Press Releases

Nominations are being accepted for the 2024 North Carolina Award, the highest civilian honor bestowed by the state, now through April 1.Created by the General Assembly in 1961 and administered by the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, the award recognizes “notable accomplishments by North Carolina citizens” in the fields of literature, science, fine arts and public service.This year marks the 60th anniversary of the awards, which have been presented annually since 1964.

The State Library of North Carolina Accessible Books and Library Services (ABLS) is thrilled to announce the upcoming 2024 Eastern NC Regional Braille Challenge, a compelling event that promises to highlight the talents and achievements of blind and visually impaired students in the realm of Braille literacy. Taking place Feb. 19, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Governor Morehead School for the Blind in Raleigh, this event is a unique opportunity for media professionals to capture and share inspiring stories.

Recently released prison records may offer clues for a project that will memorialize incarcerated laborers who died building the Mountain Division of the Western N.C. Railroad from Old Fort to Ridgecrest.These records, housed in the N.C. State Archives, have provided additional information about those working, and at times dying, under dangerous conditions.An upcoming virtual Lunch & Learn program hosted by the State Archives, “The RAIL Project: New Discoveries in the State Archives,” will present some of the early findings.

The North Carolina state parks system welcomed more than 20.1 million visitors in 2023 and acquired over 2,890 acres of new land, according to the N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation. Visitation at state parks increased by 4% — more than 755,000 — from 2022.

The second public information meeting for the Pisgah View State Park Master Plan will be held Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024, from 5-7 p.m. at the Upper Hominy Volunteer Fire and Rescue Department, 1795 Pisgah Highway in Candler. Members of the public are encouraged to drop in at any time and can expect to spend 20-30 minutes to review, discuss, and provide feedback on the proposed options for the development of the park.

Pilot Mountain State Park’s Bean Shoals Access, located along the north side of the Yadkin River, will be closed beginning Feb. 5 through the end of 2024, the North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation announced. The access will undergo a construction project to improve access, followed by a stream restoration project.

Throughout February, the North Carolina State Capitol will be commemorating Black History Month by hosting “We've Always Been Out There," a series of walking tours highlighting the protest and civil rights history of downtown Raleigh.These short (0.5 mile) walking tours around downtown will discuss the lengthy history of protest and civil rights demonstrations in Raleigh. Topics range in time from the early 19th century to the 1980s and include an extended focus on the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s and 70s.

 It's time for lift off when the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences hosts Astronomy Days, Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 3-4, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Go on a celestial adventure that explores the wonders of the universe through technology, telescopes, engaging talks and plenty of hands-on activities. 

The grand re-opening of the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences at Greenville takes place Saturday, Feb. 3 at 10 a.m. The public is invited to check out the museum’s new digs at the historic Cupola Building, 226 West 8th St. 

From the North Carolina Arboretum to Port Discover, 53 science centers across the state have been awarded a total of $2.4 million in grants as part of the sixth year of the North Carolina Science Museums Grant Program. The program is one of the many ways that the State of North Carolina invests in sustaining and advancing one of the most diverse and widespread networks of science museums in the country.