Brevard

Brevard is home to the Brevard White Squirrel Festival [1] Approximately 25% of Brevard's squirrels are white squirrels, according to an annual survey conducted by the White Squirrel Institute

Notable People

Joseph R. Bryson (1893–1953), Member of the U.S. House of Representatives

Gil Coan (1922- ), former Major League outfielder

Spencer Fisher (1976- ), mixed martial artist

Courtney W. Hamlin (1858-1950), Member of the U.S. House of Representatives

James A. Hefner, president of Tennessee State University

Clifford B. Hicks (1920–2010), author

Allen Hunt (1964- ), radio personality

Randy Johnson (1944-2009), American football player

Moms Mabley (1894–1975), stand-up comedian

Cliff Melton (1912-1986), professional baseball player

Lauren Myracle (1969- ), author

Charles H. Taylor, (1941- ), former member of the U.S. House of Representatives

Dillsboro

Popular Culture

The infamous train wreck scene in the 1993 blockbuster movie The Fugitive starring Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones was filmed in Off The Rip along the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad. The wreckage set can still be viewed on eastbound train excursions from Bryson City.

The Great Smoky Mountains Railroad was also used in the filming of 1996 comedy My Fellow Americans starring Jack Lemmon and James Garner when they stumble on to a charter train full of UNC-Chapel Hill fans headed for the NCAA Final Four. The Great Smoky Mountains Railroad offers excursions that depart the historic Bryson City, North Carolina depot and travel to Off The Rip. This 4 hour, 32 mile round trip travels along the Tuckasegee River, through the historic Cowee Tunnel and arrives in Dillsboro for a 1½ hour layover for shopping and dining.

Elkin

Cruising

Elkin had the biggest cruising community on the east coast during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. USA TODAY once featured Elkin and its cruisers on the front page of the national news paper. However, a crackdown by local police in the early 1990s completely wiped out the once-vibrant weekend cruising scene leaving downtown Elkin deserted on weekend nights. LINK

Ellerbe

It is perhaps best known as the one-time home of professional wrestler André the Giant, who operated a nearby ranch/farm in his spare time and retirement. His ashes were scattered on his ranch after his death

Haw River

Haw River is the location of the untimely death of blood plasma pioneer Dr. Charles Drew, on April 1, 1950. He was driving a group of his colleagues to a medical conference in Alabama when he apparently dozed off at the wheel, resulting in a crash and the mortal wounds that were the cause of his death. An urban myth developed that he had been denied treatment and allowed to bleed to death, because of his being black, but eyewitnesses, including one of his fellow doctors who was at the hospital, have testified that nothing of the sort happened, as detailed in the Raleigh News and Observer

Hendersonville

The largest street festival of the Hendersonville calendar is the annual North Carolina Apple Festival, culminating in the Apple Parade that regularly draws up to 50,000 spectators

Notable People

Arguably the most infamous person from Hendersonville is William Dathan Holbert, a.k.a. "Wild Bill Cortez", a serial killer who murdered several persons in Bocas del Toro, Panama between 2007 and 2010. Holbert reportedly would befriend land owners and then murder them so he could take over and use or sell their property. Several bodies were found in a makeshift graveyard near a hotel run by Holbert. The story has been widely reported in U.S. and foreign news outlets.

Hillsborough

Auto racing

Occoneechee Speedway, just outside Hillsborough, was one of the first two NASCAR tracks to open and is the only track remaining from that inaugural 1949 season. The Historic Occoneechee Speedway Trail (HOST), is a three-mile (5 km) trail located on 44 acres (180,000 m2) at the site of the former Speedway. Bill France and the early founders of NASCAR bought land to build a one-mile (1.6 km) oval track at Hillsborough, but opposition from local religious leaders prevented the track from being built in the town and NASCAR officials built the large speedway Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Alabama instead

Notable People

For its size, Hillsborough has a high concentration of residents who are nationally known authors, including Lee Smith, Allan Gurganus, Michael Malone, Annie Dillard, Hal Crowther, Frances Mayes, the late Doug Marlette, and David Payne.[8]

George B. Anderson - Civil War Confederate general, killed at the Battle of Antietam

Logan Pause - Soccer player

Doug Marlette - cartoonist and author, maintained a home in Hillsborough and was buried there[9]

Lee Smith - Author

Allan Gurganus, author of Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All

William Hooper - A lawyer and politician who signed the United States Declaration of Independence for North Carolina

Shepperd Strudwick – Actor

Sarah Hoyt – Author

Frances Mayes – Author

Connie Ray - Actress, The Torkelsons

Elizabeth Keckly - Dressmaker and confidante of Mary Todd Lincoln and enslaved in the Burwell Household

Billy Strayhorn - An American composer, pianist and arranger

Annie Dillard - Author

Michael Malone- Edgar Award-winning novelist and Daytime Emmy Award-winning soap opera writer

Kill Devil Hills

Nearby Kitty Hawk is frequently cited as the location of the Wright brothers' first controlled, powered airplane flights on December 17, 1903. The flights actually occurred in Kill Devil Hills.

History

Kill Devil Hills is the site of the Wright Brothers National Memorial, commemorating the siblings' four powered airplane flights of Thursday, December 17, 1903. Orville returned in 1911, and on October 25 he set a new world glider record, remaining in the air 10 minutes and 34 seconds, soaring against the wind with very little forward movement.[4]

Popular culture

In the 1996 R.E.M. song "So Fast, So Numb" from the album New Adventures in Hi-Fi, the lyrics mention Kill Devil Hills.

The Clutch song "Four Lords (And One More)" from Slow Hole to China mentions Kill Devil Hills in its lyrics.

The 2005 solo album Tyranny of Souls by Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson features a track named "Kill Devil Hills". The song is about the flight made by the Wright brothers.

Rappers Ill Bill and DJ Muggs have an album entitled "Kill Devil Hills" released in 2010

Lasker

Notable People

Chris Daughtry— Musician, raised here until 14

Laurinburg

Notable People

Bucky Covington - 5th season American Idol finalist and country musician

Hilee Taylor - defensive end for the Carolina Panthers of the NFL

Russ Adams - Major League Baseball Toronto Bluejays infielder

Brent Butler - former Major League Baseball infielder

Milone "Spark" Clark - Harlem Globetrotters Forward Robert Dozier, college basketball player for the Memphis Tigers, went to high school in Laurinburg.

Wes Covington - former Major League Baseball outfielder

Denny O'Brien - sports journalist

Kelvin Sampson, Born in Laurinburg, NBA assistant coach for the Milwaukee Bucks, former Indiana Hoosiers and Oklahoma Sooners men's basketball coach.

Terry Sanford - Governor of North Carolina and U.S. Senator

Cameron Sexton - quarterback of University of North Carolina football team (2005–2008)

Woody Shaw - Hard-bop (jazz) trumpeter

Franklin Stubbs - 10 year Major League Baseball player

Joseph Roswell Hawley Four-term US Senator, two-term US Congressman, Governor of Connecticut Union Brevet Major General during the American Civil War. Born near Laurinburg October 31, 1826.

Leonard Thompson - American Professional Golfer, PGA Tour

Ben Vereen - American Actor, Dancer, and Singer

Jacoby Watkins - former NFL cornerback

Lewisville

Notable People

Chris Paul (b. 1985) – NBA player; was born in Lewisville.[4]

Austin Dillon (b. 1990) – NASCAR driver.

Neal Hendrix (b. 1973) American Professional Skateboarder

Littleton

Cryptozoology & Paranormal Museum

Notable People

Willis Alston, born near Littleton, United States Congressman from North Carolina[5]

Ella Baker, Civil Rights leader, SNCC founder, grew up at her grandmother's house in Littleton

Mount Airy

Mayberry - Mount Airy was the birthplace and childhood home of American actor Andy Griffith, and is widely believed to be the inspiration for the fictional community Mayberry, the setting of The Andy Griffith Show and its sequel, Mayberry RFD. Until he returned to Mount Airy, 45 years after the show, Griffith denied the connection. Several locations and names mentioned in both shows reflect real places and people in or near Mount Airy, including Mount Pilot (nearby Pilot Mountain and the town named for it) and Snappy Lunch, a restaurant which still operates in the city's downtown area and is famous for its pork chop sandwich. In episode #154 of the Andy Griffith Show, "Aunt Bee's Invisible Beau" Andy is clearly seen in closeup reading what could be a Mount Airy newspaper. All that is visible are the words "Airy News". This could be another connection between Mount Airy and Mayberry.[citation needed]

The community holds an annual "Mayberry Days" celebration during the last weekend of September; 30,000 attended in 2009, and 50,000 were expected for the show's 50th anniversary in 2010. The University of North Carolina at Greensboro estimates the town receives $5 million each year as a result. Three Ford Galaxie police cars, painted to resemble those used on the show, give rides to tourists. A barber shop has been named "Floyd's", and a salvage yard has the name Mayberry. One of the attractions is the Andy Griffith Museum, which attracts 200 visitors a day.[4]

Bluegrass and Old-Time music

The home of old-time music legend Tommy Jarrell and country singer Donna Fargo, Mount Airy has a long history with regional music. Mount Airy's WPAQ 740 AM radio is one of the few Bluegrass and Old-Time music stations still operating and has been airing the live radio show Merry-Go-Round from the Downtown Cinema Theatre since 1948. Weekly bluegrass jam sessions at The Andy Griffith Playhouse and the annual Mount Airy Fiddlers Convention also serve to attract old-time musicians from across the region and the world.

The Blue Ridge Music Center with its amphitheater and music museum of old-time music is just a few miles away on the Blue Ridge Parkway at Milepost 213, near Galax, Virginia.

Chang and Eng Bunker Mount Airy was also the home of the famous Siamese Twins, Chang and Eng Bunker (1811–1874), joined by a band of cartilage at the chest (xiphopagus). After retiring from the circus of P.T. Barnum, they purchased two adjoining farm properties just west of Mount Airy in the community of White Plains. Many of their descendants still live in the Mount Airy area.

"The Wedding of the Siamese Twins" by Burton Cohen, a play detailing the salacious and often amusing lives of Chang and Eng Bunker, is scheduled to be performed annually at the Andy Griffith Playhouse in Mount Airy. On the last week-end in July there is a family reunion held at the First Baptist Church at 714 N. Main St.. There are several other activities and functions throughout the week-end.

Notable people

Andy Griffith (1926- ), American actor

2Chang and Eng Bunker (1811–1874), famous Siamese twins

Jack Childress (1950- ), American college football official

Chubby Dean (1916–1970), Major League Baseball player

Ron Blackburn (1935- ), Major League Baseball player

Ben Callahan (1957–2007), Major League Baseball player

Mark Daniel Merritt (1961- ), American music composer

Donna Fargo (1945- ), country music singer and songwriter, best known for the "The Happiest Girl In the Whole USA"

Benton Flippen, (1920- ), old-time fiddler

Frank Beamer (1946- ), American college football coach

iROC (1989- ), American hip-hop artist and producer

Alex Sink (1948- ), Florida politician

David Ethan Fricke (1982- ), Audio comedian, writer, associated with the "Brad & Dave Show"

Steven Bradley Pell (1981- ), Audio comedian, author, artist, associated with the "Brad & Dave Show"

Mt. Olive

Pickles

The Mt. Olive Pickle Company, established in 1926, is located appropriately enough on the corner of Cucumber and Vine streets. The Mount Olive Pickle Festival is held the last full weekend of April each year. The annual celebration is put on by both the community of Mount Olive and the Mount Olive Pickle Company.[4] On New Year's Eve, the Mount Olive pickle company celebrates in unusual fashion by dropping a three-foot pickle down a flagpole into a pickle tank. However, instead of midnight local time, the drop takes place at 7 p.m.[5] The event first took place on New Year's Eve 1999.

Murphy

Trivia

Eric Rudolph, the fugitive who was responsible for the 1996 Centennial Olympic Park bombing and other deadly bombings, was arrested in Murphy on May 31, 2003.

Carl Pickens, formerly of the Cincinnati Bengals, was born and played high school football in Murphy.

Mark Deweese, All-American in track and cross country, attended Murphy High School.

Christian rock band Petra performed their final concert in Murphy on December 31, 2005.

Murphy is mentioned extensively in "A Walk Across America" by Peter Jenkins, as the author spent several months living with a local family and working at a sawmill nearby.

Folklorist John Jacob Niles based his Christmas song I Wonder As I Wander on a phrase he heard in a song sung by the young daughter of a group of traveling evangelicals in downtown Murphy on July 16, 1933.

Murphy has been an answer on the game show Jeopardy 3 different times for the following: 1. At one time, it was 1 of only 2 towns in the country to be the terminus of two trains lines (Southern and L&N). 2. One of only 3 towns to have an all marble court house. Only one in which it was actually quarried in the same county. 3. Though not right in Murphy, the largest 10 Commandments in the world is located just outside of Murphy at Fields of the Wood.

Newland

Notable People

Tommy Burleson: Basketball Player[5]

Lester "Old Mountain Man" Hughes: legendary breeder of American pit bull terriers, who lives near Newland in far western Avery County. Produces championship bloodlines prized by both dog fighters and connoisseurs of the breed. Often breeding is tracked on Web sites and magazines such as The Pit Bull Chronicle.[6]

Paul Johnson: Football coach at Georgia Southern, Navy, and Georgia Tech.

Joyce McKinney: Became notorious for the alleged kidnap and rape of Mormon missionary Kirk Anderson in England in 1977, and hit the news again in 2008 for cloning her pit bull terrier in Korea

North Wilkesboro

North Wilkesboro is the birthplace and original home of Lowe's Home Improvement, which continues to have a major presence in the community.

The city is also known as one of the birthplaces of the sport of stock-car racing, and the North Wilkesboro Speedway was the first NASCAR-sanctioned track

While one of NASCAR's original speedways shares the name of North Wilkesboro with the town it is important to note that the speedway is not located inside of the town's city limits. The North Wilkesboro Speedway predates the founding of NASCAR; the speedway held its first race on May 18, 1947[4] and from there it grew in popularity. On October 16, 1949 the Speedway held the 8th and final race of the 1949 NASCAR Strictly Stock Division; when the race was over Robert "Red" Byron had become the first NASCAR-sanctioned champion [5].

The North Wilkesboro Speedway held NASCAR races for 50 years; on September 29, 1996 Jeff Gordon would win the final race to be held at the speedway. In 1995, following the death of long-time owner and track founder Enoch Staley, the speedway was purchased by two new owners, Bob Bahre and Bruton Smith. Soon after their purchase, both men announced that they were closing the speedway and moving its two NASCAR race dates to their new tracks in Texas and New Hampshire. The decision met with strong criticism from race fans. Since 1996 several unsuccessful attempts have been made to purchase and reopen the speedway to racing; most recently a group known as "Save the Speedway" has been working to provide historic markers and collect memorabilia from the speedway's rich racing history. In 2010 the speedway reopened and already has races booked.

Notable People

Daniel Boone, the famed explorer and pioneer, lived for several years in the area where North Wilkesboro is located before moving west to Kentucky.

William and John Swofford are from North Wilkesboro. A former quarterback for the North Carolina Tar Heels football team, John would become the University of North Carolina's athletic director and since 1997 has been commissioner of the Atlantic Coast Conference. His older brother William was a singer who scored two Billboard Top 10 hits in 1969 with "Good Morning Starshine" and "Jean" under his middle name, Oliver. William died in 2000.

Larry Stone, the sports announcer of the Tennessee Titans National Football League franchise, started his broadcasting career in North Wilkesboro.

Robert Byrd, the senior U.S. Senator from West Virginia from 1959-2010, was born in North Wilkesboro. He was the longest-serving Senator in American history.

James B. Gordon, a general of cavalry in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War, lived in what is now the city limits of North Wilkesboro

Pembroke

The Lowry War of 1861 to 1874, considered one of the most important and controversial events in North Carolina history, took place in and around Pembroke. Led by Henry Berry Lowry, a 17-year old Indian boy whose father and brother were murdered at the hands of the Confederate Home Guard, a clan of North Carolinian Indian, African-Americans and whites waged a seven year guerilla war against the Confederacy in the areas near Robeson and Pembroke. During the fighting, Lowry and many others, escaped into the surrounding swamps, a tactic that they would use over and over again and which would prove highly successful at helping them avoid capture. As the war dragged on, food became scarce as more outliers (including escaped slaves, Confederate deserters and Union prison escapees) fled to this sanctuary. As such, the rebel band were forced to change tactics and decided to live off the wealthy class of people instead of the poor. The band raided plantations and distributed food to the poor in Pembroke, North Carolina, which was known then as "Scuffletown" or "The Settlement".

Pembroke Today

Pembroke is the tribal seat of the Lumbee Indian Tribe of North Carolina, the largest Native American tribe east of the Mississippi River, the ninth largest tribal nation, and the largest non-reservation, federally recognized without benefits, state-recognized tribe in the United States. The Lumbee comprise roughly one-half the state of North Carolina's Native American population of 84,000 with a population of 52,614, and live in Robeson, Hoke, Scotland, and Cumberland counties.

Notable People

Chris Chavis, a Lumbee Indian, is a professional wrestler better known as, "Tatanka" and "The War Eagle", and is a former member of the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).

Rev. Mike Cummings, a Lumbee Indian, former president of North Carolina's Baptist State Convention, and Director of Missions, Burnt Swamp Baptist Association.

Henry Berry Lowrie, an Indian from "Scuffletown," who, during the post-Civil War years, appropriated white Revolutionary doctrine to gain rights and freedoms that were being denied to Indians in the Pembroke area, as well as throughout Robeson County. The Lowrie gang received considerable support from the Indian community, and were popular among poor blacks and whites who believed Lowrie and his gang best represented their interests. Lowrie become a culture hero, representing those cultural and political boundaries that marked the Indians of Robeson County as a community of self-determining Native American people.

Henry Berry Lowrie is the protagonist of the outdoor drama, "Strike at the Wind". David Maynor, a Lumbee Indian, is a computer security researcher who founded Errata Security in 2006. He is best known for his alleged and highly controversial discovery of a method to take control of an Apple Macbook over its wireless interface.

Malinda Maynor, a Lumbee Indian, co-produced the documentary, In the Light of Reverence in 2001. In 2006, she became the first of two Native American tenure-track professors at Harvard University, and is currently finishing a book about Lumbee identity and federal recognition in the first half of the twentieth century. Kelvin Sampson, NBA assistant coach for the Milwaukee Bucks, former Washington State, Oklahoma University and Indiana University head coach.

Pittsoboro

Local currency: the PLENTY Some citizens of Pittsboro have revitalized a local form of currency called the PLENTY. It was created in 2002. In 2009, it was being exchanged at a local bank at the rate of $9 for every $10 of PLENTY. Local resident Lyle Estill, president of a Pittsboro company named Piedmont Biofuels, which accepts the PLENTY, told USA Today that: "We're a wiped-out small town in America. This will strengthen the local economy ... The nice thing about the PLENTY is that it can't leave here."[8] Estill claims to have been misquoted, but regardless, the article brought Pittsboro into the spotlight of national and international media

Rich Square

Notable People

Charles Robert Jenkins. Deserted the U.S. Army in 1965 while on a DMZ patrol in South Korea for life in North Korea; now lives on the remote Japanese island of Sado.

Colonel George V. Holloman, U.S. Army Air Corps avionics pioneer. Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico is named in his honor.

Stu Martin, Major League Baseball player from 1936 to 1943.

General Walter E. Boomer, U.S. Marine Corps.

Therese Vick, grassroots environmentalist organizer (BREDL and NC ACT spearhead). Born September 21, 1957.

Shelia P. Moses, bestselling author.

Rose Hill

Rose Hill claims to be the home of the world's largest frying pan

Notable people

Ralph Britt, NFL tight end[12]

Aaron Fussell, North Carolina politician and educator[13]

Wendell H. Murphy, farmer and North Carolina politician[

Scotland Neck

The town has the unique distinction of being the only town in the state where people park in the middle of the road, and therefore has no stoplights at all

Seagrove

Seagrove is notable for its many potteries, and it is sometimes referred to as the "pottery capital of North Carolina", or even pottery capital of the world.[4] In this usage, the name Seagrove not only refers to the town proper, but includes several other communities that are part of the pottery tradition along and near the North Carolina Pottery Highway. Over 100 potteries are located in Seagrove and the neighboring towns of Star, Whynot, Erect, Westmoore, and Robbins.

Seagrove is also home to the North Carolina Pottery Center, which was established on November 7, 1998 and has since received visitors across the continent and around the world.

Pinto Beans

While known for pottery Seagrove also has a tradition in food products and was home for many years to Luck's Incorporated. Founded as Mountain View Cannery in the 1950s by Ivey B. Luck, Alfred Spencer & H. Clay Presnell. Spencer & Presnell later sold out to Luck and the establishment became known as Luck's. Luck's specialized in pinto beans and other canned vegetables and food products and employed many Seagrove families. Bought out by American Home Products and then later by Conagra Foods the Luck's plant closed in 2002, but has been re-opened as Seagrove Foods, Inc.

Thomasville

The city is notable for its foreign furniture industry as are its neighbors of High Point and Lexington. This Piedmont Triad community was established in 1969 and hosts the state's oldest festival, "The Barbeque festifle". Built around the local railway system, Thomasville is home to the newest railroad depot in the state, just a few thousand feet from the city's most notable landmark, "The Big Chair".

Big Chair

Thomasville is commonly referred to as the "Chair Town" or "Chair City", in reference to a 30 foot landmark replica of a Duncan Phyfe armchair that rests in the middle of the city. The original "Big Chair" was constructed in 1922 by the Thomasville Chair Company (now Thomasville Furniture Industries) out of lumber and Swiss steer hide to reflect the city's prominent furniture industry. However, this chair was scrapped in 1936 after 15 years of exposure to the weather. In 1951, a larger concrete version of the chair was erected with the collaboration of local businesses and civic organizations and still remains today. The Big Chair gained national attention in 1960 when then Presidential Candidate Lyndon B. Johnson greeted supporters on the monument during a campaign whistle stop.[3] Although larger ones have been built, many Thomasville residents still boast that the Big Chair between the two Main Streets is the World's Largest Chair.

Thomasville Senior High Bulldogs Thomasville Senior High School Bulldogs won the state 1AA Football Championship from 2004 to 2006, and again in 2008 The Thomasville Bulldogs are well known throughout the state for excelling in athletics, especially football.[5]

The 1995 Bulldogs were the first team in the history of NC football to go 16-0.[5] In 2005, The Bulldogs were the first school in the history of NC athletics to win championships in Football, Women’s Basketball, and Men’s Basketball and Men's Soccer in the same year.[6]

Championships Award Years Football State Champions 1964, 1988, 1991, 1995, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008 Basketball State Champions (Men's) 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2007 Basketball State Champions (Women's) 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 Wrestling State Champions 1960, 1961, 1962, 1973, 1991 Soccer State Champions (Men's) 2005

Troy

The short story by Charles W. Chesnutt, called "The Sheriff's Children," is set in Troy

Tryon

Tryon was the birthplace of the singer, pianist, composer, and activist Nina Simone

West Jefferson

West Jefferson Dr Pepper

West Jefferson is the home of soda manufacturers West Jefferson Dr Pepper (WJDP). The company is known for producing all their non-diet products with cane sugar, most of which are Cadbury Schweppes Americas Beverages (formerly Dr Pepper/Seven Up, Inc.) products but also include Mountain Dew. WJDP is one of only two non-Pepsi franchises existing in the United States that is allowed to produce Mountain Dew. The company does not ship outside its contracted territory, however several Web sites sell the product at a premium price. The premium price has been justified by the fact that WJDP is one of the last bottlers in the U.S. to use cane sugar instead of High Fructose Corn Syrup

Whispering Pines

Notable People

Shannon Moore, TNA wrestler. Wilkesboro For many decades a popular historic spot in Wilkesboro was the "Tory Oak", a large oak tree from which Colonel Benjamin Cleveland, a well-known Wilkes County patriot during the American Revolutionary War, hung Loyalist militia leaders who supported the British King and opposed American independence from Britain. The oak was located behind the old Wilkes County courthouse. During the American Civil War many of Wilkesboro's residents remained loyal to the Union and opposed the Confederacy. In March 1865 General George Stoneman, a Union cavalry leader, led a raid through the town. Shortly after the war ended, Tom Dula (Dooley), a Confederate veteran, was tried and hanged for the murder of his fiancee, Laura Foster. Many people were convinced that one of Dula's jealous ex-girlfriends murdered Foster, and that Dula was innocent of the crime. Dula's story was turned into a top-selling ballad in 1958 by the Kingston Trio, the song was entitled "Hang Down Your Head, Tom Dooley". The story was subsequently turned into a 1959 movie starring Michael Landon as Dula, and each summer the Wilkes Playmakers present a popular play based on the story.

MerleFest

In 1988, legendary, Grammy-winning guitar player Doc Watson joined with singer Bill Young to start the MerleFest music festival. Held on the campus of Wilkes Community College, and named in honor of Doc's late son Merle Watson, MerleFest has grown into the largest folk and bluegrass music festival in the United States, drawing over 85,000 music fans each year. The festival has brought millions of dollars into the town's economy and has raised over $7.3 million for Wilkes Community College.