Resort maps are highly recognizable maps of town, city, or multi-community areas. Visitors to the Central Park region are lucky enough to have two resort map options, one for the Sandhills area (including Pinehurst, Southern Pines, and Aberdeen) and another for Salisbury.

These maps include some highlights of these areas that were not included on our website or our Central Park NC attractions map. They are available in print throughout the region but it is very easy to browse their website.

July 11-13 will bring the Piedmont Triad Omnium to streets and roads throughout Davidson County. Jo Ellen Edwards, Executive Director of Tourism Recreation Investment Partnership for Davidson County, says that, "The Omnium will bring a cycling event and race experience reminiscent of the Tour Du Pont which passed through the Piedmont in the mid 1990's. It will give local residents an opportunity to watch and experience cycling events that typically occur in larger cities."

What is an Omnium? It is a series of race events that will include a criterium, a road race and a time trial. The Piedmont Triad Omnium is also a USA Cycling Sanctioned event.

A criterium is a fast paced, short circuit race that is designed to use the sharp turns and short distances of a downtown area. Speeds range from 25-35 mph, so this will not be a leisurely paced ride! The criterium will be held in Uptown Lexington on Friday, July 11th from 6:00-10:00 pm. The technical .9 mile rectangular shaped course winds through the southern portion of Uptown Lexington between West Center and West Fourth Avenue and South Main and South State Streets. The route provides for several great spots for folks to sit and watch the night's four races: the lawn at Arts United, on the square, while eating dinner at Café 35, and any of the church or bank parking lots along State Street.

The Road Races will begin at DCCC on Saturday at 8 am and wind through the rolling countryside going past Lake Thom-A-Lex and ending back at DCCC. The course will challenge all levels of riders and includes rolling terrain, several attention getting upturns (600ft/lap) and a 3.4 mile flat finish. Climbers will try to keep the sprinters at bay on this challenging 11.6 mile loop that is just off of Business I-85. Again, spectators are welcomed to watch the race unfold at both DCCC and Lake Thom-A-Lex.

The Sunday Time Trial will be in downtown Thomasville. A Time Trial is also known as The Race of Truth. Riders race against the clock in this 10 mile course throughout Thomasville. Beginning at 8 am, riders will leave one minute apart. The route will also provide several spots for folks to watch the cyclists.

The event also has a component for younger cyclists to participate. Sponsored by cyclesafe.org, youngsters can ride the Criterium course in Uptown Lexington. Children 5 and under will ride for 200 meters, 6-8 for 400 meters and 9-12 will ride 2 laps. Participation for children is free.

Cyclists and spectators can find more information about routes, prizes, and registration for the Piedmont Triad Omnium on their website.

Proceeds from the event will fund $8,000 in cash prizes for racers and the remaining amount will be split between the Central Carolina Chapter of the Multiple Sclerosis Society and TRIP for Davidson County Foundation.

Playing free concerts at the Union Power Stage in Oakboro this week:

July 1 (Tuesday)
GMC Praise Band

July 3rd (Thursday)
Too Much Sylvia

July 4th (Friday)
Blake Wise

July 5th Saturday)
Jim Quick & Coastline

For more information on the July 4th week(end) in Oakboro visit their website.

Here's something fun to do if you're in the Lexington area and like good music and a refreshing drink.

The Native Vines winery is putting together a summer music series held very 2nd and 4th Saturday starting July 12. The event will run from 5-10pm and includes a wine tasting and light hor doeuvres. There is a $10 admission, those admitted will be allowed to bring a cooler but outside alcohol is prohibited on premises.

No particular genre of music will be favored over any other and folks looking for a bargain can purchase a season pass to all 6 concerts in advance for $45.

Everyone interested should visit the Native Vines Winery website for more details.

North Carolina's Central Park region has some spectacular places for birders to find interesting and, in some instances, extremely rare, species of wild birds. The Stanly News and Press recently reported that a Stanly County resident's property is the nesting site of a rare albino bluebird.



A great way to locate birding opportunities in the Central Park is by way of the North Carolina Birding Trail Guide. There are sections of the guide specifically devoted to the Uwharrie region as well as the Pee-Dee region just south of the Uwharries.

Lots of web resources exist for birders but some specific to North Carolina include birding.com's website, the website for the Carolina Bird Club, and there are helpful websites with bird photos and information located here and here.

A great summertime event is just around the corner. The first annual Lake Tillery Music Festival kicks off in Norwood, NC with a full lineup of musical guests including:

• Clifford Curry
• Sammy Obanion & The Mardi Gras Band
• Billy Scott and The Party Prophets
• Bobby Donaldson
• Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs
• The Spongetones

The musicians names are, where possible, linked to MySpace pages where you can listen to a sample of their music.

In addition to a low $15 festival admittance fee there is a BYOB policy wherein bags will be checked at the door. A $1 charge will be assessed for beers and $5 for each bottle of wine. Food will be sold on premises and no single item will be more than $6.

This is a fantastic lineup of music with artists performing songs that you will no doubt recognize. Check out the Lake Tillery Music Festival website for more details.

The Tour de Kale comes to Denton this weekend - it begins on Friday, June 20th with a night run and continues on Saturday with the traditional Tour de Kale ride. The night run begins at 8pm at Harrison Park in Denton and the ride starts a little over 12 hours later at 8:30am at the Denton Farmpark.

There are registration fees but this is an extremely well-attended and popular event. Check out the Denton Orator for more details or visit the Tour de Kale website for videos, photos, cash prize information, and results from previous tours.

The Tour de Kale raises over $50,000 each year for charity and is well worth attending regardless of whether you plan to race.

Here's a fun idea for this Friday night - why not take a guided kayak tour by the light of a full moon?

The trip consists of transportation to the put-in site, a guided tour, lodging, and a continental breakfast. You will paddle out to a secluded spot on the lake and enjoy a late evening bonfire with refreshments before returning to shore to stay in comfort at the Bed & Bike Inn.

The price, as listed on the Visit Uwharrie website, is $135 per person or $225 per couple. These moonlight kayak adventures have been really popular -- there was originally only one scheduled for Saturday but it was booked so quickly that a Friday venue was added. As of Wednesday morning (June 18th) there were only 6 spaces available so call Uwharrie Tours (704-463-0768) as soon as possible to make your reservation.

One note to those interested in participating. The Saturday tour was scheduled for 5pm, I don't know whether the Friday trip will commence a little later to accommodate work schedules. May be worth asking about.