Press Releases

Get a look at some of the wildlife species encountered by explorers in western North Carolina at Fort Dobbs State Historic Site Aug. 8, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The unique family friendly program will also examine the role of animals and trade in the lives of 18th century settlers.

The University of North Carolina at Pembroke's Summer Theatre Workshop returns July 15,16,17 to Roanoke Island Festival Park’s Indoor Theatre with Mark Twain's classic “Huck Finn's Story”. The production will be held at 10:30 a.m. and is an adventure tale of excitement and suspense, delightfully sprinkled with home-spun humor, alive with colorful characters and sparkling dialog in rural dialect.

Langston Hughes’ iconic character Jesse B. Semple will come to life on stage at the North Carolina History Center Thursday, July 16, at 7 p.m. for “The Best of Semple.” Actor and journalist Thomasi McDonald will become Jesse B. Semple, a character who focuses on topics like race, love and politics to create a portrait of what Hughes called the "everyman,” and gave African Americans a sense of hope. A graduate of North Carolina Century University where he studied theatre, performance art, and journalism, McDonald has appeared in numerous productions including August Wilson’s “

Special guests ranging from Earl Owensby, a Tar Heel film legend, to Tyrone Jefferson, who served several stints as music director for entertainer James Brown, will present August programs at the N.C. Museum of History in Raleigh. Owensby opened North Carolina’s first modern independent production studio in 1973. During an Aug. 7 program, he and Noel T. Manning, a professor at Gardner-Webb University, will highlight and show clips from Owensby’s movies, such as “Wolfman” and “Living Legend: The King of Rock and Roll.”  

The influx of Scots-Irish immigrants into North Carolina's backcountry in the 1760s, many of them Presbyterians, led to the creation of Goshen Presbyterian Church. The first record of the church is found in the minutes of the Synod of New York and Philadelphia in 1767, a request for a preacher to serve "Goshen in the fords of the Catawba."

The 1897 Poe House, part of the Museum of Cape Fear Historical Complex, will once again serve as the backdrop for another Sweet Tea Shakespeare performance. The Tempest will run July 16-19 and 23-26 at 7 p.m. nightly. Come at 6:15 p.m. for What You Will, the preshow entertainment, food, and fun.

There's a party at Town Creek Indian Mound July 11 thrown by the staff and everyone is invited! Come celebrate the birth of the "Godfather or North Carolina Archaeology," Dr. Joffre Coe, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Learn how he taught the art and science of research in the dirt.

World War I Weekend will be held at Tryon Palace and the North Carolina History Center from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. July 17-18, in downtown New Bern. This first-time event invites visitors to discover the stories and images of World War I through artifacts, photos, reenactors and exhibits.

Join the "Under the Dome Discovery Tour" series for a look at behind-the-scenes spaces of the State Capitol in July and August. You will see normally closed areas Saturday, July 25 and Saturday, Aug. 29, at 10 a.m. and noon both dates. Capitol City history as well as rarely seen spaces will be the focus of the look at this 19th century treasure. Tickets are $17. Make your reservation today by calling (919) 733-4994. 

The Tryon’s Explorers program invites children ages 6-10 to the Tryon Palace costume shop to learn about the clothing and fashions of the 18th century. The program will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, July 11.