Weekly Update, October 2

Welcome to October, Carrboro! The latest print edition of The Carrborean just hit news boxes, so be sure to pick yours up. If you haven't yet discovered the crossword puzzle, hand created new each month with local clues, try it out. We'll post the solution to this month's puzzle in next week's Weekly Update. And our October calendar is bustling with 320+ events. Check it out!

Didn't we luck out with the beautiful weather last weekend? The Carrboro Music Festival beckoned many to dance, mingle, sing, and savor, and it was sheer joy to see our town popping with hospitality and energy. Let us thank all of those whose work made it possible, from the sound engineers to the merch cashiers, from the stagehands to the band fans. Bravo!

As we survey the cultural landscape of October, looming large is the upcoming West End Poetry Festival (October 15-17). Why do we read and write poetry? In the film Dead Poets Society, the late and great Robin Williams plays the inspiring boarding school English teacher who memorably answers that question: "We don't read and write poetry because it's cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race, and the human race is filled with passion. Medicine, law, business engineering: these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love: these are what we stay alive for."

The Town of Carrboro is planning the 2026 Chapel Hill-Carrboro Community Holiday Parade for Saturday, Dec. 5, from 10 am to noon. Local organizations and businesses can apply to participate and are encouraged to be festive. Apply online by October 26.

Online this week

Our last preview of a CMF band appeared before the big day but after our newsletter was sent to you. Read about Carrboro-based band, Red October, in a story from Jason Wares.

A Winston-Salem developer's purchase and clearcutting of a lot on Alabama Avenue and his plans to build short-term vacation rental homes there have incited an angry response from long-time residents, who voiced concerns to the Town Planning Board on Sept. 17, as Elaine Ellis reports.

Guest contributor Anechy Padron writes about the collaborative space she's created for fellow Hispanic writers.

On The Carrborean Radio Hour

On Monday, John Rees sat down with the organizers of Le Tour de Carrboro road race series, now in its 22nd year, the next of which takes place Saturday morning. Tina Clossick, president of the Cardinal Track Club, Wayne Eckert, the race director of the Cardinal Track Club, and ultra runner Cliff Simpson.

Next week (10/5), we'll talk with Derek Askey and Rob Bowers, editors at The Sun literary magazine, about the writing craft, The Sun's long history, and why its work is important today. Tune into WCOM-LP Carrboro's Community Radio at 103.5 at 4pm or stream: wcomfm.org. Or find the recording later.

Our pop-up newsroom will be at Lanza's in October. Come by to say hello and talk about life in Carrboro from 5 - 6pm on Mondays.

News from CHCCS, Town, and County

The CHCCS Board of Education met Thursday and discussed Special Education equity and new school redistricting. The Board reviewed progress in serving exceptional children, including efforts to reduce racial disproportionality in discipline while navigating new state limits on diversity, equity, and inclusion. The Board also reported improved accountability results, closed out a five-year strategic plan, and launched a more transparent redistricting process with surveys and community meetings for families. Find our highlights here.

In response to the discovery of smuggled alcohol at last Friday's football game, Chapel Hill High School Athletic Director Matthew Dixon abruptly announced new athletic event entry guidelines that forbid backpacks, book bags, non-clear bags, and personal and reusable water bottles at CHHS athletic events.

An emergency meeting co-sponsored by Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools PTA Council and Public School Strong Orange County will discuss public school funding from 2 to 4 pm Sunday, October 11, at the Southern Human Services Center (2501 Homestead Rd., Chapel Hill).

Chapel Hill Transit, which serves Carrboro, celebrates this week's national Week without Driving with this handy guide listing which routes cover which popular destinations. Let's raise ridership this week, Carrboro!

The Town of Carrboro invites volunteers to join for an Invasive Plant Removal event from 2 to 5 pm next Friday, Oct. 9, at Wilson Park (101 Williams St.) Fighting invasive plants saves trees and native plant communities and restores habitat, improving forest resilience and biodiversity and encouraging the success of native species. The Town will provide water, tools, gloves, and protective eye gear, but volunteers are encouraged to bring their own. Register here.

Carrboro Recreation, Parks, and Cultural Resources has begun installing LED lights at the Anderson Park Tennis Courts (off Highway 54 West), and this project, part of the Sustainable Infrastructure Lights Capitol Improvement Project, will keep the courts closed until Monday, October 12. With the installation, pickleball and tennis can be played after sunset. Court reservations are available here. For questions, call or email Facilities Administrator Emily Boykin at 919-918-7371 and eboykin@carrboronc.gov.

At their September 29 meeting, the Orange County Board of Commissioners reviewed a presentation about the academic gains in both the Orange County Public Schools and the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools and aired concerns about Black student graduation rates and the 4.3% drop in enrollment across all grades. Commissioners also heard plans for the new behavioral health crisis care center to be named for Jamezetta Bedford (expected to open in the winter of '27-'28) and also the walk-in mobile crisis pilot that could support students. Lastly, the Commissioners learned how rising fuel costs, school construction debt, and a steep, unexpected rise in sales tax refunds from nonprofit organizations are all conspiring to complicate the budget year ahead. Watch highlights from the meeting.

The Orange County Department on Aging is hosting a forum on Medical Aid in Dying from 6 to 8 pm next Friday at the Seymour Center in Chapel Hill.

Other Interesting Things

Carrboro High School student-athlete Emmanuel Bastidas Noriega has made it to the quarter-finals of a voting competition meant to select a young athlete to be featured in the 3Brand national advertising campaign Youth Athlete of the Year, which carries a $25,000 scholarship. As an immigrant athlete from Venezuela, Emmanuel found salvation in soccer and has captained the CHS's varsity soccer team, been a leader on his club team, and has served as co-president of Legacy Sports Club, a school-sponsored club that fundraises for the local non-profit Legacy Sports Academy. To vote for Emmanuel, go here.

On Sunday, the Marine Band will be playing at Chapel Hill High School. Eighty-three-year-old Carrboro resident Allen Spalt heard the band sixty-eight years ago, at his high school in Plainfield, NJ, when it was a benefit for a scholarship program his mother was part of. He and his wife have tickets to take their grandchildren to hear the Marine Band on Sunday. Free tickets are available.

The next Carolina Science Cafe takes place from 6 to 7 at the Haw River Tap & Table (300 E Main St.). This week's presentation, "Who's a Journalist in the Age of AI"?, will be led by former journalist and professor in the UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media, Dr. Deb Aikat.

This week saw the opening of Carrburritos in its new location in Carr Mill Mall and the Acorn Room expansion of Gray Squirrel Coffee (360 E. Main St.).

Final Notes

The Community Bulletin Board has announcements and opportunities for giving and civic engagement and is updated weekly.

There's so much going on in Carrboro! Check out The Events Calendar to see what's happening and help us keep it up-to-date.

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Poetry Moment

For this week's Poetry Moment, and in anticipation of the upcoming West End Poetry Festival, we hear from Lithuanian-American, avant-garde filmmaker, artist, and poet Jonas Mekas. Find our West End Poetry Festival preview in the print edition now and online next week. The theme is, "Kinship: Community and Belonging."