Daylight Saving Time hit this weekend. It's been on the calendar for months — we all knew it was coming — and somehow that one little hour still got me. I haven't changed the clock in my car, so each time I get in it, I feel like I am ahead of the class; each time I get out I'm slightly disappointed by reality. My son's bedtime routine is now up for debate, my brain is starting to clear the fog and I am starting to embrace my growing dependence on good cappuccino. But more on that next week.

Funny how change works, right? Even when you see it coming, even when you've marked it on the calendar and set a reminder, it still catches you a little sideways. For some of us, a little. For others of us, a lot.

But with this one comes the extra evening light — sunset strolls, patio dinners, convincing ourselves 7 p.m. is still afternoon, warmer air, and everything starting to wake up again. Growth. Renewal. A little disruption is usually the price of admission for something better on the other side.

Embrace the change. Or at least roll with it. And if you can't do either — just don't change the clock in your car. It buys you a little something. In seven months, it'll be right again.

Enjoy your time.

Saturday, March 14 is Pi Day — as in 3.14, as in the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter, as in the best excuse you'll get all year to eat pie for math reasons. Here's where to cash in locally and nationally.

Local Triangle Deals

The Durham Hotel (Downtown Durham) — Pi(e) Day event on Saturday, March 14, 2–5 p.m. in the Coffee Bar. Durham baker Phoebe Lawless will be selling slices of her Chocolate Chess, Lemon Chess, and Buttermilk Sugar pies for $3.14 each. While supplies last — and if you've had Phoebe's pies before, you know they won't last long. 315 East Chapel Hill Street, Durham.

Durham Central Park "Pi(e) Day" — In past years, Durham Central Park has offered free slices of community-baked pie starting at 4 p.m. on Pi Day. We haven't seen official confirmation for 2026 yet, but it's worth checking the Durham Central Park events page or Triangle on the Cheap closer to Saturday. If it's happening, it's free and it's delightful.

Harris Teeter — Last year, Harris Teeter offered $3.14 off pizzas and 9-inch pies with a VIC card. Check your store's weekly ad or the app to see if the deal returns this Saturday — if it does, that's your grocery run sorted.

National Chain Deals

Blaze Pizza — Buy one 11-inch pizza, get a second for $3.14. In-store only at participating locations. Plus you'll get a digital code for another BOGO deal to use through the end of March. Nearest location is in Durham.

Marco's Pizza — Medium 1-topping pizza for $3.14 with purchase of any large or extra-large at regular price. Use code PIDAY online or in the app.

Burger King — Free Hershey's Sundae Pie or Cinnamon Apple Pie with a $3.14 purchase. Royal Perks members only, through the app or website.

7-Eleven / Speedway — Reward members get a whole pizza for $3.14 in stores or through the 7NOW app on March 13 and 14. Also: 31.4-cent cinnamon sugar fried pies and $3.14 quesadillas at Laredo Taco Company locations.

BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse — Full-size Classic Pizookie for $3.14 when you buy a Large or Shareable Pizza.

Newk's Eatery — $3.14 Classic Pizza with purchase of an entrée.

Pizza Hut (via DoorDash) — Buy one medium or large "Create Your Own" pizza, get one free on March 14.

Crumbl — Cookie Dough Pie available through March 14 as their Pi Day special. Brown sugar graham crust, cookie dough cream cheese filling, whipped cream, mini chocolate chips. This is not diet food and that's fine.

Domino's — Any pizza, any toppings, $9.99 (up to 7 toppings). Available through April 6.

All deals are at participating locations, while supplies last. Check apps, websites, and your local store before heading out — because nothing is more irrational than driving across town for a deal that's already gone. (See what we did there?)

Thursday–Sunday, March 12–22

Macbeth at PlayMakers Repertory Company Joan H. Gillings Center for Dramatic Art, 120 Country Club Rd., Chapel Hill Box office: 919-962-7529 playmakersrep.org/show/macbeth

Friday, March 13

UNC Spring Break Begins at 5 p.m. — Downtown businesses, brace yourselves for the quiet. Students scatter, parking opens up, and Franklin Street gets that ghost-town-in-a-good-way energy. Classes resume March 23.

Jack the Radio at Cat's Cradle Back Room 300 E. Main St., Carrboro | Doors 7 p.m., show 8 p.m. Local favorites playing ahead of their new album.

Saturday, March 14 - Pi Day

Whimsey Wonders Workshop Speakeasy inside the Rainbow Exchange Market, 100 E. Main St., Carrboro | 2:00–5:00 p.m. | Free. Storytime, crafts, snacks, and a mini dance party for kids — hosted by Ritzy Clown from Triad Alternative Artists. A queer-run, kid-centric afternoon for the whole family. While you're there, explore the Rainbow Exchange vendor market.

Carrboro Winter Farmers' Market Carrboro Town Commons, 301 W. Main St. | 9 a.m.–12 p.m. Still in winter hours, but spring is coming. Baked goods, local meats, seasonal produce, and the coffee guy alone is worth the trip.

🥧 It's Pi Day! March 14 = 3.14 = deals on pizza pies and dessert pies everywhere. See our Pi Day roundup above for local and national deals — including $3.14 slices from Phoebe Lawless at The Durham Hotel and chain deals at Blaze Pizza, Marco's, Burger King, and more.

Sunday, March 15

🍺 Fermentation Fest at The Plant 220 Lorax Ln., Pittsboro | 12:00–6:00 p.m. | FREE. The Plant's first-ever Fermentation Fest — beer, cider, kombucha, sourdough, pickles, and more. Tastings, demos, workshops, live music, and pop-up vendors. Sourdough competition at 2 p.m. (email [email protected] to enter). Sip the Chatham Beverage District while you're at it — bmc brewing, Starrlight, Fair Game, and Koshu are all on-site. Free parking. Leashed pets welcome outdoors.

The Bazaar Craft & Art Market Carrboro Town Commons, 301 W. Main St. | 12:00–5:00 p.m. | FREE. Shop handmade crafts and creations from 20+ local makers, plus food trucks, craft beer, coffee, and kombucha. Face painting and more. Family-friendly. Same day as Fermentation Fest in Pittsboro — pick your adventure or do both.

The Early November + Hellogoodbye at Cat's Cradle 300 E. Main St., Carrboro | Doors 7 p.m., show 8 p.m. If you had a MySpace page in 2006, this is your night. Two mid-2000s emo/pop-punk staples on the same bill.

Wednesday, March 18

iPhone Camera & Photos Class — Seymour Center 2551 Homestead Rd., Chapel Hill | 1:00–3:00 p.m. Learn how to use the best point-and-shoot camera you already own. Bring your iPhone, charging cord, and Apple ID. Call 919-968-2070 to enroll.

Bikes! Maintenance and Best Practices Dr. MLK Jr. Park, 1120 Hillsborough Rd., Carrboro | 4:00 p.m. Learn the basics of keeping your bike in shape. Great timing with spring weather on the way.

Thursday, March 19

Pop-Up Library at the Seymour Center 2551 Homestead Rd., Chapel Hill | 10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. Chapel Hill Public Library brings staff, books, tech help, and library card sign-ups to the Seymour Center. Get eBook help, book recommendations, and a good chat.

Friday–Sunday, March 20–22

🎸 5th Annual Carrboro Django Reinhardt Festival Cat's Cradle Back Room, 300 E. Main St., Carrboro | Doors 7 p.m., shows 8:00–10:30 p.m. | Mostly seated. World-class gypsy jazz with performers from the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, and the US. Friday: Voyage Hot Club ft. Sam Farthing & Paulus Schaefer. Saturday: Paulus Schaefer and Friends. If you've never heard live Romani swing in a small room, this is the one. Workshops and jam sessions throughout the weekend, with events also at Lapin Bleu bar in Chapel Hill.

Saturday, March 21

Orange County Creek Week Kick-Off Drakeford Library Complex, 203 S. Greensboro St., Carrboro | 11:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m. | FREE. Outreach tables, speaker series, and free activities about local waterways. Pick up a scavenger hunt card. Also happening: the 36th Annual Haw River Clean-Up-A-Thon — register a cleanup site. Creek Week runs March 21–29 with 20+ events countywide.

Riding the Wave! Pump Track Dr. MLK Jr. Park, 1120 Hillsborough Rd., Carrboro | 9:00 a.m. Bikes, scooters, and spring break energy. Great for kids who need to burn it off.

BENEE with BAYLI at Cat's Cradle 300 E. Main St., Carrboro | Doors 7 p.m., show 8 p.m. The New Zealand pop star behind "Supalonely." If that was your pandemic anthem, you know what to do.

Carrboro Winter Farmers' Market Carrboro Town Commons, 301 W. Main St. | 9 a.m.–12 p.m.

Sunday, March 22

39th Annual Chapel Hill-Carrboro CROP Hunger Walk Carrboro Town Commons, 301 W. Main St. | Registration 1:30 p.m., step-off 2:30 p.m. | FREE to walk; fundraising encouraged. Three-mile route through Carrboro and the UNC campus (one-mile option available). Goal: $50,000. Family and dog friendly. Come early for live music, food, UNC mascot Rameses, and a Fleet Feet drawing.

EVERY WEEK

Carrboro Winter Farmers' Market — Saturdays, 9 a.m.–12 p.m., Carrboro Town Commons

Chapel Hill Farmers' Market — Saturdays, University Place, 201 S. Estes Dr., Chapel Hill

Live Jazz at Yonder — Thursdays, 8–10 p.m., Hillsborough. Rotating local and traveling jazz musicians.

The Sunday Show — Monthly standup comedy showcase, Hillsborough. New lineup of talent every month. Hosted by Josh Rosenstein.

CHCCS School Closures Moving Forward — The school board voted 4-3 on March 6 to conduct a closure study on Seawell, Glenwood, and Ephesus elementary schools, with closures potentially happening in fall 2027 at the earliest. The district is facing a projected $3–7 million budget deficit driven by declining enrollment — once a district of about 12,000 students, CHCCS is projected to drop to around 9,500 over the next decade. Frank Porter Graham and Estes Hills were taken off the table since the board already voted to rebuild them with bond funds.

Sen. Graig Meyer Resigning March 31 — Meyer is stepping down after 12 years in the General Assembly to become executive director of the North Carolina Justice Center. The race to replace him is already on: Rep. Allen Buansi (Chapel Hill/Carrboro) launched his campaign Tuesday, Rep. Renée Price from Hillsborough entered her name Wednesday, and Democratic Party First Vice Chair Jonah Garson is also campaigning for the appointment. Governor Stein will formally appoint whoever the local Democratic executive committee selects.

Eastgate Continues Its Comeback — Kipos Greek Taverna reopened in mid-February with a fully transformed space. Snooze reopened March 1, and Aldi is expected back this spring. The Loop came back in late January after six months of renovation. Clean Juice, whose equipment and refrigeration were destroyed by the flooding, has completed its renovation with new equipment installed — check their hours at the Eastgate location. Still waiting on Petco, Restore Hyper Wellness, and ULTA, all targeting spring reopenings.

Carolina North Campus Expansion — UNC is moving forward with plans for its largest campus expansion ever, transforming the 200-acre former Horace Williams Airport site into a mixed-use district with student housing, retail, restaurants, and entertainment. They're looking to break ground summer 2027.

Chapel Hill Community Center Closing for HVAC Work — Starting March 23, the Community Center will close while crews replace the HVAC system, with a reopening expected in May.

I-40 Off-Ramp Closures — NCDOT is conducting nightly closures of the westbound off-ramp from I-40 to NC Highway 86 for concrete removal. Plan accordingly if that's your route.

Pittsboro: New Town Hall Moving Forward — The Pittsboro Board of Commissioners is advancing plans for a new Town Hall building and considering a proposed 98-lot subdivision on Old Graham Road.

Hillsborough: Water & Sewer Bonds + No Mow March — The Hillsborough Board of Commissioners is considering a resolution allocating up to $8.5 million in water and sewer revenue bonds for facility renovations. The town is also promoting No Mow March — skip the mower and let early spring pollinators do their thing.

Chatham County: Growth Planning Underway — Chatham County Commissioners met jointly with the school board in early March to plan for future growth, including Chatham Park. Chatham's trajectory is the opposite of CHCCS — they're planning for more students, not fewer.

Orange County: Free Bus Service Continues — Orange County's fare-free pilot program for its four fixed-route bus services launched in January and runs through the end of 2026. The Hill-to-Hill connector between Hillsborough and Chapel Hill is included. If you haven't tried it, now's the time.

Chapel Hill Insider is your weekly guide to the people, places, and stories that make our community special. Know someone we should feature? Have a story tip? Reply to this email.

Big news: Ed King's beloved hand-drawn Chapel Hill Cartoon Map is now available digitally! In partnership with the original artist, we've brought this charming map—capturing every quirky corner and beloved business in our town—into the digital age.

Until next time,

Be in the know!