Artist Ed Rich to present history of Back Creek area through paintings

Ed Rich

 ASHEBORO – Join local artist Ed Rich for a visual journey through the history of the Back Creek area in paintings, 6 p.m. Thursday, October 22, at the Asheboro Public Library.

Through extensive research into his family’s 275-year history in the Randolph county area, Rich began to trace the original roads and paths inhabited by his family and their neighbors.

His journey took him through a changed landscape, looking for the last traces of earlier residents, including the mills, dams, and natural scenes of Back Creek and Caraway Creek, which he depicted through his art work.

During his presentation, Rich will take a walk through time and space with his paintings and the story of his journey through local history.

Rich, a Randolph County native and lifelong resident, owns and operates the American Classic Motorcycle Company and Museum in Asheboro. He restores antique bikes and cars, and has been known as the “motorcycle artist,” with many of his paintings on display at the museum.

Largely a self-taught painter, Rich received early inspiration from Dwight Holland, who taught art when Rich attended Park Street (now Loflin Elementary) School in Asheboro.

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

Library Randolph Room to host open house

 ASHEBORO – The Randolph Room, the local history and genealogy department of the Randolph County Public Libraries, invites the public to an open house celebrating Family History and Archives Month, 5-7 p.m. Tuesday, October 6, at the Asheboro Public Library.

 The open house will showcase the Randolph Room’s extensive physical and digital local history and genealogy resources, from family surname files, yearbooks, maps, books, microfilm and photographs, to online tools such as Ancestry, HeritageQuest and locally-created Revolutionary War research databases.

 Also on display will be archival works-in-progress to help viewers understand the processes librarians use to preserve historical material, and how those processes can be adapted for use at home with family memorabilia.

A scavenger hunt will let participants test their sleuthing abilities, and door prizes will be awarded. Stop by and stay a while, or just take a walk through. All ages are welcome.

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

Author to scare up ‘Carolina Haints’ at Archdale, Asheboro libraries

ASHEBORO  -- From the vampire beast of Bladenboro to the Hunter on Purgatory Mountain, author and podcaster Dan Sellers will scare up some “Carolina Haints” at the Archdale and Asheboro libraries in September.

Sellers will share North Carolina ghost stories and folk tales at the Archdale Public Library, 6 p.m. Tuesday, September 22, and at the Asheboro Public Library, 6:30 p.m. Thursday, September 24.

Sellers is founder of Carolina Haints, a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and promoting folklore storytelling through the Carolinas, where  people have gathered for generations to share porch stories, pass down traditions and remember what others have forgotten.

Carolina Haints brings those stories to life through research, storytelling, books, podcasts and public programs. Sellers hosted the Carolina Haints podcast for seven seasons, and is co-author of the book Carolina Haints: Ghosts, Folklore, and Mysteries of the Old North State.

A High Point resident, he also has penned Haunted High Point and the upcoming Folk: A Collection of Curious Lore from the Carolinas.

The Archdale library is located at 10433 S. Main Street; for further information, call 336-431-3811. The Asheboro library is located at 201 Worth Street; for further information, call 336-318-6803.