Northeast grocery chain Wegmans expects fans to line up when its massive Ballantyne store opens Oct. 14 at 9am.

Why it matters: This isn't just any supermarket. It's what Wegmans calls an "animated" shopping experience, with workers cracking cheese wheels and rolling sushi for an audience.

Some of the 110,000-square-foot shop's features include self-serve coffee, a sub, pizza and wing bar and ready-to-cook meals.

• But those are just the basics.

Among its offerings:

🛝 An outdoor kids' play area with beer for the parents.

• Forget the brewery. The newest place to bring the kids and drink a beer is Wegmans.

🍣 Chefs performatively rolling sushi and cracking Parmesan wheels.

• Shoppers can stop and watch chefs roll their sushi to order. Around the corner, employees crack 80- to 90-pound wheels of cheese.

🇫🇷 A French-inspired market and Ballantyne-exclusive grill.

• It'll resemble more of an open market than a traditional grocery store.

🍪 "Cookie Land" with 40 to 50 self-serve cookie options.

• Enough said.

Take a look around the highly anticipated grocery store

The Carolina Theatre in Uptown is bringing back its "Lost Years" summer film series starting June 11.

Why it matters: The series spotlights movies released while the theater sat dark for nearly 50 years before reopening in 2005.

What to expect: This summer's lineup will feature '90s and early 2000s classics on Thursdays through August, plus a few family-friendly Saturday showings.

If you go: Tickets start at $5, and all movies begin at 7pm.

The schedule:

🚢 June 11: "Titanic"

👽 June 13: "Men in Black"

💅 June 25: "Clueless"

🛸 July 2: "Independence Day"

🎄 July 9: "Home Alone"

🧳 July 11: "Home Alone 2"

🕶️ July 16: "The Matrix"

🧝 July 23: "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring"

💖 July 30: "Mean Girls"

⚔️ Aug. 6: "Kill Bill Vol. 1"

🏴‍☠️ Aug. 20: "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest"

🤖 Aug. 22: "Wall-E"

Read more about the historic theatre's restoration

📅 See what's going on around the city.

• Opening Day for Brick Masters Studio: Build with LEGO® Bricks Like a Pro at Discovery Place Science May 23: Explore what's possible brick by brick inside this immersive exhibition by world-renowned artist Sean Kenney. Included with museum admission.
• $5 Sale at Nothing New May 23-25: This Memorial Day Weekend - we're turning the $20 Section into a $5 Section with hundreds of vintage & secondhand items all priced at $5. No bundles, no limits, no catch.
• Friends With Business: May Gathering at Gourmand May 28: Join Friends With Business on May 28th for an intentional networking experience designed to build real relationships. Connect with high value professionals to learn, grow, and solve problems.
• Enjoy Carowinds Carolina Harbor Water Park during Memorial Day Weekend. Save up to 50% on tickets, passes and more during the Memorial Day Sale!
• Enjoy Memorial Day weekend out at the ballpark during the ACC Baseball Tournament, starting with North Carolina Tar Heels vs. Virginia Tech Hokies at 3pm. Get tickets to games today, tomorrow and championship on Sunday.

Want more things to do? Check out our Event Board.

Hosting? Purchase an Event Listing.

Americans are spending more time at home, yet many have become strangers to their neighbors — especially young Americans, who are increasingly unlikely to socialize with those living feet away.

Why it matters: Without casual conversations with neighbors — who are often from other races, or have different religions and political ideologies — people risk becoming more isolated and more dependent on superficial, algorithm-driven digital communities.

By the numbers: In 2012, 51% of young Americans regularly engaged with neighbors, according to a new AEI report. Today, that number has plummeted to 25%.

• By contrast, 56% of seniors socialize with neighbors, a seven-point drop since 2012.
• More broadly, 59% of Americans chatted with neighbors a few times per week in 2012. In 2025, that number is 41%.

What they're saying: Daniel Cox, head report researcher and director of the Survey Center on American Life at AEI, tells Axios that technology deserves some of the blame.

• He said that homes have become entertainment bunkers that let Americans stream, scroll, get directions, and find recommendations without knocking on a neighbor's door.

Full story

🏁 Two-time NASCAR champion Kyle Busch died Thursday after being hospitalized with a "severe illness," at the age of 41 according to NASCAR. (Axios)

💪 Tremble, a Lagree-style studio based out of Miami, opens its first North Carolina location tomorrow, May 23, in Lower South End. (Instagram)

🍹 Hermanita, the cocktail bar inside El Malo Tacos in Plaza Midwood will transform into "Puerto Jaguar," a tiki-themed pop-up June 2-30. (El Malo)

🍕 Inizio Pizza Napoletana opens its fifth Charlotte-area location in Cotswold Village this Tuesday, May 26, per the restaurant.

This week's hot homes all bring something extra to the table, like this Dilworth cottage close enough for an evening stroll through Freedom Park.

1512 Ideal Way — $725,000

Zoom in: 3 beds, 2.5 baths and 1,707 square feet.

• Other notable features: Wood floors, oversized windows, granite countertops, patio, deck and a fenced yard.

More hot homes

Charlotte's new professional women's basketball team drew a sellout crowd in their home opener last night.

Catch up quick: Charlotte Crown lost to the Jacksonville Waves 98-86 in front of 7,014 fans at Bojangles Coliseum.

What's next: The Crown host the Greensboro Groove Monday, May 25, at 7pm. Tickets start at $23.36.