Thanks to everyone who attended my coupon class at the "Got to be NC" festival Friday afternoon at the state fairgrounds. And a big thanks to the folks at the North Carolina Department of Agriculture for inviting me to speak about some of my favorite topics: coupons and saving money on groceries.

Here's a freebie I hope you won't be able to pass up.

I'll be teaching a free coupon class this Friday at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds.

The class is part of the annual "Got to be NC" festival -- a celebration of all things North Carolina -- which runs this Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

The one-hour class, with a question-and-answer session afterward, will teach you how to save at least 50 percent at the grocery store using coupons and other savings techniques.

The class begins at 12:30 p.m. Friday, May 17.

The annual Brew Durham Homebrew Festival will be Saturday, May 4.

There will be more than 50 beers to taste from local home brewers plus a special one-time-only beer from Durham's Bull City Burger and Brewery. Food will be provided by Mateo, Monuts Donuts, Toast, Geer Street Garden, Dos Perros, Loaf and Daisy Cakes.

There are two tasting sessions: 1-4 p.m. and 5-8 p.m. Tickets cost $35 and can be purchased online at BrewDurham4.eventbrite.com.

The event is being held at Beltline Station, 923 Franklin St., near the Scrap Exchange, which is the beneficiary of the event. More info: brewdurham.weebly.com

This is one of those not-to-be-missed food events: the 31st annual Greek Festival this weekend in Raleigh.

The festivities and the food start at 5 p.m. Friday in the Exposition Center at the N.C. State Fairgrounds.

Believe me when I tell you that this food is made by Greek grandmothers. It's the real deal and those women spend many hours making baklava and other Greek specialities by hand in the kitchen at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church on Lead Mine Road.

The hours of the three-day event is 5-10 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday.

General admission costs $3. Seniors and young adults age 13 to 18 pay $2 and children, ages 13 and under, are free. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to Habitat for Humanity of Wake County.

For more information, go to www.holytrinityraleigh.org/GreekFestival.

Roth Brewing Co. is hosting its annual wings festival from noon-4 p.m. Sept. 8 and tickets are now available.

The North Raleigh brewery will have between 15 and 20 vendors selling wings, including Gorman Street Pub, Hooters and Fox and Hound Bar & Grill. Judges will name first, second and third place winners, as well as an honorable mention for the best wings.

The brewery also will release its Forgotten Hollow Cinnamon Porter during the event. And there will be live music by such rockabilly bands as The Straight 8s and the Rusted Rails. The brewery is located at 5907 Triangle Dr.

Tickets cost $20 and can be purchased online at rothbrewing.com/wingsfest/.
 

The Walltown Park Recreation Center a "community day" this Saturday -- its first since the facility has been renovated.

The event is free, open to the public and will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Walltown Center, located at 1308 West Club Blvd.

The event will feature food, games, and entertainment for the entire family. The Mt. Olive Dancers, Fierce Eclipse All-star Cheerleading Dancers, Walltown Wildcat Cheerleaders, Walltown Baton Twirlers and various step teams will be among the many performances at the event.

For more details contact Pam Sellars at 560-4296, ext. 27421.

Did you get a chance to venture out to Durham's Earth Day Festival yesterday? Check out our gallery from the celebration.

Saturday's Live It Up! On Hillsborough Street Festival has something for the greenies out there. The free, family-friendly event is also eco-friendly as well.

Lobster fans, mark your calendars for Saturday, October 3. Then set your GPS for 221 Union Street in Cary, where Saint Paul's Episcopal Church will be hosting its annual Lobster Fest from 11am-5pm.

Live and cooked 1-1/2 pound lobsters will be available, wth proceeds going to youth, outreach and church projects. From 11am-2pm, there will also be a dine-in option at the "Lobsta Shack," which will be set up in the church parking lot. Lobster dinners will be served, as well as chicken dinners and chicken tenders for the kids. A new option this year is the Quarta Pounda Lobsta Roll, featuring 1/4 pound of lobster on a grilled La Farm roll, with chips and slaw for $12. 

Last year, they brought in 850 live lobsters the morning of the Fest, and this year promises to be even bigger. Walk-ins are welcome, but advance tickets are a good idea. Email Lobsters@nc.rr.com or call 919-302-3226 for information.

See images from the 30th annual Festival for the Eno in Durham.