Press Releases

A project to restore faded historical murals and create new exterior artworks will receive an award from the Federation of North Carolina Historical Societies.The Historic Port of Washington Project in Washington, N.C., will receive the 2023 Newsome Award, which recognizes excellence in local history projects.

Visit the State Capitol Saturday, Dec. 2, from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. to make a rustic outdoor decoration to feed the birds and squirrels on Capitol Square. While the historic Capitol is closed for repairs, we’re bringing holiday cheer outside instead. Families, children, and wildlife enthusiasts are invited to make birdseed and critter-friendly ornaments to adorn the tree, provided by the N.C. Christmas Tree Association. The tree will stand on the east grounds through December.

Six additional local parks and recreation projects across the state will receive grants totaling nearly $1.9 million through the N.C. Parks and Recreation Trust Fund, the N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation announced. The N.C. Parks and Recreation Authority selected the recipients Nov. 3.The Authority selects PARTF grant recipients annually at its August meeting, and this year, 19 recipients were funded through a continuing resolution. After the state budget was finalized this fall, this year’s PARTF allocation amounted to a total of $10.4 million.

Six distinguished North Carolinians were presented the North Carolina Award, the state’s highest honor, by Governor Roy Cooper at a Nov. 9 ceremony at the North Carolina Museum of Art. The award recognizes significant lifetime achievements in the areas of fine arts, literature, public service and science.The 2023 honorees are Honorable David Price for Public Service, Honorable G.K. Butterfield for Public Service, Fred A. Whitfield for Public Service, Marsha White Warren for Literature, Patrick Dougherty for Fine Arts and Mandy K. Cohen, M.D., M.P.H., for Science.

Crystal Lloyd, one of the park superintendents at Falls Lake State Recreation Area, is now the park superintendent at Carolina Beach State Park in New Hanover County, the N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation announced. Lloyd fills the role after longtime superintendent Chris Helms retired in April.The park superintendent leads the operations and administration at the park and has a comprehensive set of responsibilities that include staffing, training, law enforcement, planning, natural and cultural resource management, interpretation and education, and visitor services.

All backcountry campsites at nine state parks in western North Carolina are closed effective Nov. 10 due to increased fire risk, according to the N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation. The closures will last through at least Dec. 1.The following state parks are affected:Crowders Mountain State Park: All campsites are closed.Elk Knob State Park: All campsites and the zone camping area are closed.

Join Duke Homestead State Historic Site for one last day of baseball this season at the Durham Athletic Park. Two vintage baseball games will be played Nov. 11, beginning at 1 p.m.

Matt Windsor is the new park superintendent at Goose Creek State Park in Beaufort County, according to the N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation. Windsor succeeds Doug Lequire, who retired in May.Park superintendents lead operations and administration at a park and have wide-ranging responsibilities that include staffing, training, law enforcement, planning, resource management, interpretation and education, and visitor services.

A highly decorated war veteran from North Carolina soon will be recognized with a North Carolina Highway Historical Marker.Lt. Gen. Robert Sink, a career U.S. Army officer who served in both World War II and the Korean War, was born in 1905 in Lexington, N.C. He attended Trinity College (now Duke University) for a year before transferring to the United States Military Academy at West Point where he graduated in 1927 and was commissioned as a second lieutenant.

An early Civil Rights organization established by formerly enslaved men and women to overcome the enduring legacy of slavery following the Civil War soon will be recognized with a North Carolina Highway Historical Marker.