About the Event

“This will be a grand event to mark the opening of The Story of North Carolina as well as celebrate North Carolina’s rich history,” says Ken Howard, Director of the N.C. Museum of History in Raleigh. The Celebrate NC History Festival on Saturday, Nov. 5, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. kicks off the largest exhibit ever at the N.C. Museum of History. The Story of North Carolina highlights more than 14,000 years of the state’s history. Part One of this permanent exhibit opened in April, and now the entire exhibit will be complete. The first 100 families to tour the exhibit will receive a gift bag from the Museum shop. Admission to the festival and the exhibit is free, and weekend parking is free.

“We’re bringing in more than 80 presenters from across the state for the Celebrate NC History Festival,” notes Howard. “With so much to see and do, the festival will overflow outside onto Bicentennial Plaza and adjacent streets.”   
Award-winning musicians, storytellers, dance groups, authors, craftspeople, re-enactors and other presenters will capture the flavor and diversity of the Tar Heel State. There will be something for all ages.

On Bicentennial Plaza, catch performances by the Tony Award-winning Red Clay Ramblers, The Chairmen of the Board, Molasses Creek, Miss North Carolina Hailey Best, blues guitarist Cool John Ferguson, the Apple Chill Cloggers and many others. Adjoining streets will be lined with antique tractors and vehicles, including a 1929 Cheerwine truck with free Cheerwine samples (while they last). Food vendors will abound, so grab lunch and stay all day.

Many presentations will highlight North Carolina’s cultural diversity. Some examples include African music and drumming performed by the Healing Force, Latin American dance and music presented by the Hispanic Arts Initiative, and American Indian tales shared by Lumbee storyteller Barbara Locklear.

And there’s plenty for kids! They can come dressed like a character from North Carolina history and march in the Children’s Parade. (Get ideas at http://www.ncmuseumofhistory.org/Festival/kids.html.) Kids will scramble to see the live animals such as the state dog, the Plott hound, and the state reptile, the Eastern box turtle. There will be loads of hands-on activities. A sampling of other offerings at the Celebrate NC History Festival follows. For a complete schedule with performance and presentation times, go to http://www.ncmuseumofhistory.org/Festival/presenters.html or call 919-807-7900.

See the 1663 Carolina Charter

• Take advantage of a rare opportunity to see the original 1663 Carolina Charter. This document, signed by King Charles II, granted land in North Carolina to eight Lords Proprietors. The Carolina Charter is on view for a limited time, from Nov. 5 through 14.

Watch presentations by

• Ben Cherry, a re-enactor portraying the notorious pirate Blackbeard and telling swashbuckling stories;

• Bright Star Touring Theatre, on stage with Jack’s Adventure in NC History;   

• WRAL’s news anchor Bill Leslie and “Tar Heel Traveler” Scott Mason, both of whom are authors, and who will share stories about North Carolina;

• Re-enactors representing three centuries of military history, from the American Revolution to World War II;

• Author and renowned storyteller Donna Washington; and

• Craftspeople from across North Carolina. Seagrove potter Ben Owen III will demonstrate his craft, as will basketmakers, mask makers, furniture makers, duck decoy carvers, stone carvers and others.   

Check out the antique vehicles that include   

• Cars ranging from a 1915 Ford to a 1950 Willys Jeep;   

• Farm equipment, tractors and trucks; and  

• A 1932 Pepsi route truck. (Pepsi was invented in New Bern in 1898.)

And finally, what festival would be complete without food? See displays featuring the state’s agriculture, and sample and purchase food products made in North Carolina. For lunch, choose from a variety of food vendors, such as Chick-fil-A or Moe’s Southwest Grill, or visit Pharaoh’s, a new restaurant at the museum. Help other North Carolinians by bringing some canned goods to donate to the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina.

The Celebrate NC History Festival will be a memorable occasion that you will not want to miss. Mark your calendar for Nov. 5. For more information about the museum or the event, call 919-807-7900 or access ncmuseumofhistory.org or Facebook.The museum is located at 5 E. Edenton Street, across from the State Capitol. Parking is available in the lot across Wilmington Street.

This event is sponsored by Progress Energy and Duke Energy. Additional support is provided by WPTF NewsRadio 680 and NC News Network.