In the vein of Raleigh’s annual springtime Hen-side the Beltline Tour d’Coop, Bull City Chickens (bullcitychickens.com), a group of henhouse enthusiasts in Durham, has announced its first Bull City Coop Tour for Saturday, Oct. 22. Thirteen of the city’s chicken coops will be open to visitors from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Some are part of co-housing communities and neighborhood gardens; one backyard coop is made from a recycled swing set. Pick up maps for the self-guided go-round at the Durham Farmers’ Market and at Bull City Burger and Brewery. Suggested donations are $5 per adult and $20 per carload, with proceeds going to the Welcome Baby nonprofit program in support of its efforts to provide cribs to expectant mothers.
Following the tour is the Chickenstock festival from 4 to 7 p.m. on BCBB’s back patio. The free event features education on chicken-raising and awards for “Durham’s top-rated roosts,” plus live music by Mark Holland from Jennyanykind, Sequoya, Curtis Eller and Effingham.
Leading up to Saturday, a handful of Durham restaurants have been featuring local eggs in special dishes for the Eggalicious! series. Participants are BCBB, Elmo’s Diner, Mad Hatter, Piedmont, Rue Cler, Saladelia Cafe and Toast.
Details on the tour, the festival and the series can be found at the Bull City Chickens website.
Speaking of the Hen-side folks, longtime chicken-keeper Bob Davis is offering two sessions of Chicken Keeping 101 at NCSU in Raleigh: Saturday, Oct. 29, at 10 a.m. and Sunday, Oct. 30, at 2 p.m. The $5 talk (the same both days) will cover the details of chicken care, including sources of birds, housing, feeding and health. See tourdcoop.com for more info.
In Carrboro, the 4th Annual Urban Farm Tour (carrborogreenspace.org) kicks off at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 29, ending with a community potluck at 6:30. The circuit begins at the gravel lot across from Weaver Street Market, where maps are available with a $3 suggested donation. Bike-led tours and walking tours start on the hour, with one in Spanish at 3 p.m. The tour highlights more than a dozen fall gardens with winter greens, mushroom cultivation, beekeeping and chicken coops. The potluck will take place at the Bolin Creek Cooperative at 100/102 Crest St. For more info, visit the website.
Monday, Oct. 24, is national Food Day (foodday.org), and a slew of Triangle events aim to promote access to and awareness of healthy food. Raleigh’s events include a day at the N.C. Legislature dubbed North Carolina Food Access Game Changers, beginning at 10 a.m. with keynote speaker Barry Popkin, author of The World Is Fat. A mini farmers market will be available during breaks. A donation of fresh fruits or vegetables to be distributed to food-insecure N.C. residents is suggested. Elsewhere, UNC-Chapel Hill has collected student videos and posters for a competition on themes related to healthy eating. Winners will be announced before a screening of Food Fight, a documentary by Chris Taylor, at 7 p.m. in Hamilton Hall. And the Carrboro Farmers Market will celebrate Food Day on Saturday, Oct. 22, with several sampling stations. See the Food Day website for details and more events.
