh
The Grey Area Raleigh
The Whistlestop Apex

The Clayton Town Square Concert Series is presented by the Clayton Downtown Development Association. All concerts begin at 7:00 pm and the final concert of the series will feature a Battle of the Bands on September 18.

Refreshments available at the Town Square include pizza, hot dogs, beer, wine and soft drinks. Although folding chairs and blankets are encouraged for people to sit on, coolers are not allowed.

Sponsors for the concert series include Town of Clayton, Time Warner Cable, Clayton News Star, Novo Nordisk Pharmaceuticals, and Clayton Steak House. Contributing sponsors include Avent-Permenter Group Appraisals, Clayton Glass & Mirror, Hometowne Realty, Matthews Motors and True Line Surveying.

If you plan to attend the concerts, consider dinner out before the music begins. Downtown Clayton offers a variety of restaurants for an enjoyable pre-show meal. Consider The FlipSide on 408 E Second Street, 553-0123, Clayton Steakhouse, 307 E Main Street, 553-2299; Mulberry on Main Italian Restaurant 217 E Main Street, 550-7400 or El Sabor de Oaxaca, 226 E Main Street, 359-1477 for traditional Mexican cuisine. All are in the heart of downtown and within walking distance of the Town Square.

The Town Square is in downtown Clayton and sits between West Main Street and S. O’Neil and Fayetteville streets. For more information and updates keep checking this blog. For further information call (919) 553-1545.

HIP SAUCE
Offers spicy rhythm and blues with a pinch of soul! Hip Sauce has been together for almost three years entertaining everyone around the triangle. They are comprised of five musicians and a lead vocalist, Wendy Turner.


















SANDBOX
This five-piece Raleigh/ Durham/ Chapel Hill band specializes in twangy, upbeat children's music. They are well known for their exceptionally fun, interactive performances and strong vocal presence.




















SOUTH STATION
They are the WQDR & Kenny Chesney "Next Big Star" Contest Winner, and open for Kenny Chesney Aug 22nd on the main stage at Walnut Creek Amphitheatre.

















THE GREY AREA
Powerful vocals, catchy guitar lines, driving bass, and thought-out arrangements make their sound hard to brush off as just a local act.












THE WHISTLESTOP
Country / Americana / Southern Gospel / Rock and Roll band from Apex with a sound that is indefinable!

Tax Seminars Scheduled for Small Businesses

Title: Tax Implications For Starting a Business
Johnston CC, Clayton
September 23 6-8 pm
Contact: Rosa Andrews

(To register for the tax seminars, contact your local community college or visit the Small Business Center website at www.sbcn.nc.gov)

(Raleigh) -- Gov. Mike Easley today announced a new state effort to help entrepreneurs and small business owners gain a better understanding of important North Carolina tax issues and provide the tools they need to meet their obligations and start their companies on the right foot. The effort, a joint program launched by the N.C. Department of Revenue and the N.C. Community College System, begins this month with an ongoing series of free seminars that will be held across the state.

“Small businesses are the foundation of our state’s economy,”
said Easley. “This partnership between our revenue department and community colleges will help those who run small businesses to understand and follow our tax laws so they can focus on making their businesses successful.”

Tax experts from the state Department of Revenue will conduct free seminars at most of the state’s Community College Small Business Centers starting Aug. 12 at James Sprunt Community College in Kenansville. Instructors at the seminars will provide information about a variety of tax laws and the requirements businesses must meet.
Additional seminars will be held in 2009 at each of the 58 community colleges. A list of 2008 offerings is attached.

The seminars will cover five key topics: tax implications for starting a business; tax implications for growing a business; the basics of sales and use tax; the basics of withholding taxes; and dealing with the N.C.
Department of Revenue.

The N.C. Community College System Small Business Center Network also launched a website, www.sbcn.nc.gov, with a section dedicated to tax information provided by the Revenue Department. The site is a one-stop resource for small business owners and offers a variety of helpful information such as entrepreneurship training, guides and tools for starting a business, information on government contracts and business publications. Small business owners can sign up for confidential one-on-one counseling through the website.

The website also features a section from the Department of Revenue that focuses specifically on tax issues for small business owners, such as their tax obligations, current announcements from the department, a tax checklist for starting a business, a guide for getting tax assistance and a list of helpful links. The tax section is located at:
www.sbcn.nc.gov/taxInfo/default.aspx

(To register for the tax seminars, contact your local community college or visit the Small Business Center website at www.sbcn.nc.gov)

"Breakfast Club" a Huge Hit in Clayton

The Clayton Town Square was swept back to the 1980's with Atlanta-based "Breakfast Club," the original 80's tribute band. It was cloudy, but dry all night as the band and audience of nearly 1,000 people rocked for two solid hours!

The next concert on September 18 will be the final show of the 2008 Town Square Concert Series. It will be a Battle of the Bands, featuring 5 Triangle-area bands. The names of the bands will be announced Friday, August 15 so check back on the blog about mid-day!

If you would like to be added to the Downtown Clayton Insider e-mail newsletter, as well as occasional announcements regarding upcoming downtown Clayton events, please send an email and include your name,email address and town you live in.

Creation Station is accepting new students for fall art classes

Registration is underway for Creation Station fall art classes. All classes are held at Eye of the Eagle Art center located at 131 East 1st Street in Clayton. New classes begin August 28. Art Explorers (ages 3-5) is offered weekly on Thursdays from 5:30-6:00pm. The fee for the 8-week series is $61. Community Artists (grades K-5th) is offered weekly on Thursdays from 6:15-7:15pm. The fee for the 8-week series is $77. Limited spaces are available; enroll early to ensure participation. Sibling discounts and financial aid is available for families that qualify. Call Creation Station at 550-8135 or email creationstation3@aol.com to register or for details about class.

McRay Brings Coastal Scenery to Clayton Center

Eric McRay of Raleigh will exhibit his artwork at The Clayton Center for the month of August, part of the monthly exhibits sponsored by Clayton Visual Arts.

A public reception for the artist will be held Thursday, Aug. 14, 6-7:30 p.m., in the lobby.

McRay, who paints with acrylics, has been featured on TV and radio and in numerous newspapers and magazines. He has a bachelor of fine arts degree from the Maryland Institute, College of Art, where he received a four-year scholarship.

The image above, a painting by Eric McRay entitled ‘Lucky Mule Auction Co.,’ is part of the August art exhibition at The Clayton Center.

Civil War Marker Installed

Last Wednesday night Clayton's first Civil War Trail marker was installed at the southwest corner of the Town Square along S O'Neil Street. The Clayton Historical Association applied for the marker which describes area and circumstances of the surrender of Raleigh to Union General William Sherman. The CHA is planning an official dedication of the marker and other activities on September 27, 2008. The Town of Clayton will install a walkway to the marker accessible from the parking lot later this month.