Press Releases

The North Carolina Arts Council and partners in Rocky Mount and Goldsboro will present free concerts that celebrate Eastern North Carolina’s rich African American musical heritage this spring. Eastern North Carolinians are among the transformative figures in the history of jazz, gospel and popular music and this legacy was documented in the African American Music Trails of Eastern North, a guidebook to eight eastern counties.

Did you know the state tree is the pine? How about that the state sport is stock car racing? Multiple plants, animals, and arts have been made symbols of the state; come out to learn about these things and meet your North Carolina state symbols at the symbol for our state, the NC State Capitol! Join the Capitol for a day of free, family fun on Saturday, April 27 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. 

It’s called the “Outlander Effect” in Scotland – attractions that appear in the award-winning “Outlander” television series have seen visitor numbers increase by as much as 67% since the series debuted in 2014.  

Come Hear NC will sponsor the Main Stage at Red Hat Amphitheater during the Wide Open Bluegrass festival Sept. 27 to 28 in Raleigh, which will be open to the public for free for the first time in the festival’s history. Come Hear NC is a program of the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources and the North Carolina Arts Council designed to celebrate 2019 as the Year of Music as proclaimed by Governor Roy Cooper earlier this year.

They met to make peace. Two old enemies met in the humble parlor at the farm house of James and Nancy Bennett. The result of that meeting was the largest surrender of troops during the Civil War on April 26, 1865. This was not the only surrender during the Civil War, and Bennett Place will examine it and other surrenders in the program, "Terms of Surrender,” Saturday, April 27, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

 A stunning collection of 29 early North American maps are showcased in the new exhibit at Historic Bath, “Mapping the New World.” Covering over 300 years of cartographic history, the collection provides a unique look at the evolution of our understanding of the New World, with many of the maps focusing on North Carolina and its iconic coastal region.

Reed Gold Mine is celebrating another North Carolina treasure with its inaugural Barbecue Festival Saturday, April 13, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The festival is in conjunction with the traveling exhibit “The Story of Barbecue in North Carolina,” on display at Reed Gold Mine April 2 through June 15. Experience a taste sensation as five local restaurants showcase their gastronomic delights!

State officials have notified families that a man who previously worked at summer camps and other programs run by the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences has been charged in North Carolina and other states with alleged crimes involving children. None of the current charges stem from activities at the Museum.

 A glimpse of 18th century life comes to Fort Dobbs as visitors will meet soldiers and settlers during the “War for Empire” program April 6-7. They can enjoy special performances of period music as part of the 2019 “Year of Music” organized by the N.C. Arts Council within the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

The State Archives of North Carolina is developing a program that showcases some of its collections while engaging the public with hands-on activities that will increase the accessibility of archival records. “Transcribe NC” is recruiting volunteers to spend a little time helping to transcribe its first projects—county draft board records of those men who were drafted or enlisted during World War I, and the travel writings of those North Carolinians fortunate to travel the nation and the world.