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3 weeks ago | 
ourstate.com | Kristin Davis |Rebecca Woltz |Tamiya Anderson |Lynn Wells
I’m not yet as tall as the chain-link fence at Herman Park, a green space spanning a city block in the center of Goldsboro. It’s a spring day in the early 1980s. The sprawling magnolias are blooming, their scent carrying on a breeze as warm as breath. It’s my first time standing on the dirt platform that serves as the station for the Kiwanis Special, a miniature train that runs around a quarter-mile track in one corner of the city’s oldest park.
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Nov 25, 2024 | 
ourstate.com | Lauren Rhodes |Kristin Davis |Lynn Wells |Hannah Lee Leidy
Biltmore Estate is even more magical during the holidays, when the 250-room French Renaissance-style château, completed in 1895, is decked with garlands, greenery, thousands of ornaments, and 67 Christmas trees — including a 35-foot Fraser fir in the Banquet Hall. biltmore.comExperience the sights and sounds of historic Beaufort on a double-decker bus ride with carolers from local churches.
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Nov 19, 2024 | 
ourstate.com | Robin Sutton Anders |Kristin Davis |Lynn Wells |Hannah Lee Leidy
SPONSORED BY Rising from a 600-acre farm set amid Trinity’s rolling landscape, the classic revival-style Linbrook Hall hosts a grand Christmas tradition that participants anticipate all year. Annette Neal Martin, whose parents built the house, starts decking the halls weeks in advance. “Last year, we spent 360 hours decorating,” she says. Volunteers from the community join Martin in her preparations.
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Nov 18, 2024 | 
ourstate.com | Robin Sutton Anders |Kristin Davis |Lynn Wells |Hannah Lee Leidy
Some people wait to embrace all things Christmas until December — letting the anticipation build; others enthusiastically haul boxes of ornaments and garland out of their attics the day after Halloween. Moore County’s three-day Festival of Trees, held the week before Thanksgiving in The Carolina Hotel, hits the sweet spot for many. “The Festival of Trees is a magical experience,” Tammy Genthe says.
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Nov 18, 2024 | 
ourstate.com | Tamiya Anderson |Kristin Davis |Lynn Wells |Hannah Lee Leidy
SPONSORED BY “There’s nothing quite like it,” Kelly Rankin muses, taking in the festively adorned streets of his hometown, transformed by more than 500,000 holiday lights. But it’s not just lights casting a jolly glow across McAdenville — vibrant garlands deck doorways and railings, while cheerful ornaments dangle from nearly every corner.
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Nov 15, 2024 | 
ourstate.com | Lara Ivanitch |Kristin Davis |Lynn Wells |Hannah Lee Leidy
SPONSORED BY Past and present mingled in Jennifer Smetana’s thoughts when her niece asked, “When is the Christmas Show gonna be back? I want to see Santa!” As the Southern Christmas Show’s manager, Smetana plays a role in all stages of the annual market, from the extravagant entrance display to more than 400 vendors spread throughout Charlotte’s Park Expo and Convention Center.
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Nov 13, 2024 | 
ourstate.com | Katie Kane |Kristin Davis |Hannah Lee Leidy
Heads turn south as a faint hum grows louder at the Wright Brothers National Memorial. Under a calm, overcast sky, these aviation enthusiasts are celebrating the 120th anniversary of the first controlled, powered flight. The event, known as Wright Brothers Day, is held by the First Flight Society every December 17 and concludes with a flyover at 10:35 a.m., the exact time and date that Orville Wright maneuvered a hand-crafted biplane into the Carolina sky.
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Nov 13, 2024 | 
ourstate.com | Hannah Lee Leidy |Kristin Davis
Ceramic baking dishes, toys from your parents’ childhoods, fine china sets patterned in deep blue accents — vintage novelties and well-loved keepsakes are physical embodiments of past stories and traditions. Lining the shelves and aisles of antique stores, these items offer a glimpse into yesteryear and are poised to remain relevant — aesthetically and functionally — today.
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Nov 13, 2024 | 
ourstate.com | Mark Weddle |Kristin Davis |Hannah Lee Leidy
SPONSORED BY Yield: 12 to 16 drinks. Cinnamon-Honey Syrup:1 cup honey1 cup water4 to 5 cinnamon sticksPunch:4 cups store-bought or homemade spiced apple cider2 cups cranberry juice½ cup cinnamon-honey syrup½ cup lemon juiceLemon slices (for garnish)2 cinnamon sticks (for garnish)Ice (depending on variation)For the cinnamon-honey syrup: Combine honey and water in a small pot and bring to a gentle simmer.
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Nov 13, 2024 | 
ourstate.com | Kristin Davis |Hannah Lee Leidy
The lights wrapped around the oak trees in downtown Forest City are part of an annual tradition that dates back to at least the 1920s. Today, while taking a ride in a horse-drawn carriage on weekends in December, “you almost feel like you’re in a snow globe,” says Amy Bridges, the downtown community development manager.
