Entertainment

Lafayette Society holds Liberty Point Resolves lecture

Details

Tuesday, 25 August 2026

Written by Amanda Ransom

This September, the Lafayette Society will bring a piece of Fayetteville’s Revolutionary history to life with its Fall 2026 Lafayette Lecture, exploring the Liberty Point Resolves and the community effort to preserve their story. Christopher Thrasher of the Lafayette Society said this year’s program is particularly meaningful because it showcases a partnership among the Cumberland County Public Library, Fayetteville Technical Community College and members of the community.
The Liberty Point Project brings together historians, librarians, filmmakers and FTCC students who are working to tell the story through a book, documentary film and educational materials.
“The project’s focus on promoting Lafayette’s enduring values through a unique community partnership right here in Fayetteville is exactly the kind of work that the Lafayette Society strives to promote,” Thrasher said.
The Lafayette Society is an educational and philanthropic organization that works to keep the Marquis de Lafayette’s ideals relevant today.
“We promote the Marquis de Lafayette’s enduring values of liberty, tolerance, and equal rights for all,” Thrasher said.
The organization puts those values into action through educational programs and by raising money to support students at Methodist University, Fayetteville State University and FTCC.
At the center of this year’s lecture are the Liberty Point Resolves, a statement signed by local residents in 1775 declaring their determination to defend their community against abuses by the British government. While many signers still hoped reconciliation was possible, they insisted that the rights of the colonists be respected. Many later put those principles into action, taking up arms and fighting with Patriot forces at battles including Elizabethtown and Moore’s Creek.
Thrasher said part of the reason the Liberty Point Resolves are less widely known than other Revolutionary-era documents is that the document was lost for years after being misfiled. By the time it was rediscovered, many histories of the American Revolution had already been written without it.
Two speakers will help bring that history and the process of preserving it to life. Joseph Westendorf, Local and State History Manager at the Cumberland County Public Library, is the lead author of The Voices of Resolve: The Patriots of Liberty Point, published by the University of North Carolina Press. He will be joined by PBS film producer Frank Boring, a 2021 Telly Award winner, The Great Experiment: Colorado State University.
“The lecture will help attendees understand the Liberty Point Resolves, but more importantly, it will help people understand how they can transform their ideas into a book and a film, just like the members of the Liberty Point Project have,” Thrasher said.
For Thrasher, one of the most compelling aspects of the Liberty Point story is that its participants were not larger-than-life historical figures.
“The signers were imperfect people with difficult lives,” he said. “They didn’t all agree on everything; they made mistakes, but despite their flaws they risked everything to make the world a better place.”
That message is particularly relevant as the nation commemorates the 250th anniversary of American independence.
“History inspires us to do better,” Thrasher said. “The issues have changed, but the principle remains.”
For Thrasher, that connection between the past and present is one of the most important messages of the lecture.
“I hope attendees will be inspired to honor the legacy of Liberty Point by getting involved in our community and promoting Lafayette’s enduring values of liberty, tolerance, and equal rights for all,” he said. “America, like history, is a process and we still have work to do.”
He hopes the Liberty Point Project will extend well beyond this year’s lecture. The group is already researching its next book and discussing another documentary.
“This isn’t just about the Liberty Point Resolves,” Thrasher said. “It is about building an organization which will preserve and share local history for many years to come.”
The Fall 2026 Lafayette Lecture will be held September 8 at noon in the multipurpose room of the Tony Rand Student Center, 2220 Hull Road, at Fayetteville Technical Community College. The event is free and open to the public. The best way to keep up with the Lafayette Society is to follow them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/lafayettesociety/

Voices of Freedom brings churches together in harmony

Details

Tuesday, 18 August 2026

Written by Tiffany Haywood

Nearly 200 vocalists, a 50-member orchestra and participants from about 16 churches will come together at Crown Theatre for a free concert celebrating America’s 250th birthday through faith, music and community.
One of the defining elements of a choir is harmony — different notes coming together to create one unified sound. So what better way to demonstrate harmony than to bring together nearly 200 vocalists from churches across Fayetteville and a 50-member orchestra to celebrate America’s 250th birthday?
What began as a conversation among three church music leaders is growing into something much larger.
Voices of Freedom will bring the combined choir and orchestra to Crown Theatre at 1960 Coliseum Dr. on Sunday, Aug. 30, at 6 p.m. for a free concert built around faith, patriotic music and community collaboration. Organizers are working toward a total of approximately 250 performers.
The idea began when Marty Spina approached Chris Ferger, pastor of worship and arts at Village Baptist Church, about combining choirs for a concert marking the nation’s 250th. The two began talking through the possibilities before inviting Richard Suggs, minister of music at Snyder Memorial Baptist Church, into the conversation.
What started with those three music leaders has since expanded to include vocalists from about 16 churches, with new participants continuing to join as the concert approaches.
Suggs is no stranger to bringing voices and musicians together through Snyder Memorial’s music ministry and its long-running Singing Christmas Tree. But coordinating vocalists from 16 churches alongside a 50-member orchestra presented a different undertaking.
It required significant communication, summer rehearsals and careful music selection. Suggs said organizers knew participants would be traveling and schedules would not always align. The music also needed to be accessible to the vocalists, reflect the churches’ theology and accomplish the larger goal of honoring the country.
For Suggs, the collaboration itself has been significant. In his 12 years at Snyder, he said this is the first event he has participated in that combined his church with others in this way.
“It was an opportunity to plug in a community, a larger community than just my church,” Suggs said.
Fayetteville’s connection to the military is also reflected in the program. Voices of Freedom will include an armed forces medley featuring the songs of each military branch, including the relatively new Space Force song. Organizers are also working to have uniformed members of each branch carry their corresponding flag during the medley.
For the organizers, freedom means more than the concert’s patriotic selections.
“We have the freedom to express ourselves in any way here in this case. And that freedom is not free,” Suggs said.
He added that freedom comes with responsibility and that the concert provides an opportunity for people to celebrate that freedom together.
“We have the freedom to be able to sing, to be able to gather, to be able to participate,” Ferger said.
That emphasis on community carries through to the event itself. Admission to Voices of Freedom is free, and no ticket is required. After months of vocalists and musicians from churches across Fayetteville preparing to share one stage, organizers want the audience to feel just as welcome.
“We want it to be open to anybody and everybody,” Ferger said.
For more information, visit https://www.crowncomplexnc.com/events/detail/voices-of-freedom-250

Traveling exhibits celebrate North Carolina's role in Revolution

Details

Tuesday, 18 August 2026

Written by Sheila D Barker

As the nation celebrates its 250th anniversary, we will have opportunities to explore the people, struggles, and ideas that helped shape both the state and the country. Through the America 250 NC initiative, a series of traveling exhibits is making its way to museums, libraries, universities, and historic sites across the state, including several stops in Fayetteville and surrounding communities. From the experiences of people living in colonial North Carolina and the fight for independence to the evolving meaning of civil rights and who has been included in the promise of “We the People,” the exhibits offer visitors a chance to explore 250 years of history close to home.
Making Our Voices Heard: North Carolinians Fighting for Civil Rights
This exhibit looks at the long struggle to make the promises of American democracy apply to more North Carolinians. Rather than concentrating only on nationally famous civil-rights figures, it tells the stories of seven North Carolinians: Gertrude Weil, Henry Owl, Joe Lewis, Abraham Galloway, Ronald Mace, James Hunter and Willa Player.
Their stories demonstrate different ways people challenged injustice through petitioning, protesting, organizing, education, advocacy and civic participation. The larger themes include civil rights, freedom, democracy, civic responsibility and the ability of individuals to bring about change. The physical exhibit consists of ten banner panels.
Local opportunities: This exhibit is at The Museum of the Cape Fear now and will run until Aug. 31. It will also be at Fayetteville State University, from Sept. 14 to Nov. 23, and Raeford-Hoke Museum, from Dec. 7 to Feb. 22, 2027.
When Are We US?
This may be the broadest and most thought-provoking of the exhibits. Rather than treating American history as a finished story, it essentially asks: At different moments in history, who counted as part of “We the People”?
The eight-panel exhibit explores North Carolina history through immigration, integration, fundamental rights, emancipation, and voting rights. It uses historical documents, photographs/images, and recordings held by repositories around North Carolina and elsewhere.
That means visitors have the opportunity to encounter history through primary sources rather than simply reading a modern narrative about what happened. Some of those sources in the exhibit contain outdated or offensive terminology, which the exhibit acknowledges with a content warning.
Local opportunities: It comes to Fayetteville State University Sept. 15 and will be open until Nov. 23, followed by the Raeford-Hoke Museum Dec. 1 to Jan. 11, 2027.
People of Colonial North Carolina
This exhibit focuses on the people who actually lived in North Carolina during the Revolutionary era, emphasizing that there wasn't a single universal "North Carolina experience" of the Revolution.
Different communities faced very different choices involving freedom, loyalty, survival, identity, and political allegiance. Using maps, rare documents and illustrations, the seven-panel exhibit examines how the Revolution affected ordinary people's lives and the sometimes conflicting paths different groups took during the conflict.
This exhibit serves as a useful counterpoint to traditional Revolutionary War exhibits because the emphasis isn't simply on generals, battles, and famous Founders. It asks visitors to think about what the Revolution meant to the varied people living in colonial North Carolina.
Local opportunity: This one is coming to Cumberland County Public Library April 13, 2027 to June 23, 2027.
Forging a Nation: The American Revolution and the Path to Independence
The nine-panel exhibit traces North Carolina's role in the creation of the United States, beginning with protests against British rule and moving through the Revolutionary War and ultimately toward the creation of the Constitution.
It incorporates maps, historical documents, and everyday objects to show how North Carolinians experienced this transformative period. Importantly, the exhibit doesn't portray nation-building as something accomplished only by famous political leaders. It emphasizes the roles of ordinary people, conflict, political ideas, and personal conviction in shaping the state's Revolutionary history.
Local opportunities: It will come to Cumberland County Public Library Feb. 2, 2027 to April 13, 2027
March to Kings Mountain
This exhibit follows the Overmountain Men and their journey toward the pivotal Battle of Kings Mountain during the American Revolution. Through maps, documents, and images of artifacts, the four-panel exhibit explores why these men decided to fight, what occurred during the battle, and the lasting significance of the Patriot victory.
Kings Mountain is particularly interesting because it allows visitors to look at the Revolution from the perspective of the Southern Campaign rather than concentrating on the better-known events around Boston, Philadelphia, and New York.
Local opportunity: This exhibit is scheduled for the Moore County Historical Association from April 16, 2027 to May 28, 2027.
With five America 250 NC traveling exhibits making stops in Fayetteville and surrounding communities, residents have a rare opportunity to experience the full collection without traveling far from home. Together, the exhibits span stories of revolution, independence, citizenship, civil rights and the ongoing effort to define the ideals of American democracy. As the country commemorates its 250th anniversary, visiting these exhibits offers more than a chance to learn about the past; it is an opportunity to come face to face with the people, documents, and stories that shaped North Carolina and the nation, and to consider how that history continues to influence the America we know today. For more information on these traveling exhibits and their local stops, visit https://www.america250.nc.gov/traveling-exhibits#WhenAreWeUs-543.

(Photo: America 250 NC has several traveling exhibits celebrating North Carolina's role in the independence of the United States of America. Photo courtesy of America 250 NC Facebook's page)

Gates Four Summer Concert Series finishes 6th annual season

Details

Tuesday, 18 August 2026

Written by Aly Hansen

The Gates Four Summer Concert Series will wrap up another eventful summer on Aug. 22 with the Dalton Davis Band. The concert will take place at the Gates Four Golf and Country Club, located at 6775 Irongate Dr. in Fayetteville. Doors open at 5:30 p.m., and the concert kicks off at 7 p.m.
Hailing from Mamers, NC, near Lillington, Dalton Davis is a country music artist and songwriter. He began his music career in 2019, and in January 2020, he wrote and released his first single, "Good Man.”
Davis has performed at the Bowery in Myrtle Beach, SC and on Broadway St. in Nashville, Tennessee. His single “Phone Number to Heaven,” released in 2022, was written in memory of his grandfather.
Davis received multiple nominations for the 2024 Carolina Country Music Awards, including 2023 Country Single of the Year, the 2023 Michael Comer Emerging New Artist Award and the Damian Horne Humanitarian Award.
Dalton released his debut EP in May of 2024, titling it “Where Has My Country Been.” He performs all across the South and participates in songwriter events in Nashville and Key West, FL.
Davis is all about “chasing dreams and putting a small town on the map!”
Gates Four Golf & Country Club is a premier location to watch concerts in the Fayetteville area. With access to two full-service bars sponsored by Healy Wholesale, food trucks, dining-in options and clean, indoor restrooms, concertgoers have amenities at their fingertips.
General admission to the concert is free, although there are premium options for purchase available through the Fayetteville Dinner Theatre’s website at https://fayettevilledinnertheatre.com/.
Reserved seating is available for $20 per ticket. For $35 for VIP tickets, guests can have a reserved spot plus a full dinner. To make the summer evening even more special, door prizes will be handed out throughout the evening.
Guests can dance the night away, listening to a local country music favorite, and savor the food and atmosphere as the Summer Concert Series comes to a close. Davis will take to the stage at 7 p.m., allowing plenty of time for attendees to settle in, relax and enjoy the close of the 6th annual installment of the concert series.

(Photo: Dalton Davis will be playing the final concert of the Gates Four Summer Concert Series. Photo courtesy of Dalton Davis Facebook page)