Press Releases

Large questions loomed before the citizens of North Carolina in 1865 in the aftermath of the Civil War. North Carolina had to meet certain conditions to be allowed to rejoin the United States of America. Newly emancipated slaves wishing to make their desires known opened a five-day Freedman's Convention Sept. 29 in Raleigh in advance of the October State Constitutional Convention organized by white leaders. A free symposium Thursday, Oct. 1 at St. Paul A.M.E. Church will examine the two conventions.

Masters of traditional music, including Sheila Kay Adams, Bobby Hicks and John Dee Holeman will perform at the North Carolina stage during the National Folk Festival next month in Greensboro, officials announced Tuesday.

The power and vitality of North Carolina's rich literary and musical traditions will be showcased at the N.C. Museum of History Aug. 13 at 10 a.m. N.C. Poet Laureate Shelby Stephenson and author Georgann Eubanks will be tour guides for an insightful look at the words, songs and lives of the people and places east of Raleigh. The Road Scholars program and the State Library of North Carolina bring these keepers of tradition to Raleigh to share those tales.

Dream of being a daring pirate or a beautiful princess? Young dreamers are invited to the N.C. Maritime Museum during Beaufort’s annual Pirate Invasion on Friday, August 7 and Saturday, August 8. The museum will offer a child (and parent) friendly zone where children can participate in programs and activities for visitors to enjoy. Free activities will include pirate hats, museum sea hunts, pirate tattoos, and more.

As a volunteer docent at the N.C. Museum of History in Raleigh, you can meet people from around the world and share the history of the Tar Heel State. Each year the museum’s award-winning exhibits, special events, and programs for all ages attract more than 330,000 visitors. Museum volunteers provide invaluable learning experiences for visitors and assist with exciting events. Additionally, docents enjoy benefits such as field trips to historic sites, dinner programs, and an annual appreciation reception.

Breathtaking scenes of North Carolina’s mountains and waterfalls appear in the 1992 blockbuster “The Last of the Mohicans.” To create upstate New York in western North Carolina, the movie crew constructed a replica of Fort William Henry alongside Lake James, near the Pisgah National Forest. Additional shooting took place at the Biltmore Estate, in parts of DuPont State Recreational Forest, and around Hickory Nut Falls, in Chimney Rock Park. 

East Carolina University assistant professor of history Dr. Kennetta Hammond Perry will explore the role played by African Americans in the early Civil Rights movement during World War I with a free lecture held at the North Carolina History Center Saturday, Aug. 8, from 2-3 p.m.

Almost a half million public school students in North Carolina have learned math, science, geography and language with direct classroom experiences in the arts through the A+ Schools Program, celebrating its 20th anniversary this summer.The A+ Schools Program, nationally recognized for its success in student achievement, is the longest running and most successful arts-based school reform program in the country.

Acclaimed singer and songwriter John Ondrasik, best known by his stage name Five for Fighting, joins the North Carolina Symphony onstage for the first time ever on Saturday, April 2, 2016, at 8 p.m., in Meymandi Concert Hall in downtown Raleigh. Tickets for the one-concert only performance go on sale Monday, Aug. 3, at 10 a.m. at www.ncsymphony.org.