Kids – get close up with volcanoes in Asheboro library event

ASHEBORO – Since the dawn of time, volcanoes have filled us with wonder and terror.

Kids ages 8-12 are invited to learn about them in “Volcanoes: Mountains of Rock and Fire,” an interactive program led by North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences educator Luka Rolleri at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, February 20, at the Asheboro Public Library.

Due to the hands-on nature of the activities, space is limited, so call 336-318-6804 to sign up.

Volcanic rock has given us tools, countertops and island chains. The fertile soil has nurtured civilizations, and violent eruptions have ended them.

Using real, hands-on specimens and interactive activities, Rolleri will demonstrate what ancient eruptions can tell us about volcanoes today.

Rolleri has been with the museum for four years, during which time he has developed programs on a variety of topics ranging from dinosaurs to giraffes to the Titanic. He holds an undergraduate degree in anthropology, and is passionate about connecting people to the human stories behind science.

The library is located at 201 Worth Street.

Hospice counselor to discuss coping with grief in Asheboro library talk

ASHEBORO – Grief is an all-encompassing experience that impacts the griever physically, mentally, emotionally, socially and spiritually.

And although it is universal and touches everyone at some point, it also is a highly personal experience.

Join Hospice of the Piedmont bereavement counselor Kirsten Goard, MW, LCSW-A, for “Grief 101” at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, January 16, at the Asheboro Public Library.

Her talk is free and the public is invited.

Goard will provide an introduction to the grieving process and explore common reactions to the grief experience, in order to normalize the grief journey, dispel common myths associated with grief, and equip participants with practical strategies for coping.

A Greensboro native, Goard holds a bachelors degree in social work from Appalachian State University, and a masters in social work through UNC-Greensboro and North Carolina A&T State University. She joined Hospice of the Piedmont as a bereavement counselor with prior experience in crisis work and grief counseling in the healthcare setting.

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

Shepherd Shakespeare to stage Christmas plays at Randolph libraries

ASHEBORO -- Three Randolph County libraries will host Christmas performances by the Shepherd Shakespeare Company in December.

At the Seagrove Public Library, the Charlotte-based  troupe will present Louisa May Alcott’s A Christmas Dream at noon Thursday, December 7. A Christmas Dream is a Christmas Carol-like tale of a young boy who learns that the greatest gifts are not the ones you receive, but the ones you give.

The Seagrove library is located at 530 Old Plank Road. 

At the Asheboro and Randleman libraries, the company will present ’Twas the Night Before Christmas. Performances will take place at the Asheboro library, 201 Worth Street, at 6 p.m. Tuesday, December 19; and at the Randleman library, 142 W. Academy St., at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, December 19.

This envisioning of the famous verse has author Clement Moore facing a case of writer’s block as he tries to pen a poem about the wonders of Christmas Eve.

Frustratingly funny trials and errors lead him to acting out his ideas with the help of puppets, found objects and friends from the audience. Watch as the magic of this cherished classic unfolds.

The shows are free and the public is invited. For further information, call 336-318-6804.

Friends of Randolph Library bookshop to offer Christmas book bundle deal, author event

 ASHEBORO – Need a literary Christmas gift, or want to stock up on reading material for the holidays?

The Friends of the Library Bookshop will offer author book bundles in December, and host an author appearance during Asheboro’s Christmas Downtown on Friday, December 8.

The bookshop will be open 6-9 p.m. during the Christmas Downtown event. Loretta Lutman, author of I Shoot Squirrels on Sundays and Other Stories, will be on hand to sell and sign books.

Beginning December 2, the bookshop will offer bundles of four books by the same author for $5 each. Books in each bundle will be tied together with a Christmas ribbon, making a lovely gift for fellow readers.

The bundles will feature a variety of authors.

The bookshop is located at 226 Sunset Avenue. Regular hours are 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

Gently used hardback books go for $3, paperbacks for $2 and trade paperbacks for $2.50, with prices increasing by $1 for books published in the last four years. All children’s books are $1. Some special books are priced individually. 

A portion of bookshop proceeds support Randolph County Public Libraries book budgets. For more information about the bookshop, call 336-629-1536 during regular hours.

True Grass to perform a ‘Country Christmas Concert’ at Asheboro library

True Grass members William Britt, Tim Moon, Matthew Nance, Nolan Moon and Gary Callicutt

 ASHEBORO -- The popular and long-lived local bluegrass and gospel band True Grass will present a “Country Christmas Concert” at 7 p.m. Tuesday, December 5, at the Asheboro Public Library.

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

Over 20 years, the group has played numerous local venues including the Sunset Theatre, the NC Zoo, Randolph Community College, at churches and at corporate events for Klaussner and Energizer, among others.

Founding members Tim Moon and Gary Callicutt remain with the group.

Moon, a well-known music teacher for over 30 years, plays mandolin and sings lead vocals. Callicutt plays bass and sings tenor vocals.

Matthew Nance plays banjo and sings baritone vocals. William Britt plays guitar and sings most lead vocals. Moon’s 16-year-old son Nolan Moon plays blistering fast solos as well as beautiful waltz styles on fiddle. 

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

Caleb Sigmon’s ‘How the Grinch Stole Christmas’ returns to Randolph libraries

The Grinch and his dog Max delight an Asheboro audience.

ASHEBORO – He’s mean! He’s green! And he’s back — again — to steal Christmas.

Everyone’s favorite grouch will visit five Randolph County Public Libraries locations during the week of December 11 as illusionist and storyteller Caleb Sigmon returns with his highly-celebrated rendition of Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

Audience members’ hearts will grow three sizes as the classic story unfolds in a musical performance that includes live actors, puppets and lots of audience interaction.

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

Performance will take place at the libraries as follows:

• Archdale, 10 a.m. Tuesday, December 12;
• Asheboro, 201 Worth Street, two shows at 6 p.m. Tuesday, December 12, and 10 a.m. Wednesday, December 13;
• Franklinville audience members are invited to attend Ramseur’s show.
• Liberty, 239 S. Fayetteville St., 6 p.m. Monday, December 11;
• Ramseur, 1512 Main Street, 1 p.m. Wednesday, December 13;
• Randleman, 142 W. Academy St., 4 p.m. Thursday, December 14.

 Contact Asheboro library Youth Services at 336-318-6804 for further details.

‘Company K’ film to debut on Veterans Day in Sunset Series event

Randolph County soldiers come to grips with the end of the war in a scene from RhinoLeap Productions’ Company K: From Asheboro to the Fields of France.

ASHEBORO – RhinoLeap Productions’ moving stage play Company K: From Asheboro to the Fields of France is now a film, and will have its world premiere in a Veteran’s Day event at the Sunset Theatre, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, November 11.

A Q&A with the actors and playwright Barbara Presnell will follow the screening.

The presentation is part of the Friends of the Library Sunset Signature Series, sponsored by the Heart of North Carolina Visitors Bureau, the City of Asheboro and the Friends of the Randolph County Public Libraries. It is free and the public is invited.

Company K, Randolph County’s unit of the State Militia (now the National Guard), was called into service and sent to fight in France during World War I. With the Randolph County soldiers in the vanguard, Allied forces attacked the German Hindenburg Line defensive position at Bellicourt on September 29, 1918, breaking the enemy line and hastening the end of the war.

In the single day of battle, Company K suffered over 60 percent casualties, with 23 young men killed.

The play was conceived by staff at the Randolph County Public Libraries and commissioned by the City of Asheboro to memorialize the 100th anniversary of the battle in 2018.               

The  production was directed by RhinoLeap Artistic Director Jeremy Skidmore and features original music by Christen Blanton Mack and Mark Dillon.

Presnell crafted the script using original documents and letters home from the troops, including those from her own grandfather, First Sergeant Ernest E. Bunting.

Rhinoleap first produced the show as a one-time event on September 29, 2018.  Since the original staging, it has been revived twice in Asheboro, and toured to Troy, N.C.

During the second revival in February 2023, RhinoLeap filmed the production onstage at the Sunset Theatre and at other Asheboro locations, including the theatre rooftop, the Historic Courthouse, the Old City Cemetery, Mill 133, Back to Earth Farm, Leo’s Whiskey Bar, and on Worth Street. The film will be packaged with educational material about World War I for use in school classrooms.

Begun in 2018, the Sunset Signature Series brings high profile speakers and performers to the Sunset Theatre to showcase the theatre and downtown Asheboro.

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