Press Releases

Master bluegrass musician, public radio program host and Appalachian music professor Wayne Erbsen will headline entertainment at Mountain Gateway Museum & Heritage Center’s 34th Annual Pioneer Day Festival Saturday, April 28, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., in Old Fort.

There can be a certain charm to cooking over an open fire, and participants in the Historic Cooking Class on the Old Southern Way of Cooking at President James K. Polk State Historic Site will have that experience. The workshop, Saturday, May 5, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., led by trained historic chef Cheryl Henry, will reconnect participants to the lives of women of centuries past. The fee is $60.

Food, fun, special events and history will take over the town during the Kinston BBQ Fest Saturday, May 5, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. In addition to classic cars and barbecue, see some of the period physician’s tools at a free medical program at the CSS Neuse. 

In what seems a very timely topic, hundreds of middle and high school students will tackle the topic “Conflict and Compromise in History” April 28 for the National History Day Competition. Judging begins at 9:30 a.m. at the day-long competition at the N.C. Museum of History in Raleigh. The public is invited to view the projects.

Food, fun, special events and history will take over the town during the Kinston BBQ Fest Saturday, May 5, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. In addition to classic cars and barbecue, see some of the period physician’s tools at a free medical program at the CSS Neuse. 

The nomination period for the 2018 North Carolina Award, the highest civilian honor bestowed by the state, has been extended to May 15. Created by the General Assembly in 1961, and administered by the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, the award recognizes “notable accomplishments by North Carolina citizens” in the fields of literature, science, fine arts and public service.

Test drive a robot, create your own “slime,” build a boat out of duct tape, or help recreate North Carolina using LEGOs. The possibilities are endless as you check out Triangle SciTech Expo at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences and immerse yourself in the excitement of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), Saturday, April 28, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Free.

The North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources will sponsor musical performances at MerleFest April 27 - 29, including performances by 2018 North Carolina Heritage Award recipient Tony Williamson, and teen guitarist Presley Barker, who brings new life to roots music. The line-up of musicians from the Blue Ridge Music Trails of North Carolina will perform on The Plaza, one of 13 stages for the four-day music festival. MerleFest is considered one of the premier music festivals in the country.

There are many ways to show appreciation and conservation of planet Earth, and a variety of “preserve the planet” experiences are planned at venues within the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. There are opportunities to participate all across the state. East

The North Carolina Office of State Archaeology will hold a Public Archaeology Day at the Wire Pasture Access of Lumber River State Park on Saturday, April 28, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Wire Pasture is located at 11765 US 74 Highway W, Maxton, N.C.