Cirque du Plaza kicks off local series

Chapel Hill resident Michael Lipkin was waiting to be seated for dinner with his family on West Franklin Street when he saw hula hoopers and face painters, and heard music at 140 West. He said his family decided to stop by and see what was going on.

The event Lipkin stumbled upon, Cirque du Plaza, was the kickoff event for Chapel Hill’s Live and Local series, which will take place every Friday at 140 West Franklin St. from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. until Nov. 6.

Cirque du Plaza featured aerialists, a face painter, a balloon twister, Puppeteer Pipkins, hula hoopers and much more.

Lipkin said his children enjoyed being able to get their faces painted. Jenna Lipkin, 6, and Jack Lipkin, 3, were waiting not-so-patiently in line for the face painter.

Amy and James Ferguson also wandered upon the event. They said they were attracted to it by the hula hooper performing.

“I like the music and the fact that there are a lot of different things going on, and it’s in a great location,” Amy Ferguson said.

“You can just stop by if you happen to be walking by.”

James Ferguson said they are always looking for something free and fun to attend.

Tricia Endicott said she brought her two children, Jamie and Joseph, because of the energy and excitement of the event.

She said she was also drawn to the event by the crowd of people who were enjoying the activities.

“We just relocated here and we’re just checking out what everything’s about in Chapel Hill,” Endicott said.

She said events like Cirque du Plaza are great ways to find out what Chapel Hill has to offer for families.

Endicott said her son and daughter were mostly interested in watching the hula hooper perform.

About an hour into the event, all attention turned towards the aerial artists pulling themselves off the ground to perform.

Amanda Durnell and Faith Towner, members of Down to Earth Aerials, performed above the crowd to live music.

After they safely returned to the ground, the crowd erupted into cheers and applause.

Endicott, Lipkin and the Fergusons all said they had been to similar events in different towns and would like to see more gatherings like this in Chapel Hill.

“We walk around campus a lot, and if we see something, we’ll stop,” said Amy Ferguson.

Taking Flight, the next event in the Live and Local series, will take place on Sept. 18 and will feature Season & Snare, an indie-pop music duo. Future events will include dance tunes, Brazilian jazz and blues.

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