Annual Events in Tarboro

April

Blount-Bridgers Historical Gardens Annual Symposium
130 Bridgers Street // 252-832-4159
Sponsored by the Blount-Bridgers Garden Committee, this annual Garden Symposium features notable guest speakers and vendors from the fast-growing garden industry and attracts green thumbs and garden clubs from across the region. Sponsored by the Edgecombe Garden Club. For more information, call 252-823-4159.

May

Happening on the Common
Tarboro Town Common
Original arts and crafts are the focal point of this festival held on the Tarboro Town Common that draws several thousand people on the third Saturday of May with an array of artists, craftspeople, nonprofit booths, and food vendors that seems to expand each year. A favorite community event for nearly 35 years, the Happening hosts a variety of musical and entertainment acts that perform throughout the day-long event. Displays of everything from fine art and photography to every type of beading and pottery, Christmas ornaments, soaps and lotions, jewelry, custom leather goods, walking sticks, painted t-shirts, baby quilts, metal works, glass, gem stones, jams and jellies, calligraphy, decorative bird houses, scented candles, embroidery, dolls, pocket books and more line an entire block of the Town Common. Sponsored by the Edgecombe County Cultural Arts Council. For more information, call 252-823-4159.

NC Symphony Pops on the Common
Tarboro Town Common
Music on the lawn and under the stars brings families out onto Tarboro’s Historic Town Common in droves to this free performance by the NC Symphony. Maestro William Curry conducts the 65-member Symphony orchestra in crowd-pleasing fashion. Sponsored by the Edgecombe County Chapter of the North Carolina Symphony Society.


September

Tarboro History Days
Blount-Bridgers House & Tarboro Town Common
History buffs flock to this popular event that showcases and promotes the rich, diverse history of Edgecombe County. Staged on the lawn of the 1808 Blount-Bridgers House and the Town Common, historical organizations along with traditional performers and craftsmen demonstrate crafts and methods of yesterday. Attendees can visit encampments set up on both sites and witness a re-enactment of Potter’s Raid, the July 1863 raid on Tarboro by Union Brig. General Edward E. Potter. Saturday is a full day of events including a ghost walk through the Historic District. The event concludes after a 19th century church service on Sunday morning. Sponsored by the Edgecombe County Cultural Arts Council. For more information, call 252-823-4159.

Preservation Trades School at 2008 Tarboro History Days
Coolmoor Plantation just outside of Tarboro
Offered by Edgecombe Community College, this event launches a special program at ECC focusing on various trades associated with historic preservation. The kick-off will be held at the beautiful Coolmoor Plantation and feature demonstrations in masonry, carpentry, decorative arts, window restoration and more. Sponsored by Edgecombe Community College and the Edgecombe County Cultural Arts Council. For more information, contact J. Lynn Cale at 252-823-5166, ext. 327.

Historic Tarboro Homes Tour
Historic District & Various Locations
Each in September Days, a tour of 10-15 historic homes and/or gardens and a couple of churches attract visitors from across the region to Tarboro. The September Homes Tour is held the last weekend of September to coincide with Tarboro History Days, a living history weekend. Sponsored by the Edgecombe Garden Club. For more information, contact Karen Andrus at 252-823-5166.
   
Historic Tarboro Ghost Walk
Historic District
Occurring during the Homes Tour, this special 45-minute evening tour by lantern light occurs with about a half dozen stops to meet "ghosts" from Tarboro's past who tell their stories to the visitors. The ghostly appearances change each year, but past ghosts have included General Louis Wilson who is buried on the Town Common, General Dorsey Pender who was wounded at Gettysburg, Governor Henry Clark, and some ladies of our past such as Jackie Blount, Mary Gregory -- the richest woman in Tarboro, and Miss Mattie Shakelford, a WWI nurse and patriot citizen. For information on exact dates, times, and cost for these tours, contact the Edgecombe County Cultural Arts Council at 252-823-4159.


November

Great Tarboro Art Bazaar
Blount-Bridgers House
Over 70 local and regional artists exhibit and sell fine art in the 1808 Blount-Bridgers House every autumn. This annual event began in the early 90’s and has been a popular venue featuring affordable art for the beginning collector as well as mature works for the seasoned buyer. An Arts Council members-only preview and gala reception is held the night before the opening, and attendees can purchase Arts Council membership at the door. Profits from the sale go to the operations of the constantly changing artist gallery. Sponsored by the Edgecombe County Cultural Arts Council. For more information, call 252-823-4159.


December

NC Symphony Holiday Pops
Edgecombe Community College
The holiday spirit is inescapable as the NC Symphony enlivens audiences with seasonal holiday music. Held in Keihin Auditorium at Edgecombe Community College, the concert features Assistant Conductor Joan Landry leading the musicians and audience in a jolly carol sing-along. Sponsored by the Edgecombe County Chapter of the North Carolina Symphony Society.

Tarboro Christmas Parade
Main Street
Everyone loves a parade, and the Tarboro-Edgecombe Chamber of Commerce puts on a fantastic one.  Beginning in the beautifuly decorated Downtown, the parade slowly rolls up Main Street as kids and adults line the sidewalks to wave at floats and see Santa ride by.