1). Museum of the Albemarle: Harry Warren, director of the North Carolina Museum of the Forestry, will present “Why We Are Called Tar Heels: North Carolina Navel Stores” at the Museum of the Albemarle on Thursday, October 2 at 7:00 pm in the Gaither Auditorium, as part of the Albemarle Roundtable held monthly. Mr. Warren will discuss the development and economic importance of tar, turpentine, rosin and pitch and how North Carolinians obtained their colorful nickname. This event is free and open to the public.

2). Asheville Art Museum invites you to join us on a tour of the exhibition “Expectant Gaze — Art from the Eye and Mind” led by one of our knowledgeable docents from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. on October 3, 2008. This lively tour of the exhibition features new selections from the permanent collection, including recent acquisitions. Works on paper need to “rest,” so the Museum has installed a new selection of works on paper from the collection.

3). Cape Fear Museum presents North Carolina's Hurricane History Tuesday, September 30 at 6:30 p.m. North Carolina has a storied hurricane history. How have hurricanes affected North Carolinians through the years? Hurricane historian, author and Director of NC Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores Jay Barnes will answer those questions and more as he explores hurricane dynamics and discusses the context of storms within our state’s past and future.

4). N.C. Maritime Museum: On a June day in 1718, Blackbeard’s flagship, “Queen Anne’s Revenge,” became a permanent part of North Carolina’s history. Researcher, author and filmmaker Kevin Duffus has spent more than 35 years researching Blackbeard’s life. On Thursday, October 2, at 2 p.m., during a free program at the North Carolina Maritime Museum, Duffus will reveal surprising new information that he says will change pirate history. Duffus will also sign his new book “The Last Days of Black Beard the Pirate.”

5). Mint Museum of Art: The iconic works of Andy Warhol, one of the most influential artists of the 20th century, will be on display at the Mint Museum of Art beginning this October. The landmark exhibition “Andy Warhol Portfolios: Life & Legends“ presents rarely seen selections from Bank of America’s prized Warhol collection. Sponsored by Bank of America, the exhibition will be on view October 4, 2008 – February 15, 2009.

6). SciWorks: October 1, 2008 will mark the 50th anniversary of the creation of NASA. Join us at SciWorks for a presentation hosted by Capt. Mike Lucas. The presentation will cover the early history of NASA and America's human spaceflight programs. The audience will enjoy pictures and video clips of Projects Mercury, Gemini, and the Apollo Moon landing missions. The presentation will last approximately 30 minutes, and will be followed by ample time for questions and answers.

7). King’s Mountain Historical Museum is pleased to announce the opening of the “Annual Honor Our Veterans Exhibit.” The exhibit will run through November 16, 2008. This year we are focusing on the Vietnam War in conjunction with the Vietnam Combat Veterans Memorial Moving Wall exhibited in Kings Mountain October 2 – 6, 2008. The Opening Ceremony is scheduled for Thursday, October 2nd at 1:00pm and the Closing Ceremony will be Monday, October 6th at 2:00 pm; the public is invited.

8). Reynolda House Museum of American Art presents “Seeing the City: Sloan’s New York,” a traveling exhibition focusing on John Sloan’s images of New York City in paintings, drawings, prints, and photographs to present an in-depth view of the artist’s years in the city and the effects of the city on his art. “Seeing the City” will be on view from October 4, 2008 through January 4, 2009.

9). Bellamy Mansion Museum presents “In the Shadow of Our Forefathers: Mr. William Hill, Master Plasterer” on Saturday, October 4, 2008 from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Workshop fee of $25.00 will include a box lunch. This plastering presentation and lecture will reflect the skills of 19th century African American plasterers, both bond and free, such as William Benjamin Gould, whose skills contributed to the preeminent plasterwork seen in the Bellamy Mansion.

10). Fort Dobbs State Historic Site presents the fourth annual 18th-Century Trade Faire at Ft. Dobbs State Historic Site in Statesville, to be presented from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 4-Sunday, Oct. 5. At the site where soldiers once defended frontier settlers during the French and Indian War, visitors will have a chance to experience a vivid recreation of a lively and colorful colonial American marketplace. More than 100 juried artisans and historic interpreters from across the nation will demonstrate their trades and sell their wares while entertainers and musicians delight audiences with 18th-century amusements.

11). Thomas Wolfe Memorial: On Thursday, Oct. 2-Sunday, Oct. 5, the Occasional Theatre brings “Return of an Angel” to the Asheville Community Theatre (ACT) for an encore run. Written by native playwright Sandra Mason, this play focuses on Wolfe’s return to Asheville in 1937, the first time he’d been home since the release of his debut novel “Look Homeward, Angel,” a book whose thinly veiled characters and events had enraged friends and neighbors when it was published in 1929. Thursday, Friday and Saturday night performances will begin at 7:30 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $22 for adults, $19 for seniors and $15 for students.

12). Charles B. Aycock State Historic Site will present its free “Fall on the Farm” fest on Saturday, Oct. 4, bringing the spirit of 19th-century harvest time to the present. From 12-4 p.m., share an old-fashioned farm experience with costumed interpreters to make candles, shell corn, spin cotton, tour the kitchen or take a horse-drawn wagon ride. Eastern North Carolina’s Waterbound Dulcimers will play traditional melodies. Kids’ activities include “old-timey” toys and rolling hoops. Annabelle the sheep and a flock of heritage chickens will be on hand, too.