Press Releases

Celebrate literature during Black History Month at the State Capitol! Hear the words and experiences of African Americans echo through a structure built by African Americans for whom it was illegal to read, Saturday, Feb. 24, 1 to 3 p.m. at a free event.

A+ Schools of North Carolina announced today that it has accepted seven new schools to join the A+ Schools Network. A+ Schools of North Carolina is one of the longest-running and most successful arts-based school reform models in the country. The seven new schools, located in Charlotte, China Grove, Fayetteville, Kannapolis, Mebane, and Raleigh, will join the A+ Network following a five-day institute that will be held this July.

The CSS Neuse Civil War Interpretive Center in Kinston will present three free educational and engaging presentations, Saturday, Feb. 24, to celebrate Black History month. Learn about nurses during the Civil War, the ways freedom was experienced in North Carolina in 1865, and Col. Edward Wild’s 1st North Carolina Colored Volunteers -- who later became the 35th United States Colored Troops. The presentations will be offered at 11 a.m., 2 p.m. and 3 p.m.

Loops C and F at Jordan Lake State Recreation Area’s Poplar Point Campground will be closed effective March 12 for campground upgrades. The loops will re-open this fall when the projects are complete.

Residents of the Lower Cape Fear region were not happy about the 1765 Stamp Act imposed by the British Crown -- a tax on all newspapers, gambling papers, books pamphlets and more. The town of Brunswick returns to 1766 Saturday, Feb. 17, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., as historic interpreters demonstrate trades and show how the dreaded Stamp Act affected their lives during the 252nd Anniversary of the Stamp Act Resistance program.  

On a guided campus tour of Charlotte Hawkins Brown Museum visitors will learn of notable personalities who have ties to Palmer Memorial Institute, the former incarnation of the museum. In its heyday in the 1940s and ’50s, Palmer was a unique private school for African Americans. The Feb.

Take advantage of a rare opportunity to view the historic North Carolina 1868 Constitution, now on display at the North Carolina Museum of History in Raleigh through April 29. The state’s 1868 Constitution brought about change in post-Civil War North Carolina, most notably granting rights and privileges to emancipated former slaves. It remained as law until the 1972 Constitution took its place. The document is stored in the vault of the State Archives of North Carolina and is rarely on public view due to its fragile nature.

The origins and impact of slavery in Cabarrus County, and the benefits of slave labor to Reed Gold Mine will be examined during Black History Month. Reed Gold Mine State Historic Site will offer “Black Gold: North Carolina Slavery and Reed Gold Mine” tours every Saturday in February at 1 p.m. and examine the area’s social and economic environment during John Reed’s lifetime.

South Mountains State Park in Burke county has been named North Carolina’s State Park of the Year by the Division of Parks and Recreation. It was selected from three regional nominees that included Jordan Lake and Fort Fisher state recreation areas.

RALEIGH, N.C. – Why in the world do we ask a groundhog about the weather every Feb. 2? What makes them better prognosticators than squirrels, or wooly worms, or frogs? Here are some fun facts about Groundhog Day history, North Carolina groundhogs and other animals that predict the weather.