Wednesday, April 26, 2017

Author Jill McCorkle to headline Friends of the Library event in Asheboro

Jill McCorkle
ASHEBORO – Novelist and Lumberton native Jill McCorkle, who has the distinction of having her first two books published simultaneously, will keynote the Friends of the Randolph County Public Library Annual Meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 11, at the Sunset Theater in downtown Asheboro.

McCorkle’s appearance, sponsored  by the Heart of North Carolina Visitors Bureau, the City of Asheboro and the Friends of the Library, is free and the public is invited.

Those first two novels — The Cheerleader and July 7th, published on the same day in 1984 by Algonquin Books — have been followed by four others, including Ferris Beach, Carolina Moon, Tending to Virginia and Life After Life. She is also author of four short story collections.

Five of McCorkle’s books have been named New York Times Notable Books. She is recipient of the John Dos Passos Prize for Literature, the North Carolina Award for Literature and the New England Booksellers Award.

Her short stories have appeared in numerous literary magazines, and five have been included in Best American Short Stories.

McCorkle teaches creative writing in the MFA program at North Carolina State University and is a core faculty member of the Bennington College Writers Seminars. She also has taught at the University of North Carolina, Tufts University, Brandeis University and Harvard.

She currently resides in Hillsborough with her husband, photographer Tom Rankin.

The Sunset Theatre is located at 234 Sunset Avenue. For further information, call 336-318-6803.

Monday, April 24, 2017

Learn canning basics at Randolph Cooperative Extension

Jeannie Leonard
ASHEBORO – Join NC Cooperative Extension Agent Jeannie Leonard for “The Basics of Canning” at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 2 – and check out the expanded kitchen facilities – at the new Randolph County Cooperative Extension headquarters, 1003 S. Fayetteville St. (Hillside Shopping Center) in Asheboro.

Find out how to choose the best preservation canning method and see some of the tools used.

Leonard’s talk, sponsored by the Randolph County Public Library and Cooperative Extension, is free and the public is invited. Call 336-318-6803 to reserve a space.

Tuesday, April 18, 2017

Novelist Joe Epley to debut epic tale of Col. David Fanning at Asheboro library

Joe Epley
ASHEBORO – Get into A Passel of Trouble at the Asheboro Public Library as author Joe Epley debuts his novel about the life of Col. David Fanning, the notorious — or heroic, depending on your point of view — Loyalist militia leader in the Revolutionary War.

Epley, a former Green Beret, journalist and public relations executive, will talk about his book at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 6, at the library. The event, sponsored by the library’s Randolph Room, is free and the public is invited.

Fanning is legendary in Randolph and Chatham counties, where from 1780-1782 he fought pitched battles against supporters of American Independence. He is known for raiding homesteads, killing revolutionary leader Col. Andrew Balfour, nearly burning Col. Philip Alston and his family out of the House in the Horseshoe, and chasing Andrew Hunter – on Fanning’s stolen horse – off Faith Rock into the Deep River.  

In A Passel of Trouble, Epley depicts Fanning as a born leader and a capable young man on the verge of success in South Carolina when war breaks out. As neighbors take sides against each other, Fanning chooses loyalty to the King.

The journey that leads him to Randolph County is seen through the eyes of his friend Josh, who leaves his Quaker faith to join the Loyalist cause.

To help ensure the novel’s historical authenticity, Epley received an assist from local historians Warren Dixon and Mac Whatley with research and fact-checking.

Now retired and a resident of Tryon, N.C., Epley operated Epley Associates, a public relations firm in Charlotte, for 38 years. He’s also author of A Passel of Hate, about the battle of Kings Mountain.

The library is located at 201 Worth Street. For more information, call 336-318-6815.

Wednesday, April 12, 2017

Learn how to use the Census for family research in Asheboro library class

ASHEBORO – Make sense of the Census for family history research in “Census Sense” with librarian and genealogist Ann Palmer, 2-3:30 p.m. Friday, April 28, at the Asheboro Public Library.

Discover how the Census can help, and what information is often overlooked. Learn about using censuses prior to 1850, common errors and alternative records.

The workshop is free and the public is invited.

The library is located at 201 Worth Street. For further information, call 336-318-6815.

Celebrate El día de los niños/El día de los libros with Curious George at Asheboro library

ASHEBORO – Celebrate El día de los niños/El día de los libros (Children’s Day/Book Day) with outdoor stories, games and food from around the world from 11 a.m. -2 p.m. Saturday, April 29, at the Asheboro Public Library.

Bring the family and meet special guest Curious George while celebrating the importance of literacy and reading for children of all cultural and linguistic backgrounds.

The event, sponsored by the Friends of the Library, is free. All children and their families are invited.

The library is located at 201 Worth Street. For more information, call 336-318-6804.

Music prof to explore life of jazz drummer Max Roach at Asheboro library

ASHEBORO -- The contributions of legendary jazz drummer and North Carolina native Max Lemuel Roach are the focus of a talk by Douglas Jackson, a music professor and performer, at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 27, at the Asheboro Public Library.

Jackson will present a multimedia profile of Roach’s life that includes recordings of his music. It’s free and the public is invited.

Roach, a Pasquotank County native, was an innovative master drummer, percussionist and composer who performed and recorded with numerous jazz luminaries including Charlie Parker, Miles Davis and Thelonious Monk. He performed on over 100 commercial recordings and holds over 100 copyrights.

Jackson, a Los Angeles native, is an assistant professor of music at Elizabeth City State University where he teaches trumpet, music business and jazz ensemble. He has performed on trumpet internationally, including at the Monterey Next Generation Jazz Festival, among other venues.

He also has over two decades of experience in the music and film businesses, with stints at Motown Records, A & M Records and MGM Studios.

This project is made possible by funding from the North Carolina Humanities Council, a statewide nonprofit and affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Friends of the Library.

The library is located at 201 Worth Street. Call 336-318-6803 for more information.

Wednesday, April 5, 2017

Celebrate ‘Drop Everthing and Read Day’ at Asheboro library

ASHEBORO – Children are invited to join a national celebration of famed author Beverly Cleary’s birthday during “Drop Everything and Read Day,” all day Wednesday, April 12, at the Asheboro Public Library.

Drop in any time for the celebration, which is aimed at getting kids to set aside a time to read. It’s free and children of all ages are welcome.

The event will feature a StoryWalk®, in which participants can follow a trail of pages to read a story and receive rewards when they get to the end.

Cleary is the Newberry Award-winning author of the popular Ramona Quimby series of children’s books.

The library is located at 201 Worth Street. For further information, call 336-318-6804.

The StoryWalk® Project was created by Anne Ferguson of Montpelier, VT, and developed in collaboration with the Kellogg-Hubbard Library. StoryWalk® is a registered service mark owned by Ms. Ferguson.

Monday, April 3, 2017

NC food ambassador Bob Garner to speak at Asheboro’s Sunset Theatre

Bob Garner
ASHEBORO – Food writer and North Carolina Weekend commentator Bob Garner will talk about his adventures as a passionate ambassador for Southern food traditions at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 20, at the Sunset Theatre in downtown Asheboro.

Garner’s appearance is free and the public is invited.

It is sponsored by the Randolph County Public Library’s Margaret C. Taylor Memorial Culinary Arts Collection, and by the City of Asheboro, the Heart of North Carolina Visitors Bureau and the Friends of the Library.

Known for his signature yummy noise, “Mmm-mmm!” as restaurants get his stamp of approval on North Carolina Weekend, Garner is author of four books and “Bob Garner Eats,” a 10-part series for Our State magazine.

He also has appeared on national television shows such as Good Morning America, Paula’s Home Cooking with Paula Deen, FoodNation with Bobby Flay, and the Travel Channel’s Road Trip.

His most recent book is Foods that Make You Say Mmm-mmm, which highlights North Carolina’s most unique and best-loved dishes.

He’s also a barbecue expert and pit-master, and serves as the “Minister of Barbecue Culture” at The Pit Authentic Barbecue restaurant in Raleigh. He resides in Greenville, N.C.

The Margaret C. Taylor Memorial Culinary Arts Collection was established from the estate of Margaret Cashatt Taylor, a Randleman area native who passed away in 2015 in Dearborn, Mich. She bequeathed to the library her collection of cooking and other culinary books, and provided a fund to enhance the collection with future book purchases and related programs.

The Sunset Theatre is located at 234 Sunset Avenue in Asheboro. For further information, call 336-318-6803.