Learn how to ‘Do This Not That’ in genealogy research class at Asheboro library

ASHEBORO – Whether you’re just getting started researching your family history or are a seasoned researcher, everyone makes mistakes. Being aware of successful techniques will save time and frustration when climbing a family tree.

To avoid pitfalls, join librarian and genealogist Ann Palmer for “Do This Not That,” 6:30-8 p.m. Thursday, January 10, at the Asheboro Public Library. Palmer will share tips on research, documentation and organization, and will provide examples of genealogy mistakes to avoid.

The class is free and the public is invited.

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

Asheboro Confidential: Diary of Simeon Colton, 1850s educator and minister, tells all

The Rev. Simeon Colton, D.D., by illustrator
Rich Powell from a 1904 engraving of
an 1854 daguerreotype.

ASHEBORO --  What was life like in Asheboro in the 1850s?

Find out as Ross Holt, director of the Randolph County Public Library, debuts his book A Man of Restless Enterprise: The Diary of Simeon Colton, 1851-1862, at 7 p.m. Tuesday, January 8, at the Asheboro Public Library.

Holt’s talk is free and the public is invited.

The Yale-educated Rev. Simeon Colton, D.D. (1785-1868), was the superintendent of the Asheboro Male and Female Academies from 1854 until his retirement in 1862, and minister of Asheboro Presbyterian Church during the same period. Holt has transcribed and annotated Colton’s diary, which is in the Southern Historical Collection at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

“The diary is an amazing look at life in central North Carolina as the country heads towards civil war,” Holt says.

In his writings, Colton shares his thought on domestic affairs, the complexities of travel both in the area and nationally, and the difficulty of operating schools in communities facing demographic, economic and civic challenges. He also reflects on his charge to develop Presbyterian congregations in rural areas, and wrestles with his own questions of faith.

As the country draws toward war, Colton turns his incisive mind to national affairs, and to the sin of slavery as the genesis of the conflict.

Pious and outspoken, Colton also is not shy about voicing his opinion of neighbors and colleagues who fell short of his expectations. “Some of the diary reads like ‘Asheboro Confidential,’” Holt says.

Colton was a Connecticut native who grew up in Massachusetts. A lifelong educator, he served as principal of a series of preparatory schools in Massachusetts and Cumberland County, N.C., before coming to Asheboro.

Colton’s diary also sheds light on the amazing reach of his colleagues, friends and former students. Among the latter were Charles Merriam, who would establish The Merriam-Webster Dictionary, and Loring Norcross, who would become the uncle of poet Emily Dickinson.

Included in Holt’s book is the most definitive profile of Colton to date, was well as profiles of his extraordinary children, who made significant contributions of their own. “One of my colleagues observed that Colton’s story demonstrates the power of a family that places a supreme value on education” Holt says.

The diary project grew out of Holt’s research for the Randolph County Historic Landmark Preservation Commission on the 1839 Asheboro Female Academy, which recently was designated as a Randolph County Historic Landmark.

A Man of Restless Enterprise is available through Amazon.com. Proceeds from book sales go to the Randolph Room, the local history and genealogy service of the Randolph County Public Library.

Holt said the process of transcribing the diary and chasing down references to people and places was a series of daily “A-ha” moments, generating a series of interesting and sometimes odd facts. For example:

• Colton was trained at Yale as a chemist, and had a lifelong affinity for the subject. In 1850, he testified as an expert witness in a celebrated murder trial in Fayetteville.
• Colton was put on trial by the Presbyterian church during a doctrinal controversy in 1839 and acquitted, but just barely.
• Among his friends was Elisha Mitchell, the University of North Carolina professor who measured the altitude of North Carolina’s Black Mountains and for whom Mount Mitchell is named.
• His son Henry was a newspaper editor who shot a man, nearly fought a duel, and wrote the first travel guidebook to the western North Carolina mountains.
• His son Fisher was a prominent architect in the heyday of Chicago building, and designed the Gold Coast mansion that was used as the exterior of the family home in the 1980s television series “Webster.
• ”His grandson Henry argued the appeal of John Thomas Scopes, from the famed “Monkey Trial,” before the Tennessee Supreme Court.
• His granddaughter Elizabeth was an instructor at Meredith College whose research transformed higher education for women in the early part of the 20^th century.

Learn Tai Chi techniques for health in Asheboro library class

ASHEBORO – Learn simple techniques from the ancient Chinese discipline of Tai Chi that could help improve your overall wellness in “Introduction to Tai Chi,” a class at 6:30 p.m. Monday, January 7, at the Asheboro Public Library.

Instructor Steve Cain will take participants through a series of gentle exercises that can be integrated into daily life to improve balance and flexibility, and promote relaxation.

The class is free and the public is invited. Attendees are asked to wear loose fitting clothing for ease of movement, and flat-sole shoes. Most tennis shoes are acceptable.

Cain, an Asheboro native, is retired from Randolph Hospital. He trained in Tai Chi at Randolph Community College and has facilitated regular sessions at Randolph Hospital and Randolph Cancer Center as an instructor through the Arthritis Foundation’s “Program for Better Living” series.

Currently he conducts weekly sessions at the Randolph County Senior Adults Association in Asheboro.

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

Make ‘Easy Lifestyle Changes’ for wellness in Asheboro library class

ASHEBORO – Start the new year off right and pick up some ideas for healthy living in “Easy Lifestyle Changes,” a class at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, January 5, at the Asheboro Public Library.

Join Melissa Thompson, a Certified National Diabetes Prevention Program Lifestyle Coach, for insight on how factors such as stress management, physical activity and nutrition play a major role in preventing chronic diseases and conditions. She will share tips, ideas and recipes that will help make lifestyle changes easier, and could prevent or delay illness.

Thompson is Diabetes Prevention Program coordinator for MERCE Family Healthcare

The class is free and the public is invited.

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

Learn about ‘ABCs of Early American Handwriting’ in Asheboro library class

ASHEBORO – Ever been frustrated in genealogical or historical research trying to read old wills or censuses?

Join librarian and genealogist Ann Palmer for “The ABCs of Early American Handwriting,” 6:30-8 p.m. Thursday, December 13 at the Asheboro Public Library.

Learn the secrets to reading old handwriting and learn why so many names and words are incorrectly transcribed.

The class is free and the public is invited.

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

Franklinville library to host holiday food events for adults and children

FRANKLINVILLE – The Franklinville Public Library will offer holiday food–related classes for adults and children during the first two weeks in December.

Adults and older teens can learn how to create tasty seasonal goodies in  “Healthy Holiday Cooking” and “Food for Gathering and Entertaining,” 4:30-6 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays December 4, 6, 11 and 13. It’s for ages 16 and up; call the library at 336-685-3100 by November 30 to sign up.

“Holiday Cooking for Kids” will show youngsters how to make festive popcorn balls in holiday colors, 4:30-5:30 p.m. Wednesday, December 19. (Be aware that this event involves peanut butter, for those with allergy concerns). Sign up by December 10.

The classes will be led by Kimberly Titlebaum of the Recipe for Success nutrition program at UNC-Greensboro, and will take place at the Franklinville United Methodist Church fellowship hall.

The church is located at 227 W. Main St.

Tuneful team of Edwards, Davis return for “Country Bluegrass Christmas” at Asheboro library

Tommy Edwards and LaNelle Davis perform.

ASHEBORO – The bluegrass/old time music team of Tommy Edwards and LaNelle Davis will present a selection of original and seasonal tunes in “A Country Bluegrass Christmas” at 7 p.m. Tuesday, December 4, at the Asheboro Public Library.

The pair will be joined by a Stan Brown on banjo and Gerald Hampton on mandolin for the performance, which is sponsored by the Friends of the Library. It’s free and the public is invited.

Edwards is lead singer and guitarist for The Bluegrass Experience, and host of Life 103.1’s “Bluegrass Saturday Night.” A professional performer for over 35 years, Edwards has twice been named World Champion Bluegrass Guitarist. He also served for 30 years in the Randolph and Chatham county schools as a teacher, coach and administrator.

Davis, from eastern North Carolina, initially was drawn to clogging, touring and performing extensively as a dancer and caller. She took up the bass when a friend moved and left one at her house, and since has performed with numerous nationally-known old-time bands and individuals.

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

ASHEBORO – North Carolina Bookwatch host D.G. Martin will talk about his book North Carolina Roadside Eateries: A Traveler’s Guide to Local Restaurants, Diners, and Barbecue Joints at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, November 27, during a Friends of the Library dessert reception at The Table Farmhouse Bakery.

Tickets for Martin’s visit are $10 and are on sale at the Asheboro Public Library, 201 Worth Street. Tickets must be purchased in advance of the event.

In addition to his hosting duties, Martin pens a weekly column on books, politics and related topics that appears in 40 North Carolina newspapers. Martin graduated from Davidson College, where he played basketball, and Yale Law School. He’s also a former Green Beret.  He practiced law in Charlotte before joining the University of North Carolina system, where he served as Vice President for Public Affairs and chief legislative liaison.

For more information, call 336-318-6801.

Experience sky show as portable planetarium visits Asheboro library

ASHEBORO – Step into a space, journey through the solar system and meet Earth’s closest celestial neighbors on Thursday, November 15, at the Asheboro Public Library.

All ages are invited to free sky shows at 10 a.m., 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. in a StarLab Portable Planetarium set up in the central part of the library. The planetarium holds 6-8 people; multiple presentations of the 10-minute show will take place at each scheduled time if necessary to accommodate all attendees.

Abbreviated shows also will take place between scheduled showings.

The StarLab, an  11-foot-high by 16-foot-diameter inflatable dome, is on loan from the State Library of North Carolina, which has made four of the portable planetariums available around the state. A laptop/projector system displays the sky show and guides viewers through the program.

The StarLab will leave Asheboro for its next library location in a few weeks.

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

Community writing, reading workshop ‘Writing to Heal’ to address violence against women

ASHEBORO – Join poets Melissa Hassard and Debra Kaufman for “Writing to Heal,” a community writing and reading workshop addressing violence against women, at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, November 17, at the Asheboro Public Library.

The workshop, supported by the North Carolina Arts Council and the Regional Artist Project Grant program, is free and the public is invited.

Hassard and Kaufman will use selected poems from the anthology Red Sky: Poetry on the Global Epidemic of Violence Against Women (Sable Books 2018) to explore ways to talk about abuse, how families and communities are affected, and how breaking the silence is the first step toward healing. Participants will have time to reflect and write.

Representatives from local family services organizations also are invited to share information and resources. 

The two poets received a 2018 Regional Artist Project Grant to co-facilitate workshops in each of the region’s five counties, including Randolph. Hassard is managing editor of  Red Sky, a poetry collection that includes work by internationally recognized poets such as Naomi Shihab Nye, Fady Joudah and North Carolina Poet Laureate Jackie Shelton Green, as well as new and emerging voices.

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

Asheboro library launches new slate of weekly children’s activities

ASHEBORO – Kids and their families who visit the Asheboro Public Library can learn and have fun in weekly events on Mondays and Wednesdays as the Children’s Room revamps its schedule of storytimes and other activities beginning in November.

Additional special events also will take during each month.

Monday mornings will focus on children age 3-5, with “Kinder Prep” and “Music and Movement” alternating weekly at 10 a.m. Kinder Prep will focus on early learning concepts to help children get ready for kindergarten. Music and Movement encourages kids to stretch, sings, dance and explore music with rhythm instruments.

Monday afternoons will offer activities for children age 0-5 with “Learn and Play” at 4 p.m., featuring stories, songs and play time. The last Learn and Play day of each month will include an interactive group time for parents and caregivers, with refreshments.

Wednesday afternoons will feature a different type of activity each week at 3 p.m. for school-age children 6 and over, with “Crafternoons” on the first week; a movie on the second week; “LEGO Day” on the third week; and a hands-on STEM activity involving science, technology, engineering and mathematics on the fourth week.

Also getting underway is the Junior Book Club for children age 8 and up at 3 p.m. on the third Tuesday of each month. The monthly meeting and activity event for homeschoolers and their parents will continue.

The new schedule replaces the entire previous schedule of storytimes.

For more information and complete schedules, visit the Children’s Room or call 336-318-6804.

The library is located at 201 Worth Street.

Asheboro library to get automatic sliding doors

ASHEBORO – Installation of automatic sliding doors at the Asheboro Public Library is scheduled for Wednesday, October 31.

Installation is likely to take one and one-half days. The main entrance is expected to be closed for part of the day on Wednesday.

When the entrance is closed, library visitors can use the emergency doors on the Cox Street side of the library. Those with mobility impairments can enter through the Extension Services Department via the short driveway on the east side of the building; library staff and volunteers will be on hand to assist.

Funding for the new doors was provided by the City of Asheboro in its 2018-2019 library budget.

For more information, call the library at 336-318-6801.

Liberty Library wants your opinion

LIBERTY – What would you like to see happening at the Liberty library?

How can the library help the community? How can you help the library?

The Liberty Public Library will host a drop-in session from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Tuesday, November 6, to seek feedback form community members about library services. Visit and share with library manager Charity Neave Johnson and other staff members your thoughts about the library.

It’s free and the public is invited.

The library is located at 239 S. Fayetteville St. in Liberty. For more information, call 336-622-4605.

Learn about the contributions of N.C. women during World War I in Asheboro library talk

ASHEBORO – When World War I broke out in 1914, North Carolina’s women were poised to support war-torn Europe because they already were organized to help the needy and vulnerable at home.

Learn about their unique  contributions in “North Carolina’s Women ’Do Their Bit’ During WWI,” a talk by historian and educator Dr. Angela Robbins at 6:30 p.m. Monday, November 5, at the Asheboro Public Library.

Robbins’ talk, a North Carolina Humanities Council Road Scholar event, is free and the public is invited.

When the U.S. entered the war in 1917, women encouraged one another to “do their bit,” coordinating  local groups with newly-formed state and national organizations to provide care packages for soldiers, grow and preserve food during shortages, conduct Liberty Bond drives, and collect supplies for the Red Cross.

After the war, their activism helped empower them to claim the right to vote and shape their own destinies.

Robbins, an assistant history professor at Meredith College, holds a Ph.D. in history from UNC-Greensboro.

Her visit is made possible by funding from the North Carolina Humanities Council, a statewide non-profit and affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Friends of the Library.

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

UNCG professor O’Brien to discuss Lakota Sioux history in Asheboro library talk

ASHEBORO – Learn about the history of the Lakota Sioux in a talk by UNC-Greensboro history professor Dr. Greg O’Brien at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, October 23, at the Asheboro Public Library.

The talk, sponsored by the Friends of the Library, is free and the public is invited.

O’Brien will delve into the Lakota story from the era of Custer and the Little Bighorn to modern-day protests against construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline (#NoDAPL), which passes through the Standing Rock Reservation and ancestral territory of the Lakota Nation.

O’Brien is an associate professor in the Department of History at UNCG, and currently serves as associate head of the department.

He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Kentucky, a masters degree from James Madison University and a B.A. from Randolph-Macon College. His areas of research include American Indians of the southeast, American environmental history, and the American revolutionary era.

He is author of The Native South: New Histories and Enduring Legacies, and numerous other books, chapters and articles.

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

Is your house haunted? Meet paranormal investigators at Asheboro library

ASHEBORO – Are you hearing things that go bump in the night?

Piedmont Triad Paranormal Investigations founder Rick Aiken will visit the Asheboro Public Library at 6:30 p.m. Monday, October 15, to talk about what it takes to be a paranormal detective, and show off equipment he and his team use to suss out the otherworldly in haunted houses.

The haunting, sponsored by the Friends of the Library, is free and the public is invited.

Aiken and colleague Brenda Laws will tell ghost stories if time permits.

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

Find ancestors in cemeteries in Asheboro library’s ‘Grave Encounters’

ASHEBORO – Go on some ‘Grave Encounters’ as you learn how to find your ancestors in cemeteries, in a genealogy class from 6:30-8 p.m. Thursday, October 11, at the Asheboro Public Library

Librarian and genealogist Ann Palmer will discuss how to get as much information as you can from a cemetery visit.

“Nothing in your genealogical research will connect you to your ancestors more than to stand where they are buried and to see important pieces of their life carved into stone,” Palmer says.

Topics to be covered include locating your ancestor’s gravesite; reading and recording tombstone engravings; finding unknown ancestors; and photography tips. A handout will be provided with a bibliography and web links.

The class is free and the public is invited. Call 336-318-6815 for more information.

The library is located at 201 Worth Street.

Teens: learn to manage stress through Yoga at Asheboro library

ASHEBORO -- School, relationships, jobs and even play can be stressful. One effective method of dealing with stress is Yoga.

Teens are invited to join instructor jacquie Reininger for “Stress-Buster Yoga for Students,” a series of classes at the Asheboro Public Library that will teach Yoga basics and stress management.

Classes will take place at 6 p.m. Thursdays October 4 and 25, and November 1 and 8. They are free and all teens are welcome.

Sessions include: October 4, “Change Your Posture”; October 25, “Yoga Will Grow on You!”; November 1, “The Zen Zone”; and November 8, “Yoga Math.”

Participants can attend any or all classes; be sure to wear comfortable clothes. Call 336-318-6803 to sign up or for more information.

Asheboro Sunset lecture series featuring embedded journalist Kevin Maurer rescheduled to October 5

Kevin Maurer

ASHEBORO – A talk by journalist Kevin Maurer, who co-wrote the bestselling book No Easy Day: The Firsthand Account of the Mission that Killed Osama bin Laden with a Navy SEAL who confronted bin Laden, has been rescheduled to 7 p.m. Friday, October 5, at downtown Asheboro’s Sunset Theatre.

Maurer will talk about his experiences with the book and as an embedded journalist with U.S. troops around the world in the concluding talk of the 2018 Friends of the Library Sunset Signature Series.

Maurer’s appearance is free and the public is invited. The series is sponsored by the Heart of North Carolina Visitors Bureau, the City of Asheboro and the Friends of the Randolph County Public Library.

The format of the talk will be a conversation between Maurer and Mike Adams of Asheboro. Adams was editor of The Fayetteville Observer in 2003 when he hired Maurer to cover the newspaper’s military beat.

Shortly after joining the Observer, Maurer followed the 82nd Airborne Division during the initial invasion of Iraq. He returned to cover the soldiers more than a dozen times, most recently in 2010 when he spent 10 weeks with a Special Forces team in Afghanistan. He has also embedded with American soldiers in east Africa and Haiti.

No Easy Day, written with SEAL Mark Owen (a pen-name for Matt Bissionnette), spent several weeks atop the New York Times Best Seller List and became the bestselling hardback book of the year.

Owen and Maurer followed No Easy Day with No Hero: The Evolution of a Navy Seal in 2014, a New York Times bestseller. Last year, Maurer co-authored American Radical: Inside the World of An Undercover Muslim FBI Agent with Tamer Elnoury, which also landed on the bestseller list.

Other books he has co-authored include Lions of Kandahar: The Story of a Fight Against All Odds with Rusty Bradley; No Way Out: A Story of Valor in the Mountains of Afghanistan with Pulitzer Prize winner Mitch Weiss; and Hunting Che: How A U.S. Special Forces Team Helped Capture the World’s Most Famous Revolutionary, also with Weiss.

Based in Wilmington, Maurer is a native of Virginia Beach, Va., and a graduate of Old Dominion University.

Maurer’s appearance was postponed from an earlier date due to Hurricane Florence.

The Sunset Theatre is located at 234 Sunset Avenue. For further information, call 800-626-2672.

Unique theatrical presentation to honor Randolph County’s WWI Company K on battle anniversary

ASHEBORO – The sacrifice and heroism of soldiers from Randolph County in World War I will be on display in a one-time dramatic presentation on the 100^th anniversary of the decisive battle in which they played a leading role.

“Company K: From Asheboro to the Fields of France,” by Asheboro-born poet and playwright Barbara Presnell, will tell the story of the local soldiers – and their loved ones on the home front – at 8 p.m. Saturday, September 29 at downtown Asheboro’s Sunset Theatre. It is being staged by RhinoLeap Productions, the non-profit professional theatre company based in Asheboro.

The play, sponsored by the City of Asheboro in association with RhinoLeap and the Randolph County Public Library, is free and the public is invited. A discussion with members of the cast and crew, and County History Librarian Mac Whatley, will follow the show.

Company K was raised in Asheboro in 1911 as the local unit of the State Militia, a forerunner of the National Guard. The unit was called up for service in the U.S. Army in World War I and sent to France.

Barbara Presnell

There, the local troops were in the vanguard of an Allied attack on September 29, 1918, near the village of Bellicourt, that broke the German Hindenburg Line defensive position and hastened the end of the war. The unit sustained over 60 percent casualties, with 27 young men killed.

The play draws on firsthand documents and accounts, especially letters home from Company K soldiers – with recognizable Randolph County names like Dixon, Bunting, Luck, Gatlin, Kivett, Bulla, Burgess, McDowell and others – that routinely were reprinted Asheboro’s newspaper, The Courier. Featuring music from the period performed live, it focuses not only on the soldiers but on those at home awaiting their return, as well as the often-overlooked contribution to the war effort of women and African Americans.

Rhinoleap Artistic Director Jeremy Skidmore is directing the production, in which a small team of professional actors who hail from around the United States and Canada take on multiple roles. The cast includes James Alton, Chance Carroll, Isaac Klein, Patrick Osteen, Scott Thomas and Dayna Tietzen. Music will be performed by Mark Dillon and Christen Blanton.

The crew includes Dorothy Austin-Harrell, costume designer; Noah Trimmer, lighting designer; Tara Raczenski, stage manager; Dillon, musical director; and Whatley, dramaturg.

RhinoLeap was founded in 2017 by Dr. Tom Osteen and his son Patrick, a graduate of UNC School of the Arts, to present professional theatrical productions in Asheboro that then tour to towns across the state, and to provide educational residencies that bring North Carolina high school students into direct contact with experienced working artists.

Presnell, an award-winning writer who now lives in Lexington, has penned four books of poetry. Her most recent book, Blue Star, considers on the impact of war on her family from the Civil War to Iraq and Afghanistan, and includes poems related to her grandfather, who was a member of Company K.

Another of her books, Piece Work, was about her father’s experience in the textile mills of Asheboro from their heyday to their decline in recent years. Piece Work was developed into a play by the Touring Theatre of North Carolina, and was performed around the state for several years.

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

Asheboro Sunset Series event with journalist Kevin Maurer postponed

ASHEBORO – The Friends of the Library Sunset Signature Series event featuring Kevin Maurer, scheduled for Thursday evening, September 13, has been postponed due to Hurricane Florence.

Maurer and his family live in Wilmington.

The talk by Maurer was the final 2018 installment of the Sunset series, which is sponsored by the Heart of North Carolina Visitors Bureau, the City of Asheboro and the Friends of the Randolph County Public Library.

It will be rescheduled and a new date announced shortly.

Maurer was embedded with U.S. troops in Iraq, Afghanistan, east Africa and Haiti. In 2012, he co-authored the bestselling book No Easy Day with Mark Owen, a Navy SEAL who was present when Osama bin-Laden was killed.

For further information, call 800-626-2672.

Learn about Randolph Room historical, genealogical resources in Asheboro library class

ASHEBORO – Learn about a treasure trove of local history and genealogy in “What’s in the Randolph Room?”, a class with librarian and genealogist Ann Palmer from 6:30-8 p.m. Thursday, September 20 at the Asheboro Public Library.

The class will begin in the meeting room of the library, where Palmer will discuss highlights of the collection and recent improvements. A tour of the room will follow, with time available for research.

The class is free and the public is invited.

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

Grandon, Willett to discuss ‘Seed Saving’ in Asheboro library talk

ASHEBORO – Learn tricks and tips for saving seeds from your garden in “Seed Saving” at 6:30 p.m. Monday, September 17, at the Asheboro Public Library.

Focusing on flowers, herbs and vegetables, Ben Grandon of Randolph County Cooperative Extension and Master Gardener Vernece Willett will talk about starting a seed collection, and how saving seeds can also save on next year’s gardening budget.

The talk is free and the public is invited.

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

Holocaust survivor Dr. Zev Harel to share experiences in Asheboro library talk

Dr. Zev Harel (photo by Corey Weller,
courtesy of Elon News Network

ASHEBORO – A survivor of three Nazi concentration camps including Auschwitz, Dr. Zev Harel will reflect on his experiences in a talk at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, September 27, at the Asheboro library.

His appearance is free and the public is invited.

Harel was 15 when he was liberated by U.S. troops at the Ebensee concentration camp in Austria.  He had experienced deportation to a ghetto, transport to Auschwitz in railroad cattle cars, separation from his family there, and forced labor at Ebensee.

A professor emeritus in the School of Social Work at Cleveland State University in Cleveland, Ohio,  Harel has been a public speaker about the Holocaust for the past 40 years, seeking to honor the memories and legacies of the Holocaust and reflect on its meaning.

After his release, Harel assisted with the immigration of Holocaust survivors to Palestine. He served in the Jewish defense forces and later in the Israeli military after the country was established by the United Nations in 1948.

He was educated in Israel and the United States, and earned a Ph.D. from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. He and his wife retired to Greensboro, where one of their daughters resides.

Harel’s appearance is sponsored by the North Carolina Holocaust Council.

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

Randolph library Friends to host novelist Wiley Cash

Wiley Cash -- photo by
Mallory Brady Cash

ASHEBORO – Tickets are on sale now for a talk by New York Times bestselling author Wiley Cash during a luncheon at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, September 25, at Pinewood Country Club, sponsored by the Friends of the Randolph County Public Library.

Tickets are $25 and can be purchased at the Asheboro Public Library, 201 Worth Street. The ticket price covers the cost of lunch.

Cash, who lives in Wilmington, will talk about his most recent novel, The Last Ballad, which focuses on heroic women and men of the labor movement in the textile mills of Gastonia during the early 20th century who risked their lives to secure basic rights for workers.

Cash’s first novel, A Land More Kind Than Home, became a bestseller. It was named a New York Ties Notable Book of the Year and received multiple awards, including the Southern Independent Booksellers Book Award.

A North Carolina native, Cash is writer in residence at the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and has held residency positions at Yaddo (an artists’ retreat in New York) and the McDowell Colony in New Hampshire.

Asheboro Sunset lecture series to feature embedded journalist Kevin Maurer

Kevin Maurer

NOTE: This event has been rescheduled to 7 p.m. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5, due to Hurricane Florence.

ASHEBORO – Nearly a decade spent reporting on the experiences of American soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan eventually put award-winning journalist Kevin Maurer atop the bestseller list as co-author of No Easy Day: The Firsthand Account of the Mission that Killed Osama bin Laden, with a Navy SEAL who was present when bin Laden was killed.

Maurer will talk about his experiences with the book and as an embedded journalist with U.S. troops around the world in the concluding talk of the 2018 Friends of the Library Sunset Signature Series at 7 p.m. Thursday, September 13, at the Sunset Theatre in downtown Asheboro.

Maurer’s appearance is free and the public is invited. The series is sponsored by the Heart of North Carolina Visitors Bureau, the City of Asheboro and the Friends of the Randolph County Public Library.

The format of the talk will be a conversation between Maurer and Mike Adams of Asheboro. Adams was editor of The Fayetteville Observer in 2003 when he hired Maurer to cover the newspaper’s military beat.

Shortly after joining the Observer, Maurer followed the 82nd Airborne Division during the initial invasion of Iraq. He returned to cover the soldiers more than a dozen times, most recently in 2010 when he spent 10 weeks with a Special Forces team in Afghanistan. He has also embedded with American soldiers in east Africa and Haiti.

No Easy Day, written with SEAL Mark Owen (a pen-name for Matt Bissionnette), spent several weeks atop the New York Times Best Seller List and became the best selling hardback book of the year.

Owen and Maurer followed No Easy Day with No Hero: The Evolution of a Navy Seal in 2014, a New York Times bestseller. Last year, Maurer co-authored American Radical: Inside the World of An Undercover Muslim FBI Agent with Tamer Elnoury, which also landed on the bestseller list.

Other books he has co-authored include Lions of Kandahar: The Story of a Fight Against All Odds with Rusty Bradley; No Way Out: A Story of Valor in the Mountains of Afghanistan with Pulitzer Prize winner Mitch Weiss; and Hunting Che: How A U.S. Special Forces Team Helped Capture the World’s Most Famous Revolutionary, also with Weiss.

Based in Wilmington, Maurer is a native of Virginia Beach, Va., and a graduate of Old Dominion University.

The Sunset Theatre is located at 234 Sunset Avenue. For further information, call 800-626-2672.

Explore Southern cuisine in Asheboro library talk

John J. Beck

ASHEBORO – Southern cuisine is a blend of the traditions and ingredients of three cultures: Native Americans, British settlers, and people from west and central Africa. 

Elon University history professor Dr. John J. Beck will explore how those influences merged to form a common cuisine — though with many variations — from Virginia to Texas in “Southern Cooking, High and Low: A Short History of the Cuisine of the South,” at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, August 14, at the Asheboro library.

Beck’s talk, sponsored by the library’s Margaret C. Taylor Memorial Culinary Arts Collection, is free and the public is invited.

Beck notes that traditional Southern fare was created and cooked at home rather than fostered by restaurants — whether in the houses of affluent families by African American women before and after the Civil War, or for the social events of less well-to-do people, such as church picnics, wakes and family reunions.

Now Southern food is being taken in new directions by professional chefs who approach the cuisine with the same reverence that they have treated French and other celebrated cooking traditions.

Beck holds a Ph.D. in American history from UNC-Chapel Hill with a specialty in Southern history. He is co-author of Southern Culture: An Introduction and is currently working on a history of Southern food.

He retired from a career in the North Carolina Community College System, last serving as Dean of Arts and Sciences at Granville Community College.

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

Find immigrant ancestors in Asheboro library genealogy class

ASHEBORO -- Track down your forebears who traveled to America from other countries in “Finding Your Immigrant Ancestors,” 6:30-8 p.m. Thursday, August 9, at the Asheboro Public Library.

Librarian and genealogist Ann Palmer will cover the basics about immigrants to the United States from the 18th through the 20th centuries, and sources where records about them can be found.

The class is free and open to the public.

Because establishing a timeline is one of the best ways to get started, participants will learn how to determine when their families came to America from sources including passenger lists from ships docking at U.S. ports, census and naturalization records and in some cases passport applications.

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

‘Traveling Bone Show’ visits Asheboro library

ASHEBORO -- Test your anthropological knowledge in “The Traveling Bone Show” at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, August 7, at the Asheboro Public Library.

The all-ages event, sponsored by the Friends of the Library, is free and the public is invited.

Julia Loreth, a biology lecturer at UNC-Greensboro, will bring along both real and model skulls of various species to demonstrate how to identify creatures by their teeth and bones, and how the skulls  can help determine gender.

Loreth is co-coordinator for the Regional North Carolina Science Olympiad Tournament, and works with the City of Greensboro’s Elementary School Adopt-a-Stream program.

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

‘Bluegrass Rocks’ as singer-songwriter Charles Pettee visits Asheboro library

Charles Pettee

ASHEBORO – “Bluegrass Rocks” as singer song/writer Charles Pettee presents “Hear the Sound,” an interactive family music show, at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, July 26, at the Asheboro Public Library.

Pettee’s appearance, which is free and open to the public, is part of “Libraries Rock,” the Randolph County Public Library’s summer reading initiative. It is sponsored by the Friends of the Library.

Pettee is an accomplished guitarist, mandolin player and songwriter, and founder of the popular, Chapel Hill-based bluegrass group The Shady Grove Band.

In “Hear the Sound,” he uses the banjo, harmonica guitar, mandolin, his voice, and a variety of hats to introduce audiences to the tapestry of sounds that make up the music of the Carolinas: the music of the early settlers, native Americans, African Americans, Piedmont Blues, gospel and bluegrass.

There’s never a dull moment as Pettee switches songs or hats, encouraging audience participation and spontaneous discussion throughout the show.

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

Master Illusionist Caleb Sigmon to rock Randolph libraries in July

Master illusionist and storyteller Caleb Sigmon

ASHEBORO – Master illusionist Caleb Sigmon will appear at all seven Randolph County Public Library locations in July as “Libraries Rock,” the library’s summer reading initiative, continues.

Sigmon brings an inspirational, high-energy approach to his one-of-a-kind illusion show, which is filled with magic, stories and interactive audience participation

He will bring his unique blend of magic and storytelling to each library as follows:

• Archdale, 2 p.m. Thursday, July 19;

• Asheboro, 6:30 p.m. Monday, July 16;

• Franklinville, 10:30 a.m. Monday, July 16;

• Liberty, 2 p.m. Monday, July 16;

• Ramseur, 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, July 17 (at the Ramseur Municipal Building)

• Randleman, 10:30 a.m. Thursday, July 19;

• Seagrove, 1 p.m. Tuesday, July 17.

The month also will feature “Animal Sound Bites” with the NC Zoo at Asheboro, Archdale and Seagrove. This unique event focuses on what animals are saying with their sounds; participants will even meet a few live animals. Randleman will host “Snakes Alive” with Ron Cromer.

Asheboro will present “Didgeridoo Down Under,” a fusion of Australia-themed music, culture, science, comedy and audience participation, and “Bluegrass Rocks,” featuring singer/songwriter Charles Pettee. Finale events at Archdale and Asheboro will showcase the “Balloon Magic” of Clark Sides, while Liberty hosts a “Last Day Luau.”

There’s more; visit www.randolphlibrary.org/summer for full schedules, drop by your local library, or call 336-318-6804.

The Summer Reading Program is sponsored by Friends of the Randolph County Public Library with support from the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Cultural Resources, with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts. It’s part of a national effort to keep children reading during the break from school; research shows that kids who read during the summer do better in school the next year.

Historian tells tales of notable North Carolina women in Asheboro library talk

Randell Jones

ASHEBORO – A woman disguised as a Civil War soldier. A couple of famous pirates. A daredevil aeronaut. An internationally famous sharpshooter. And a first lady who “really, really, really” liked being married to the governor.

Award-winning author and storyteller Randell Jones will talk about theses notable North Carolina woman and others in “Famous and Infamous Women of North Carolina” at 6;30 p.m. Tuesday, July 10, at the Asheboro Public Library.

Jones’s talk is a lighthearted look at some serious history — the roles and accomplishments of a few notable women, among so many — in whom we can all take pride as being part of the fabric which makes North Carolina so special.

His talk is sponsored by the Friends of the Library. It’s free and the public is invited.

Jones is author of In the Footsteps of Daniel Boone and Scoundrels, Rogues and Heroes of the Old North State, among other books. In 2013, he received the History Award Medal from the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, and has received two Kentucky History Awards from the Kentucky History Society.

The library is located at201 Worth Street. For further information, call 336-318-6803.

Author Chip Womick to debut second children’s book at Asheboro library

Chip Womick

ASHEBORO – Local author and journalist Chip Womick will debut his second children’s book, Phantom Fishing with Gramps, in a storytime and talk at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 12, at the Asheboro Public Library.

Womick’s appearance is free and the public is invited. A fun, hands-on activity for children will follow his talk.

Phantom Fishing with Gramps is the second collaboration between Womick and Argentinian illustrator Marina Saumell, following 2016’s Mrs. McGillicutty’s Last Sunflower. It was released in May by PeaceLight Press.

The story follows a young girl who goes fishing with her grandfather on her birthday. They have a picnic, dig for fishing worms, and experience the sights and sounds of the forest as they walk a path to the pond, where they uncover the mystery of the phantom fish.

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

Musician to bring Irish tunes to Asheboro library

ASHEBORO – Hear some fine Irish tunes and learn about the country’s music in “An International Musical Journey: Trip to Ireland,” at 6:30 p.m. Monday, June 18, at the Asheboro Public Library.

The performance will feature musician Travis Hicks, who will play traditional Irish music including jigs, reels, hornpipes and slow airs on traditional hand-crafted instruments. With 18 years' experience on the Irish whistles and bagpipes, Hicks will demonstrate the nuances of the Irish pipes, tin whistle, and Anglo concertina in the Irish tradition.

The concert, sponsored by the Friends of the Library, is free and the public is invited. A question and answer session will follow the musical demonstration.

Irish music is an avocation for Hicks, who is an assistant professor of interior architecture at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and director of the Center for Community-Engaged Design.

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

Libraries Rock during Asheboro library Summer Reading

ASHEBORO – Music, magic, movies, stilts, spoons, snakes, stories, science, didgeridoos – and reading – all will be part of “Libraries Rock,” the Randolph County Public Library’s 2018 Summer Reading Program, kicking off in June with family musician Alina Celeste at all seven libraries, and over 200 more performances, storytimes, hands-on activities and other events for children, teens and adults.

The initiative runs during June and July (and in some cases into August) at the Archdale, Asheboro, Franklinville, Liberty, Ramseur, Randleman and Seagrove libraries. The library’s Extension Services department also will bring Summer Reading activities to children in day cares, at school system summer lunch sites and other locations, such as Our Daily Bread.

During the summer, children can sign up to track minutes or books read in return for reading rewards. Last year, local children ages 0 thru 12^th grade and their families checked out over 60,000 books and reported reading for more than 999,700 minutes.

Teens and adults can get in on the act too, and keep track of their summer reading for chances to win prizes or recognition.

Full schedules and details can be found at www.randolphlibrary.org/summer or at your local library.

Asheboro will host a Summer Reading Carnival at 11 a.m. Saturday, June 9, with stilt-walking juggler Sky-High Skyler and other fun activities. Liberty’s Opening Celebration, 2-4 p.m. Friday, June 8, will feature aerialist Amanda Finch, carnival-inspired games and local band Oldskool.

Randleman’s kickoff at 3:30 p.m. Thursday, June 7, will feature Macon’s Martial Arts and ice cream.

Celeste will present “Canta y Baila (Sing and Dance) with Alina Celeste” at each library in June. Alina’s shows are a joyous blend of parent-friendly sing-alongs, dance-alongs featuring her original tunes as well as classic folk songs for kids from the United States, the Caribbean and Latin America.

She will appear at the libraries as follows: 

• Archdale: 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, June 20;
• Asheboro: 2 p.m. Monday, June 18;
• Franklinville: 10:30 a.m. Monday, June 18;
• Liberty: 11:30 a.m. Friday, June 22;
• Randleman: 2 p.m. Wednesday, June 20;
• Ramseur: 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, June 19;
• Seagrove: 1 p.m. Tuesday, June 19.

 In July, Master Illusionist and Storyteller Caleb Sigmon will bring his unique combination of magic, amazement and laughter to all the libraries.

In between, the libraries will offer a range of weekly storytimes, performances and other activities. Percussive performer The Spoon Man, and  Didgeridoo Down Under, a unique fusion of Australia-themed music and environmental awareness, will visit Archdale, Asheboro and Randleman.

The Archdale, Asheboro and Seagrove libraries will host the NC Zoo’s Animal Sound Bites, featuring some live ones! If snakes are your thing, “Snakes Alive” will visit Randleman, and the CCSB Reptile Rescue will drop by Liberty.

Teens can take art classes in Asheboro, make pottery in Archdale, dig for fossils in Randleman or “#hangout” in Liberty. Adults can learn about Irish music, famous (and infamous) women of North Carolina, “Food that Rocks,” computers, and more.

The Summer Reading Program is sponsored by Friends of the Randolph County Public Library with support from the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Cultural Resources, with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts. It’s part of a national effort to keep children reading during the break from school; research shows that kids who read during the summer do better in school the next year.