When the airport’s new terminal opens next summer, it will feature two of the Triangle’s favorite eateries: Carolina Ale House and 42nd Street Oyster Bar. Among the new eateries will also be Brookwood Farms, a restaurant serving North Carolina-style barbecue. The three restaurants are part of a proposal by airport concession provider Host International.

A perennial favorite at the airport is locally-owned and operated 2nd Edition Booksellers, RDU’s used bookstore, which will also open a store in the new terminal. It currently operates a store in Terminal A. North Carolina-based J.Q. Enterprises will operate a Bruegger’s Bagels, A&W All American Food and KFC.

Other coffee shops and restaurants planned for the new terminal include Starbucks Coffee, Jose Cuervo Tequileria, Gordon Biersch, Brookwood Farms and California Pizza Kitchen ASAP. The Airport Authority also approved a proposal by The Paradies Shops for a collection of news and retail stores. The concepts include Chapel Hill-based A Southern Season, as well as Drugs & More, Brooks Brothers, PGA Tour Shop, University News & Sports and Taxco Sterling, a seller of sterling silver jewelry.

Additional stores and restaurants will be unveiled as the project progresses. Some ideas under consideration include specialty services such as a wine bar, business services center and high-tech gadgetry store. RDU’s new terminal will be over 900,000 square feet, nearly three times the size of the terminal it is replacing. Phase one of the new building will open next summer; phase two will open in late 2010.

The North Carolina Indian Economic Development Initiative (NCIEDI), in conjunction with Sacred Hoop Trading, is presenting a showcase of artwork at the airport. The exhibit will be on display from November through January 2008 in Terminal A. A reception, featuring the artists, was held on November 4 at the General Aviation Terminal to kick-off the exhibit.

The historical and contemporary pieces on display demonstrate the vibrancy of American Indian artists from the Southeastern United States. It includes art from the Cherokee, Lumbee, Catawba, Coushatta, Choctaw and Houma tribes. There will be a selection of art objects from other regions of the country so that the works from the Southeast can be seen within the larger framework of American Indian art. Featured artists include Joel Queen, Cherokee; Senora Lynch, Haliwa Saponi; and Hattie Miller, Lumbee. The artwork follows the theme that art connects us to the past as well as the future.

November was designated American Indian Heritage Month by Gov. Mike Easley. North Carolina has the largest population of American Indians east of the Mississippi River and the eighth largest population in the United States. North Carolina is home to eight tribes: the Coharie, the Eastern Band of the Cherokee, the Haliwa-Saponi, the Lumbee, the Meherrin, the Occaneechi Band of the Saponi, the Sappony and the Waccamaw-Siouan. For more information on the artwork, visit www.sacredhooptrading.com. To learn more about the North Carolina Indian Economic Development Initiative (NCIEDI), visit www.ncindian.com or call (919) 486-6555.

If you’re coming through RDU anytime during that period, please stop by and visit. The artwork is inspiring and gives you a chance to appreciate the local handicrafts of our region.