Comic-Con returns to Asheboro library for second year

ASHEBORO -- Fans of comic books, pop culture, anime and superheroes are invited to the second annual Randolph County Public Libraries Comic-Con, 9 a.m.-noon Saturday, May 18, at the Asheboro Public Library.

Hosted by Asheboro library Youth Services, the all-ages, family-friendly event will feature 15 comic book authors, illustrators and other creators who will demonstrate their techniques and display their work, which will be available for purchase.

Booths will include original art, rare comics, and related merchandise.  There will be a special effects makeup demo, and photo ops with the Ghost Busters vehicle and the Andy Griffith car.

The event will include an origami demo at 10 a.m. and an anime character drawing demo at 11 a.m. Dress as a favorite character or superhero for a costume contest; judging by age categories will take place at 11:30 a.m.

Artists, authors and others participating include:

• Victoria Aldridge — Andy Griffith car;
• Central North Carolina Ghostbusters — cosplay fan group with Ghostbusters car;
• Chris Gairrusso — writer and illustrator of the G-Man graphic novel series;
• Dan Johnson — writer and editor at RedLine Comics Studio and Comic-Con emcee;
• Jo Knorpp and Fern Singleton, artwork and demonstrations;
• Marshall Lakes — art demonstrations;
• Angela Lombardo — young adult fantasy author of The Katori Chronicles;
• Jennifer McCollom — film makeup artist (Hunger Games) offering special effects makeup demos;
• Hector Miray — books, stickers, merch focused on spiritual themes in geek culture; 
• Rich Powell, artist and illustrator known for his Mad Magazine and Highlights work, “Wide Open” comic strip, and new book Ignore This Singing Pig;
• Chris Rigo — comic books, retro video games and toys;
• Gene Shanks — cartoonist, author of self-published comic series, sketches by request;
• Brian “Smitty” Smith — former Marvel and DC Comics editor, and author of Pea, Bee and Jay graphic novels; 
• Casey Strothman-Evans — pop culture custom creations;
• Xela Strothman-Evans — digital art and hand-painted 3D prints.

Also present will be library Youth Services staff from Asheboro, Archdale and Liberty to promote the “Adventure Begins at Your Library” summer reading initiative.

Support for Comic-Con is provided by the Friends of the Library.

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

Historian Kevin Duffus to recount harrowing Outer Banks rescue in Asheboro library talk

Kevin P. Duffus

ASHEBORO – During World War I, on August 16, 1918, the German submarine U-117 torpedoed the
British freighter S.S. Mirlo off the Outer Banks of North Carolina.

 As the freighter sank, six courageous Coast Guardsmen of the Chicamacomico Lifeboat Station at Rodanthe sped to the rescue.

The crew’s heroic effort to save the lives of the 51 British sailors is the topic of “Into the Burning Sea: the 1918 Rescue of the Miro,” a talk by researcher and author Kevin P. Duffus at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 7, at the Asheboro Public Library.

The talk is free and the public is invited.

The Mirlo’s cargo was gasoline, forcing the rescuers to enter a hellish inferno of explosions and toxic fumes, and a maze of black smoke, imperiling their lives to save strangers in distress.

Duffus is a noted North Carolina author, filmmaker and research historian who has made numerous discoveries. At age 17, he found, explored and identified a sunken Confederate gunboat in an eastern North Carolina river.

In 2002, he found the 1853 Cape Hatteras Lighthouse Fresnel lens, missing since the Civil War. His book The Lost Light: A Civil War Mystery, tracks the light’s 150-year odyssey.

Duffus also is author of Shipwrecks of the Outer Banks: An Illustrated Guide and The Last Days of Blackbeard the Pirate. In 2012, he penned War Zone: World War Two Off the North Carolina Coast, which won the Willie Parker Peace Award.

Television documentaries he has produced have received the George Foster Peabody Award, the World Hunger Media Award, the Edward R. Murrow Award and the National Education Award.

Named North Carolina Historian of the Year in 2014, Duffus will publish his fifth book, a history of Bald Head Island and Cape Fear, on June 1.

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

Asheboro library talk to address joys, challenges of caregiving

David Caughron

ASHEBORO – Despite the challenges and stressors associated with caring for another, many caregivers
would describe their role as one that brings joy and purpose to their lives.

Join David Caughron, Hospice of the Piedmont Vice-President of Community Engagement and Education, at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 25, at the Asheboro Public Library, for a conversation about how to cultivate the benefits of caregiving while also acknowledging the difficulties and uncertainties.

Whether you are a caregiver yourself or know someone who is, recognizing the “hard but good” aspects of this important role can help you reframe your understanding of caregiving.

Caughron has been a part of Hospice staff for 14 years, starting as director of Marketing and Development. Prior to joining the organization, he served for four years on its board of directors.

He serves as chairman of the Tourism Development Authority Board of Directors, on which he has served for 25 years, and is a member of the Randolph Rotary Club.

The library is located at 201 Worth Street.

Randolph libraries to close for Staff Development Day on Friday, April 19

 ASHEBORO – All seven Randolph County Public Libraries locations will be closed on Friday, April 19, for a Staff Development Day.

The libraries in Asheboro, Archdale, Liberty, Randleman, Ramseur and Seagrove will reopen at their usual times Saturday, April 20, and Franklinville will reopen on Sunday afternoon.

“The last thing we want to do is inconvenience those who rely on the library every day, but we believe that this one-day hiatus will benefit the people we serve in the long run, allowing us to recharge our batteries in a learning environment,” says Library Director Ross Holt.

Staff Development days are common among libraries around the state, but this will be the first in Randolph County.

During the event, staff will participate in sessions on customer service, safety, strategic planning, mindfulness, and resources provided by NC LIVE, the state’s online library.

Keynote speaker will be Dr. Leisha DeHart Davis of the UNC School of Government. Her topic will be “Emotional Labor for Librarians,” which stems from her work on strengthening the capability of local government employees to respond effectively to a wide range of public needs.

Book drops will be open during the day, and the library’s full complement of online resources, from ebooks and downloadable audiobooks to Tutor.com and powerful research resources, will be available as usual.

For further information, contact the Asheboro library at 336-318-6801 or visit www.randolphlibrary.org/staffday.