Press Releases

Celebrate the Halloween season at the Gov. Charles B. Aycock Birthplace State Historic Site.

The State Archives of North Carolina will host a virtual roundtable, “Spooky Stories,” Tuesday, Oct. 26, 7-8:30 p.m. Help us conjure the Halloween spirit! Join in to listen to stories of ghosts, werewolves, mayhem, and mystery from the State Archives' collections of documents and images. State Archives staff will share tales revealed within colonial court records, early national citizens' petitions, governors’ papers, and 1930s Works Progress Administration records.

The North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation (DPR) recommended 12 local community projects to the National Park Service for grant funding from the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). LWCF is a federal matching grant program to improve and develop outdoor recreation opportunities. To date, 11 projects have received approval.

The North Carolina Highway Historical Marker Program recently established a partnership with the non-profit North Carolina Literary and Historical Association for a historical marker maintenance endowment fund.

Person County has been chosen as the subject of a comprehensive survey of historic buildings and landscapes planned from 2021-23. Funding for this architectural survey comes from the Emergency Supplemental Historic Preservation Fund (ESHPF), administered by the National Park Service, for hurricanes Florence and Michael.

The State Library and State Archives of North Carolina will host a virtual program, “North Carolina Trivia Night,” Thursday, Oct. 14, 6-7:30 p.m. Think you’re an expert on North Carolina history, geography, and culture? Here's your chance to show off your skills! On Oct. 14, 2021, at 6 p.m., players can participate — as individuals or in teams — from their homes, as we present fascinating trivia about the Old North State. Bragging rights are on the line in this Carolina contest of wits! We look forward to seeing you there.

Andy Sicard is the new superintendent of Grandfather Mountain State Park in Avery, Caldwell and Watauga counties, according to the N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation. Sicard succeeds Kevin Bischof, who transferred to serve as superintendent at Gorges State Park in June. A superintendent is the chief of operations and administration at a state park or state recreation area with wide-ranging responsibilities for staffing, training, law enforcement, visitor services, natural resource protection, environmental education and community outreach.

The Parks and Recreation Authority has awarded three local park projects a total of $491,893 in grants from the bequest of Ms. Barbara McIntyre to the Parks and Recreation Trust Fund (PARTF). All three selected projects are in Tier 1 Counties.

The North Carolina Historical Commission will hold their regular meeting via conference call Wednesday, Sept. 22 at 2 p.m.

The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences announces the second season of its “Love Nature” podcast with New York Times best-selling author, journalist and environmental advocate, Richard Louv, as the first guest on Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2021. The podcast is co-hosted by Museum Director and CEO Eric Dorfman, along with the Museum’s Chief Veterinarian Dan Dombrowski.