Last week we asked you to save the date. Here's the rest of the story.

The first Chapel Hill Biscuit Festival takes over the weekend of Oct. 24 and 25, and all of its proceeds go to SECU Family House at UNC Hospitals. The festival's founding chair is Spring Council, daughter of the late Mildred "Mama Dip" Council, so it's safe to say these folks know their way around a biscuit.

Saturday, Oct. 24, is for the kids. A hands-on baking class for ages 8 to 12 at SECU Family House, 123 Old Mason Farm Road, teaches a classic savory Southern biscuit and a sweet drop biscuit. Then the kids sit down at a biscuit bar with local honey, molasses, and jams, and head home with a chef's apron, a goodie bag, and a mason jar of biscuit mix they packed themselves. Space is limited to 50 young bakers, and 100% of the class fee goes to the Family House.

Sunday, Oct. 25, 2 to 6 p.m., is the Chef's Tasting at American Legion Post 6, 3700 N.C. Highway 54, with savory and sweet creations and local spirits. The lineup: Sam Suchoff of Lady Edison Pork and The Pig, Brian Wiles of Rise Southern Biscuits & Righteous Chicken, Sera Cuni of Feed-Well Fridges, Tie Whittaker of Buttermilk Boutique, Britny Stephenson of Ashley Christensen's AC Restaurants, Marvin Ross of Peculiar Pig Farm, Lynn Well of Thyme Spent Personal Chef, Chris McLaurin of Lutra Cafe & Bakery, Oscar Johnson of Jimmy Pearls, cookbook author Nancie McDermott, and Tonya Council of Tonya's Cookies, whose café we wrote about after last month's fire.

Why the Family House matters. If you've driven down Old Mason Farm Road, you've passed it. SECU Family House is a 75-room home for adult patients and their families who travel long distances for care at UNC Hospitals. Guests are referred by their medical providers, and admission is prioritized by the patient's medical condition.

In a typical year, the house welcomes more than 6,000 guests, from all 100 North Carolina counties and beyond, and it has hosted more than 35,000 since it opened in 2008. The Family House says stem cell transplant patients who stay there save an average of more than $10,620. That's a lot of nights a family got to spend close to the person they love.

Want a preview? Spring Council and chef Bill Smith are teaching "Baking Biscuits, Southern Style" at the N.C. State Fair this Friday, Oct. 16, at 2 p.m. More on the fair below.

SAVE YOUR SEAT AT THE BISCUIT TABLE →

Early voting for the Nov. 3 general election begins today and runs through Saturday, Oct. 31. You can vote at any of Orange County's six early voting sites, no matter where in the county you live.

Where to vote early:

When: All six sites keep the same hours. Weekdays, 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Saturdays, Oct. 17 and 24, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sundays, Oct. 18 and 25, noon to 5 p.m. The last day is Saturday, Oct. 31, when voting ends at 3 p.m.

Bring a photo ID. You'll be asked for one at check-in. A North Carolina driver's license, a passport, a military or veteran ID, or an approved student or government employee ID all work, and most IDs expired for a year or less still count. If you don't have one, you can still vote: you'll cast a provisional ballot and fill out an ID exception form.

Not registered? You can register and vote at the same time at any early voting site. Bring proof of where you live, like a North Carolina driver's license, a current utility bill, a bank statement, or a paycheck. Students can use a college document that shows their current address.

Voting by mail? The deadline to request an absentee ballot is Tuesday, Oct. 20, at 5 p.m. Completed ballots are due by 7:30 p.m. on Election Day, and you can return yours at an early voting site while it's open.

On Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3, polls are open 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. at your assigned precinct.

CHECK YOUR REGISTRATION AND SEE YOUR SAMPLE BALLOT →

Fire Station 4, at Weaver Dairy Road Extension and Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., opened in 1982, and the Town says it is now beyond repair. On Oct. 7, the Town Council unanimously approved the rezoning that clears the way to replace it.

The new station will go up next door, on the site of the fire training facility, so the current station stays in service during construction. Demolition of the training facility is expected later this year, with construction bids in mid-2027. Once the new station opens, the old one comes down and that corner becomes affordable housing, between 65 and 105 units according to the Town's project page.

Both pieces come from the 2024 bond voters approved: about $10 million for the station, plus part of the $15 million for affordable housing, alongside state housing tax credits.

Chapel Hill's Land Use Management Ordinance, the rules for what can be built where, dates to 2003. The Town has rewritten it top to bottom, and the public hearing is next week.

The Planning Commission meets Tuesday, Oct. 20, at 6 p.m. to adopt its recommendations, and the Town Council holds its hearing Wednesday, Oct. 21, at 6 p.m., both at Town Hall. The earliest the council could adopt the new rules is Nov. 18.

Online comments on the draft closed Sept. 30, but you can still speak at either meeting or email the council at [email protected]. If you have thoughts about housing, parking, or what might go up next door, this is the time to share them.

The Ackland Art Museum has a $20 million lead grant from the William R. Kenan Jr. Charitable Trust toward a planned $70 million expansion. The gift honors Thomas S. "Tom" Kenan III, UNC Class of 1959, for nearly 50 years of dedication to the arts.

The expansion would add about 40,000 square feet, doubling the museum's footprint at 101 S. Columbia St. It would also create Thomas S. Kenan III Place, a central green space meant to anchor a new arts and culture district where campus meets downtown.

It's early. No construction dates are set, and UNC says the design process will include engagement with campus and Chapel Hill stakeholders.

On Oct. 6, Carrboro's chief sustainability officer, Amy Armbruster, brought the Town Council a proposal: a voluntary partnership with CompostNow for curbside food-scrap pickup at $19 a month, guaranteed for three years. That's about half the company's standard rate of roughly $39.

CompostNow takes meat and dairy, and residents with mobility issues would get doorstep service at the same $19 rate. The Town wouldn't pay for the service, and the free drop-off sites at Town Hall, Jones Ferry Park and Ride, and MLK Jr. Park aren't going anywhere.

Mayor Pro Tem Eliazar Arturo Posada-Orozco Jr. raised a fair question about whether low-income households can afford it. Next, the Town will gauge interest, so if you'd sign up, or wouldn't, now's the time to say so.

Carrboro's Town Hall at 301 W. Main St. was a school from 1922 to 1959. Town Manager Patrice Toney told The Daily Tar Heel it has no elevator and inadequate emergency exits.

The plan is to replace the Carrboro Century Center, across from Weaver Street Market, with a new town hall. Energy audits found the Century Center uses about 82 percent more energy than similar buildings. Recreation, Parks and Cultural Resources has already moved to the Drakeford Library Complex, and staff are still looking for a temporary home for the police department.

It's early. The Town is hiring an architecture and engineering team now, and capital projects manager Mike Johnson said a project like this typically takes about a year to design and a couple of years to build. Keeping community space on the site remains a goal.

The N.C. State Fair runs today through Sunday, Oct. 25, in Raleigh. Today is the last day for discounted advance tickets online: $10 for adults, $5 for ages 6 to 12 and seniors, and free for ages 5 and under.

The new eats this year include Cheerwine Fried Corn Ribs, Pickle Cheesecake, Banana Pudding Flights, a Tiramisu Pizza Cone, and a Carolina Yam n Ham Biscuit for anyone who can't wait for the 25th. Also new: the America 250 Wheel, a 230-foot Ferris wheel with 45 presidential-themed gondolas. It takes a separate ticket from the ride wristband.

Two cooking demos have Chapel Hill ties. Spring Council and chef Bill Smith bake biscuits Friday, Oct. 16, at 2 p.m., and chef Ashleigh Fleming of Carol Woods cooks "Fresh From the Farmers Market" Tuesday, Oct. 20, at 2 p.m. Both are in the Got to Be NC Agriculture Pavilion inside Dorton Arena and included with fair admission.

Growler Grlz in Southern Village served its last day Oct. 9. Its flagship on Hope Valley Road in Durham is still open.

Kahlovera's Meadowmont location, 504 Meadowmont Village Circle, has closed. The Franklin Street location is still open.

Al's Burger Shack looks to be headed to Hillsborough. A building permit has been filed for 115 Oakdale Drive, Unit 1, the former Pizza Hut. There's no opening date yet. It would be the sixth location for the Franklin Street burger spot.

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