Press Releases

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 contributions of more than 1,800 women pilots during World War II soon will be commemorated with a North Carolina Highway Historical Marker. The marker, honoring the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) who served at Camp Davis during the war, will be dedicated at the Holly Ridge Community Center Sept. 23 with a ceremony beginning at 10 a.m. The WASP program trained women to become pilots from July 1943 to December 1944. After their training, the WASP were stationed at 122 air bases across the U.S., including Camp Davis near Holly Ridge where 52 women served.

 Recollections of men hardened by four years of war tell the story of the intense fighting at Bentonville, mere weeks before the American Civil War’s end. “I was never under such a terrible storm of bullets in all my life,” recalled one veteran of the Battle of Bentonville, referring to the fierce rifle fire he had survived on March 19, 1865. But there was more to being a foot soldier than fighting. The role of infantrymen in the American Civil War will be displayed on Sept. 18 at Bentonville Battlefield State Historic Site during “Life on Campaign.”

In 1761, the western part of North Carolina was in crisis. Warfare between British colonists and the Cherokee had raged for two years. By the summer and fall, armies massed for a final invasion of the Cherokee's homeland. Fort Dobbs State Historic Site will host a living history event Sept. 25 that will demonstrate the experiences of the soldiers, Cherokee, and settlers caught up in the Anglo-Cherokee War. Ongoing displays of life in military camps will include period cooking, trades and crafts, as well as scheduled weapons firing demonstrations.

The North Carolina Arts Council announced today that five traditional artist teams from western North Carolina have received the third annual North Carolina Appalachian Folklife Apprenticeships awards.

Like almost everything else, BugFest will be a little different this year … welcome to BugFest 2021: Plan Bee, a celebration of bees!Did you know there are more than 20,000 species of bees worldwide and more than 4,000 in North America alone? Seventy percent of the world’s agriculture depends on bees, and without them many plants would not be able to reproduce. Because they are crucial to Earth’s ecosystems, it’s important to protect bees and to understand our part in their survival. 

 It’s time! After a long-anticipated, robust upgrade in exhibits and overall space, the former A Time for Science center on Dickinson Avenue is holding a public celebration Saturday, Sept. 18, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. The Grand Opening is coupled with a science expo, showcasing displays and activities inside and outside of the museum.

A historical marker commemorating the life of a renowned immigrant architect and builder soon will be installed near the site of his Black Mountain estate.

Construction of a new visitor center at Eno River State Park will limit parking at Fews Ford access through late summer 2022. Visitors should expect parking to reach capacity early in the day on weekends and good weather days. Park staff say visitors should prepare to have a wait for a parking space at Fews Ford while construction continues.

The North Carolina Transportation Museum is pleased to announce an update to the “How the West Was Won” exhibit, located in the Bob Julian Roundhouse.