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Gates Four Summer Concert continues on with tribute band

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Tuesday, 19 May 2026
Written by Katie Herring

12As the North Carolina humidity begins to signal the arrival of summer, the community of Fayetteville is preparing for the return of a beloved seasonal tradition. The Gates Four Summer Concert Series is back, promising a season of high-energy performances, family-friendly atmospheres, and a commitment to keeping live music accessible to everyone.
On May 23, the pavilion at Gates Four Golf & Country Club will transform into a destination for fans of Southern Rock as the acclaimed tribute act Gimme Back My Skynyrd takes the stage. The event marks a significant milestone in the local cultural calendar, offering a professional-grade concert experience without the premium ticket price typically associated with national touring acts.
A Mission of Community and Music
The Gates Four Summer Concert Series is more than just a sequence of musical performances; it is a collaborative effort designed to bridge the gap between local businesses and the community. Bill Bowman, a key organizer, emphasizes that the series is a joint venture fueled by the partnership of the Fayetteville Dinner Theatre, Gates Four, and Up & Coming Weekly.
Bowman emphasizes the concert series offers free live music in a relaxed outdoor setting that brings together businesses, families, neighbors and music lovers. The generosity of sponsors allows this series to remain completely free to the public.
The venue itself has become a major draw for attendees who might otherwise be wary of outdoor summer events. Gates Four offers amenities that make it a comfortable and enjoyable destination for an outdoor concert, including ample shade, a picturesque landscape and clean indoor restrooms.
Beyond the Lawn: The VIP Experience
While the core of the event is free, the Fayetteville Dinner Theatre has curated an elevated "dinner and a show" experience for those looking to make a full night of it. This hybrid model allows the event to cater to everyone, from college students on a budget to families celebrating a special occasion.
For those desiring a bit more comfort, reserved seating under the pavilion is available for $20. For a full “dinner and a show” experience, there is the $35 reserved seating package that includes a full meal. These reservations are handled through the Fayetteville Dinner Theatre at 910-391-3859 or online at https://fayettevilledinnertheatre.com/
There will be plenty of food and beverage options to choose from. JP’s Grill will offer indoor dining options for those looking to escape the heat, while local food trucks will be stationed on-site to provide classic concert fare. For the adults, two full-service bars will be in operation: JP’s Bar and the Healy’s Beer and Wine Tent.
Organizers have also ensured the event remains a multi-generational affair. The Main Event Children’s Area provides a dedicated space for younger fans to burn off energy, making it one of the most family-friendly entertainment options in the region.
May 23: A Tribute to the Legends of the South
The spotlight for the May 23 performance falls on Gimme Back My Skynyrd, a band that considers themselves committed fans of the original music. This isn't just another cover band; it is a collective of seasoned professionals who have dedicated their careers to the Lynyrd Skynyrd songbook.
The band's lineup is as diverse as the audience they draw. With members hailing from Wilmington to Nashville and lots of places in between, the group spans generations, with musicians ranging in age from their 20s to their 60s. Despite their different backgrounds and involvement in various other musical projects, they are united by a singular, "special connection" to the music of the Van Zant era.
Kevin Peele, a member of the band, explains that the group’s philosophy is rooted in authenticity.
"When I go see a good tribute, I almost think I’m listening to the band," Peele said. "We want people to say, ‘This is almost Skynyrd.’ We want to stay as true to the band and the way they played the music as possible."
13A Setlist for the Die-Hards and the Casuals
Fans attending the May 23 show should prepare for a marathon session. As a special treat for the crowd at Gates Four, the band is preparing a full two-hour set, a rare occasion in the tribute circuit.
Peele promises a setlist that balances the heavy hitters with deep cuts.
"There are so many songs that everybody knows. We’re going to play all the classics, plus ones that people forget Skynyrd played," he noted. "Songs that die-hard Skynyrd fans will definitely know, but others might not be as familiar with."
The band is particularly excited about the venue’s layout. Unlike massive amphitheaters where the performers are separated from the crowd by barricades and security pits, Gates Four offers a more "personal, close-up venue."
"We love people, and we love interacting with people," Peele said, noting that the intimate setting allows the band to feed off the crowd's energy.
The audience is expected to be a mix of local Fayetteville residents and "Skynyrd-heads" who follow the band across the Southeast to support their meticulous recreation of the 1970s Southern
Rock sound.
The Anthem of the South
No Lynyrd Skynyrd tribute would be complete without the song that defined a generation: "Freebird." For Gimme Back My Skynyrd, the song is treated with a level of reverence bordering on the sacred.
"We always end with Freebird," Peele said. "It’s a very tricky song, but it’s one of the top five songs of all time. All of our guys take it very seriously."
For many in the Fayetteville crowd, that final solo will be the highlight of the summer, a soaring tribute to a musical legacy that refuses to fade.
Event Logistics and Information
As the May 23 date approaches, organizers are encouraging attendees to arrive early to secure a prime spot on the lawn. The proverbial doors will open at 5:30 p.m., and the music will begin at 7 p.m. With the combination of free admission, high-quality amenities, and the draw of Gimme Back My Skynyrd, a large turnout is anticipated.
The Gates Four Summer Concert Series continues to prove that music has the power to unify a city. Whether you are there for the nostalgia of the music, the cold drinks at the Healy’s Tent, or a night out with the kids, the event stands as a testament to Fayetteville’s vibrant community spirit.
In a world where the cost of entertainment continues to rise, the Gates Four Summer Concert Series remains a refreshing reminder that the best things in life, like a sunset, a community gathering, and the opening chords of "Sweet Home Alabama," can still be shared for free.

Learn about tea at Museum of the Cape Fear

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Tuesday, 19 May 2026
Written by Aly Hansen

11A centuries old drink is being celebrated at the Museum of the Cape Fear until June 7. "Steeped in Time: Tea & Traditions" is a traveling exhibit from the Museum of the Albemarle celebrating all things “tea,” the second most consumed drink behind water.
The museum exhibit follows tea as it is grown, harvested and manufactured, shipped and consumed. Traditions and customs are explored throughout the display.
Tea is believed to have been discovered nearly 5,000 years ago in China. A legend tells the tale of Emperor Shen Nung sitting in the shade of a tea tree, boiling water, when a leaf fell off the tree and landed in the pot. He tried the boiling brew, found it to be delicious, and continued to experiment with the leaves from the tree, discovering a tasty drink with medicinal properties that could help his people. He urged everyone to plant trees and cultivate the plant, and over time has been dubbed the “Legendary Father of Tea.”
It took another 3,000 years for tea to truly catch on in China, but when it did, it took over the country. During the Ming Dynasty, from 1368 to 1644, China truly perfected the art of drying or roasting tea leaves for exportation, and that exportation changed the entire world.
In the 1650s, tea was introduced to the general public in Britain, and it took off from there. Tea became essential to social life. Parties were organized completely around the drink, manuals were written on how to brew the tea, how to write invitations to fancy tea parties, etiquette and serving methods. Tea became all the rage.
Enter the colonies in America. Tensions in the colonies had been rising for years, but the real deal breaker was the tea tax. Taxes on other goods had been mostly repealed by 1772, but the tax on tea remained ridiculously high, and this was to offset the cost of the bankruptcy of the East India Trading Company. The Sons of Liberty were enraged by the tea tax and shipping restrictions, and decided to take matters into their own hands. On Dec. 16, 1773, the Sons of Liberty emptied 342 chests of tea into the Boston Harbor. Ultimately, this act would be one of the catalysts for the Revolutionary War and the fight for independence.
More locally to North Carolina, the Society of the Patriotic Ladies in Edenton, NC, led a protest in Oct. 1774, which became known as the Edenton Tea Party. Fifty one women came together in an unprecedented move to stop drinking tea. More than just eschewing the social tradition that tea provided, these women were showing they had voices and would use them. Their bravery helped to coalesce the resistance to the Crown ripping through the colonies.
Tea continues to be a cultural and social drink and is now a $6 billion a year industry. “Steeped in Time: Tea and Traditions” at the Museum of the Cape Fear explores the fascinating history behind this drink and how it shaped our culture. The exhibit is available until June 7. The museum, a part of the NC Dept. of Natural and Cultural Resources, is located at 801 Arsenal Ave. Currently, the museum is open Tuesdays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sundays, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Beginning June 1, the museum will be implementing new hours, Tuesdays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
For more information about the museum and the exhibits, visit https://museumofthecapefear.ncdcr.gov/

Ted Hart reclaims forgotten voices of American Revolution

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Tuesday, 12 May 2026
Written by Jamie Bishop

21History tends to favor the loudest names. The American Revolution, as it is commonly told, belongs to figures like George Washington and Marquis de Lafayette; men whose legacies have long defined the narrative of independence. But on May 16, at City Center Gallery & Books, author Ted Hart will offer a different perspective—one grounded not in fame, but in forgotten lives.
Hart returns to Fayetteville from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. for an encore presentation and book signing of Vineyards to Victory: A French Soldier, Yorktown, and the Making of an American Family, following a Revolutionary War ceremony earlier that day. His work reframes the Revolution through the eyes of Siméon Gaugien, a young French artilleryman whose story, until recently, lived largely in obscurity.
Rather than retell the war through strategy and command, Hart focuses on what he calls the “lived experience” of the conflict.
“Focusing on Siméon Gaugien allowed me to step away from the familiar narratives of generals and statesmen,” Hart said. “What emerges is a far more human story—one that reveals the uncertainty, sacrifice, and international complexity of the Revolution.”
Gaugien, a farmer’s son from rural France, joined the army of Comte de Rochambeau and sailed to America in 1780. As part of the French artillery, he endured a grueling Atlantic crossing, a winter encampment in Newport, and ultimately the Siege of Yorktown, a decisive moment that helped secure American independence. Yet for Hart, the significance of the story lies not just in victory, but in the men behind it.
“The French artillery played a decisive role at Yorktown,” he explained, “yet the individuals behind those guns are largely absent from traditional accounts.”
That absence is what Vineyards to Victory seeks to correct.
For Hart, the project is more than historical, it is deeply personal. Gaugien is his fifth great-grandfather, a connection that could have easily turned the book into a family tribute. Instead, Hart approached it with deliberate restraint.
“Being a direct descendant created both an opportunity and a responsibility,” he said. “It gave me a starting point, but it also required discipline to separate family lore from verifiable history.”
That discipline led him into years of archival research across France and the United States, where small discoveries reshaped the larger story. One such moment came early, when Hart uncovered that Gaugien had an older brother, an overlooked detail that reframed his decision to leave home and enlist.
Other findings broadened the historical scope. The failed Franco-Spanish invasion of England in 1779 revealed just how uncertain the war effort remained even on the eve of French involvement in America. And then there were the human losses—quiet, devastating moments that rarely make it into textbooks.
Hart points to the deaths of two soldiers from Gaugien’s company, Jacques-Christianne Closset and Nicolas Fole, who drowned in the York River just days before the siege began. One is memorialized. The other is not.
“The loss of two comrades in this manner, so close to battle, would have been deeply felt,” Hart said. “It was important to me that this moment be included.”
In Fayetteville, a city shaped by military service, those stories carry a familiar weight. Hart sees clear parallels between 18th-century soldiers and those who serve today.
“Young men, often far from home, operating within complex alliances, facing uncertainty about outcomes—that hasn’t changed,” he said. “What has changed is connection. An 18th-century soldier like Siméon had no real contact with home. Months, even years, could pass in silence.”
Despite advances in technology, the emotional core of service duty, isolation and sacrifice, remains constant. That resonance is part of what makes Hart’s upcoming appearance more than a typical book event. Described as both a polished speaker and an engaging conversationalist, he invites audiences into dialogue, not just presentation. The May 16 gathering will offer attendees the chance to explore history not as distant fact, but as a lived experience, one shaped by individuals whose names rarely appear in bold print. At its heart, Vineyards to Victory is not just about one man. It is about thousands.
“I hope readers come away with a deeper appreciation for how international the American Revolution truly was,” Hart said, “and how much it depended on individuals whose names have largely been lost to history.”
In telling Siméon Gaugien’s story, Hart does more than recover a single life he restores dignity to a generation of soldiers who stood in the background of history, even as they helped shape its outcome. And in a place like Fayetteville, where service is both legacy and present reality, that reminder lands with quiet force: history was never only written by the men at the top, it was carried forward by those in the ranks, one story at a time.

Gilbert Theater's season closer, "Rent", starts May 15

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Tuesday, 12 May 2026
Written by Amber Little

22Gilbert Theater has delivered a powerhouse season that kicked off with a timeless tale of political discourse with Cabaret, brought a sense of nostalgia just in time for the holidays with A Christmas Story, and a reminder of the cost of silence and how powerful the average person can be in The Revolutionists. Golden Pond was a looking glass, a moment to remember the important things in life.
The 2026 season has been remarkable, bringing new faces on and behind the stage, new audiences, and a renewed sense of love for community theater. From start to finish, this season has highlighted what talent and drive can accomplish in such a small space. Keeping with the momentum and ending the season with a bang, Gilbert is reprising its production of Rent.
Opening night is on Friday, May 15, and runs through May 31. Patrons have four opportunities each weekend to catch a show. May 15, 22 and 29 will have 8 p.m. shows; May 16, 23 and 30 will have shows at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., and May 17, 24 and 31 will have 2 p.m. shows. Tickets can be purchased at the Box Office at 910-678-7186, or online at https://ci.ovationtix.com/36002/production/1236836.
Rent, set in the East Village in 1995 (originally set in 1989), during a time when HIV/AIDS was ravaging America, a time when America treated the diagnosis as a death sentence, the medical community actively discriminated against the gay and trans community, and the LGBTQ+ community stepped up and created grassroots protests and medical networks to care for their own who had been left for dead.
It follows the lives of an ensemble of characters, all residents in the small neighborhood. Each neighbor is fighting their own personal battles while still facing the world. At its core, it’s a story of hope, something Artistic Director Matt Lamb took into account when choosing this as the season ender.
“Looking at the season and putting it together, I thought we’re starting off with Cabaret. It’s very dark. And we needed to find something that brought hope at the end. I didn’t want the season to end on a depressing note, though Rent does have those moments. I thought, why not? Why not put a show in the season that has just the complete gambit of emotions, but ultimately ends with hope?”
This is not the first time Rent is hitting the Gilbert stage. In 2013, 13 talented actors took to the stage and gave it their all. The production is still the talk of the town, and the cast, 13 years later, are still in contact with one another.
Lamb was part of that cast, recalling, “I played Mark. And I remember that connection, that show was incredible, the experience from top to bottom was incredible.”
Lamb didn’t want this cast to mirror what was done in 2013. As the director of this show, he has encouraged his actors to take their characters and make them what they see them as.
And that they have.
Leading the ensemble cast are Chad Barnes as Roger Davis and Berganne Monroe as Mimi Marquez, both first timers on the Gilbert Stage. Barnes is an athlete turned actor and singer after being hit by a car at 17. He’s graced stages and toured with bands all over the US, most recently with an East Coast-based band. Playing Roger has been one of Barnes' dream roles, since hearing Adam Pascal's 2005 movie adaptation performance. Barnes and the character’s life have parallel moments that have allowed Barnes to tap into not only his natural rock talent but also his pain and healing.
“It’s a role I’ve always wanted. I’m getting to live that out and then play this as honestly as possible.”
Monroe, a St. Louis native, has been around the stage since she entered the world. Her grandmother worked at the world-famous Fabulous Fox Theater, considered the Broadway of the Midwest. Even though she grew up behind the stage, she didn’t get her first on-stage opportunity until 5 years ago in the Rocky Horror Picture Show. Her performance led to a full-circle moment with the production making its way to the Fabulous Fox Theater.
More recently, she’s played Squeak in The Color Purple in Raleigh. Being cast in Rent has also been on Monroe’s wishlist. Her spark for the show came after watching the 2008 Broadway production and watching Mimi’s character be brought to life by Renée Elise Goldsberry. Her draw to the character does not come from commonality but from curiosity and admiration.
“I think Mimi’s character really called out to me because her story, she’s not just this party girl. There’s so much depth to her.” Monroe explained, “I think I’m so different than her, and I want to be able to show her dark side, her in all sides, in an honest way.”
Both Barnes and Monroe and the entire cast and crew have been working diligently to turn the Gilbert into the East Village and bring the audience in for a journey of pain, hurt, happiness, and hope.
The season may be ending at the Gilbert, but that doesn’t mean that the shows are stopping. Gilbert Glee and Gilbert Glee Jr. are gearing up for their summer production of Annie on June 13 and 14. PlayFest, a festival that highlights short plays from around the country, is coming in late June, as well as several workshops and education programs.
For more information on the upcoming show, Playfest, theater education, or how to become a part of the theater, visit https://www.gilberttheater.com/.

Tunnels to Towers 5k honors first responders, military

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Tuesday, 12 May 2026
Written by Amanda Ransom

20On May 23 at 9:11 a.m., the Hope Mills community will gather for the Towers and Tunnels 5K. This is a tribute to service, sacrifice and commitment to those who run toward danger. Hosted with the Tunnel to Towers Foundation and the Stoney Point Fire Department, the event honors a region defined by military and first responder service. The run will be held at Golfview Greenway Walking Trail, located at 3644 Golfview Road in Hope Mills.
Volunteer race director Bill Reagan said the idea grew from a clear need.
“This entire region deserved a meaningful local event to honor its soldiers, veterans, and first responders,” Reagan said. “It is a debt long owed and an honor to begin repaying it.”
With communities stretching from Spring Lake to Southern Pines, the event reflects one of the nation’s most concentrated areas of service and sacrifice.
At the heart of the run is the story of Stephen Siller, whose actions on Sept. 11, 2001, inspired a national movement. After hearing of the attacks, Siller ran through the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel in full gear toward the World Trade Center, where he gave his life saving others. Reagan connects that moment to the broader service seen locally.
“Stephen’s run through that tunnel, the 343 first responders who never came home, and the soldiers whose boots hit the ground in Afghanistan weeks later are all expressions of the same national character, Americans who moved toward danger without hesitation, in different uniforms, in service to the same country,” he said.
The meaning of “Towers and Tunnels” goes beyond symbolism. In a region anchored by Fort Bragg, the message is personal.
“The soldiers of Fort Bragg ran toward their own towers — toward Afghanistan, Iraq, and every theater of operation,” said Reagan. “The tunnel, in this context, represents every formidable challenge they ran toward so that the rest of America would not have to.”
Participants can expect an unforgettable morning along the Golfview Greenway Walking Trail. The 9:11 a.m. start time is intentional.
“Every runner who crosses that line at that exact moment is connected to something much larger than a 5K,” Reagan said.
The event opens with a formal Honor Guard presentation, followed by the National Anthem performed by a local chorus and a moving bagpipe tribute. A bell ceremony, three solemn rings will honor fallen first responders, inviting participants to pause and reflect. There will be 343 signs honoring the first responders lost on September 11 and more than 100 pairs of combat boots representing soldiers who never returned home. Every participant will receive a race shirt and finisher medal, with trophies awarded to top performers and a traveling trophy recognizing the unit or department with the highest participation. The event is also a celebration of community, with live music, local food vendors and families gathering after the race.
“These aren’t just traditions,” Reagan said. “They are a promise that this community remembers.”
Proceeds support the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, which provides mortgage relief for Gold Star families, builds smart homes for injured veterans and combats veteran homelessness. For Reagan, that mission is deeply local.
“The cost of freedom carries a precise address, and those addresses are across this region,” he said. As the inaugural event, organizers hope it becomes a lasting tradition.
“We recognize what you have given,” Reagan said. “We will not forget, and we will continue to honor your service.”
For more information on the event or to register, visit runwalkhopemills.t2t.org.

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