Community Calendar

Step back in time during the 15th Annual John Lawson Legacy Days, a three-day celebration of history, heritage, and community at the Grifton Museum. This year’s event is especially significant as we celebrate America’s 250th anniversary, the 50th anniversary of the Grifton Museum, and 15 years of John Lawson Legacy Days.

Visitors can experience living history demonstrations, historical interpreters and reenactors, educational exhibits, guest speakers, period crafts and activities, museum exhibits, and programs exploring the many people and stories that have shaped eastern North Carolina. The weekend will feature history spanning the region’s Native American and colonial heritage through later periods of North Carolina and American history.

Named for explorer and naturalist John Lawson, whose travels through the Carolinas in the early 1700s produced one of the most important early accounts of the region, John Lawson Legacy Days brings history to life for visitors of all ages.

Special programs will take place throughout the weekend, with opportunities to meet historians, museums, heritage organizations, reenactors, and craftspeople while exploring the Grifton Museum and Indian Village.

October 16–18, 2026
Grifton Museum | Grifton, North Carolina

Come spend the weekend with us and discover the people, places, and stories that made history!

Come out to cheer on athletes from around the world as they compete in traditional Highland Games. We have world champions and amateurs ready to put on a show for you! There will be a beer tent with multiple local breweries and specialty beers just for the games, food trucks, live music, clan tents, kids tents, highland dancing demonstrations, dog herding demos, sword fighting fun and so much more!

Emerge Gallery & Art Center, City of Greenville Jaycee Park Center for Arts and Crafts, ECU College of Fine Arts and Communication, Pitt Community College, Pitt County Cultural Arts and Recreation, and Pitt County Schools announce the 22nd Annual Youth Arts Festival. The event is scheduled for October 17, 2026 from 10:00am – 4:00pm at South Central High School.

This year’s festival will feature visual, musical, and theatrical arts booths where children can participate in creative activities making their own masterpieces. There will also be performance-based activities including puppet making, storytelling, music, and interactive theater. Last year, more than 5,000 people attended the festival, with 1,000 plus performers, mostly students from Pitt County Schools. The festival is free and open to the public. This will be a rain or shine event. Parking is free.

Bring the whole family for a fun-filled afternoon of costumes, candy and lots of trunk-or-treat activities. They will be live snakes, hands-on nature displays & educational exhibits.

The African American Heritage and Culture Center (AAHCC) will present "African Influence on American Music," a special program exploring the deep roots of African culture in American musical traditions, on Saturday, October 17, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. at Bank of the Arts, located at 317 Middle St. in New Bern. Doors open at 1:30 p.m.
The event, themed "Honoring the Roots. Celebrating the Legacy. Inspiring the Future," will feature live performances and educational presentations highlighting African musical heritage, including:
• Gospel Music: Tracing its roots in African spiritual traditions
• The Banjo: Uncovering its African origins and journey through American music
• Drums: Exploring the rhythmic foundations passed down through generations
• Jazz: A musical journey through jazz's African origins
• Classical Music: Recognizing African influence on classical composition and performance
Tickets are $35 per person. https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/african-influence-on-american-music

Step back in time during the 15th Annual John Lawson Legacy Days, a three-day celebration of history, heritage, and community at the Grifton Museum. This year’s event is especially significant as we celebrate America’s 250th anniversary, the 50th anniversary of the Grifton Museum, and 15 years of John Lawson Legacy Days.

Visitors can experience living history demonstrations, historical interpreters and reenactors, educational exhibits, guest speakers, period crafts and activities, museum exhibits, and programs exploring the many people and stories that have shaped eastern North Carolina. The weekend will feature history spanning the region’s Native American and colonial heritage through later periods of North Carolina and American history.

Named for explorer and naturalist John Lawson, whose travels through the Carolinas in the early 1700s produced one of the most important early accounts of the region, John Lawson Legacy Days brings history to life for visitors of all ages.

Special programs will take place throughout the weekend, with opportunities to meet historians, museums, heritage organizations, reenactors, and craftspeople while exploring the Grifton Museum and Indian Village.

October 16–18, 2026
Grifton Museum | Grifton, North Carolina

Come spend the weekend with us and discover the people, places, and stories that made history!

Step back in time during the 15th Annual John Lawson Legacy Days, a three-day celebration of history, heritage, and community at the Grifton Museum. This year’s event is especially significant as we celebrate America’s 250th anniversary, the 50th anniversary of the Grifton Museum, and 15 years of John Lawson Legacy Days.

Visitors can experience living history demonstrations, historical interpreters and reenactors, educational exhibits, guest speakers, period crafts and activities, museum exhibits, and programs exploring the many people and stories that have shaped eastern North Carolina. The weekend will feature history spanning the region’s Native American and colonial heritage through later periods of North Carolina and American history.

Named for explorer and naturalist John Lawson, whose travels through the Carolinas in the early 1700s produced one of the most important early accounts of the region, John Lawson Legacy Days brings history to life for visitors of all ages.

Special programs will take place throughout the weekend, with opportunities to meet historians, museums, heritage organizations, reenactors, and craftspeople while exploring the Grifton Museum and Indian Village.

October 16–18, 2026
Grifton Museum | Grifton, North Carolina

Come spend the weekend with us and discover the people, places, and stories that made history!

Panel conversations, recipes, and ingredients from the Global South

Chefs and food trucks on site

Open to the public

ECU Sponsors:

The David Julian and Virginia Suther Whichard Distinguished Professorship in the Humanities

Department of English

Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures

Visit the Whichard Professorship website for a full list of upcoming events and additional details for this two-day event. https://sites.ecu.edu/whichard-distinguished-professorship/

Now in its 36th year, Ghostwalk is a family-friendly fall event that combines spirits from New Bern's past, talented local volunteer actors, historic sites, and a fun-filled, creative environment. For three evenings in October you’ll be able to step back in time and visit with ghosts of lively New Bernians, spirits, specters, and ordinary folks. You’ll visit 13 “ghost sites” in Cedar Grove Cemetery and on the porches of historic homes. In keeping with this year’s theme, “Voices of Freedom, Tales from 250 Years”, you will hear stories and meet characters from all across our 250 year history.
The 36th Annual Ghostwalk is Oct. 22-24 from 6-9:30pm at 13 ghost sites in historic New Bern. Guides will lead you through the stops in Cedar Grove Cemetery, where you will hear entertaining stories based on real historical characters and events straight from New Bern’s past. The remainder of the event is self-guided, with historical spirits telling you their compelling tales on porches in downtown New Bern. Local historic churches offer a variety of low-cost meals for Ghostwalk visitors and prepare yourself to see some special guests creeping through the cemetery during your visit. Watch for something “thrilling” at the New Bern Academy Green. And keep your eyes open for special apparitions like the Veri-Good Bakery (an oldie but a goodie).
Tickets for the New Bern Historical Society’s Ghostwalk are good for all three nights and are available starting Sept. 7th at www.GhostwalkNewBern.com, by calling 252-638-8558, or at 511 Broad Street, the Historical Society office. Other outlets are both Harris Teeters in New Bern and Mitchell Hardware in downtown New Bern. Adult advance tickets are $20 with a special $17 price for active-duty military, students and Historical Society members. Adults day of the event, $25. Children under 12 are $5, children under 3 are free. Your ticket is your Ghostwalk map.
The mission of the New Bern Historical Society is to celebrate and share the history of New Bern and the area through events and education. Offices are located in the historic Attmore-Oliver House at 511 Broad Street in New Bern. For more information, call 252-638-8558 or go www.NewBernHistorical.org or www.facebook.com/NewBernHistoricalSociety.

11 a.m. - Noon
Fandango on the Lawn
Dancing & Documentary from Veracruz, México

Noon - 1:30 p.m.
NC BBQ ‘Meats’ Cochinita Pibil
Free Food Samples & Storytelling Traditions

Open to the public

ECU Sponsors:
The David Julian and Virginia Suther Whichard Distinguished Professorship in the Humanities
Department of English
Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures

Visit the Whichard Professorship website for a full list of upcoming events and additional details for this two-day event. https://sites.ecu.edu/whichard-distinguished-professorship/