It is now officially Summer in Raleigh. Beyond the sweltering heat and humidity, it is also obvious when strolling along the NC State campus. Businesses that cater to students have cut back to summer hours, Hillsborough Street has significantly less traffic, and the number of young folks frequenting Downtown Raleigh’s hot spots have dwindled in number. WKNC isn’t in hibernation mode, though. They have a series of concerts and dance parties lined up for those who permanently reside here or haven’t returned home for the summer semester.

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Goodnight Raleigh is happy to announce that the celebrated light sculpture, Color Wall, created in 1972 by renowned Raleigh artist and beloved College of Design professor, Joe Cox, will soon once again bedazzle Hillsborough Street. The Color Wall will be relit at a public event during the official reopening and dedication of Hillsborough Street celebration to be held on Sept. 25. You can visit the Color Wall Web site for more information. Goodnight Raleigh will keep our readers posted as details of the public re-lighting are finalized.

I recently stumbled upon an interesting bit of trivia in an old Wake County Schools publication. It was noted that Raleigh is home to the world’s smallest naval base, located on the grounds of the Josephus Daniels House. Daniels is one of Raleigh’s most notable historical figures: Secretary of the Navy, ambassador to Mexico, and editor of the News & Observer (as well as various smalltown newspapers).

When Daniels moved into his Hayes-Barton home at the end of his appointment as Secretary of the Navy, he wished to have a naval gun mounted on his front lawn. The article stated that the only way this could happen was for the small patch of earth around the gun to be declared an official Navy base.

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