History Happens Here
Selected Events Calendar
January 14
Music of the Carolinas Series
Museum of History, Raleigh
Performances of traditional Piedmont music genres through early June
January 15
N.C. Highway Historical Marker Dedication
Rocky Mount
Observing the delivery of the precursor of Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech given while visiting Rocky Mount and the 1,500th N.C. Highway Historical Marker to be installed.
Jan 30 American Presidents: Life Portraits
through Museum of History, Raleigh
April 8
American Presidents: Life Portraits features the only complete collection of American presidential oil portraits by one artist, renowned painter and sculptor Chas Fagan. Accompanying the Fagan portraits are biographical sketches of all 43 presidents, photographs contributed by the White House Historical Association that capture each president’s time in the White House, as well as historic front pages of American newspapers announcing presidential election results. North Carolina artist Chas Fagan painted the presidential portraits.
February 11
Heart and Soul: African-American History in McDowell County Area
Mountain Gateway Museum, Old Fort
February 9-11
Bill of Rights Tour featuring Freedom of the Press
Special Operations Museum, Fayetteville
Home of the state’s oldest newspaper
February 21
Pirate Ships, Slave Ships and Colonial America
N.C. Maritime Museum, Beaufort
Symposium examining the conversion of slave ships by pirates, the hierarchy of colonial America, international maritime activity, and the culture of slave ships
March 2
Ten Years with the Queen Anne’s Revenge
Museumof History, Raleigh
A forum for review and discussion of information and insight gained during the 10 year examination of the shipwreck of the purported Queen Anne’s Revenge, Blackbeard’s flagship.
March 9-11
Bill of Rights Tour
Cameron Art Museum-Wilmington
In the hometown of the state’s oldest synagogue
March 23
You Will Be Remembered: A Lost Colony Retrospective
Outer Banks History Center, Roanoke Island
April 15
Temples and Tombs: Treasures of Egyptian Art from the British Museum
NC Museum of Art, Raleigh
Through July 8
April 19-21
Bill of Rights Tour
Chowan County Courthouse, Edenton
Located in North Carolina’s oldest courthouse
April 26-29
MerleFest
Wilkesboro
The twentieth anniversary year of celebration of the music of the late Merle Watson and his father, Doc Watson.
May
Capital Bank Blue Skies and Red Earth Tour of Western North Carolina
Under the baton of Music Director Grant Llewellyn
May 5
North Carolina People
Museum of History, Raleigh
Sample the food, music and culture of the people who have settled in this state.
May 15
Heroes and Home Fires: North Carolina’s Contributions During the Great War
Museum of the Cape Fear, Fayetteville
Artifacts related to World War I exhibited through July 8
June
American Dance Festival
Durham
Six week international festival of performances along with workshops and classes for dance students.
Outdoor Dramas:
The Lost Colony
Manteo
June 2-Aug. 18
Celebrating its seventieth year as the country’s oldest continuous outdoor drama, recounts the ill-fated settlement of Roanoke Island by England in 1587.
Horn in the West
Boone
This brings to life the story of frontiersman Daniel Boone and the settlement of the Blue Ridge Mountain area during the time of the Revolutionary War.
Charlie Poole Music Festival
Eden
Celebrates contemporary country and American roots music
Heritage Festivals:
June 2
Millstock Music and Arts Faire
Clayton, NC
Local performers and artisans showcase their talents
June 2
Tar River Festival
Louisburg
Celebrating the traditional music and arts of the region
June 2-3
Ocrafolk Music and Storytelling Festival
Ocracoke
July 4
Independence Day
State Capitol, Raleigh
Old-fashioned family entertainment with a patriotic concert and a picnic
Aug. 17-19
Richard Caswell Celebration
CSS Neuse, Kinston
A proclamation and tribute to North Carolina’s first governor with speeches, revolutionary-era re-enactors, weapon and trade demonstrations and more
Fall
Our Story: The Story of the Thirteen County Albemarle Region
Museum of the Albemarle, Elizabeth City
Sept. 15
North Carolina Symphony’s 75th Anniversary Gala
Meymandi Concert Hall, Progress Energy Center, Raleigh
With opera sensation Denyce Graves
Sept. 17-13
Constitution Week
Historic Edenton-Edenton
Sept. 17-23
Bill of Rights Tour
State Capitol, Raleigh
Highlights non-enumerated rights during Constitution Week
Oct. 3-7
Thomas Wolfe Festival
Thomas Wolfe Memorial, Asheville
Commemorates the life and letters of Wolfe through tours, dramas, presentations
Oct. 5-7
Bill of Rights Tour
Charlotte
Will showcase the right to assemble/petition, in Charlotte, at the home of the Mecklenburg Resolves
Oct. 25
N.C. Folk Heritage Awards.
Raleigh
Presented by the N.C. Arts Council to outstanding artisans for lifelong achievement in the state’s traditional arts and crafts.
Nov. 8-10
Bill of Rights Tour
Asheville
Highlighting the Right to a Jury Trial and Due Process, in Asheville and in conjunction with the N.C. Literary and Historical Association meeting
December Holiday events at State Historic Sites
December 4 Tree Lighting
State Capitol-Raleigh
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