Press Releases

Fall is in the air at Somerset Place State Historic Site, just in time for Crafts and Crops Day on Saturday, Oct. 20, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. With harvesttime in full swing, come and experience fun, food, arts, history and crafts for the whole family. Admission is $2 for children and $4 for adults.

Learn how librarian Barbara Freedman uncovered her immigrant roots from Rogachev, Belarus – and found some surprises along the way – during “From Rogachev to Raleigh: Discovering Immigrant Roots,” a free program hosted by the North Carolina Government and Heritage Library, 109 E. Jones St., Raleigh, Oct. 10 at 2 p.m.

The N.C. Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library and N.C. State Parks will present “Where the Sidewalk Ends,” a free program to help those with visual and physical disabilities learn how they can enjoy America’s parks, monuments and trails, 1-3 p.m., Oct. 13, at the Beatties Ford Branch of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, 2412 Beatties Ford Road, Charlotte, N.C. 

The settlers of what was North Carolina’s western frontier were fed up with corrupt sheriffs and illegal taxes. They were driven to fight a mightier foe. Almost 2,000 backcountry farmers, called Regulators, faced off against 1,000 royal militiamen of colonial Gov. William Tryon, and were defeated. 

The North Carolina African American Heritage Commission, in partnership with the Ernie Barnes Family Trust, Museum of Durham History, Empower Dance Studio, The Repertory Dance Company at NCCU and Thomas DeFrantz + SLIPPAGE, will celebrate the life and legacy of North Carolina artist Ernie Barnes (1938-2009) with events exploring and celebrating his famous painting, “The Sugar Shack,” Oct. 6 and 11 in Durham.

Bring your toe-tappin’ shoes and be ready to dance at the 27th Annual Cornshucking Frolic at Horne Creek Living Historical Farm. Music, food, children’s games and crafts will make for a fun-filled day to remember Saturday, Oct. 20, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. It’s a great way to celebrate fall in the mountains.

How did civilians learn the art of war? Well, not in a classroom. Many long and tedious hours turned green recruits into soldiers. Bennett Place State Historic Site will offer a “School of the Soldier,” program Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 29-30, that illustrates the transition.   

The demands of life for soldiers and civilians in the 1750s will be on view at the “Frontier Life Recreated” program at Fort Dobbs State Historic Site Saturday, Sept. 29. Re-enactors dressed as soldiers and settlers will demonstrate what daily life was like at the French and Indian War site 260 years ago.

The North Carolina Poet Laureate Ceremony, scheduled for Wed., Sept. 19 in Raleigh, has been postponed due to the uncertainty of Hurricane Florence and its aftermath.

A limited number of tickets remain for “Two Weeks of Fury: A Carolina’s Campaign Tour and Symposium.” Hosted by the Friends of Bentonville, the event takes place Sept. 28-29 at various sites in eastern North Carolina. It will include scholarly presentations and battlefield tours.