Press Releases

North Carolina’s Executive Mansion, the “people’s house,” will open its historic doors again for the beloved annual Holiday Open House Dec. 7-9.Visitors are invited to tour the home, take in the decorations, and enjoy seasonal musical entertainment by local performing groups. The mansion's first floor will be decorated with North Carolina-grown Christmas trees, floral and mixed evergreen arrangements, and ornate mantle displays.

North Carolina’s strong literary tradition is celebrated by the 2023 North Carolina Book Awards, which will be presented Dec. 8 during the annual meeting of the N.C. Literary and Historical Association. The annual awards recognize significant works by North Carolina writers.Since its founding in September 1900, the N.C. Literary and Historical Association has pledged to stimulate the production of literature and to collect and preserve historical material in North CarolinaThe 2023 North Carolina Book Award winners are:

Today the North Carolina Arts Council announced $16 million in grants for fiscal year 2023-24. This includes an increase of $2.5 million in annual funding for the statewide Grassroots Arts Program, a cornerstone program which distributes funds to all 100 counties through an extensive network of local arts councils and other partners.  

There’s a holiday happening to suit every taste at venues of the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. Holiday train rides at the N.C. Transportation Museum, a “Christmas Flotilla” at the N.C. Maritime Museum in Beaufort, “Christmas by Candlelight” at a state historic site and “Holiday Pops” or other performances with the North Carolina Symphony at home or on tour, are a few of the unique holiday experiences awaiting families at modest or no cost.

 The death of an African American soldier in Durham, N.C., soon will be commemorated with an N.C. Highway Historical Marker.In 1944, Private First Class Booker T. Spicely, who was stationed at Camp Butner, boarded a Durham city bus owned and operated by Duke Power Company. After Spicely objected to segregated seating, he disembarked at West Club Boulevard and what is now Berkeley Street. The white driver, Herman Lee Council, followed Spicely, who was unarmed, off the bus and shot him twice at close range in view of bus passengers.

Students at the state’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Minority Institutions of Higher Education (MIHEs) will have the opportunity to learn and earn next summer through a 10-week paid summer internship within the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

 Celebrate the holiday season at the Governor’s Western Residence Holiday Open House, Dec. 9-10, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. each day. The residence is located at 45 Patton Mountain Rd, Asheville.Reservations are not needed to attend the open house. Guests are invited to tour the residence, which has been decorated for the season.

A project to restore faded historical murals and create new exterior artworks will receive an award from the Federation of North Carolina Historical Societies.The Historic Port of Washington Project in Washington, N.C., will receive the 2023 Newsome Award, which recognizes excellence in local history projects.

An upcoming virtual Lunch & Learn program hosted by the State Archives will commemorate Pearl Harbor Day with “Remembering War in the Pacific: An Internment Camp Experience.”A panel discussion will include Nash County resident Chris Larsen, who survived a Japanese internment camp in the Philippines during his early childhood, along with Ashley Latta, Military Collection Archivist, and Charlie Knight, Museum of History Military Curator, who will provide an overview of the war in the Pacific Theater, including documents, photographs, and artifact collections.

Visit the State Capitol Saturday, Dec. 2, from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. to make a rustic outdoor decoration to feed the birds and squirrels on Capitol Square. While the historic Capitol is closed for repairs, we’re bringing holiday cheer outside instead. Families, children, and wildlife enthusiasts are invited to make birdseed and critter-friendly ornaments to adorn the tree, provided by the N.C. Christmas Tree Association. The tree will stand on the east grounds through December.