What's With the Acorn?

"Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" and often is described as "a park with a city in it." Trees planted at the city's inception still provide cooling shade for visitors to Moore Square Park..."

To honor this moniker, for the City of Raleigh's bicentennial celebration in 1992, John Watkins conceived the idea of a giant acorn and persuaded local businesses to cover the cost for it's design and creation by sculptor David Benson.

Some acorn stats ...
+ 1,250 pounds
+ 10 feet tall
+ copper and steel
+ rests in Moore square except on New Years eve

For 16 First Night celebrations (since the Bicentennial of Raleigh in 1992), the acorn has been lowered from a crane at the stroke of midnight to signal the dawning of the New Year

Check out some other Raleigh, Fun Facts!

Why come to Raleigh?

Why should you come to Raleigh in May 2009?

The weather is great. The average daytime highs are in the mid- to upper-70s.

The dogwood trees and rhododendron plants are in bloom, painting the city with color.

You can network with hundreds of genealogists who are also coming to the conference.

The conference is held in the middle of North Carolina history. Enjoy being close to many archival repositories just waiting for you to explore their collections. (Read about the many research opportunities on this blog.)

North Carolina barbeque - need we say more?!

Indulge yourself with four days of genealogy lectures by nationally-known speakers.

Enjoy world-class museums, many within walking distance of the convention center.

Stroll through an exhibit hall filled with vendors offering a wide variety of genealogy products and services.