Press Releases

The North Carolina FFA Association received the 2024 Larry Wooten Rural Leadership Award, presented by Governor Roy Cooper and Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler at a Dec. 3 reception at the North Carolina State Capitol. Special recognition was given to Bruce L. Miller for his 30-plus years of service with NC FFA as an agriculture teacher with Rowan County Schools, and to the Southern Alamance High School FFA for their exceptional programs and accolades.

The Thomas Wolfe Memorial State Historic Site will reopen to the public on Tuesday, Dec. 10, more than two months after the site was forced to close in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.A 120-year-old silver maple tree fell against the “Old Kentucky Home” during the storm, causing minor damage to the structure and cracking plaster inside the house. Once the tree was removed from the historic home, officials with State Historic Sites assessed the damage and made repairs. The house is now safe for visitors and has been cleared to reopen for tours.

The North Carolina Division of State Historic Sites has been awarded $114,500 to acquire five acres of land adjacent to the Fort Dobbs State Historic Site. This funding, provided by the North Carolina Land and Water Fund, will support the site's continued preservation and enhance its ability to offer an authentic representation of frontier life during the years 1754-1763.

 North Carolina’s Executive Mansion, the “people’s house,” will open its historic doors again for the beloved annual Holiday Open House Dec. 12-14. Visitors are invited to tour the home, take in the decorations, and enjoy seasonal musical entertainment by local performing groups. The mansion's first floor will be decorated with North Carolina-grown Christmas trees, floral and mixed evergreen arrangements, and ornate mantle displays.The hours of the Open House are: Thursday, Dec. 12, 6-9 p.m.; Friday, Dec. 13 and Saturday, Dec.

Join the North Carolina State Capitol and Governor Roy Cooper for the annual tree-lighting tradition on Thursday, Dec. 12.

 Celebrate the holiday season at the Governor’s Western Residence Holiday Open House, Dec. 7-8, from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. each day.

The Mountain Gateway Museum will have a soft opening and Christmas open house at its temporary home! Ready to celebrate holiday cheer, visit us at 78-C Catawba Ave., from 1-4 p.m. Dec. 14 before the annual Old Fort Christmas parade.

The North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation announced that it has awarded $6.6 million in grants for 17 land acquisition projects on state trails in nine counties. The funding comes from the Complete the Trails Program and will leverage more than $42.9 million in matching funds provided by local nonprofit state trail partners.

Staff from the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) and the North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation reintroduced the Roanoke logperch to Mayo River State Park in early November, kickstarting a joint effort that helps conserve the endangered darter and other aquatic species in the Dan River Basin. Fingerling logperch, Percina rex, were released at the state park’s Anglin Mill access in Rockingham County. Found only in North Carolina and Virginia and nowhere else in the world, the species has been listed as federally endangered since 1989.

The N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources offers holiday events to match every interest and taste. Holiday train rides at the N.C. Transportation Museum, a “Christmas Flotilla” at the N.C. Maritime Museum in Beaufort, “Christmas by Candlelight” at a state historic site and “Holiday Pops” or other performances with the North Carolina Symphony at home or on tour, are a few of the unique holiday experiences awaiting families at modest or no cost.