Who were those masked men – and women? Smiling supporters of the Child Advocacy Center, which held its annual Pinwheel Masquerade Ball & Auction at the Metropolitan Room on Oct. 13. The elegant event is a fundraiser for the center, which works to protect children and stop child abuse.      

Plenty of of fun was had at CityView’s 6th annual Food and Wine party at the Cape Fear Botanical Garden on October 18. Several hundred attendees socialized, danced and enjoyed lots of delicious food and beverages.

Individuals who pledged $1,000 or more to the United Way of Cumberland County were honored on October 22 at the nonprofit’s annual Marquis Society Social. This year’s social was held at the home of Andrew and Tiffany Pennink.

Ho, ho, ho, the Holly Day Fair is here! The gift and craft show at the Crown Expo started Thursday and runs through Sunday. In its 52nd year, it features more than 170 vendors. The fair is held by the Junior League of Fayetteville, which uses proceeds to fund charitable efforts in the Fayetteville area.

A grape time was had by all at the N.C. Grape Festival on October 13 at Lu-Mil Vineyard in Elizabethtown. The annual event always includes food, fun and wine.  

Film lovers turned out on October 12 at SkyView on Hay to celebrate the start of the Indigo Moon Film Festival, which celebrated its third year. The opening night film, an environmental documentary entitled “Living in the Future’s Past” and aired at the Cameo Art House Theatre, had a sold-out audience.

Fayetteville State University Chancellor James Anderson was honored by the N.C. Justice Center during an Oct. 7 reception in Fayetteville. The center said Anderson was being recognized for his years of extraordinary advocacy for and commitment to social justice, inclusive community engagement and educational opportunity.

St. John’s Episcopal Church hosted a concert on Oct. 7 to raise money to help victims of Hurricane Florence. Local musicians performed, including ensembles from the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra and music students and instructors from Methodist University.

Plenty of groovy animal lovers paws-ed for a while on Oct. 5 at Woofstock at the Cape Fear Botanical Garden. The annual event raises money for FAPS, aka the Fayetteville Animal Protection Society. The nonprofit group works to find homes and help for homeless pets in the area.

The Women’s Giving Circle of Cumberland County celebrated its 10th anniversary on Oct. 4 with a dinner at Highland Country Club. Over the past 10 years, the organization has given more than $500,000 to local charitable causes that help low-income women and children. Those attending the dinner also heard from guest speaker Lisa Napoli, author of “Ray and Joan: The […]

Beautiful and cleverly decorated chairs were auctioned off at the Ramada Plaza on Thursday, Sept. 27, to benefit the local fund of KidsPeace, a national foster care organization. Local artists painted and redesigned the chairs, as well as some windows and tables that were auctioned off. The annual Chair-ity Auction was sponsored by the Re-Store Warehouse.

There was an abundance of smiles and beautiful original artworks at the Home is Where the HeART auction at SkyView on Hay on Thursday, Sept. 27. The artworks were auctioned off to raise money to help homeless children who come to the day resource center at Connections of Cumberland County with their single mothers seeking safe housing.  

A sharp-dressed crowd turned out for Cotton Club III at Fayetteville State University on Saturday, Sept. 29. With its theme of “Ladies Sing the Blues,” the event recalled the 1920s with attendees dressed in zoot suits and flapper dresses and dancing to period music. The event raised money for scholarships and celebrated the university’s 150th anniversary.

The David McCune International Art Gallery at Methodist University celebrated the opening of its Fire from the Mountain exhibit with a reception on September 6. The exhibit, featuring works of glass and steel by ten artists from western North Carolina, runs through November 10.

The 28th Annual Greek Festival on September 7-9 featured demonstrations of Greek culture and tasty examples of Greek food, as well as fun and educational activities. As always, it drew appreciative crowds.

Figures from North Carolina’s Colonial and Revolutionary War-era roamed Arsenal Park on Saturday, September 8, in the Festival of Yesteryear, which is part of the annual Lafayette Birthday Celebration. The festival gave visitors a sense of what life was like back in those times as the re-enactors portrayed daily life, culture, music and art in the late 18th […]

Hundreds of people participated in the 2018 Walk to End Alzheimer’s in downtown Fayetteville on September 8. More than $82,000 was raised.

Some Mountaineers gathered on July 25th at Bright Light Brewing Co. for the first social event of a newly formed Fayetteville chapter of Appalachian State University alumni. 

Kids both big and small turned out at Honeycutt Park on August 17 for The Little Gym’s third annual Messtival. The free event was full of free, messy, fun activities and also included paid activities that raised money for Paul Newman’s Serious Fun Children’s Network, which provides free recreational experiences for children with severe illnesses and their families.

Purple Heart recipients and their families, Gold Star Mothers and the families of those killed in action were honored Saturday, August 18, at the Sandhills Purple Heart Dinner at the Crown Expo Center. A special recognition of World War II veterans was also held.