Play real-life ‘Game of Thrones’ with UNCG history professor at Asheboro library

ASHEBORO – In the HBO series Game of Thrones, viewers see vestiges of medieval history: knights in shining armor defending their ladies’ honor, jousts and tournaments, and courtly intrigue.

Join UNC-Greensboro Associate History Professor Richard Barton at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 14, at the Asheboro Public Library, for a grounding in the nature of power for those who play the game of thrones. Barton’s research interest is the structure and nature of power in medieval France, which he ties in with events in the fictional kingdoms of the popular series.

Barton’s talk, sponsored by the Friends of the Library, is free and the public is invited.

The library is located at 201 Worth Street. For further information, call 336-318-6803.

Randolph library invites children to “Play and Learn”

ASHEBORO – Join the PAL (Play and Learn) Club at four Randolph County libraries in April.

Children ages 0-5 and parents/caregivers are invited to have fun with letters through storytimes, literacy-building games, crafts and other activities.

The schedule is as follows:

• Archdale (10433 S.Main St.): 10 a.m. Thursday, April 28;
• Asheboro (201 Worth St.): 10:30 a.m. Friday, April 15;
• Liberty (239 S. Fayetteville St.): 11 a.m. Wednesday, April 6;
• Randleman 142 W. Academy St.): 3:30 p.m. Monday, April 18

The events are part of Every Child Ready to Read, an initiative to help young children develop the building blocks of literacy so that they will be ready to learn when they start school.

For further information, call 336-318-6804.

Novelist Ross Howell Jr. to appear at Asheboro library

Novelist Ross Howell Jr.

ASHEBORO – The execution of a 17-year-old African American girl in Virginia during the Jim Crow era forms the basis of Greensboro author Ross Howell Jr.’s fact-based novel Forsaken.

Howell will discuss his recently-published book during a Friends of the Library event at 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 5, at the Asheboro Public Library. His talk is free and the public is invited.

Forsaken tells the chilling true story of Virginia Christian, an uneducated African American girl who was tried and convicted of murdering her white employer in 1912. Charlie Mears, a white man, covered the case as a rookie reporter.

The book chronicles the story of the trial and its aftermath as seen through Mears’s eyes, weaving in actual court records, letters and personal accounts.

Howell pursued a career in marketing and publishing after earning an M.F.A. in the Writers’ Workshop at the University of Iowa. His fiction has appeared in the Virginia Quarterly, Sewanee Review, Gettysburg Review and other publications.

He has taught creative writing and literature at Harvard University, the University of Iowa, the University of Virginia and, currently, at Elon University.

The library is located at 201 Worth Street. For further information, call 336-318-6803.

Meet Scout: ‘Mockingbird’ actress Mary Badham to appear at Asheboro’s Sunset Theatre

Mary Badham speaks at Birmingham Southern College. Adapted from a photo by Thecoiner License CC BY-SA 3.0

ASHEBORO – Actress Mary Badham, who played Scout in the classic 1962 film adaptation of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, will appear at 7 p.m. Saturday, April 2, at the historic Sunset Theatre in downtown Asheboro.

Badham will share her experiences making the film, reflect on the book’s message of tolerance and compassion, and take audience questions.

Her appearance is sponsored by the Friends of the Library, the Heart of North Carolina Visitors Bureau, the City of Asheboro and The Courier-Tribune. It’s free and the public is invited.

Prior to Badham’s appearance,  a free showing of the film will take place at 2:30 p.m. at the Sunset for those who have not seen it or want to see it again.

Badham was chosen for the role of Scout at age 10, with no prior acting experience. She was nominated for a Best Actress in a Supporting Role Oscar for her performance.

After appearing in two other films, including This Property Is Condemned with Natalie Wood and Robert Redford, and TV shows Twilight Zone and Dr. Kildare, she left acting as a teenager to pursue her education.

She currently maintains a busy schedule talking to audiences internationally about the book and the film, and has twice appeared at the White House. Her interest is in expanding knowledge about the film’s message of social injustice and to insure that each generation of students can experience the film’s impact.

The Sunset Theatre is located at 234 Sunset Ave. For further information, contact the Asheboro Public Library at 318-6803.

Join the Spring Break fun at the Asheboro library

ASHEBORO – School will be out during the last week of March, so join in the Spring Break fun at the Asheboro Public Library.

School-age children are invited to take part in activities and adventures each day at 4 p.m.:

·        Monday, March 28: Simple Science – Learn about sound and static electricity.

·        Tuesday, March 29: Yoga Storytelling – Learn basic poses while enjoying a story.

·        Wednesday, March 30: Movie Day – Watch The Good Dinosaur and do a fun craft.

·        Thursday, March 31: Artist Corner – Coloring books are not just for little kids anymore!

·        Friday, April 1: Construction Friday – Test your building skills using LEGOs and other household items.

All the events are free and all supplies will be provided.

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

Sit a spell with ‘Road Scholar’ E.J. Stewart at Asheboro library

E.J. Stewart

ASHEBORO – Share memories of North Carolina’s agricultural past with playwright, oral historian and storyteller Ella Joyce (E.J.) Stewart in “Sit-a-Spell,” 6 p.m. Thursday, March 24, at the Asheboro Public Library.

Stewart, the daughter of sharecroppers, will share stories from the mid-20th Century, when “Y’all come sit-a-spell” was the call for agricultural workers to take a break from hard work in the fields, or to relax after church on a Sunday afternoon.

Stewart’s appearance is first in a series of visits by “Road Scholars” from the North Carolina Humanities Council’s Many Stories, One People project. It’s free and the public is invited.

Stewart, who lives in Raleigh, uses literary arts as a way to create better communication across age, race, gender and class lines. She has written three produced plays and her stories appear in several publications.

She is a member of the North Carolina Association of Black Storytellers and the National Association of Black Storytellers.

Mark your calendars for the other Road Scholar events at the Asheboro library:

· “In Search of the Real Founder of Christianity: Jesus of Nazareth or Saul of Tarsus,” with Mars Hill College religion professor Dr. Walter Ziffer, 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 19; and

·  “Sarah McGuirk, Orphan Train Rider,” with fiction writer and essayist Tamra Wilson, M.F.A., 6 p.m. Tuesday, June 21.

      

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

The library is located at 201 Worth Street. For further information, call 336-318-6803

Womick to debut children’s book in fun-filled library storytime

ASHEBORO – What happens when an elderly woman grows too frail plant her garden as usual, and the balance in the world shifts from beauty to ugliness?

Find out as journalist Chip Womick debuts his first children’s book, Mrs. McGillicutty’s Last Sunflower, beautifully illustrated by Argentinean artist Marina Saummell,  in an event that will feature a reading of the story and spring-related games and crafts, at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 22, at the Asheboro Public Library. Womick also will answer audience questions.

It’s free and all ages are invited.

Womick has been writing mostly for newspapers — and mostly for The Courier-Tribune — for the last 30 years.

After penning Remembering Randolph County: Tales from the Center of the State, and assisting centenarian John Pugh with a memoir, he wanted to see on the printed page some of the children’s stories he has written. He hopes that Mrs. McGillicutty’s Last Sunflower is the first of many from his new publishing company, Peacelight Press (peacelightpress.com).

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

Play some music at Asheboro library jam session for teens

ASHEBORO  -- Bring your guitar or other instrument of choice and join singer-songwriter Gracie Kirkland for the first ever TeenZone Jam Club at 6 p.m. Thursday, March 17.

The jam session is free and all teens are invited to make some music.

The library is located at 201 Worth Street.

Get smart about your credit report in Asheboro library program

ASHEBORO  -- Learn how to understand your credit report in “SmartCents: Credit to Be Proud Of” at 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 15, at the Asheboro Public Library.

Sponsored by the Friends of the Library, it’s free and the public is invited.

Tom Luzon of Consumer Credit Counseling Services of Greensboro will talk about how to read a credit report and understand the report’s terminology.

Participants will learn how to establish credit and dispute inaccurate credit reporting, and find out about their rights.

Attendees also can bring their credit report for personalized assistance from Luzon. Credit reports can be obtained for free at www.AnnualCreditReport.com (authorized by federal law and the only source for free credit reports), or by calling 877-322-8228.

Those bringing a credit report should keep it with them during the program, not let anyone else see it, and black out their social security number.

The library is located at 201 Worth Street.