‘Keep NC Weird’ with author Liz Z Pardue at Asheboro and Archdale libraries

ASHEBORO – Take a journey through the strangest history, most eccentric characters and darkest folklore of the Old North State on Thursday, June 4, at the Archdale and Asheboro libraries.

Join award-winning storyteller, writer and director Liz Z Pardue for “Keep NC Weird,” a lively exploration of the bizarre, macabre and delightfully peculiar stories that make North Carolina unforgettable, 2 p.m. at the Archdale library and 6:30 p.m. at the Asheboro library.

Pardue, founder of Sisterhood of Spirits, LLC, operates ghost tours and spooky historical theatrical productions from her home in Fuquay-Varina, purported to be the most haunted small town in the South.

In the last year, she published her first book, Fuquay-Varina Ghosts, Legends and Lore, and performed at the North Carolina Storytelling Festival, the Bynum Front Porch Series, the Monti, and the Stone Soup Storytelling Festival, where she won both the Linda Goodman New Voices and People’s Choice awards. Currently she is touring the state with her “Keep NC Weird” series.

The Asheboro library is located at 201 Worth Street. The Archdale library is located at 10433 S. Main St.

For more information, call 336-318-6803 (Asheboro) or 336-431-3811 (Archdale).

Randolph libraries promise a T-Rexcellent summer of reading activities

Luke Vandergriff

ASHEBORO -- Dig into a DINO-mite Summer Reading experience at your Randolph County Public Libraries with a prehistoric season of stories, discovery and fun! Stomp, chomp and explore your way into a summer packed with performances, puppets, magic, storytimes, hands-on activities and more with reading challenges and rewards that are saurus-ly awesome!

“Unearth a Story” is the dinosaur-focused theme of this year’s Summer Reading initiative, which 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” and be ready to pick up where they left off when school starts in the fall. Adults aren’t extinct from the fun either, with author visits and hands-on experiences. Everyone gets to roar into reading!

Visit www.randolphlibrary.org/summer for a complete schedule of events, or pick up calendars at your local library.

Bright Star Touring Theatre

Appearing at all libraries in June is musical storyteller Luke Vandergriff with DinoHearts. Vandergriff creates an imaginative, interactive, bilingual English/Spanish performance using original songs, handmade instruments and playful audience participation to tell the story of Juanca, a young boy from Bolivia as he navigates big feelings like fear, courage and kindness with the help of his imagination — and a few friendly dinosaurs.

At all libraries in July is Bright Star Touring Theatre’s Dino Academy. Travel back millions of years in time for an action-packed prehistoric adventure with delightfully quirky paleontologist Dr. Sarah Tops as she opens the doors to her top-secret dinosaur facility and invites audiences to step into a world where science, storytelling and imagination collide.

Meanwhile, there’s more to unearth at the various libraries as Sigmon Theatrical returns with The Big Dino Show; Shepherd Shakespeare presents DinoShakes; Steve Somers Digs Into Reading; the NC Zoo, Ellie’s Exotic Road Show and Wild Tails NC visit with animal ambassadors; Matt Sandbank brings back his Shadow Factory Puppet Show; Dana Hill performs Presto Prehistoric Magic… and more!

For more information, call 336-318-6804.

Appearances by Luke Vandergriff and Bright Star Touring Theatre 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.

Medal of Honor recipient Col. Joe Marm to speak in Asheboro Sunset Series event

Col. Joe Marm

ASHEBORO – Medal of Honor recipient Col. Joe Marm will tell his story in a Friends of the Library Sunset Signature Series event, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 23, in downtown Asheboro’s historic Sunset Theatre.

The talk is free and the public is invited.

In 1965, Marm was a 2nd lieutenant leading a platoon of the 7th Cavalry Regiment during the Vietnam War when his unit joined what became the battle of Ia Drang, the first major engagement between the U.S. and North Vietnamese armies. The battle is recounted in the book We Were Soldiers Once… and Young by Hal Moore and Joseph L. Galloway, and in the film We Were Soldiers.

With his platoon under fire from a concealed machine gun, Marm exposed himself to draw fire and locate the enemy position, then made two attempts to destroy it – the second by charging 30 yards under heavy fire to eliminate it despite being severely wounded.

For his actions, he received the Medal of Honor from President Lyndon Johnson on December 19, 1966. The citation states that Marm’s “selfless actions reduced the fire on his platoon, broke the enemy assault, and rallied his unit toward the accomplishment of his mission.”

Marm, a Pennsylvania native and Eagle Scout, earned a business degree from Duquesne University in 1964 before joining the Army. He retired as a colonel in 1995, and resides in eastern North Carolina.

The Sunset Series celebrates art and ideas by bringing world-class speakers and performers to the heart of Asheboro. The series is sponsored by the Heart of North Carolina Visitors Bureau, the City of Asheboro and the Friends of the Randolph County Public Libraries.

The final 2026 Sunset Series event will be Our State Editor Elizabeth Hudson, 7:30 p.m. Friday, September 25. The Sunset Theatre is located at 234 Sunset Avenue.

For more information, call the Heart of North Carolina Visitors Bureau at 800-626-2672.