News Digest for Town of Carrboro, NC (June 14, 2023) 

Here's what's new in Carrboro This Week: In celebration of Juneteenth, all Town offices and facilities will be closed Monday, June 19. Come out to enjoy the joint Carrboro-Chapel Hill celebration for Juneteenth on Saturday, June 17, at Hargraves Community Center. Other local news includes a new public works director announcement, the Town Council Update, and this Friday's Freight Train Blues concert lineup! Don't miss a thing!  

Chapel Hill, Carrboro to Celebrate Juneteenth 

The third annual Chapel Hill – Carrboro Juneteenth Festival returns to the Hargraves Community Center on Saturday, June 17 from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Hosted by the Towns of Chapel Hill and Carrboro, along with numerous community partners, the event celebrates Black culture and community with music, art, food, and more.

The Towns of Chapel Hill and Carrboro proclaimed the observance of Juneteenth in 2020 and encourage residents and employers to recognize the holiday. John French, Director of the Hargraves Community Center, says “Juneteenth is important for our country and for our community. We are excited to once again partner with Carrboro and many community organizations to celebrate local Black culture and excellence.”

Here's what’s in store for this year’s celebration:

Historic Marker Dedication
Hargraves Community Center has been selected as a spot on the North Carolina Civil Rights Trail, with a marker that describes the Center’s importance in the local and national fight for civil rights. At 10:00 a.m., the community will gather to dedicate this new marker and celebrate the past, present, and future of Hargraves Center.

Live Music & Entertainment
The Juneteenth stage will welcome a variety of local artists, representing a range of musical genres. Pittsboro-based group The Dowdy Boys will provide gospel music, while Mickey Mills & Steel will offer Caribbean music featuring steel drums. Local favorite Zone will play a rap set, while Finesse will get everyone on their feet with upbeat rhythm and blues. In between acts, DJ Dominic will keep everyone dancing and entertained.

Small Business Fair & Nonprofit Showcase
A wide variety of Black artisans and Black-owned businesses will be highlighted at the festival, with everything from handmade jewelry and figurines to roofing, healthcare, and other services. Likewise, a wide range of community organizations that represent and serve the Black community will have booths at the event, including the Marian Cheek Jackson Center for Saving and Making History, the Hannah Ruth Foundation, and the local alumni chapters of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated, Zeta Beta Phi Sorority Incorporated, and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated.

Food Trucks & Kids Zone
Black-owned food trucks and businesses will offer festival-goers a variety of food and drink, including African cuisine from Yagg Sii Tenn, soul food from McCamm’s, and wings, hotdogs, and more from Jolly’s Catering. The Kids Zone will have face painting, street performers, mural making, and more – including a visit from Chapel Hill Public Library’s Circulator. The Northside Gymnasium will be open with basketball activities throughout the event.

An estimated 4,000 people attended last year’s event and a large crowd is expected again this year. Attendees are encouraged to consider biking, walking, carpooling, and riding Chapel Hill Transit. Festival parking will be available at Northside Elementary, and general information about parking around downtown Chapel Hill and Carrboro can be found at www.parkonthehill.com

Town Manager announces Public Works Director

Following a national search, Town Manager Richard J. White III has announced the selection of Kevin Belanger as the new public works director for the Town of Carrboro. 

“We look forward to welcoming Kevin to Carrboro, where he will apply his skills in team leadership, budgeting, project management, innovative problem solving, and civil engineering to serve as director of the Public Works Department,” White said.

A civil engineer with 27 years of engineering experience including 24 years with the New Hampshire Department of Transportation (NHDOT), Belanger has administered numerous development improvement projects. With exceptional abilities in construction operations and maintenance, he has held positions of assistant district engineer, access and utilities supervisor, and contract administrator and field inspector with the NHDOT. He holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of New Hampshire. 

“Public Works is a department that provides a great deal of service to communities, but is often not recognized for all the good things that employees do on a daily basis,” Belanger said. “In my 27 years, I have seen all the good public works employees can do, and I'm excited to come work with the Public Works team in Carrboro and continue that great work."

The Carrboro Public Works Department provides solid waste collection; loose leaf collection; street, greenway, and right-of-way maintenance; snow removal; stormwater facility maintenance; mowing and landscaping of Town properties and rights-of-way; tree trimming and removal; ball field preparation and maintenance; facility maintenance; vehicle and equipment maintenance; and cemetery maintenance and burials. In the most recent biennial community survey, Carrboro Public Works earned residents’ highest ratings of satisfaction, with 91% of residents indicating they were satisfied or very satisfied with the department’s services. 

Belanger’s first day with the Town of Carrboro will be July 17. 

Small Town Pride Events this June

• Celebrate Pride at Carrboro Farmers' Market - featuring Drag Storytime | Wednesday, June 14 (Carrboro Town Commons) 
• Pride Piper Walk | Friday, June 30 at 4:30 p.m. (Carrboro Century Center)
• Pride Food Truck Rodeo & Dance Party | Friday, June 30 from 5-8 p.m. (Carrboro Town Commons)

Read the full Small Town Pride News Flash to learn more about the events offered throughout June.

Small Town Pride in Carrboro and Chapel Hill continues this June with the Pride Food Truck Rodeo & Dance Party from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, June 30, at Carrboro Town Commons, 301 W. Main St.

To get the party started, join the Batalá, an international samba reggae music group, to help roll the Rainbow Ram down Weaver Street from the Century Center to Town Commons for the Pride Food Truck Rodeo & Dance Party.  Join the group at the corner of Greensboro and Weaver Streets at about 4:30 p.m.  and be a part of the Pride Piper Parade! 

There will be food, dance and frolicking on the lawn! Grab your friends, and come on out! 

Bring your appetites 
 So much great food will be available, so kick your weekend off right! Sample the offerings from El Molcajete, Drizzle D’s, Golden K Dog, Sister Liu’s Kitchen, Vegan Ice Cream Man, Death By Taco, Funnel Cakes by Tonio, OMG Lemonade – and much more! 

Community resources, crafts, and more  
 Participants offering information, crafts and service resources include Queer Ride Carrboro, Flyleaf Books, Epilogue Books Chocolate Brews, Chapel in the Pines, Chapel Hill NOW and Piedmont Health Services. 

Music with WXYC - UNC-Chapel Hill  
Join us for curated tracks from the DJs at WXYC who will play the songs that will bring out your Freak-A-Zoid on the dance lawn! 

Drag Queen Show
 Diamond Productions is coming to Carrboro! Created with community in mind, KiKi Diamond says her shows are designed so that everyone feels welcome, comfortable, and excited. "We believe that drag is for everyone, and we strive to create a space where everyone can enjoy the art of drag."

Get Ready for Carrboro In Motion

Carrboro In Motion is bringing the party back to Carrboro neighborhoods this Friday, June 16 at Royal Park Apartments.

Come Zumba with us, learn how to load your bike onto a Chapel Hill Transit bus, visit the bike fix-it station, watch a dance performance, enjoy games and snacks, and so much more! 

We will have information available on upcoming Town events and Town Programs. There will be bike and ped resources, map and routing resources, and reflective gear. Town staff will be providing information on various town services including volunteer opportunities and ways to connect with programs. Our Community Partners will be offering bike and ped resources, a mobile health unit, and more!

The block party will be in front of the leasing office at Royal Park Apartments (501 NC-54, Carrboro, NC 25710)  this Friday, June 16, from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m.   All are welcome! 

Learn more at https://www.carrboronc.gov/2735/Carrboro-In-Motion  

Freight Train Blues Concert Series Presents Dedicated Men of Zion, Jr. Weaver Gospel Singers

CARRBORO, NC-- Enjoy Dedicated Men of Zion, Jr. Weaver Gospel Singers at this week’s Freight Train Blues Concert, Friday, June1 6, 2023. The concert starts at 6:30 p.m. at the Carrboro Town Commons, 301 W. Main Street. Bring your picnic, lawn chairs, and blankets for an evening of live music on the lawn. 

The concert series runs every Friday night through June 23 and is a collaboration among Music Maker Foundation; the Town of Carrboro; WUNC 91.5 FM; and The Forests at Duke.

Public parking is available and free in downtown Carrboro.

The Dedicated Men of Zion formed in Greenville, N.C. in 2014. The four singers—Anthony Daniels, Antoine Daniels, Marcus Sugg, and Dexter Weaver—are all related by blood or marriage. They grew up steeped in the gospel of Eastern North Carolina with families that took singing and church seriously. “Music and the church, it’s like a sandwich,” says Anthony, the leader of the group. “You got to have two pieces of bread to have a sandwich. The singing and the church, it just goes together.” While this church background infuses the group’s music, they’re not confined to the church walls. Their 2020 release, Can’t Turn Me Around, was critically acclaimed and celebrated by sacred and secular audiences alike, and followed it with 2022’s The Devil Don’t Like It, which brought them to NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts.

Surviving members of the Weaver Gospel Singers — in song and with oral history – will pay tribute to group leader Susie Weaver, who passed away in 1984. Mrs. Weaver’s original song “Freedom Comes To Chapel Hill” was recorded live at First Baptist Church in Chapel Hill, N.C. by JCP Records during the Civil Rights era. In addition to singing, Mrs. Weaver owned a funeral parlor and was active in the Civil Rights movement. The music will be accompanied by praise dancer Joshua Weaver, Mrs. Weaver’s grandson. This set is presented in partnership with the Marian Cheek Jackson Center.

More information: www.freighttrainblues.com 

In celebration of Juneteenth, all Town offices and facilities will be closed Monday, June 19, 2023. Yard waste and loose leaf collection regularly scheduled for Mondays will be moved to Tuesday, June 20.

Poetry in the Park with Liza Wolff-Francis

Come write poetry in the park with Carrboro Poet Laureate Liza Wolff-Francis this summer.

Free ecopoetry workshops are offered from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Mondays on June 5, July 10, and August 7 at Martin Luther King Jr. Park, 1120 Hillsborough Road in Carrboro. The group will gather in the pavilion located inside the park (the pavilion furthest from the parking lot, located on the right-hand path).

Ecopoetry is poetry about the planet and our relationship to Earth. It supports ideas of conservation and sustainable living. Anyone can write ecopoetry and participants are welcome to write about whatever comes to them and whatever moves them. All are welcome. 

For more information, email lizawolff.francis@gmail.com

Town Council Update

Meeting agendas and updates are issued from the Town Clerk’s Office. To receive these by email or text, sign up for Carrboro Town News at https://www.carrboronc.gov/list.aspx 

Civic involvement is a valued tradition in our community. Reach the Town Council with your ideas, views, and questions at Council@carrboronc.gov

Coming Up

The Council will hold a Work Session at 7 p.m. on Thursday, June 15, 2023 for a cemetery discussion. The agenda will be available at https://carrboro.legistar.com/  Public comment is generally not received during work sessions and official actions are not taken. 

The Carrboro Town Council will hold the next Council Meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 20, 2023. The agenda will be available at https://carrboro.legistar.com/   

These meetings will be held at Carrboro Town Hall, 301 W. Main St. Members of the public are welcome to attend in person or can view the livestream YouTube.com/CarrboroNC OR at https://carrboro.legistar.com/ OR Cable TV 18 (in Carrboro). 

Past Meeting 

The Carrboro Town Council met Tuesday, June 13, 2023, for a Council Meeting and took the following actions on agenda posted at https://carrboro.legistar.com/    Watch the video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AhGkFlc5Wg 

• Recognized a 2023 Juneteenth Proclamation - https://www.carrboronc.gov/DocumentCenter/View/12889/2023-Juneteenth-Proclamation 
• Held a public hearing on the Town Manager’s Recommended Budget for Fiscal Year 2023-24. The recommended budget is available for public review at https://www.carrboronc.gov/2864/Recommended-Annual-Operating-Budget-2023 
• Held a public hearing for Jade Creek Architecturally Integrated Subdivision Special Use Permit-A at 8522 Old NC 86.The Council directed staff to draft a written decision document with a list of conditions for future consideration. 

Town Council 

The Town Council, which is the legislative and policy-making body for Carrboro, comprises Mayor Damon Seils, Mayor Pro Tempore Susan Romaine, Council Member Barbara Foushee, Council Member Randee Haven-O’Donnell, Council Member Danny Nowell, Council Member Eliazar Posada, and Council Member Sammy Slade. More information is available at https://www.carrboronc.gov/248/Town-Council

Recreation, Parks & Cultural Resources 
Summer Brochure now available 

This session also includes registration for our youth Fall Baseball and Flag Football programs. 

View the full PDF Brochure to learn more