Sunset Signature Series to celebrate local Civil Rights era heroes

 ASHEBORO, NC — The public is invited to join Girl Scouts from across the region to honor local women whose strength, courage and hope helped shape the community during the Civil Rights movement in A Celebration of Randolph County Civil Rights Era Heroes, a Friends of the Library Sunset Signature Series event at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, June 21, in downtown Asheboro’s historic Sunset Theatre.

The event will feature powerful conversations and reflections from three remarkable women who lived through that era as young girls: Jane Ledwell-Gant, Betty Foust, and Katie Snuggs. Their stories of faith, family, school, and community will be shared with Girl Scouts from the Carolinas Peaks to Piedmont Council, offering a rare opportunity to hear living history from the women who made history.

“This celebration is about lifting up the voices of women whose everyday courage helped move our community forward,” said event organizer Todd Dulaney. “These are stories of quiet strength, deep love, and a determination to make a better world — not just for themselves but also for generations to come.”

In addition to the featured speakers, recipients of the Randolph County Civil Rights Medal of Freedom that is being awarded by the Asheboro/Randolph chapter of the NAACP on Friday, June 20, will be invited to attend and be recognized for their contributions.

The event is hosted by Girl Scout Troop No. 30061. It is a family-friendly program designed to uplift, educate, and inspire the next generation of changemakers.

The Friends of the Library Sunset Signature Series is sponsored by the Heart of North Carolina Visitors Bureau, the City of Asheboro and the Friends of the Randolph County Public Libraries. Its goal is to bring culturally significant speakers and performers to Asheboro.

For more information, contact Todd Dulaney at todd.dulaney@gmail.com. The Sunset Theatre is located at 234 Sunset Avenue.

Randolph libraries' Summer Reading initiative will "Color Our World"

Jeghetto (Tarish Pipkins) performs with
one of his sculptural puppets.

ASHEBORO – Get ready for a colorful, creative summer experience at Randolph County’s public libraries with a over 200  interactive performances, hands-on activities, storytimes and more, as this year’s Summer Reading initiative invites the community to “Color Our World.”

Summer Reading offers children and teens a no-pressure way to stay engaged with reading and learning while out of school, so they can avoid “summer slide” in the fall. Adults also can enjoy speakers, book clubs and projects that engage their creativity.

To find out about all the activities, as well as reading rewards, go to www.randolphlibrary.org/summer, or visit your local library.

Kickoff events will take place at Asheboro, Liberty and Randleman in early June. Archdale will host a Summer Reading Kickoff at 4 p.m. Friday, June 6, featuring hands-on activities and chalk art, and at 6 p.m., a performance by folk-country-rock band Corey Hunt and with Wise.

Liberty and Asheboro will hold their inaugural events on Saturday, June 7. Asheboro will offer art for all ages in a Messy Summer Reading Kickoff outside the library from 10-11:30 a.m., with rock painting, chalk designs and more, while Down to Earth Aerials performs. Liberty will team up with the Liberty Arts Guild for outdoor art stations, enabling participants to create art with working artists, from 1-3 p.m. 

Appearing in June at all libraries is Jeghetto’s Workshop. Jeghetto, a.k.a. Tarish Pipkins, is an artist and self-taught master builder and puppeteer whose puppets are one-of-a-kind moving sculptures crafted with passion and precision. Learn how Jeghetto builds and manipulates his puppets in a very interactive show.

In July, CLAWS Inc., a Chapel Hill-based, volunteer-run animal rescue, will bring animal ambassadors to six libraries. Meet an African Corvid (an intelligent bird in the crow family) and other creatures. Learn about their habits and habitats, and how to safely cohabitate with wildlife.

More animals abound as the NC Zoo visits Archdale, Asheboro, Franklinville, Ramseur and Seagrove with their furry (or slithery!) friends; Wild Tails NC brings more animals to Asheboro, Franklinville, Liberty, Ramseur and Seagrove; and Ellie’s Exotic Road Show reaches Liberty and Randleman. 

The always amazing Sigmon Theatrical returns with two performances, Color Circus at Asheboro, and The Magic School Bus Live! at Randleman. Also coming to Randleman are popular children’s performers Steve Somers and Mark Daniel.

Asheboro will reverberate with the family-friendly rock ’n’ roll of Big Bang Boom! and the energetic poetics of Shepherd Shakespeare. Amazing illusions and spectacular showmanship will appear in Archdale, Asheboro and Liberty in the form of Rockstar Magic, and the Starlab inflatable planetarium blows up in Archdale, Asheboro and Liberty.  

Meanwhile, ongoing storytimes, arts and craft activities, movies and more will take place almost every day.

For more information, visit your local library or contact the Asheboro library Children’s Room at 336-318-6804.

Appearances by Jeghetto’s Workshop and CLAWS, Inc. are sponsored by the Friends of the Library. The project receives support from the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Comic-Con, Renaissance Fair, to join forces at Archdale library

G-Man series graphic novel author
Chris Gairrusso signs copiesof his books
at last year’s Comic-Con

ARCHDALE – Get ready for a one-of-a-kind adventure as the third annual Randolph County Public Libraries Youth Services Comic-Con moves to the Archdale Public Library, and teams up with a Renaissance Fair for an epic outdoor celebration of creativity, fantasy and fun, 1-5 p.m. Saturday, May 17.

The all-ages, family-friendly event will feature 25 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, toys, books, retro video games and other merchandise. Participants can join in activities such as special effects makeup demos, trivia games, a themed selfie station and a caricature station. 

At the same time, the Middle Ages will come to life at the Renaissance Fair. Booths will feature handmade jewelry, ceramics, resin art, gem trees, and baked goods. Activities will include crafts, juggling demonstrations throughout the day, fantasy-themed costumes with photo-ops galore, and a costume contest. Ruff Love Rescue will be present with adoptable rescue dogs.

The library will be open special hours to coincide with the event. The schedule:

• 1 p.m.: Library and vendor booths open.
• 2 p.m.: Comic trivia with prizes.
• 3 p.m.: Interactive storytime for all ages.
• 4 p.m.: Costume contest with prizes.
• 5 p.m.: Library closes and vendor booths wrap up.

 As of this writing, artists, authors and others participating this year include: Astro Rose, author/artist; Micki Bare, middle-grades author; Beardy Weirdy’s Comics and Toys; Blink on the Street, ceramics; Braids of Yarrow, jewelry; Caricatures by Rodney Bennett; Centfont’s Stuff, jewelry; Clay by Kelly, clay earrings and accessories; K.S. Harvin, author; Healy Crafts, jewelry, gem trees and other items; Heart Shine Studios, art and jewelry; Herndon’s Homestead, sourdough baked goods; J&M Bakehouse, baked goods and pastries; Jamie’s Jewelry and More; A.D. Lombardo, books, bookmarks and journals; LimeLife by Alcone and Jensfk, makeup and face painting; Odyssey Comics, author/artist; Michael Roberti, author; Rocks Unlimited, jewelry and stones; Gene Shanks, comic book author/artist; Snailz Art, art; sparkle-series, handmade jewelry; The Bubbles Boutique, jewelry and 3D printed items; T-Rex Comics, comics and toys.

Rain date for the event is Saturday, May 24, 2-6 pm.

 The Archdale library is located at 10433 S. Main Street. For more information, call 336-431-3811.

WFU prof to explore slavery during Revolution in Asheboro library talk

Dr. Jake Ruddiman

ASHEBORO – What did slavery look like to combatants in the Revolutionary War — white, Black, American and European — as they traveled between regions?

Join Wake Forest University History professor Dr. Jake Ruddiman for “Is This the Land of Liberty? Soldiers and Slavery in the War of American Independence,” 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 20, at the Asheboro Public Library. 

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

Ruddiman will discuss his research into the travel writing of soldiers during the war. The campaigns of the American Revolution carried troops far from their homes and exposed them to unfamiliar enslaved societies. Their writings shed light on what these military outsiders observed as the war profoundly disrupted the institution of slavery, spreading charged rhetoric about liberty, levying new demands with mobilization, and opening opportunities for freedom-seekers.

Ruddiman, who received his Ph.D. from Yale, is an associate professor of History at Wake Forest. His first book, Becoming Men of Some Consequence: Youth and Military Service in the Revolutionary War, explores the lives of young men in the Continental Army.

That project led to research into other aspects of the Revolutionary experience, including “Is This the Land of Liberty.” Across his research, Ruddiman’s work as a historian of Revolutionary America explores how people built their lives, reshaped their communities and constructed meaning for themselves and for posterity.

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

Historian Beeson to trace exploits of local Revolutionary loyalist Col. David Fanning

Ryan Beeson

ASHEBORO – On March 12, 1782, Col. David Fanning and his Loyalist militia launched a violent raid against Patriot government and militia leaders in Randolph County.

Fanning’s “small scourge,” as he termed it, or “Bloody Sabbath,” saw Lt. Col. Andrew Balfour and Capt. John Bryant killed, a host of homes burned, and the narrow escapes of other officials.

Local historian Ryan Beeson will trace the rise of the notorious Tory commander in “Revolutionary Randolph: Col. David Fanning and the War at Home,” at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 17, at the Asheboro Public Library.

His talk is free and the public is invited.

Fanning’s raid was the culmination of intense partisan warfare that gripped Randolph County and continued after the British surrender at Yorktown.

Beeson also will discuss the lives of the Patriots who opposed Fanning, and other characters of the era in Randolph County, and will provide an overview of the political landscape in the area at the time.

A Randolph County native, Beeson grew up on a dairy farm in Sophia, where he still resides. A history enthusiast, he spends his free time researching local history from the colonial era through the American Revolution.

A descendant of many early Quaker settlers of North Carolina, he also enjoys researching genealogy and Quaker history. He is a birthright member of Marlboro Friends Meeting, where he serves on Ministry & Counsel.

After graduating Randleman High School, he earned a B.A. in Political Science and a M.S. in Accounting from East Carolina University, where he served as president of the student body.

Beeson’s talk is the second of three on the Revolutionary War era. Wake Forest University History professor Dr. Warren Ruddiman will present a talk entitled, “Is This the Land of Liberty? Slavery in the War of American Independence,” 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 20.

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

UNCG prof to consider ‘Beauty of Artificial Intelligence’ in Asheboro library talk

Dr. Chunjiang Zhu

ASHEBORO – Join UNCG Computer Science professor Dr. Chunjiang Zhu for “The Beauty of Artificial Intelligence,” 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 25, at the Asheboro Public Library.

 Zhu will consider the concepts and applications of AI;  the societal impacts and ethical considerations; generative AI (which creates new content, such as text and images); and Large Language Models (which enable machines to analyze data and respond in human language).

Zhu specializes in algorithm design to solve problems in areas such as machine learning, drug development and cyber-physical systems. He holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the City University of Hong Kong.

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

Holt’s photos to kick off series of Revolutionary War talks at Asheboro library

In one of Ross Holt's photos, the 2nd Continental Light
Dragoons fire a volley during a Guilford Courthousereenactment in 1989.

ASHEBORO – Get a glimpse of what the Revolutionary War looked like as Randolph County Public Libraries Director Ross Holt presents “Rise, and Fight Again: A Photographic Journey Through the American Revolution,” 6:30 p.m. Thursday, March 13, at the Asheboro Public Library.

Holt’s talk will feature photographs of battle reenactments he has taken over a period of more than 35 years.

Holt developed an interest in the history of the era early in life, and in the mid-1980s began photographing reenactments at historic sites such as Guilford Courthouse and the House in the Horseshoe. Initially focusing on action shots, he became fascinated by the variety of military units represented by the reenactors, their uniforms and regalia, and the battlefield tactics of the day.

His talk, which takes place two days before the 244th anniversary of the battle of Guilford Courthouse, will be an episodic history of the war in this area told in terms — and pictures — of the brigades and regiments, legions and companies, that fought here.

The presentation is the first of three at the Asheboro library on the Revolution in March, April and May, as the celebration of the 250th anniversary of American independence approaches in 2026. 

Picking up where Holt leaves off is local historian Ryan Beeson, with “Revolutionary Randolph: Col. David Fanning and the War at Home,” 6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 17. Beeson will track the exploits of the notorious Loyalist partisan leader who brought the war to Randolph County and left his mark at places like Faith Rock and the Andrew Balfour home site.

Following Beeson, Wake Forest University history professor Dr. Jake Ruddiman will present a talk entitled, “Is This the Land of Liberty: Slavery in the War of American Independence,” at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 20 (postponed from an earlier date). 

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