Press Releases

North Carolina’s New Year’s Day tradition of outdoor family adventure, exercise and exploring nature continues in 2020 with First Day Hikes throughout the state parks system. More than 45 guided hikes are scheduled for New Year’s Day, featuring educational programs led by park rangers along the way. All state parks will be open on the holiday.   In North Carolina, this popular tradition began at Eno River State Park more than 40 years ago. Eno River’s First Day hike alone draws more than 800 visitors. 

The N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, which manages the North Carolina Highway Historical Marker Program, requests the public’s help in locating a missing historical marker. The marker was located at the corner of Church Street and Falls Road in Rocky Mount and is about Jim Thorpe, an American Indian gold medalist Olympic athlete and professional baseball player.

The North Carolina Historical Commission will meet via conference call Wed., Dec. 11 at 3 p.m.   The commission will review a list of items recommended to be added into the collections of the divisions of State History Museums and State Historic Sites.  Listen to the meeting via Livestream at https://youtu.be/o5YNjfB6RFE.   For more information about the North Carolina Historical Commission, visit www.ncdcr.gov/nchc.   

The Governor’s Advisory Council on Film, Television and Digital Streaming will hold its first meeting Tuesday, Dec. 10 at 1:30 p.m. The meeting will be held in room 308 of the state Archives and History Building, 109 E. Jones St., Raleigh. Following a welcome by Council Chair Susi H. Hamilton, secretary of the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, committee members will be sworn in by North Carolina Court of Appeals Judge Reuben Young. 

The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences (NCMNS) has named Eric Dorfman as its next museum director. Currently the director of the Carnegie Museum of Natural History and Powdermill Nature Reserve in Pittsburgh, he will join the museum in early 2020. Dorfman’s appointment follows an extensive national search led by a search committee chaired by Department of Natural and Cultural Resources Chief Deputy Secretary Reid Wilson.

Make a stop at the CSS Neuse Civil War Interpretive Center Saturday, Dec. 7, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. to see the annual Christmas parade and beautiful lights in downtown Kinston. Prior to the 3 p.m. parade, visitors can enjoy cider, cookies, and crafts of a Victorian Christmas in the museum, with no fee.  “This will be a fun experience for the entire family,” said Program Coordinator Rachel Kennedy. “Enjoy making ornaments, playing games, and learning about the history of Santa Claus. Admission, cookies, cider, and crafts, and all will be free.” 

During the Civil War at Christmas 1862 most people thought the war would be over. Instead, it was at Kinston’s doorsteps. Join volunteers and staff at CSS Neuse Civil War Interpretive Center Friday, Dec. 6, 6 to 8 p.m., for a unique theater presentation, “A Walk Through Christmas Past.” 

Enjoy a glimpse of how an eastern North Carolina Christmas was celebrated during the Civil War at the Bentonville Battlefield State Historic Site in Four Oaks. It will host a Holiday Open House Saturday, Dec. 7 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

North Carolina’s Executive Mansion, the “people’s house,” will open its historic doors again for the beloved annual Holiday Open House from Dec. 12 through Dec. 15. Visitors are invited to tour the home, take in the decorations, and enjoy seasonal musical entertainment by local performing groups. The first floor of the mansion will be decorated with North Carolina-grown Christmas trees, floral and mixed evergreen arrangements and ornate mantle displays.

Join Gov. Roy Cooper at the State Capitol for the annual tree-lighting tradition on Thursday, Dec. 12!  The festivities begin on Capitol Square at 5 p.m. with luminaries and holiday music. There will be music performances by the Raleigh Concert Band and dance by Alicia’s School of the Performing Arts.