LOCAL HAPPENINGS: HUGE list of events this week and next

THIS WEEK

Sunset Theatre filled with Zoograss starting tonight

ASHEBORO — Zoograss returns to the Sunset Theatre this week, bring bluegrass music in various forms for shows on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday nights. Authentic Unlimited kicks it off tonight, followed by Little River Band on Thursday and Lorraine Jordan & Carolina Road on Friday. Tickets are $30 per night or $80 for all three nights. Get them at the door or at sunsettheatre.org.

Seagrove kicks off Fall Festival season with Country Days

ASHEBORO — Southern Randolph Country Days fills downtown Seagrove with arts and crafts vendors, food, music and family fun on Friday, Sept. 18, and Saturday, Sept. 19. On Friday evening, Southbound 49 kicks off the festivities at 7 p.m. on an outdoor stage on Main Street. On Saturday, multiple bands provide live music throughout the day. 

Gospel groups take the stage in the morning, with Bobby Marsh & Scott Auman at 9:30 a.m. and Upper Road at 10:45 a.m. Country/Americana sets the tune for the afternoon, with Noah Nelson on guitar at 1 p.m. and Ty Miller closing out the show from 3 to 6 p.m. Vendors offer arts and crafts, savory meals and sweet treats, plants and fall decor. Kids’ activities and games will also be available. At 2 p.m., it’s a parade!

Carnival of Hope set for Randolph Ag Center on Sept. 18 

ASHEBORO — The Randolph Ag Center, 1830 US 64 East, Asheboro, will be the site for a Carnival of Hope event on Friday, Sept. 18, from 4 to 6 p.m.  The event will raise funds for cancer patients through Cone Health MedCenter Asheboro. Admission is $5. Features include food trucks, games and the iconic pink fire truck from the High Point Fire Department. 

Recovery Celebration at Keaton’s Place Sept. 19

ASHEBORO — Randolph County Opioid-Drug Community Collaborative has announced this year’s Recovery Celebration event will be on Saturday, Sept. 19, in the Keaton’s Place parking lot at 120 Worth Street, Asheboro, across the street from the Historic Randolph County Courthouse. It will take place from 1 to 4 p.m. and will feature a variety of activities, including food trucks, children’s activities, an art show, and resource booths offering information about support services.

UPCOMING

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, Sept. 22, and at the Asheboro Public Library, 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 24.

Sellers is founder of Carolina Haints, a nonprofit 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.

Elizabeth Hudson speaking at Sunset on Sept. 25

ASHEBORO — Asheboro native Elizabeth Hudson, the editor of Our State magazine, returns to Randolph County for a Friends of the Library Sunset Signature Series event at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 25, in downtown Asheboro’s historic Sunset Theatre. Hudson’s appearance is free and the public is invited. Tickets can be reserved at tinyurl.com/ehfcss. Ticket holders should be in the theatre by 7:15 p.m.; seats remaining after that time will be released to the general public.

Annual Fly-In set for Sept. 26 at Asheboro Regional Airport

ASHEBORO — The North Carolina Aviation Museum & Hall of Fame will host its Annual Fly-In on Saturday, Sept. 26, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Asheboro Regional Airport. This year’s event will feature a special performance by the US Army Golden Knights Parachute Team, scheduled to jump at 1 p.m. Tickets are $10 (free for children 10 and under) and include entry to the Aviation Museum.

The Pull Exchange card show in Asheboro Mall on Sept. 26

ASHEBORO — Asheboro Mall will host The Pull Exchange, a trading card and collectibles marketplace, on Saturday, Sept. 26, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The event brings together collectors, dealers and hobbyists for a full day of buying, selling and trading.

Attendees will find vendors offering Pokémon, sports cards, Magic: The Gathering, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Lorcana, One Piece, graded cards, vintage wax, comics and other collectibles. General admission and parking are free, and the event is open to all ages.

“The Pull Exchange is built for the collector community, and we’re excited to bring it to Asheboro Mall,” said Seth Smith, Vendor Relations at The Pull Exchange. “Our shows give vendors and collectors a full day to connect in a comfortable, accessible venue.”

Vendor tables are limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. Vendors representing all trading card games and collectible categories are encouraged to apply.

Local businesses can also participate as Pull Partners, gaining brand visibility throughout the event through logo placement on the event floor, social media features, dedicated booth space and on-site branding opportunities.

To apply as a vendor, become a Pull Partner, or learn more, visit www.thepullexchange.com.

‘The Librarians’ to screen free at Sunset Theatre Sept. 20 

ASHEBORO —”The Librarians,” the Emmy Award-winning documentary about book challenges, censorship and the freedom to read, will be shown free to the public on Sunday, Sept. 20, at the Sunset Theatre in downtown Asheboro.

Presented by the Randolph Red Strings Chapter of Make NC Work, the screening begins at 4 p.m., with doors opening at 3 p.m.

Admission is free.

The 93-minute film will be followed by a 30-minute panel discussion and audience Q&A focused on First Amendment issues facing public libraries and schools. 

The screening comes just two weeks before Banned Books Week, Oct. 4-10, an annual national observance focused on censorship and the freedom to read.

The Librarians received the Emmy Award for Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards on Sept. 5. 

The film, directed by Kim A. Snyder, premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival and has received 30 festival awards.

The documentary follows librarians across the country who have found themselves at the center of battles over books, access to information, and the role of public and school libraries. 

The film examines challenges involving books dealing with race and LGBTQIA+ experiences and the increasing pressure faced by librarians, school officials and library boards.

The filmmakers describe librarians as being on the front lines of a broader struggle over democracy and First Amendment rights, arguing that efforts to control access to ideas can ultimately affect entire communities.

The Asheboro screening comes amid continuing community discussion about the governance of the Randolph County Public Library system and the role of its Library Board of Trustees.

Organizers say the event is intended to raise awareness of the freedom to read and to support an unbiased, transparent, accessible and well-managed Library Board of Trustees, free from unnecessary political interference. 

They also oppose book challenges that restrict access to works representing marginalized and diverse populations.

Tickets are free and can be reserved in advance at act.makencwork.org/the-librarians.

Live Like Dolly event set for Sept. 25 with local children in mind

ASHEBORO — Randolph Partnership for Children is hosting a Live Like Dolly event, a free community celebration honoring Dolly Parton’s legacy and her lifelong commitment to putting books in the hands of children.

The drop-in event runs from 5 to 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 25, at the Randolph Partnership for Children office at 349 Sunset Avenue in downtown Asheboro.

Randolph County is home to more than 9,800 children under age 5 and currently only 40% are enrolled in Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. The Randolph Partnership for Children is working to reach 50% enrollment by April 16, 2027. 

At Live Like Dolly, the community is invited to help raise $1,500 to sponsor 50 children for a full year of free books at $30 per child or donate gently used children’s books to local child care centers.

It is a warm, community-driven evening, one that tells a compelling story about what Randolph County does for its youngest children.

Walk Thru the Past returns Sept. 27

ASHEBORO — With the weather cooling — at least, in theory — it’s time again to join Ricky Allred on one of his Walk Thru the Past events at the Old Asheboro Cemetery.

The next one is scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 27, at 2 p.m.

Allred takes participants on a stroll through the cemetery, stopping occasionally at a gravesite to tell a story of the person “residing” there. In September, he will concentrate on residents with whom the tour has not previously visited. 

There’s no cost to join the walk.

The cemetery is located at 180 West Salisbury Street, Asheboro.

Kiev Symphony performing in Asheboro on Sept. 18

The Kiev Symphony Orchestra and Chorus is bringing the beauty of Ukraine directly to American hearts with an evening of sacred classics and authentic folk traditions in Asheboro on Friday, Sept. 18, at 7 p.m. 

The performance will take place in the sanctuary of First Baptist Church, 133 N. Church Street, Asheboro. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. This “Greater Love Tour” is the renowned group’s second American visit since the full-scale war began in early 2022 (and their 14th US tour overall). 

A $25 donation is suggested per person to support their various homeland missions. Call 336-629-9191 for more info.

Former Duke All-American Mike Gminski joins Keaton’s Place fundraising event

ASHEBORO – Mike Gminski, a former All-American basketball player at Duke University, will be the guest speaker at Evening of Hope, a fundraiser on Thursday, Sept. 24, to support Keaton’s Place.

The event begins with dinner at 6 p.m. at Central Methodist Church, 300 S. Main St., Asheboro.

Individual tickets are $75; a reserved table (8 tickets) is $500. For tickets and sponsorship opportunities, contact Susan Hunt by phone at (336) 451-4673 or via email at susan@keatonsplace.org. 

Gminski, a 14-year NBA veteran and current college basketball TV analyst, is a partner at Sana House, a comprehensive, extended-care program for men, in Charlotte, where he also serves as a mentor and community ambassador.

His Facebook page celebrates being a person in long-term recovery: “Six years in recovery and counting, one day at a time! God is great!”

The primary mission of Keaton’s Place, 120 Worth St., Asheboro, is to assist individuals find treatment options for alcohol and/or other drug addictions.

Keaton’s Place provides transportation to men and women in recovery. Since March 2022, Keaton’s Place drivers have logged more than 172,000 miles and transported more than 1,540 individuals to treatment, sober-living houses and back home after detox.

Keaton’s Place Upstairs, 15 S. Fayetteville St., Asheboro, hosts a variety of meetings and support groups for people in recovery and their families and loved ones. Visit www.keatonsplace.org for a complete list of days and times.

Keaton’s Place also operates sober-living residences in Asheboro, including Keaton’s Place Next Step, a 15-bed house for men, and Ella’s House, a six-bed house for women.

For more information, call Keaton’s Place at 336-628-0070.