🍷 Wine festival today

Hello, Saturday! Laura here, up early to snag some gluten-free goodies at The Accidental Baker's grand opening pop-up in Oakhurst today.

• It'll be from 9am-12pm or until they sell out.

☀️ Weather: Sunny with a high of 83, perfect weather for Festival in the Park at Freedom Park.

🍽️ Situational awareness: Albertine, the new Uptown restaurant by the Kindreds, opens tomorrow with limited reservations.

Today's Smart Brevity™️ count is 360 words — a 1.5-minute read.

Spooky season is around the corner — and Lowe's is a one-stop shop for spine-chilling decor. Get the deets.

The eighth annual University City Wine Fest is today from 2-7pm at the Shoppes at University Place.

What to expect: 100+ wines from more than 25 wineries, plus vendors, craft beer, cider and cocktails.

• There will also be live music, pop-up vendors and food.

If you go: General admission tickets are $35, and you must be 21+ to enter.

Go deeper: 29 things to do in Charlotte this weekend

Starting today through Jan. 19, 2025, The Bechtler Museum of Modern Art will showcase an exhibit by American artist Clare Rojas.

Why it matters: This is the first exhibition of Rojas' work in the South in almost two decades, a statement from the museum reads.

• "Her ability to weave together stories through metaphor, symbology and fantastical imagery creates bewitching ecosystems that link the past and present, the mystical and mundane," says Katia Zavistovski, curator of the exhibition.

What to expect: Works from 2019 to the present, including paintings, bronzes and wallpaper designed by the artist.

Stop by: 420 S Tryon St.

Farm to Fork picnic returns Sept. 29 from 4-7pm at Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden.

What to expect: More than 25 tasting stations, with bites from different regional chefs and farmers.

If you go: Tickets are $125 for adults, $50 for kids ages 6-12 and free for kids under 6.

See what it's like

From professional sports champions to champions on the sidelines, these honorees embody exceptional performance and contribution.

The new class of inductees will go down in Charlotte history as the school celebrates the tradition of athletic excellence at Country Day on Oct. 19.

Learn more.

One thing about me: I love reality TV. And my latest obsession is "The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives" on Hulu.

Context: The show, set in Provo, Utah, follows eight women who popularized #MomTok (what they call themselves because they got popular on TikTok).

• In addition to the drama (cheating, unexpected pregnancies, soft swinging, etc.), you learn a lot about the Mormon religion — they can't drink alcohol or coffee but they can get Botox and do ketamine.

Anyway ...

Since they can't drink coffee, they treat soda shops like their Starbucks and the girls on the show all have unique soda orders.

• Charlotte doesn't have any soda shops like the ones in Utah, but I did find Sips & Dips in Ballantyne and Sip Co. in Concord.

Come with me to try a #MomTok soda order

🥤 My thought bubble: Demi's soda order was pretty good but I'm not a fan of fake sugars like stevia. Next time, I'll go with syrups that aren't "sugar-free."

S/O to Katie Peralta Soloff for editing this newsletter.