Join us on Tuesday, May 9, for our first-ever statewide Rural Day. Learn about the issues facing rural NC, meet with state leaders, network with other rural champions, and help put Rural NC's best foot forward

Agenda 

Monday, May 8, 2017

Reel Rural: Documenting Rural Life
The Rural Center (4021 Carya Drive, Raleigh, NC 27610)
5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. - Meet and Greet Reception
6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. - Film Screening & Discussion
Come to town early and join us at the Rural Center for a conversation with filmmakers about recent depictions of rural North Carolina in documentary films. Featuring:
                     Randolph Benson, Duke Center for Documentary Studies
                     Erin Cuevas, Producer, The Real Mayberry
                     Bill Hayes, Director, The Real Mayberry
                     Ian Kibbie, Producer, Raising Bertie
                     Ryan Stancil, Bit & Grain

Tuesday, May 9, 2017

8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. - Convocation
NC Museum of History (5 E Edenton Street, Raleigh, NC  27601)
8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. -  Registration & Continental Breakfast

8:45 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. - Program
Rural Day kicks off with a convocation of rural champions from across the state. Join us for a continental breakfast and conversation with top state leaders about their vision for North Carolina. Then, get some advice from Rural Center staff about how best to engage with legislators and other public officials, and hear some examples of how to tell the "story of rural" from local leaders. Featuring:
                     Roy Cooper, Governor of NC
                     Dan Forest, Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina
                     Phil Berger, President Pro Tempore, NC Senate
                     Tim Moore, Speaker, NC House of Representatives
                     Steve Troxler, NC Agriculture of Commissioner

Rural Fair
NC Legislative Building (16 W Jones Street, Raleigh, NC  27601)
11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Before you visit your legislators, make sure to visit the Rural Fair, featuring more than 20 organizations from across North Carolina representing various rural issues. Want to learn more about policies affecting education? Health? Infrastructure? Business Development? Chat with experts and get useful information that will help you make a strong case for your interests when you meet with your elected officials. Featuring:
                    Appalachian Regional Commission
                    Business Link NC
                    Care4Carolina
                    Dominion Energy
                    ECC Technologies, Inc.
                    East Carolina University
                    Hinton Rural Life Center
                    MCNC
                    NC Community Health Center Association
                    NC Department of Commerce
                    NC East Alliance
                    NC Grange
                    NC Hospital Association
                    NC Rural Health Leadership Association
                    NC Sustainable Energy Association
                    Rosenwald Center
                    Vidant Health
                    ...and more!

"In Conversation"
NC Museum of History (5 E Edenton St, Raleigh, NC 27601)
11:30 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. - Michael Regan, Secretary, Department of Environmental Quality
1:00 p.m. - 1:45 p.m. - James Trogdon, Secretary, Department of Transportation
If you have some time between meetings with legislators, come back to the Museum of History for small-scale, informal conversations with leaders of state executive departments, who will be sharing their plans for rural North Carolina and ready to answer your questions!

Legislative Meetings Debrief
NC Museum of History Auditorium (5 E Edenton St, Raleigh, NC 27601)
2:00 p.m. - 2:45 p.m.
After you finish your meetings with your representatives, stop back by the Auditorium for a debrief session to let us know how they went. We'll compare notes about issues discussed and excting developments before heading to the reception to conclude the day.

Rural Day Reception
NC Executive Mansion (210 N Blount Street, Raleigh, NC 27601)
3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Celebrate a successful day in the gardens of the Governor's Mansion. Network with rural champions, catch up with old friends, and share your stories from your meeting with state leaders.

Happy Hour
The Raleigh Times (14 E Hargett Street, Raleigh, NC  27601)
5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Not ready to go home? Staying for the night? Join the few, the proud, and the lingering at a happy hour at The Raleigh Times. Just join us in the room closest to the Wilmington Street corner. Note: No RSVP needed for this event, where food and drink will be available for purchase.

Full Frame Documentary Film Festival in Durham is one of the world’s most prestigious celebrations of nonfiction cinema, and this year, the festival is celebrating its 20th anniversary on April 6-9. This is something you won't want to miss. 

From Full Frame:

"Since launching in 1998, Full Frame has earned an international reputation as the essential filmmaker’s festival, reflective of the soul, authenticity, diversity and independent spirit of our hometown here in Durham.  In addition to the screenings, parties and special events, Durham provides a welcoming and refreshing backdrop that makes Full Frame a unique and rewarding experience for all.  There’s nothing quite like staging a gathering of the world’s top documentary filmmakers in an atmosphere that blends artistic and intellectual courage with genuine Southern hospitality.

This year’s thematic program will be a cinematic look back on 20 years of Full Frame, curated by Artistic Director Sadie Tillery.  The commemorative retrospective will highlight many of the notable films, filmmakers, and special moments that have distinguished Full Frame over two decades. We’re also excited about announcing new members of the Full Frame national advisory board, including Academy Award-winning filmmaker Roger Ross Williams. A member of the Board of Governors for the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, Williams won the Full Frame Audience Award in 2016 for his film, Life, Animated, which is currently nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.

This is the standard of quality for which Full Frame has become known. Please join us in Durham for our 20th Anniversary, April 6–9.   Our media relations team is prepared to assist you in any way necessary.  If you are unable to attend but would still like to cover the festival, we are able to support any requests for updates, images and summaries."

It’s no secret that Bit & Grain is a lover of the coast. A region recognized for its profound beauty, it is also a crossroads of complex reality, resilience, and opportunity. Few folks know the story of our coast better than our friends at North Carolina Sea Grant. Make plans now to join North Carolina’s Coastal Conference as Sea Grant reseachers and partners from across the state come together to discuss a range of critical issues including weather, storms and climate; community and ecosystem health; fisheries and aquaculture; planning and economics.

The deadline to register is quickly approaching (March 31). Learn more here.