Press Releases

The end of the Civil War was not the end of the story. Historic Stagville will commemorate the end of the Civil War with “Freedom 150” May 30, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. The free event will examine the effect of the end of the Civil War on the African American population, the rise of the black church and the creation of the sharecropping system.

In an event now known as the Greensboro Massacre, five people were killed and 11 injured in a confrontation between the Ku Klux Klan and the Communist Workers Party. A N.C. Highway Historical Marker to commemorate the event will be dedicated May 24 at 4:15 p.m., at New Light Baptist Church, 1105 Willow Rd. After the unveiling at the intersection of McConnell Road at Willow Road there will be a reception at the church. For additional information please call (919) 807-7290.

The State Capitol is hosting a birthday party June 13 that's been 175 years in the making! Free family friendly activities from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. will include local musicians, military re-enactors, historic demonstrations, hands-on children's activities and more fun activities inside the Capitol and on Capitol Square. Of course there will be birthday cake. Please call (919) 733-4994 for more information.  

The halls of the North Carolina History Center in historic downtown New Bern will echo with the sounds of jazz greats like Louis Armstrong and Fats Waller beginning at 7 p.m., Thursday, May 21.  

The North Carolina Symphony will give a free outdoor concert Thursday, June 4, at 7:30 p.m. on the Town Common in Tarboro.  Symphony Associate Conductor David Glover will lead the orchestra in “Concerts in Your Community: Your Favorite Light Classics.”  In the event of inclement weather, the concert will be held in Keihin Auditorium on the Tarboro campus of Edgecombe Community College. 

Branford Marsalis and some talented friends will present an evening of unforgettable performances from across the musical spectrum on Tuesday, June 2, at 7:30 p.m. in Meymandi Concert Hall. The Grammy Award-winning saxophonist joins forces with Rhiannon Giddens of the Carolina Chocolate Drops and the bluegrass supergroup the Kruger Brothers, as they join North Carolina Symphony Music Director Grant Llewellyn and the orchestra for a one-of-a-kind concert to benefit the North Carolina Symphony’s statewide service and education programs.  Mr. Marsalis, Ms. Giddens, and the Kruger Brothers

Even with clouds from a tropical depression, Civil War re-enactor Philip Brown began walking backroads May 11 on a 166 mile. 13-day journey from New Bern to Durham. The "Soldiers' Walk Home" event, organized by Duke Homestead State Historic Site in Durham, recalls the trek Washington Duke made when delivered to New Bern by the Union Army in 1865. Although Brown does not portray Duke, his route is similar to the one Duke might have taken.

Needle Arts in New Bern is an all-new exhibit in the Duffy Exhibition Gallery that showcases the art of needlework. The free exhibit will be on display through May 31 at Tryon Palace’s North Carolina History Center, located in downtown New Bern, North Carolina.

The North Carolina Symphony launches its 2015 Rex Healthcare Summerfest Series at Cary’s Booth Amphitheatre on Saturday, May 23, at 7:30 p.m., with a concert program that features pianist Timo Andres performing Gershwin’s incomparable Rhapsody in Blue, the orchestra’s performance of Dvořák’s New World Symphony, and other works by Copland and Sousa that feature “citizen musicians” as they join the orchestra. 

"A Soldier's Walk Home" will arrive in Kinston around 5 p.m. May 12 at Harriet's Chapel on the First Battle of Kinston Site. Soldiers from across North Carolina were returning home in May 1865, exhausted at the end of the Civil War. The Soldier's Walk recalls the walk Washington Duke took from New Bern to Durham after he was delivered to New Bern by the Union Army in 1865. It is in commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the end of the Civil War.