FREMONT - The Charles B. Aycock State Historic Site in Fremont will present its free “Fall on the Farm” fest on Saturday, Oct. 4, bringing the spirit of 19th-century harvest time to the present.
From 12-4 p.m., share an old-fashioned farm experience with costumed interpreters to make candles, shell corn, spin cotton, tour the kitchen or take a horse-drawn wagon ride. Eastern North Carolina’s Waterbound Dulcimers will play traditional melodies. Kids’ activities include “old-timey” toys and rolling hoops. Annabelle the sheep and a flock of heritage chickens will be on hand, too.
Exhibits in the state historic site’s visitor center will be open, screening a video on the late Gov. Aycock and his family. Though the main house at Aycock Birthplace is currently under repair due to a fire Jan. 24, the schoolhouse and the historic area — including the kitchen, corn crib and smokehouses — are all open.
Two suspects were recently indicted for deliberately setting fire to the historic building. The new Gov. Charles B. Aycock Birthplace Recovery and Restoration Fund will accept contributions to help with repairs at P.O. Box 207, Fremont, N.C. 27830. This state historic site’s mission is to preserve and interpret the birthplace and history of Charles B. Aycock, emphasizing his contributions to public education in North Carolina.
To reach the site, take U.S. 117 north nine miles from Goldsboro or take U.S. 117 south 14 miles from Wilson; turn right (from Goldsboro) or left (from Wilson) on Gov. Aycock Road, and the site is 1-1/2 miles on the right. From I-95 take the U.S. 301 exit at Kenly; take N.C. 222 east for 10 miles to Fremont and turn right on U.S. 117, then go two miles and turn left on Gov. Aycock Road.
Administered by the Division of State Historic Sites, the Aycock Birthplace is part of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources, a state agency dedicated to the promotion and protection of North Carolina’s arts, history and culture. Join the Cultural Resources 2008 theme observance of “Telling Our Stories.” For more information, visit www.ncculture.com.