Celebrating 250 Years

COMMEMORATIVE 2010 TARBORO CALENDARS ARE ON SALE NOW -- $10   - LIMITED SUPPLY AVAILABLE.  PROCEEDS GO TO FUND TARBORO'S 250TH CELEBRATION EVENTS.  TO PURCHASE ONE OF THESE GREAT CALENDARS, CALL TROY LEWIS, TOWN PLANNER, 252-641-4249.

Tarboro celebrates its 250th birthday in 2010 and a series of special events are being planned in conjunction with the Celebration Year.

An opening ceremony took place on January 18, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day,  in downtown Tarboro.  Children, parents and other interested citizens  gathered on the corner of St. John St. and Main St. to participate in a gala parade with masks and giant puppets.  The parade, led by Paperhand Puppet Intervention,  began at 2 p.m. and ended at the corner of Main and Church Street where the 1999 Flood waters stopped. A plaque commemorating that event was dedicated and entertainment by blues musician George Higgs  provided for the public.  The Paperhand Group and Mr. Higgs' music were provided by support from the Edgecombe County Cultural Arts Council with funds from the Grassroots Arts Program of the N.C. Arts Council, a state agency.

Adrian E. Chaves Solorzano, a fourth-grader this past year at Pattillo A+ School, was the winner of the 250th Celebration Children's Poetry Contest held this past Spring.  Adrian read his winning poem, "My Town", at a ceremony in front of the Edgecombe County Memorial Library on March 27. At the ceremony, Adrian was awarded a certificate and a $50 prize.  He also helped plant a ginko tree in front of the Library.  Jesus Moran, 9, a student at Coker-Wimberly Elementary School received honorable mention.

Tarboro's Annual Easter Baseball Classic, sponsored by the Town of Tarboro and the Tarboro Athletic Booster Club, took place April 7-9 at Municipal Stadium. The Town also co-sponsored with Howard Memorial Presbyterian Church the Movin' for Community Outreach 5k Race on April 3.  Local and regional runners turn out for this annual event which takes place in Tarboro's Historic District and Downtown.  Parents run with their children and everybody has a good time.

A book signing and lecture by David Hursh took place April 8 at 7 p.m. at Edgecombe County Memorial Library.  Mr. Hursh is co-author of Good Medicine and Good Music, A Biography of Mrs. Joe Person, Patent Remedy Entrepreneur Musician.  The program was sponsored by The Perry-Weston Institute.

The John Cherry Memorial Rockfish Rodeo sponsored by the Tarboro Association of Saltwater Sportsmen and co-sponsored by the Town was held on April 24.

Numerous folks from Tarboro and surrounding area enjoyed the 39th Happening on the Town Common on May 15.  Craftsmen and a lot of lively entertainment made a big hit.

The annual Fireworks display put on by the Town of Tarboro took place on the fabulous Fourth of July.  The best show ever!

In the late summer, The Perry Weston Institute will publish an essay "African American Neighborhoods in Tarboro: Water Street, East Tarboro, Keechtown, and The Depot" by noted Tarboro historian C. Rudolph Knight.

September will be a big month for the 250th Celebration Year featuring an art exhibition " Tarboro  Paints the Town" by members of the Tarboro Artist Guild. The exhibit will be up from August 6 through September 25 in the Hobson Pittman Gallery of the Blount-Bridgers House.  A reception honoring the artists will be held on Thursday, August 19, at 5:30 p.m. This event is sponsored by the Edgecombe County Cultural Arts Council.

The 3rd Annual "Music for Everyone" Concert sponsored by the Edgecombe County Veterans'  Military Museum is planned for September 11, 2010.

September 25 will be a really Big Day - The Town's 250th Birthday Party on the Town Common, beginning at 3 p.m., combined with History Day Activities at the Blount-Bridgers House and the Edgecombe Garden Club Annual Tour of Homes.  No one will want to miss these exciting festivities.

 The "SQC Jamboree" (that's semiquincentennial), beginning at 3 p.m., will be kicked off by a gala children's parade featuring the giant puppets and masks of Paperhand Puppet Intervention. The big birthday party will also feature live music by "TrainWreck", food vendors and free birthday cake.  Bring your lawn chair or a blanket and plan to make an afternoon of it. 

On November 7 the Edgecombe Community Chorus will present a multimedia concert in Keihin Auditorium featuring Tarboro history and video interspersed with American folk songs from the last 250 years. Free to the public, this performance will feature our community's most talented singers and actors.  A great collection of talent!  The performance starts at 5 p.m.

Our 250th Celebration Year will end with a closing ceremony at noon on November 30, 2010.  We'll bury a time capsule, ring all the bells in Town and plant a tree. 

A SPECIAL THANKS TO ALL OF THE DONORS 

WHO ARE MAKING THESE 250TH CELEBRATION EVENTS POSSIBLE!