Entertainment

Backwoods Terror Ranch chills, thrills Cumberland County

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Tuesday, 06 October 2026

Written by Aly Hansen

Sweet Valley Ranch at 2990 Sunnyside School Rd. in Fayetteville is known as a destination for big events. From their Harvest Festival to the popular Dinosaur World and Festival of Lights, the ranch has an event for every season.
Spooky season is no exception. Sweet Valley Ranch is bringing back their Backwoods Terror Ranch, and for their sixth season, they are adding a Western flavor with their Dead West attraction.
“Step into a lawless nightmare of Dead West and face the blood-soaked horrors of Slaughterhouse,” their website boasts.
Dead West is centered around the town of Devil’s Downs, a former bustling frontier village. Sheriff Del Ray Delamorte has taken control, and is carrying out his own dark desires on the town. Undead townsfolk haunt the area and radioactive waste abounds.
“In Devil’s Downs, the dead don’t always stay buried, and your time has come,” says their website.
Backwoods Terror Ranch is also bringing back their Slaughter House haunted attraction, this time with a new twist: the Scarevator.
The Slaughter House’s back story revolves around Dr. Frederick Surgeon, a plastic surgeon from Greenwich, Connecticut, who was cut out of his practice in 1895 for his experiments revolving around eternal youth. The Surgeon family relocated to Fayetteville, setting up their ranch at the present day location of Sweet Valley Ranch. There, Dr. Surgeon continued his experiments. Dr. Surgeon built an asylum to hide the true reason for the screams coming from his property. To further hide his despicable acts, the Delamorte family helped hide the mishaps from the doctor’s dastardly deeds.
The Slaughter House is the place where attendees discover what really happened on the Surgeon’s ranch. As the website says, “You always thought that slaughterhouses were just for animals? … Guess again.”
In addition to the two haunted attractions, the ranch will also have a “meet and greet” of their animals, games, food and a gift shop.
Tickets range in price from $45 to $75 and can be purchased at https://backwoodsterrorranch.com/tickets/. General admission tickets includes access to the farm and both haunted attractions. A VIP ticket adds front of the line access, premium parking, a fast pass entrance and an autographed cast photo. Sweet Valley Ranch recommends the haunted attractions are best for people ages 13 and up.
For those not interested in the haunted attractions but who still want a family friendly Halloween themed ranch experience, the Grounds Pass for $15 includes an animal meet and greet, a monster meet and greet, a visit to the reptile house and an outdoor Halloween movie.
It is important to note that bags are prohibited except for medical bags, and no outside food or drinks are allowed.
Backwoods Terror Ranch will be held on weekends in October from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. On Oct. 30 and 31, hours extend to 11 p.m.
For more information about Backwoods Terror Ranch, visit https://backwoodsterrorranch.com/.

Hemingway film brings memory, conversation to Cameo

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Tuesday, 06 October 2026

Written by Jamie Bishop

Ernest Hemingway built a literary career on sentences that wasted little. His public image grew enormous: war correspondent, expatriate, sportsman, Nobel laureate and the bearded “Papa” whose legend can crowd the writer from view.
On Sunday, Oct. 11, Fayetteville audiences will have an opportunity to look beyond that silhouette. The Cameo Collective will present “PAPA: The Man, the Myth, the Legend” from 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Cameo Art House Theatre, 225 Hay St. The event combines a filmed stage performance with an in-person question-and-answer session featuring actor, writer and filmmaker Jordan Rhodes and actress Lynn Moore Rhodes.
The 104-minute feature begins July 2, 1961, the final day of Hemingway's life. Memory then opens the story, carrying viewers through his wartime experiences, relationships, writing life and the adventures that helped create his public mythology.
Jordan Rhodes said the flashback structure was essential because it allowed one actor to portray Hemingway throughout his life without asking the audience to accept several performers as the same man.
“I chose the flashback structure because I believed it was the only way to show the audience Hemingway's story without using different actors to portray Papa at various times in his life,” Rhodes said. “Using his mind's memory to convey all that he did seemed the only way to take the audience on the journey.”
Every remembered triumph arrives with the knowledge of where the day will end. The wars, romances, travel, and literary success are not presented as separate anecdotes. They become parts of a man looking backward across the life he constructed, and the legend constructed around him.
Rhodes spent nearly a year researching Hemingway before creating the theatrical work. By the time the play reached audiences, he said, the historical discoveries no longer surprised him. The challenge had become turning the research into a performance that could be repeated without losing its immediacy.
A six-decade career in film, television, and theater, including other extended runs, supported that preparation. Rhodes' credits include work with Gregory Peck, John Wayne, Jodie Foster, Michael Douglas, Mia Farrow, Gene Hackman, Andy Griffith, Sam Elliott and Sean Penn.
Still, celebrity associations are not what held him inside Hemingway's story. Rhodes said he was especially impressed by Hemingway's experiences during two world wars and by accounts of the author's resistance when Hollywood executives sought to adapt his writing.
(Hemingway served as an ambulance driver during World War I and later covered conflicts as a journalist. His understated prose influenced generations of writers. “The Old Man and the Sea” received the Pulitzer Prize in 1953, and Hemingway was awarded the Nobel Prize in literature the following year.
The mythology remains more complicated than the honors. Hemingway's appetite for travel, danger and competition helped shape an enduring image of American masculinity. His relationships were turbulent, and his final years were marked by declining health and serious psychological distress. He died by suicide at 61.
Rhodes does not believe the production must dismantle one version of Hemingway to reveal another. He said the stories commonly treated as legends are rooted in the record and can stand beside the writer's private complications.
“During the play, his legends are on full display, and they are all true, so the audience can see there are no contradictions to resolve,” Rhodes said.
He credits that direct approach with helping the stage production and filmed version connect with audiences. Rhodes said the film received the New York International Film Festival's Best Historical Drama Feature award while competing against international productions. Reviewers, he recalled, described the experience as being “like spending an afternoon with Hemingway.”
The afternoon would be incomplete, however, if every memory existed only to explain Papa.
Lynn Moore Rhodes portrays five women from Hemingway's life, creating the bridges between different periods in the story. Jordan Rhodes said she conducted her own research and used that work to keep each woman distinct.
“Ms. Moore-Rhodes, due to her talent, was able to present each woman as a full participant and not as a mirror to Papa,” he said.
That distinction matters. Hemingway did not leave one marriage before establishing the relationship that followed, Rhodes said. Giving the women individual presence prevents the production from treating them as scenery in a famous man's recollections. Their perspectives complicate the passage of time and reveal the personal cost beneath the public adventures.
The post-screening discussion will give audiences a chance to press further. Rhodes said viewers often ask whether Hemingway truly did everything depicted, how he learned the dialogue and how the couple sustained the same production for years. Moore Rhodes is often asked how she keeps five characters separate. Questions also reach into Rhodes' broader acting career and his experiences working with major stars.
“We love taking questions from the audience,” Rhodes said.
That exchange fits the Cameo Collective's purpose. The Hay Street building once housed the New Dixie, one of Fayetteville's early movie theaters. The current Cameo opened in 2000 and became a downtown home for independent, international and repertory cinema. In 2025, Brian Adam Kline and seven board members formed the nonprofit Cameo Collective to expand the theater's work in education, preservation, artist engagement and community partnerships.
A commercial multiplex can show a film. An independent theater can turn the screening into an encounter. The presence of Rhodes and Moore Rhodes closes the distance between stage, screen and audience, allowing viewers to question artists who have lived with the material.
The Cameo's ticket listing shows prices from $12.94 to $18.64, including fees. Attendees should consult the current ticket page for categories and seating information at https://www.cameoarthouse.com/. The program is scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 11, from 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.
“PAPA” ultimately asks audiences to consider how a life becomes a legend and how performance can reopen a story that appears settled. When the lights rise, Hemingway's final memory will give way to Fayetteville's questions. For Rhodes, that conversation is not separate from the film. It is the next scene.

(Photo: Jordan Rhodes is the force behind Papa: The Man, the Myth, the Legend, a film about Ernest Hemingway. Photo courtesy of Jordan Rhodes)

Witches Night Out conjures shopping, creativity, community

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Tuesday, 06 October 2026

Written by Sheila D Barker

Pointed hats, coordinated costumes and a little Halloween spirit will take over downtown Fayetteville when Witches Night Out returns Thursday, Oct. 22, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Presented by the Downtown Alliance and Spark Downtown, the free event invites visitors to explore local businesses for an evening of shopping, sipping, seasonal specials and hands-on activities. This year’s plans include floral arrangements, art experiences, witchy tattoos, and board games, giving guests plenty of ways to build their own adventure.
For Robin Matthews of the Downtown Alliance, the celebration’s appeal begins with the collaboration that brought it to life.
“It started with a simple idea,” Matthews said.
Years ago, a downtown business owner invited neighboring shops to participate in a themed girls’ night out. The evening brought shoppers into the district and laid the foundation for a tradition that now welcomes women, men, groups of friends, and families.
“Today, what began as a small promotional night has become one of downtown’s favorite annual traditions for women and men,” Matthews said.
This year, organizers are expanding the experiences available along the downtown sidewalks. “This year's lineup takes the magic way beyond the shop floors,” Matthews said.
Floral Oasis will offer a workshop where participants can create seasonal arrangements, while Muse plans a live art experience. Bound and Vine will host a Witchy Night of Sips & Spells, and Awesome Tattoos will offer $100 witchy tattoos from artist Johnny Awesome, with vendors outside the business.
A new addition, The Thirsty Gamers Cafe, located next to The Sweet Palette, will offer free board game play and special witchy drinks. For visitors who prefer puzzles with their Halloween fun, Xscape Factor plans a girls’ day/night escape room special for $15 per person. Other stops will pair shopping with refreshments, giveaways, and seasonal surprises.
At A Bit of Carolina, visitors can browse while enjoying wine and snacks, receive a gift with purchase, and meet author Joanna Nunez, who will be outside with her paranormal books. Reverie Goods & Gifts also plans witchy drinks while guests shop and a gift with purchase.
Shop Cursive will offer a witchy giveaway with purchases of $20 or more, along with wine and snacks. Costumed visitors who allow the shop to photograph them for social media will receive a small gift and an entry to win a Halloween gift set.
Turner Lane’s plans include Witches Potion and terrariums. Rude Awakening Coffee House will serve witchy drinks in specialty keepsake cups, while Antonella’s and Winterbloom Tea will feature themed drink specials. The Sweet Palette will offer specialty drinks and treats, and Sori K-Pop plans a soju tasting while visitors shop.
Stevie's on Hay will have complimentary wine and snacks when purchasing a themed goblet or wine glass. Also look for their selfie stations. Fusion Salon is offering $25 blow dryers, flat irons, and curling irons.
Stop at the Cameo Art House Theatre for some fresh popcorn and stay to watch "Digger,” the new Tom Cruise movie. Guests can explore at their own pace rather than follow a fixed route. Organizers plan to provide both digital and printed maps and directories identifying participating businesses and their activities. “You can choose your own adventure and enjoy the night at your own speed!” Matthews said.
Costumes are a highlight of the evening, particularly when visitors arrive with a coordinated group theme.
“We absolutely love seeing the group costumes every year,” Matthews said. “The creativity is incredible.”
Past participants have included friends in complementary outfits and families dressed around a shared theme. This year’s plans include selfie stations throughout downtown, a photo station and a best-dressed witches contest.
Although the event is free to attend, individual purchases and some activities carry separate costs. Workshops, tattoo sessions and certain other experiences require payment. Guests should check with participating businesses for prices, availability and any reservation requirements.
Shopping and photo opportunities are family-friendly, Matthews said, while some tastings and other experiences are for adults only. Beyond the costumes and seasonal fun, Witches Night Out gives downtown merchants a welcome boost during the workweek.
“Hosting the event on a Thursday brings a wonderful, energetic crowd into the district on a night that is traditionally much leaner than the weekend,” Matthews said. The timing also gives businesses room to prepare, staff their shops, and introduce visitors to what they offer.
The final business list, event map, and weather updates will be available through the Downtown Alliance’s Facebook page, Instagram account @downtownfaync, and website, faydta.com. The invitation is simple: gather your friends, plan your witchy look, and spend an evening discovering what downtown has brewing.

Chamber's Greater Carolina Rock ’N Boil builds connections beyond business cards

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Tuesday, 06 October 2026

Written by Tiffany Haywood

The Greater Fayetteville Chamber’s final Business After Hours of the year brings all-you-can-eat oysters, a no-hands hot wing contest and shared memories to Segra Stadium Oct. 22.
You are a local business owner. You have attended Greater Fayetteville Chamber events before. You may have shaken hands, exchanged business cards or listened to a presentation inside Segra Stadium’s Mission Roll Call Club.
But something about this one is different.
This time, the gathering is not tucked inside the stadium’s polished upstairs event space. When you arrive at Segra Stadium Oct. 22, you will trade conference-room formality for an apron and oyster shells—and, if you are one of a few willing contestants, wing sauce all over your face.
The first 200 people through the gate will receive an apron, koozie and drink token. The apron may begin the evening clean, but Greater Fayetteville Chamber Director of Events Jordan Sturgis made no promises about how it will look by the end.
“We just have a good time,” she said. “It gets a little messy. That is the Rock ’N Boil.”
Fun was the word that kept surfacing during a conversation with Sturgis and Greater Fayetteville Chamber President and CEO Nat Robertson. Sturgis called the Greater Carolina Rock ’N Boil the Chamber’s “party of the year.”
The annual event has brought the business community together for more than three decades. Now in its 34th year, Rock ’N Boil is the Chamber’s final Business After Hours of 2026.
Its place on the October calendar also connects the local tradition to a larger statewide celebration. Robertson said October is North Carolina Oyster Month, and the Greater Carolina Rock ’N Boil is part of the North Carolina Oyster Trail.
While the event has a long history, this year’s gathering is not leaning on tradition alone. Attendees can expect the familiar sights, sounds and smells of a Low Country boil, barbecue and all-you-can-eat oysters, along with music, raffles and a photo booth.
Then there is the detail some attendees may not realize they needed: a no-hands hot wing eating contest. Contestants keep their hands behind their backs and do their best to finish their wings—with dignity optional.
That slightly messy atmosphere is not simply part of the entertainment. It helps create the kind of shared experience that can make the next business interaction feel more natural and memorable.
“You never know who you’re going to be standing across from when you’re shucking oysters with an apron on, or who you’re sitting next to with wing sauce all over your face,” Sturgis said.
Months later, you may find yourself sitting beside that same person at Coffee Club, a networking breakfast or another Business After Hours. Instead of beginning with another formal introduction—name, business and business card—you already have a story.
You may remember eating hot wings together, shucking oysters side by side or competing for a raffle prize.
“You can only be but so serious with wing sauce all over your face,” Sturgis said.
The business side of the Chamber will still be present. This year, additional booths will give Chamber members and event sponsors more room to share information about their businesses and speak with attendees.
The booths are designed to become part of the experience rather than pull guests away from it, giving businesses greater visibility while allowing conversations to develop within the event’s casual atmosphere.
Presented by Brightspeed, the Greater Carolina Rock ’N Boil will be held from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Oct. 22 at Segra Stadium, 460 Hay St. Chamber members receive discounted admission, but the event is also open to nonmembers. Registration will remain open through the day before the event, and tickets are available under the events tab at faybiz.com.
Long after the aprons are washed, the wing sauce is gone and the oyster shells have been cleared away, the Chamber hopes those shared moments will still give people something to talk about when they meet again in the new year.

(Photo: Attendees shuck oysters during the Greater Fayetteville Chamber's Rock 'N Boil in 2025. Photos courtesy of the Greater Fayetteville Chamber)