Every weekend, there is no shortage of activities in the greater Charlotte area. Here are a few top picks for this weekend.

North Carolina Dance Theatre's Innovative Works
This annual performance showcases original works by choreographers Uri Sands, Dwight Rhoden, Sasha Janes and Mark Diamond.
Friday and Saturday, Nov. 6-7, 7:30 p.m. at Booth Playhouse

Star Wars In Concert
This unique multi-media event features music from all six of John Williams' epic Star Wars scores.
Saturday,  Nov. 7, 7 p.m.  at Time Warner Cable Arena

14th Annual Rural Hill Sheep Dog Trials
More than 1o0 Border Collies compete in activities throughout the weekend. This event also features activities for the entire family.
Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 7-8, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Carolina Renaissance Festival
Travel back to 16th century Europe and live the live of the artisans at this annual Charlotte event.
Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 7-8, 10 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.

For the first time in 22 years Charlotte has elected a Democrat for mayor. Anthony Foxx, 38, defeated Republican nominee John Lassiter in the 2009 general election, thus ending the party's 22-year stronghold on the office of mayor for the city of Charlotte.

The race was close with Foxx receiving 51.32 percent of the votes according to unofficial results, however the voter turnout could have been better. Of the county's 243 precincts only two had a voter turnout greater than 50 percent. Eight precincts had less than 10 percent of its registered voters participate in this election.

What do you think Mayor-Elect Foxx's biggest challenges are when he takes office? Leave a comment below!

View all the unofficial Results from Mecklenburg County Board of Elections website.

Photo: Anthony Foxx for Mayor

At 7:30 a.m. Monday morning, crews will begin replacing the JFG Coffee billboard that has graced the outskirts of Uptown for four decades. The sign on Morehead St. will be replaced by a billboard for OrthoCarolina.

It's clear that Charlotte is a city in transition and the removal of the JFG Coffee sign is just another reminder of how quickly this city is changing.

And speaking of change, please get out and vote on Tuesday!

Photo: Brandon Uttley

Every weekend, there is no shortage of activities in the greater Charlotte area. Here are a few top picks for this weekend.

Charlotte Bobcats vs. New York Knicks
The Bobcats face the Knicks in their home opener.
Friday, Oct. 30, 7 p.m. at Time Warner Cable Arena

Charlotte Symphony Pops with Bernadette Peters
The Charlotte Symphony performs with the accomplished singer.
Friday Oct. 30, 7 p.m. at Belk Theater

Halloween in Charlotte
Celebrate Halloween in your community. Whether you attend a festival or accompany the little ones through the neighborhood, have a safe holiday.
Saturday, Oct. 31

Day of the Dead Festival of Souls
Experience a traditional Dia de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebration with activities, alters, food, story-telling and more in partnership with the Latin American Coalition
Sunday, Nov. 1, 12-4 p.m. at Levine Museum of the New South

In the last two weeks my thermostat has gotten quite the workout as I've had to switch from air-conditioning to heat and back again. But the cooler temperatures will settle in as November approaches and Piedmont Natural Gas has a plan in place to assist everyone in making sure their homes stay warm and comfortable.

Piedmont Natural Gas is teaming up with North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services and Crisis Assistance Ministry in Charlotte in a program called Share the Warmth which provides financial assistance to those struggling to pay utility bills such as funds can be used to pay energy bills throughout the year regardless of the energy source used in the home,  including natural gas, propane, oil, electricity, coal, kerosene and wood.

Piedmont Natural Gas customers can opt in to the program by agreeing to allow your monthly gas bill to be rounded up to the nearest dollar with the extra cents going into the Share the Warmth program. Opting into the program will cost no more than $12 a year. There are three ways for Piedmont customers to sign up:

1. Visit www.piedmontng.com and click on the Share the Warmth icon on the left-hand side of the page.
2. Call 1-800-752-7504
3. Complete the enrollment form on the back of their monthly bill and return it with their bill remittance.

Non-Piedmont customers may contribute by sending a check made out to Share the Warmth Round Up to:

Piedmont Natural Gas / Share the Warmth Round Up
Attn: Treasury Department
4720 Piedmont Row Dr., 8th Floor
Charlotte, NC 28210

• Setting up Utilities in Charlotte

Early voting for this fall's general election on Tuesday, Nov. 3 has been under way for a couple of weeks now and ends Saturday, Oct. 31. This is a very important election for the city of Charlotte as the city of Charlotte will elect a new mayor for the first time since 1995 as current mayor Pat McCrory has chosen not to seek re-election after serving a record seven terms. The two candidates in this year's election -- Democrat Anthony Foxx and Republican John Lassiter -- have proven track records of service and leadership and both have a vision for Charlotte.

"As a small business owner and experienced leader, I will work to rebuild our financial services sector and help grow our energy and healthcare job base," Lassiter said in a provided statement.

Foxx also provided a statement saying, "We have one city in which we live and a common future. Now is the time to drive the next wave of growth within our area."

• 2009 Elections Dates and Deadlines
• 2009 General Election Candidate Listing
• Charlotte Voting Guide

I try to be on the ball and have my family's pictures done sometime between Halloween and Thanksgiving in order to get our holiday cards out in time. I'm not saying I always succeed, but that is usually my plan. And part of that planning means making sure all three of my children are well-coiffed which usually results in a trip to the hair salon.

Charlotte has several kid's hair salons in town that specialize in keeping little one's still and entertained. This last week I took my 1-year-old to Doolittle's in South Charlotte for his very first haircut and was so impressed with how quickly and stealth-like they were able to cut his hair.

Now these niche-salons do come with a price, but the staff are trained in the fine art of bobbing and weaving with scissors to get the job done.

Photo: Addie Rising

Every weekend, there is no shortage of activities in the greater Charlotte area. Here are a few top picks for this weekend.

Carolina Balloon Festival
The 36th annual event features 50 hot-air balloons, rides and wine tasting.
Friday, Oct. 23- Sunday, 25, Statesville Regional Airport.

Plaza Midwood Fall Crawl Cankerworm Festival
Listen to live music and enjoy a day filled with family activities geared to focus attention on fighting the creepy crawly cankerworms.
Saturday Oct. 24, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. at Midwood Park

North Carolina Zoo's Boo at the Zoo
The North Carolina Zoo offers a safe way to celebrate the magic of Halloween with fun daytime activities throughout the park. Kids can come dressed in their favorite costume and enter the costume contest. No scary adult costumes, please!
Saturday, Oct. 24 - Sunday, Oct. 25, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. at the North Carolina Zoo

The Chuckleheads
The improv comedy troupe is celebrating it's 2nd anniversary with a big variety show.
Saturday, Oct. 24, 8 p.m. at the Actor's Theatre of Charlotte

The H1N1 virus is hitting close to home. I have had several friends and their families contract the virus in the last few weeks and while my family hasn't been hit yet, with two children in elementary school, I'm bracing for our turn. According to the CDC, "the symptoms of 2009 H1N1 flu virus in people include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. Some people may have vomiting and diarrhea."

If you have children or someone in your household who is classified as high-risk, please contact your physician immediately about a vaccination (flu shot) if you feel it is the best course of action for your family.

Here are some measures provided by the Mecklenburg County Department of Health that will help aid in slowing the spread of H1N1.

• Cover you mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze.
• Wash hands often with soap and water, especially after coughing or sneezing.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs easily spread this way.
• Avoid close contact with sick people.
• Stay home from school or work if you are sick.

For more information about the H1N1 virus visit About.com's FAQ: H1N1 Flu Virus

Dale Earnhardt Sr., Bill France Sr., Bill France Jr., Junior Johnson and Richard Petty will be inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame on May 23, 2010. Twenty-five names were considered for the NASCAR Hall of Fame's first class of inductees. Narrowing the list down to five names took NASCAR Hall of Fame voters all day Wednesday at the Charlotte Convention Center, but by 3 p.m. the class was decided. All five men have made tremendous contributions to the sport of NASCAR.

What about the rest of the nominees who were not selected? They will automatically appear on the ballot for the 2011 class.

The NASCAR Hall of Fame is still under construction with intent to open its doors to the public in May 2010.

• Top 10 NASCAR Hall of Fame Inductees
• Why did Bill France Sr. start NASCAR?
• Top 5 Best NASCAR Drivers of All-Time
• Official NASCAR Hall of Fame website

Photo: Jamie Squire / Getty Images