If you were anywhere else in the world and not inside the Warren County Middle School gym last Friday evening (May 30), you missed out on a historic event in our community.

Under the directorial helm of Nichole Gibbs and Cherita Smith, the WCMS Musical Theatre 8th period class stepped into the spotlight and performed A Little Bit of Magic in front of their families, Warren County Schools staff, and community theatre enthusiasts.

A LITTLE BIT OF MAGIC, a stage production written by Gail Golden centers around “Do-Nothing Dale, a little picked-upon wizard, who wants to know what her little bit of magic is. On her journey to find out, she meets people like the laughing Coco the Clown and the singing Marilyn Melody, and she finds that she’s just as special as everyone else in the world.” (Source)

The magical night kicked off with a preshow featuring monologues from students, Lilly Byrd, Zha’niya Clark, and Elijah Pettus.

Nichole Gibbs, WCMS Theatre Arts teacher, prepped the audience for what would turn out to be an engaging and interactive event by breaking down Theatre Production 101 and what it takes to run a show by soliciting responses from the knowledgeable audience. Little did they know that, later in the evening, they, too, would be joining the actors on stage.

Overall, the show was amazing! There was singing. There was dancing. And best of all, we were so honored to witness these young talents at work. And with any good story, there was a lesson in the end: We all have that “something” that makes us special.

Who knows? Today, we’re applauding them in a school gymnasium. Tomorrow, it could be Broadway, and we can say we remember them when they got their start in Warren County.

Tickets for the show were $7, or $10 if one wanted to make a special shout-out.

Proceeds from the event helped cover costs for scripts, royalties, and security. Their future goal is to provide a starter fund for future WCMS Theatre Productions in order to produce shows on a larger scale.

If you’re interested in becoming a community partner or volunteer, contact Nichole Gibbs at ngibbs@warrenk12nc.org.

A Little Bit of Magic was presented by special arrangement with Pioneer Drama Service, Inc., Denver, Colorado.

Preshow Feature Monologues/Scenes
Lilly Byrd, Zha’niya Clark, and Elijah Pettus

Cast of Characters (By Order of Appearance)
Player One – Keymoni Fuller
Player Two – Madison Aycock
Player Three – A’shayla Hawkins
Jonathan Primiano, Jr.
Pianist – Caleb Hargrove
Wonder Wanda – Ameerah Steed
Magnificent Mervin – Elijah Harris
Do-Nothing Dale – Amaris Yancey
Marilyn Melody – Serenity Henderson
Coco the Clown – Kira Cunningham
Depressed Daisy – Veronica Stewart
Flowers – Players and Audience
The Weatherman – Zyier Belcher
Kalabash Turnbull
Princess Patricia – Arely Gandarilla

Ensemble
WCMS Musical Theatre 8th period class and The Audience

Production Staff
Artistic Director – Nichole Gibbs
Musical Director – Cherita Smith
Choreography – Nichole Gibbs, Kayla Smith
Stage Manager, Lights, Ensemble – Jimmy Thorpe, Jr.
Sound – Kira Cunningham, Nichole Gibbs
Costume, Props, and Set – Nichole Gibbs and Cast
Publicity – Pioneer Drama, Jimmy Thorpe, Jr. and Production Stff
Production Assistance – Kayla Smith, Ayaina Blake, Kierra Townes
Box Office – Robin Closs and WCMS Staff

Share

The post WCMS Musical Theatre Troupe Enchants Audience with “A Little Bit of Magic” appeared first on Warrenist | Warren County NC Arts Culture Lifestyle Events Calendar Warrenton Norlina Littleton News.

Artist Max Dowdle will begin installation of the new mural on the Magnolia Ernest Recreation center pool building in Soul City on June 2nd. He is inviting community members of all ages to join him in the painting process. Individuals or families can participate for a one-hour shift between 3:00pm – 5:00pm on June 2nd through June 4th.

The new mural is part of the Legacy NC Mural Project by Dowdle, NC Main Street, and the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners. The project aims to create a mural in each of North Carolina’s 100 counties that highlight the unique history and legacy of each county while creating a unifying thread that ties all of North Carolina’s counties together through art.

Dowdle worked with a committee of Soul City residents, community leaders, and members of the Warren County arts community to create proposed designs. These designs were then presented to the community and voted on. The winning design can be seen below (this design is still subject to minor changes from Dowdle).

Contact Hannah Jones at hannahjones@warrencountync.gov or (252) 257-3115 to sign up. To accommodate space, each shift will have no more than 10 people. No experience is necessary!

The Magnolia Ernest Recreation Park is located at 252 Duke Drive, Norlina, NC off Soul City Boulevard.

Learn more about Max Dowdle and to view his work, visit NCPublicArt.com.

For more information about the Legacy NC Mural Project, visit https://www.ncmainstreetandplanning.com/blog/categories/legacy-nc-100-murals-100-counties.

RELATED: Warren County Residents to Vote on New Mural Design for Soul City

Share

The post Paint with a Purpose: Artist Seeks Volunteers for Soul City Mural appeared first on Warrenist | Warren County NC Arts Culture Lifestyle Events Calendar Warrenton Norlina Littleton News.

The Warren County Artist Market (WAM) hosted a hybrid book launch for their latest anthology, TEN last Friday (5/9). Comprised of poems, short stories, and essays incorporating the theme of “ten,” the collection celebrates the successful, decade-long run of First Friday Poetry Night hosted by the creative group in Warren County, NC.

Anita Lynn Williams, who co-edited the anthology with her friend and mentor, Kim Schroeder, emceed the festivities in The Hive, located in downtown Warrenton.

In 2013, WAM was co-founded by Thomas Park and Arlene Bice and, today, includes members Williams and Sterling Cheston, Jr. They host the monthly event every first Friday of the month at 7pm at The Hive (108 S. Main Street). It is free and open to the public. For more information about the Warren Artist Market, follow them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/WarrenCountyArtistsMarketBirdland.

TEN is now available in paperback and Kindle ebook: https://amzn.to/3GQk8CJ

Share

The post PHOTOS: Warren Artist Market Celebrates Tenth Anniversary with New Anthology appeared first on Warrenist | Warren County NC Arts Culture Lifestyle Events Calendar Warrenton Norlina Littleton News.

Hundreds flocked to the heart of downtown Warrenton for the second annual Eastern Bluebird Festival and was treated to live entertainment, great food, vendors, a mural ribbon-cutting ceremony and so much more! (April 26, 2025)

See Also: Eastern Bluebird Mural Celebrated with Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony

Share

The post PHOTOS: Eastern Bluebird Festival 2025 appeared first on Warrenist | Warren County NC Arts Culture Lifestyle Events Calendar Warrenton Norlina Littleton News.

Joined by the Lake Gaston Regional Chamber of Commerce, the Town of Warrenton, and mural artist Tom Lang, residents and friends from afar celebrated the new Eastern Bluebird Mural with a ribbon-cutting ceremony during the Eastern Bluebird Festival on Saturday, April 26th in downtown Warrenton.

Ahead of last year’s festival, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper proclaimed Warrenton, NC as the National Eastern Bluebird Capital because the town has the highest concentration of them.

Share

The post Eastern Bluebird Mural Celebrated with Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony appeared first on Warrenist | Warren County NC Arts Culture Lifestyle Events Calendar Warrenton Norlina Littleton News.

Warren County Government is inviting residents to help shape a new public art piece by voting for their favorite mural design.

The poll opens this Friday, April 4, during the Statewide Star Party and will determine the artwork that will adorn the Magnolia Ernest Recreation Center pool building. The mural will celebrate the history and legacy of Soul City, a pioneering planned community founded in the 1970s with a vision of Black empowerment and economic opportunity.

Residents can cast their votes online via the Warren County Government Facebook page or website, as well as in person at the Statewide Star Party on April 4 or at the Warren County Memorial Library. Voting will close on April 14, with the winning design announced via Facebook Live on April 17.

The mural is part of artist Max Dowdle’s Legacy NC project, an initiative aiming to create public murals in all 100 North Carolina counties. Each mural highlights local history and unsung heroes, weaving a visual narrative that connects communities across the state. The two designs up for consideration were developed through collaboration between Dowdle, a committee of Soul City residents and community leaders, and members of the Warren County arts community.

Beyond selecting the design, residents will have the unique opportunity to contribute to the mural’s creation. Community members are invited to take part in the painting process, further embedding local pride and participation into the project.

The Warren County Facebook page and website will soon have details on how to sign up for the painting experience.

Share

The post Warren County Residents to Vote on New Mural Design for Soul City appeared first on Warrenist | Warren County NC Arts Culture Lifestyle Events Calendar Warrenton Norlina Littleton News.

For the fifth year in a row and in its commitment to building literacy consciousness through book reading and storytelling, the Heritage Quilters Giving Circle, a diverse group of quilting artists from Warren and Vance counties, donated culturally-significant children’s books to the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.- Rho Tau Omega Chapter in Warrenton, NC for their annual African American Read-In program.

BOOKS DONATED:

AS THE SEAS RISE: Nicole Hernández Hammer and the Fight for Climate Justice
By Angela Quezada Padron

As a baby, Nicole survived an earthquake in Guatemala. She grew up in Guatemala’s beautiful jungles. Throughout her life, Nicole witnessed the power and wonder of nature. But she soon realized nature was in trouble. Her own community in Florida was struggling. And everyone needed to become resilient.

In this lyrical biography, readers will meet environmental scientist and climate activist Nicole Hernández Hammer and hear the message she’s spent her career sharing: As we look to the future, we can empower and protect our communities. But that will only be possible if we all work together—including the smallest of us.

AVAILABLE: Bookshop | Amazon

JERRY CHANGED THE GAME!: How Engineer Jerry Lawson Revolutionized Video Games Forever
By Don Tate

Before Xbox, PlayStation, or Nintendo Switch, there was a tinkerer named Jerry Lawson.

As a boy, Jerry loved playing with springs, sprockets, and gadget-y things. When he grew up, Jerry became an engineer—a professional tinkerer—and in the 1970s, he turned his technical know-how to video games.

Back then, if players wanted a new video game, they had to buy an entire new console, making gaming very expensive. Jerry was determined to fix this problem, and despite roadblocks along the way and having to repeat a level or two, it was never game over for his mission. Eventually, he leveled up and built a brand-new kind of video game console: one that allowed players to switch out cartridges! He also founded Video Soft, Inc., the first African American–owned video game company in the country.

Jerry’s tinkering and inventions changed the video gaming world forever. Today, gamers have access to hundreds of video games at the push of a button, all thanks to him. Game on!

AVAILABLE: Bookshop | Amazon

LUNCH LADY AND THE CYBORG SUBSTITUTE
By Jarrett Krosoczka

“Serving justice . . . and lunch!
“Hector, Terrence, and Dee have always wondered about their school lunch lady. What does she do when she isn’t dishing out the daily special? Where does she live? Does she have a lot of cats at home? Little do they know, Lunch Lady doesn’t just serve sloppy joes–she serves justice! Whatever danger lies ahead, it’s no match for LUNCH LADY!

AVAILABLE: Bookshop | Amazon

FLYING HIGH: The Story of Gymnastics Champion Simone Biles
By Michelle Meadows

A lyrical picture book biography of Simone Biles, gymnastics champion and Olympic superstar.

Before she was a record-breaking gymnast competing on the world stage, Simone Biles spent time in foster care as a young child. Nimble and boundlessly energetic, she cherished every playground and each new backyard.

When she was six years old, Simone’s family took shape in a different way. Her grandparents Ron and Nellie Biles adopted Simone and her sister Adria. Ron and Nellie became their parents. Simone was also introduced to gymnastics that same year, launching a lifelong passion fueled by remarkable talent, sacrifice, and the undying support of her family.

From her athletic early childhood to the height of her success as an Olympic champion, Flying High is the story of the world’s greatest gymnast from author Michelle Meadows and illustrator Ebony Glenn.

AVAILABLE: Bookshop | Amazon

CLAUDETTE COLVIN: I Want Freedom Now!
By Phillip Hoose and Claudette Colvin

Montgomery, Alabama 1955. Fifteen-year-old Claudette Colvin is tired. Tired of white people thinking they’re better than her. Tired of going to separate schools and separate bathrooms. Most of all, she’s tired of having to give up her seat on the bus whenever a white person tells her to. She wants freedom NOW! But what can one teenager do?

On a bus ride home from school one day, young Claudette takes a stand for justice and refuses to get up from her seat—nine months before Rosa Parks will become famous for doing the same. What follows will not only transform Claudette’s life but the course of history itself.

In the words of Claudette Colvin herself, as told to acclaimed nonfiction writer Phillip Hoose, this empowering, heroic story illustrates how one simple act of courage can create real and lasting change.

AVAILABLE: Bookshop | Amazon

KETANJI: Justice Jackson’s Journey to the U.S. Supreme Court
By Kekla Magoon

Ketanji Brown Jackson is no stranger to overcoming obstacles. When a high school guidance counselor told her she should set her sights lower than Harvard, she decided to go to Harvard for college and law school.
When she became a public defender and saw inequalities in the justice system, she used her legal skills to advocate for people who needed help, but couldn’t afford an attorney.
Ketanji’s path to the Supreme Court was unique: She’s the only current Justice to have been a public defender and one of a few who went to public school. Her story is powerful and heartening, and it’s a lesson in overcoming adversity by being true to yourself.

AVAILABLE: Bookshop | Amazon

TEN LIVES, TEN DEMANDS: Life-and-Death Stories, and a Black Activist’s Blueprint for Racial Justice
By Solomon Jones

Told through the powerful stories of Black lives that were ravaged by racism, this manifesto holds 10 demands to rectify racial injustice

Told through his perspective as an activist, acclaimed commentator Solomon Jones tells the stories of real people whose lives and deaths pushed the Black Lives Matter movement forward. He explains how each act of violence was incited by specific instances of structural racism, and details concrete and actionable strategies to address crimes committed by our “justice” system.

These stories and strategies are a critical resource for social justice activists looking to further their anti-racist education. These 10 demands form an actionable plan that is necessary to repair our racist past, change the racist present, and bring justice to the future

AVAILABLE: Bookshop | Amazon

BUTTER: Novellas, Stories, and Fragments
By Gayl Jones

Gayl Jones, who was first edited by Toni Morrison, has been described as one of the great literary writers of the 20th century and was recently a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in fiction. This new collection of short fiction is only the second in her rich career, and one that displays her strengths in the genre in many facets. Opening with two novella-length works, “Butter” and “Sophia,” this collection features Jones’s legendary talents in a range of settings and styles, from the hyper-realist to the mystical, in intricate multi-part stories, in more traditional forms, and even in short fragments.

Her narrators are women and men, Black, Brown, Indigenous; her settings are historical and contemporary, in South America, Mexico and the US; her themes center on complex identities, unorthodox longings and aspirations. She writes about spies, photographers, playground designers, cartoonists, and baristas, about workers and revolutionaries, about environmentalism, feminism, poetry, film and love, but above all about our multicultural, multiethnic and multiracial society.

AVAILABLE: Bookshop | Amazon

Jereann King Johnson places a Heritage Quilters gift label in one of the donated books. / Crystal Myrick (Warrenist)

Share

The post Heritage Quilters Gift Books to AKA African American Read-in appeared first on Warrenist | Warren County NC Arts Culture Lifestyle Events Calendar Warrenton Norlina Littleton News.

During a brisk Saturday afternoon, several gathered inside a well-heated tent at the Heritage Cultural Farm for their first Black History Month program. The program featured a documentary showing that reflected African American figures and stories that have yet to reach mainstream recognition. Herman and Veronica Alston, co-owners of the Heritage Cultural Farm welcomed everyone and treated the attendees with homemade chicken soup and sausage biscuits from their friend, Larry Andrews. Andrews, a Franklin County resident enlightened attentive listeners with a compilation of Dr. MLK speeches, intertwining familiar and lesser known speeches (watch below).

For those looking for a little retail therapy, the Country Store on the property was open and filled with products derived from North Carolina producers.

The next event is scheduled for Saturday, March 1st featuring the Heritage Quilters. The local artisan group will speak about the history of quilting.

The Heritage Cultural Farm is located at 102 Clint Street in Warrenton, NC.

VIDEO: Larry Andrews recites Dr. MLK speeches

Share

The post PHOTOS: Heritage Cultural Farm Black History Month Program appeared first on Warrenist | Warren County NC Arts Culture Lifestyle Events Calendar Warrenton Norlina Littleton News.

Known for crafting compelling narratives that resonate deeply with audiences, Warren County native Garrett Davis is bringing another profound stage production, Father Figure to the McGregor Hall stage on Sunday, February 2nd.

Centered around the importance of why fathers should be in the lives of their sons, Father Figure is branded as an “Edutainical(TM)” experience, which combines the emotional depth of live theatre with music and storytelling. In Father Figure, Davis highlights the impact of fatherlessness while offering hope, healing, and a path forward.

Gdavis Productions and Films, founded by Davis in 1994, is a leading theater company known for nationally touring stage plays that depict real-life situations, including Mama’s Girls and Forget Me Not.

Another Warren County native, Dartez Wright, once Davis’s student at Warren County High School and now serves as Creative Director, is also featured in the play.

Tickets for Father Figure are $20 (advance), $25 (day of show), and $15 (student), and are on sale now at https://www.etix.com/ticket/v/11557 or by calling the McGregor Hall office at (252) 598-0662. The box office will also open one hour before the show starts.

McGregor Hall is located at 201 Breckenridge Street in Henderson, NC.

Share

The post Garrett Davis Play, “Father Figure” Headed to McGregor Hall this Sunday appeared first on Warrenist | Warren County NC Arts Culture Lifestyle Events Calendar Warrenton Norlina Littleton News.

The North Carolina Arts Council is pleased to announce the opening of its grant application period for the fiscal year 2025–2026. Starting January 6, 2025, arts organizations and artists across the state are invited to apply for funding to support projects that enhance the cultural landscape of North Carolina.

All applications must be submitted electronically by the deadline (Monday, March 3, 2025) unless otherwise specified in the grant guidelines. It’s important to note that applications will undergo a preliminary review by Arts Council staff; incomplete submissions or those not meeting evaluation criteria will not be considered for funding.

Funding Period:
For most grants, the funded activities should occur between July 1, 2025, and June 30, 2026. Applicants should be aware that award notifications may be delayed until the state budget is approved.

Eligibility Requirements:
To qualify for funding, organizations must:
* Be a nonprofit in good standing with the state of North Carolina or have applied for nonprofit status using a fiscal agent.
* Have been producing quality arts programs for at least two consecutive years.
* Have prior-year organizational cash operating expenses of at least $20,000.

Additionally, all applicants are required to have a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number, which can be obtained through Sam.gov.

Grant Categories:

The Arts Council offers a variety of grant opportunities, including:
* Grants for Organizations: Supporting arts organizations in delivering programs that engage audiences and reflect their communities.
* Grants for Artists: Providing project grants to individual artists to pursue projects that further their artistic and professional development.

Applicants are encouraged to review the specific guidelines and eligibility criteria for each grant category to determine the best fit for their projects.

Application Assistance:
Prospective applicants are encouraged to begin the application process early to ensure all materials are completed and submitted by the March 3 deadline.

For more information and to access the online application portal, visit the North Carolina Arts Council’s official website.

The North Carolina Arts Council is dedicated to supporting the state’s vibrant arts community and looks forward to funding projects that contribute to the cultural enrichment of North Carolina.

Share

The post North Carolina Arts Council Opens Grant Application Period for 2025–2026 appeared first on Warrenist | Warren County NC Arts Culture Lifestyle Events Calendar Warrenton Norlina Littleton News.