Novelist Wayne Caldwell to keynote Friends of Library event

Wayne Caldwell
(photo by Catherine Ballance)

ASHEBORO -- Asheville-based author Wayne Caldwell will keynote the Friends of the Randolph County Public Library annual meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 8, at the Historic Randolph County Courthouse.

His appearance is free and the public is invited. Refreshments and a book signing will follow at the Asheboro library.

Caldwell is author of the acclaimed novel Cataloochee, about a close-knit community in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee in the latter half of the 19th century, and Requiem by Fire, which traces the community into the 20th century. In 2013, his work earned him the James Still Award for Writing About the Appalachian South from the Fellowship of Southern Writers.

Born in the Enka community of Asheville, Caldwell earned degrees in English from UNC-Chapel Hill, Appalachian State University and Duke University, and has taught composition and literature at North Carolina Central University and Union College.

Since the mid-1970s, he has worked at Ambiance Interiors, the family interior design business, in Asheville. He has completed a third novel, Memoirs of an Unambitious Lawyer, and is working on a fourth, entitled Shadow Family.

The Historic Randolph County Courthouse is located at 145 Worth Street in Asheboro. The library is located at 201 Worth Street.

Former POW John Borling to share ‘Hanoi Hilton’ poems at Asheboro library

Held in captivity in North Vietnam for more than six years, John Borling kept body and soul together and inspired his fellow prisoners by rapping out poems with his knuckles, in code, on prison walls. Those poems were collected in his book Taps on the Walls: Poems from the Hanoi Hilton, published in 2013.

Borling will share work from his book and talk about his experiences at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 29, at the Asheboro Public Library. His visit, sponsored by the Friends of the Library, is free and the public is invited.     

A Chicago native and Air Force Academy graduate, Borling served 37 years in the U.S. Air Force and retired as a major general. He earned a Silver Star, two Bronze Stars with V for Valor, and two Purple Hearts.

He was an F-15 Eagle fighter pilot, and commander of the famed “Hat in the Ring” squadron. He also served in various command and planning roles.    

He currently leads SOS America, an organization he founded advocating military service for young men, and serves on several corporate boards.

The library is located at 201 Worth Street in Asheboro.

Historians to talk about new books on local civil war history

Historians Mac Whatley and Brad Foley will present “A Tour of Randolph County’s Civil War Past” at 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 23, at the Asheboro Public Library.

Foley will talk about his recently-published book, Letters Home: The Civil War Correspondence of Alexander C. McAlister, 46th North Carolina Regiment. The letters, between McAlister and his wife Adelaide, are a firsthand account of the war’s impact on one of Asheboro’s leading citizens and his family.

Whatley will explore Civil War in the North Carolina Quaker Belt, the late William T. Auman’s account of seven Confederate military operations conducted against deserters and Unionists in central North Carolina. “The book is the work of Bill’s lifetime, and an important contribution to Randolph County history,” Whatley says.

The event, sponsored by the Friends of the Library, is free and the public is invited. The library is located at 201 Worth Street in Asheboro.

Learn to buy and sell safely on Craigslist in Asheboro library program

Learn “How to Buy and Sell on Craigslist – Safely” with Ron Osborne, veteran user of the online advertising site, and Randolph County Sheriff’s Deputy Bernie Maness, at the Asheboro Public Library.

The program will be offered twice, at 10 a.m. Tuesday, April 15, and again at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 17.

No sign-up is required. It’s sponsored by the Friends of the Library, and the public is invited.

Osborne is a retired MOPAR classic car restorer who started using Craigslist in 2002 and has made many purchases and sales since with great success – and never any problems.

The library is located at 201 Worth Street in Asheboro.

Celebrate spring, Easter at Randolph libraries

Dig out from a long, cold winter with fun and free spring and Easter events for kids and families at Randolph County’s public libraries.

“Celebrate Easter” in fun, family fashion at the Asheboro Public Library, 2 p.m. Thursday, April 17, with stories, songs, games, crafts and a visit from the Easter Bunny! The library is located at 201 Worth Street in Asheboro.

“In a Spring Garden” with Oscar and Elsa Gonzales, dress up your garden with pretty pots during a Ramseur Public Library springtime event. 3:30 p.m. Thursday, April 17. Call 824-2232 to sign up. The library is located at 1512 S. Main St. in Ramseur.

“Get Egg-cited — it’s Spring Time” at the Randleman Public Library, at 3:30 p.m. Thursday, April 17, with stories and activities. Kindergarten and up; call 431-3811 to sign up. The library is located at 122 Commerce Sq. in Randleman.

Archdale Public Library will host an “Earth Day Celebration” for children and their families at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 22. Enjoy games crafts, stories and refreshments. The library is located at 10433 S. Main St. in Archdale.

Have a “Spring Splash” in an Every Child Ready to Read Family Fun Night, 5:30-6:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 30, at the Asheboro library. Call 318-6804 to sign up.