Press Releases

The secrets or celebrations of families are a thread running through the 2019 North Carolina Book Awards that will be presented to recipients Thursday, Nov. 7 at the DoubleTree Hotel Raleigh on Hillsborough Street in Raleigh. 

The North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources is pleased to announce that seven individual properties across the state have been added to the National Register of Historic Places. The following properties were reviewed by the North Carolina National Register Advisory Committee and were subsequently nominated by the North Carolina State Historic Preservation Officer and forwarded to the Keeper of the National Register for consideration for listing in the National Register.

The North Carolina Historical Commission will meet at 10 a.m. Wed., Oct. 30 in the Administrative Conference Room of the North Carolina Museum of History, 5 East Edenton St., Raleigh. The meeting is open to the public.

The North Carolina Arts Council will offer a series of free readings across the state to spotlight the talents of literary artists who work in fiction, poetry, playwriting, screenwriting and creative non-fiction. In partnership with local bookstores, the public readings will spotlight recipients of the N.C. Arts Council’s Artist Fellowships in the literary category. Here are the dates and locations for the readings:   Tuesday, Oct. 22 Quail Ridge Books 4209-100 Lassiter Mill Rd, Raleigh, NC 27609 7 p.m.

Celebrate some of the brightest, most creative and giving of North Carolina citizens at the North Carolina Awards ceremony Saturday, Nov. 16 at the Raleigh Convention Center. Each year the state recognizes citizens who have made a significant impact on North Carolina and the nation in the areas of fine arts, literature, science or public service with a black-tie gala. The award is presented by the governor.

Governor Roy Cooper has proclaimed October 2019 as Archives Month in North Carolina, recognizing those who preserve and provide access to public records and archival materials in North Carolina’s archive repositories throughout the state.   The State Archives of North Carolina in Raleigh houses over a hundred million items relating to the development and culture of the state—the earliest piece in the collection is a map dating to 1584. 

The North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources has been awarded a grant by the National Park Service to renovate a 1920s rail car built to comply with Jim Crow laws that is now at the N.C. Transportation Museum in Spencer. The $287,442 grant will fund renovation of a car which has not been used since 1969. 

The state’s highest civilian honor, the North Carolina Award, will be presented to six distinguished North Carolinians Saturday, Nov. 16, at the Raleigh Convention Center. Governor Roy Cooper will present the award at a 7 p.m. banquet and ceremony. The award was created by the General Assembly in 1961 to recognize significant contributions to the state and nation in the fields of fine arts, literature, public service and science.

The Queen Anne’s Revenge Conservation Lab is celebrating Archaeology Month in North Carolina by taking over the National Science Olympiad’s October Wonder Challenge.  To celebrate the National Science Olympiad Tournament coming to North Carolina in May 2020, the lab is challenging members of the public to build a boat with whatever floats. You can use any materials you have around your home such as duct tape, paper cups, straws, or paper. 

The N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, the North Carolina Arts Council, the N.C. African American Heritage Commission and the National Trust for Historic Preservation are pleased to announce that more than $60,000 has been raised during the North Carolina Year of Music to benefit the rehabilitation and preservation of Nina Simone’s childhood home in Tryon, N.C.