Discover Statesville
Welcome to "Discover Statesville," the show that takes you on a captivating journey through the heart of one of North Carolina's most charming towns. Co-hosted by community advocates, Richard Griggs and Cindy Sutton, this weekly show brings you the pulse of Statesville, recording live at various spots throughout Statesville in partnership with Sow Media studios.
Join Richard and Cindy as they uncover the hidden gems and local treasures that make Statesville truly special. From the top-notch attractions and exciting events to the remarkable individuals who shape the community, "Discover Statesville" promises to leave no stone unturned.
Hungry for a culinary adventure? Tune in for their delightful restaurant reviews, where they'll guide you to the best places to eat in town. Whether you're a resident or a visitor, this podcast is your ultimate guide to all the things that make Statesville great.
You're invited to come along on this immersive journey, as "Discover Statesville" brings you closer to the heart of our vibrant town. Be prepared to be entertained, inspired, and enlightened each week, as Richard and Cindy share their passion for all things Statesville!
Discover Statesville
Summer in Statesville: Trails, Tunes, and Time-Honored Tales
Step into the heart of Statesville this June and immerse yourself in a variety of events celebrating everything from history to music to the great outdoors! We'll whisk you away on a journey through time with a Juneteenth story walk and craft event at Lake Norman State Park—perfect for families. Feel the boom of musket fire at Fort Dobbs, and lace up your hiking boots for a ranger-led adventure on National Trails Day. Art aficionados, prepare to be dazzled at Art in the Park, where the pulsing beats of live bands and an array of local food trucks complement the masterpieces on display.
But that's just a taste of what's in store. Our episode brims with the spirit of Juneteenth as we explore a bustling downtown celebration with engaging vendors, and enthralling performances—including a live show by the Insomniacs. We'll give you exclusive insights into the Unity Center's educational events and historic bus tours that shed light on our town's rich past. And for those whose hearts beat in rhythm, Make Music Day promises a symphony of sounds throughout Statesville's streets. For thrill-seekers, we haven't forgotten you—join us for the chills of Haunted Statesville Ghost Tours, now available to brave souls all year round. Be prepared for a June stacked with dive-in movies, taco nights, and a vibe that promises something extraordinary for everyone.
You're not going to want to miss June in Statesville, north Carolina. Tune in now, as Richard and I do, our featured event rundown.
Speaker 2:Welcome to Discover Statesville, the show that takes you on a captivating journey through the heart of one of North Carolina's most charming towns.
Speaker 1:Welcome back everybody to Discover Statesville. It's Richard and I's favorite time of the month and that is when we get to do the cool event rundown the things that are coming up. I cannot believe it's June already. Oh it's crazy. But I'm excited that it's summer. I love summer and June. Too hot, too hot, actually my favorite, and I think I've said this before spring and fall. But all the fun that comes with summer is pretty amazing.
Speaker 3:Absolutely I like long days.
Speaker 1:Lots of fun happening in June in Statesville, North Carolina. And you know, when we ended our May rundown, we went ahead and talked about art in the park because we wanted people to know about it, with it coming up on June 1st. But what?
Speaker 3:I didn't realize is we have?
Speaker 1:lots of things happening on June 1st. Kicking off with our friends over at Lake Norman State Park, they are doing a cool Juneteenth story walk and craft. So it's an indoor story walk, not their normal outdoor one. An indoor story walk and crafts to help celebrate Juneteenth. So take a break from the heat. Were you setting us up for that when you were saying it was hot? Take a break from the heat and walk around inside the Visitor Center. Lake Norman State Park has an amazing Visitor Center in there and enjoy a reading Floyd cooper's juneteenth um for maizey. That is going to be posted on the walls for a story walk. Uh, and they are going to have a juneteenth craft flag making station um set up during that same time. So don't miss that on that that's, that's for.
Speaker 3:that's for four days in a row, right, yeah, oh cool.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Great June 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th Awesome yeah.
Speaker 3:That same Saturday, june 1st, out at Fort Dobbs they will be hosting the 263rd anniversary of Grant's campaign, which is ultimately sort of to commemorate a battle that took place there in 1761 with the Cherokee and Colonel James Grant. But they'll have musket firing demonstrations and just lots of different activities out there. That's 10 to 4, $2 admission Saturday June 1st out of Fort Dobbs.
Speaker 1:If you haven't been to Fort Dobbs, it is worth a visit, even if you have been to Fort Dobbs, Reconstructed Fort the only, I think, in the southeast of the French and Indian War.
Speaker 3:Yeah, very cool.
Speaker 1:Right here in Statesville. It's worth a trip Back to our friends at Lake Norman State Park. You probably know this National Trails Day in June, but they are hosting Lano's Trail Day Hike. So they're inviting you out to join a ranger on a hike to celebrate National Trails Day. So you'll be going out and hiking the Lakeshore Trailhead in honor of National Trails Day. So for more information, check out their visitor center, give them a call there at the Lake Norman State Park.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and that whole trail is beautiful compared to all the developed areas of the lake. You at least have this one sort of pristine gem there on Lake Norman, which is awesome.
Speaker 1:That sounds like a great time, but I don't want to miss Art in the Park.
Speaker 3:That's right. So Saturday June the 1st, the Recreation and Parks Department partner with the Iredell Arts Council to host Art in the Park out at Martin Luther King Jr Park. That event is from 11 to 3. It's a free event. There'll be food trucks out there, red Buffalo will be on site. We will have lots of different artists set up. Some may be creating art, some may be selling art, some may just have a sculpture installation or something along those lines. We've worked with the folks from Grassroots Entertainment Group to coordinate entertainment for that day. So we'll have bands performing on the main stage there in the amphitheater There'll be a Roots in the Round session. Danny Carr's acoustic band is going to perform. We also have artists performing or musicians performing down at the Eastside Shelters. So just a great day of various forms of art.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Grassroots has rounded up no pun intended, they are a great lineup.
Speaker 3:They have Over 10 bands, those guys are a phenomenal resource here in this community and they've done a great job for us. So yeah, please put that on your calendar. 11 to 3, like I say, it's a free event out at Martin Luther King Jr Park, formerly Lakewood Park, in case you don't know where that is.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and if you want to see the full lineup, head out to recreationstatesfullncnet and click on the featured event to see the full lineup out there.
Speaker 3:Yes, the interweb stuff.
Speaker 1:Yeah, back to live music. Always fun stuff going on at the Iredell Arts Council. On June 5th, in the Iredell Arts Council listening room, it'll be live music from Wicker and Jones. Yes, so that's a blues band.
Speaker 3:They're awesome.
Speaker 1:Danny Wicker, Mel Jones.
Speaker 3:Yeah outstanding.
Speaker 1:And that's a blues band. They're awesome. Danny Wicker, mel Jones, yeah, outstanding.
Speaker 3:And that's with the team from Piedmont Folkways, also a great group. Yeah, that's been a great partnership that the Arts Council's formed with Piedmont Folkways. They do a show every Wednesday night and so about two months ago they came to the Arts Council and wanted to start doing their Wednesday night shows in the old jail. So we've been happy to have them as a partner and it's working out really well.
Speaker 1:More people working together.
Speaker 3:I love it, that's right, yeah, so also at the Arts Council will be the third installment of the Art and Soul series, which is a that is sponsored by Grace Baptist Church, and so on this they'll have Fry Gillyard, who is a former Southern editor at the Charlotte Observer and writer in residence at the University of South Alabama, and he'll share some readings from his works, and then Steve Shoemaker, who is the pastor at Grace Baptist, has some Q&A, asked some questions. The first two have been amazing and just really thought-provoking and great conversations, and so put that on your calendar as well.
Speaker 1:Something for everyone at the arts council. Um, who's ready for piedmont health care friday after five in june? Um, downtown states will development in the chamber. The organizers there had to make a last minute cancellation. Um, they didn't want you to miss out, so they uh have a rescheduled date from May 3rd on June 14th and then also the June 7th, two days in June. So they're going to have on June 7th. They are going to have Kids in America, that's right.
Speaker 1:So it's a totally 80s tribute band taking the stage on June 7th and then on June 14th would be that original from May 3rd, the Ultimate 90s Gump Fiction.
Speaker 3:I love this description. Kids in America isn't just a band. It's a musical odyssey that started with our shared passion for the unforgettable decade of the 80s. I'm going to be there, I'm in, yeah.
Speaker 1:We're there, we're there. So thanks to those guys for organizing a great event for the community and visitors alike. Piedmont Healthcare, friday After 5. And then, one thing I do love about summer is the summer baseball leagues, and I'm so proud that Statesville has the Statesville Owls here. So they kicked off. They had their opener last week, last week, they kicked off in May, this past month in May, but they're playing their home games at West Iredell High School June 7th, 10th, 9th, 20th, every week. Every week they're having a home game in June and you can go on to Discover Statesville and filter the calendar and look for our category called Root for the Home Team and follow along and find out how you can get out and support local sports and local baseball.
Speaker 3:That's awesome Who-de-who.
Speaker 1:Yeah, who-de-who.
Speaker 3:Let's see. At the Iretal Arts Council, the Full Bloom Film Festival is an international film festival that takes place here every September. So the Full Bloom Film Festival is an international film festival that takes place here every September. But for the past couple of years we've hosted a monthly film series to try to keep momentum in between the annual International Film Festival. So the June installment for that will be the film Amazing Grace, which is basically a documentary about Aretha Franklin, and so it's going to be outstanding. That's on June the 11th at 7 o'clock. All right, oh, I'm next too. There's a lot of stuff here there is. So Piedmont Folkways another performance, this time with Michael Federer and Tom Kuhn. Same thing. That'll be at the Idle Arts Council in the old jail listening room. That's on June the 12th at 730.
Speaker 1:Gosh, richard, there's nothing to do in Statesville.
Speaker 3:North Carolina. I know We'll just sit around all the time, can't?
Speaker 1:believe it. And then we're excited to share next week's guest Tune. In next week we are going to have Pete Barger from Southern Distilling, the co-founder of Southern Distilling, with us and he is going to be talking about the Southern Distilling Summer Cruisin'. It's my understanding they're going to have 70 plus. I'm not going to say this right, but older cars.
Speaker 3:He said really any car. Yeah, really any car. I may, I may put the Subaru on display.
Speaker 1:I was thinking that's something you could do, but it's going to be a great night of entertainment. They're going to have the cruising the car cruising classic car cruising, but food trucks. Great night of entertainment, um, they're going to have the cruising the car cruising classic car cruising, but food trucks, live music. And they're going to be having a limited edition great race single barrel barrel release. But this cruising is a party um to send pete off on the great race. It's the second annual um, I think, eight-day across-country race. So you won't want to miss tuning in next week to hear about all that from Pete. But get the summer cruise in on your calendar, which is June 13th.
Speaker 3:And that single barrel release is just that day right.
Speaker 1:That's right, that's right.
Speaker 3:So if you're a collector, yeah, and there's still time.
Speaker 1:You said all vehicles are welcome to register. So go out to southerndistillingcom and if you're interested in registering your car, but if not, just come out and have a good time with us, we'll be there.
Speaker 3:Outstanding. Yeah, June the 19th will be the annual Juneteenth celebration here in downtown Statesville. They got a couple things going on, Well, actually. So June 19th is Juneteenth. On June 19th they'll be hosting that's the, I think where they're having their educational piece at the Unity Center. They're also hosting some bus tours of the Green Street, Garfield Street area. There is limited seating and you can register online for those. And then June 22nd, in downtown Statesville, will be the annual Juneteenth celebration. That's right in front of Mitchell Community College, at the end of West Broad Street, 11 am to 6 pm, and there will be tons of vendors, tons of food, art, education, entertainment, kids activities. It will be a full day of celebrating Juneteenth and really the entertainment will be outstanding and they'll you know they're spoken word throughout the day. They'll have dance troupes throughout the day. Our good friends Tevin and Capria with Insomniacs are helping coordinate a portion of the entertainment and I imagine we'll be performing as well. It's just a really great, super diverse celebration in downtown Statesville, so I encourage everyone to come and participate.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and not to give away everything they're doing, but I'm excited to share that in two weeks, after we speak to Pete, my favorite human being, kevin, is going to be back in studio here with us with Mr Elamin.
Speaker 3:Elamin, elamin, yeah.
Speaker 1:They're going to be here talking all things Juneteenth this will be a good time. Yeah, you won't want to miss that episode, so we're looking forward to having them with us, but mark your calendar. That Juneteenth Statesville committee is doing a really good job.
Speaker 3:They do an outstanding job.
Speaker 1:They plan all year, they do an outstanding job and I'm so excited they moved their event down in front of Mitchell.
Speaker 3:Woods, and it's growing every year.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah. So then, something new to Statesville this year Downtown Statesville Development in partnership with the Arts Council right, because it's something that the State Arts Council was leaning into but Make Music Day in Downtown Statesville. So Downtown Statesville, the way I understand it, is going to come to life, with musicians in the stores on the sidewalks, there's going to be all different things to do that surround music. So they said that they're joining over 1,000 cities and 120 countries that are going to be doing this to be part of the biggest music celebration ever. Yeah, so excited that we're leaning into that. Make Music Day in downtown.
Speaker 3:Statesville and that is on June 21st and it's super cool. I think it might have been started in France, but yeah, it's something that's existed for a long time, so super cool that downtown Statesville decided to bring it here.
Speaker 3:Yeah, musicians lining the streets, in the retailers and I think a lot of it too, and I don't know all the details yet, but I think a lot of it is also encouraging other people to come out and be able to make music, so you might have an area that you know. Maybe there's an area that's got a bunch of kazoos out and you know people can go and play kazoos, or just see you playing the bongos.
Speaker 3:I have a big gym bae. It's relegated to a top shelf in the closet. There you go, yeah. And then I also want to mention the Haunted Statesville Ghost Tours. That's no longer just an October event. They happen all throughout the year, so lots of opportunity there. Tickets are $15. They do two tours each evening on the fourth Saturday from March to September, but it's really cool, yeah, if you haven't done it, they do a great job hosting the tours and they're really engaging and it's a lot of fun.
Speaker 1:And we've said this before. But even if you have done it, it's done now by the historic Sharp players Keith Ryan and his team, and it wasn't always done by them before.
Speaker 3:So, even if you've seen it before, it's time to see it again. Yeah, learn more about the ghosts as time goes on. We've seen more ghosts. Yes, more stories to tell.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah. Well, that wraps up our list, but, like we say every time, I think there's over 1,300 events on the list. In June, recreation Parks has an amazing lineup. You guys are launching your dive-in and drive-in movie series.
Speaker 3:Dive-in movies. Yeah, Not drive-in, but movies in the park Movies in the park. You've got to park and walk over, but yeah, we've got stuff going on all summer long and all of it is detailed on the website.
Speaker 1:Yeah, recreationstateswellncnet, You're not going to want to miss that. And for a full list of a comprehensive list of calendar events in Statesville, North Carolina or the greater Statesville area, go to stateswellnccom and click on the calendar right there. You won't want to miss a thing. Live music happening several nights. Several nights, Taco nights thing. Live music happening several nights several nights, taco nights, poetry nights, bingo you had me at taco. Yeah, it's happening in Statesville, North Carolina. Guys, Don't miss it.
Speaker 2:Thank you. Thank you for joining Discover Statesville. You can email us at discover at statesvillenccom. Check us out on Facebook at Discover Statesville, NC hashtag Discover Statesville and our website statesvillenccom. Catch us next week as we continue on our journey to uncover the hidden gems, culinary adventures, entertainment, and to be inspired and enlightened as we Discover Statesville.
