News Digest for Town of Carrboro, NC 
(April 23, 2025) 

Spring time! Everyone is taking time to enjoy the weather and the local events! Celebrate Poetry Month with free poetry events. Coming up, the 25th Annual Mildred Council Community Dinner is set for Sunday, April 27. Check out all the Bike Month events, and get ready for Carrboro Day and the Freight Train Blues concert series! 

Carrboro Communication and Engagement Director receives Chris Coulson Lifetime Achievement Award

ASHEVILLE, N.C. — The North Carolina City & County Communicators (NC3C) earlier this month announced the recipients of its top individual honors for 2025, including Catherine Lazorko, longtime municipal communications leader and NC3C founding member, who was awarded the Chris Coulson Lifetime Achievement Award. 

The Chris Coulson Lifetime Achievement Award honors an individual with 10 or more years of experience in government communications who has made a lasting impact on the field and exemplifies the highest standards of character, service, and professional excellence. 

Catherine Lazorko, director of the Communication and Engagement Department for the Town of Carrboro, was selected for her decades of service to the field of public communication in municipalities across the country, including Las Cruces, NM; Chapel Hill, NC; and Carrboro, NC. 

Also recognized during the NC3C annual conference on April 10, 2025 in Asheville, NC, was Ethan Smith, communications manager for the Town of Huntersville, who received the NC3C Communicator of the Year Award. 

Read more at https://www.carrboronc.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=2975 

Carrboro Celebrates Poetry Month

April is Poetry Month in Carrboro, proclaimed by Mayor Barbara Foushee. 

Residents are encouraged to celebrate poetry and poets by reading, listening to, and sharing poems. 

Free local poetry events this April:

• Lanza’s Café bi-monthly “Chime In” Poetry Open Mic Night on Friday, April 25
• “Set Free” poetry feature and open mic at 4 p.m. at Bow Bar on Sunday, April 27
• Poetry, Popcorn, & Pie event at the Century Center on Monday, April 28, featuring local poets, including Poet Laureate Liza Wolff-Francis and an open mic.

Learn more about Poetry Month in Carrboro.

Carrboro shows appreciation for Lineworkers

Mayor Barbara Foushee has proclaimed Friday, April 18, 2025 as National Lineman (Lineworker) Appreciation Day in Carrboro.

The Town of Carrboro thanks these skilled and heroic line workers who brave hurricanes, ice storms, snowstorms, floods, and other natural disasters to maintain our community’s energy grid.

Read More.

Juvenile Suspect Charged in Armed Carjacking

CARRBORO, NC --April 16, 2025: Investigators have identified and charged a juvenile suspect for the armed carjacking that occurred in Carrboro on April 2, 2025. Charges include Robbery with a Dangerous Weapon and Conspiracy to Commit Robbery with a Dangerous Weapon. The juvenile suspect is currently being held in custody for charges related to a separate incident in another jurisdiction. Additional arrests and charges are expected as this investigation continues.

Read more.

Carrboro promotes No Mow May

The Town of Carrboro is participating in No Mow May! For the month of May, Town landscape crews will allow the flowering plants in certain areas to bloom, providing bees and other pollinators with food and habitat they need to survive. Look out for the Bee City USA No Mow May signs in Wilson Park, Hank Anderson Park, Martin Luther King, Jr. Park and near Town Hall. 

The goal of No Mow May is to allow grass to grow unmown for the month of May, creating habitat and forage for early season pollinators. 

Read more about No Mo May.

Save the Date: Carrboro Day 2025

Join us at Carrboro Town Commons, 301 W. Main St. Carrboro, NC 27510 from 1 to 5 p.m.  on Sunday, May 4, 2025 for Carrboro Day.

Join neighbors and friends to celebrate the unique qualities that make our town special. Plenty of family activities including live music, food vendors, poetry, crafts and interactive family games. Bring a chair or blanket and enjoy a leisurely day on the Town Commons.. 

More info about Carrboro Day is available at www.CarrboroDay.com  

Save the Dates: Bike Month Events

Make way for Bike Month rolling into Carrboro this May. 

Check out all the Bike Month events in and Carrboro. They are the perfect opportunity to experience the joys and health benefits of biking, to get outside during the spring season, and to see and experience the community at a different scale and pace.

Learn more about Bike Month and all the exciting events rolling your way!

11th Annual Freight Train Blues Concert Series Returns to Carrboro 

The Town of Carrboro proudly presents the Music Maker Foundation’s Freight Train Blues series of live concerts every Friday evening between May 16 and June 13, 2025, at Carrboro Town Commons, 301 W. Main Street. Concerts start at 6:30 p.m. 

The series is a collaboration among Music Maker Foundation; the Town of Carrboro, WUNC 91.5 FM, and The Forests at Duke.

Bring your picnic, lawn chairs and blankets for a free evening of free live music on the lawn. Beer and food will be available for purchase at the events. 

• May 16 - Jimbo Mathus and the Creatures of the Southern Wild (Roots)
• May 23 - Diana Tuffin (Blues/Jazz) and Thomas Rhyant Jr. (Acoustic Blues)
• May 30 - Dedicated Men of Zion & Faith & Harmony 
• June 6 -  Conjunto Breve (Salsa)
• June 13 -  Gail Caesar, Lakota John Locklear

Learn more about the  2025 Freight Train Blues Concert Series.

Arbor Day in Carrboro

 Honoring the contribution trees make to our health and well-being and their essential role in the ecology of the planet, Mayor Barbara Foushee proclaims Friday, April 25 to be Arbor Day in Carrboro. 

Thanks to Carrboro Horticulturalist Weldon Jenkins, a Black Gum tree has been planted at Wilson Park at 110 Williams St. for this special day. 

Carrboro has been recognized by the National Arbor Day Foundation as a Tree City USA for 40 years. In an era where cities and towns face increasing challenges related to air quality, public health and climate change, nurturing our trees has never been more important. 

Trees are critical infrastructure. They remove and store greenhouse gases, preventing them from contributing to climate change. They provide shade, which helps lower temperatures and reduces the urban heat island effect. They absorb rainwater, reducing stormwater runoff and the risk of flooding, improve air quality, and provide habitat for wildlife. And we all know that trees provide many physical and mental health benefits for humans.

Learn more about Arbor Day in Carrboro.

Photo Caption: Gretchen Gochenauer, who has been a member of the Arbor Day Foundation since 1992, received the proclamation from Mayor Barbara Foushee. 

Town Council Update

The Town Council is scheduled to meet at 6 p.m. 6 p.m. Tuesday, May 6.

• Check out the  agenda.   
•  Livestream the meeting.

Past Meeting Recap 

The Carrboro Town Council met on Tuesday, April 15 for a regular meeting, and took the following actions:

• Heard Mayoral Proclamations for Black Restaurant Week, Lineworker Appreciation Day, and Arbor Day. 
• Recognized Carrboro High School students who completed Carrboro Rise, a civic education class piloted by the Town Manager’s Office.
• Received an overview of planning-related draft legislation from the 2025 legislative session for North Carolina. The draft legislation includes several bills with significant implications for land use planning and regulation in North Carolina. If enacted, these proposals could substantially affect how local governments plan, regulate, and manage development within their jurisdictions.
• Received a presentation of the Customer Assistance Program from OWASA representatives.
• Considered and provided direction on the Advisory Boards/Commissions Membership Process.

 Watch the livestream.

Read more in  the Town Council Update

25th Annual Mildred Council Community Dinner

Each year, we come together to honor the legacy of Mildred Council--affectionately known as "Mama Dip"--by sharing a meal and strengthening our community. This event, sponsored by the Town of Carrboro with other local jurisdictions, brings together neighbors, friends, and families for an evening of fellowship, reflection, and giving.

The Community Dinner is scheduled at 1 p.m. Sunday, April 27, at McDougle Middle School, 900 Old Fayetteville Road, Chapel Hill, NC 27516.

Your generosity makes this event possible! Donations help provide meals, support local vendors, and ensure that everyone in our community can participate.

Click Here Donate Today

For sponsorship opportunities or general inquiries, visit www.communitydinner.org or contact Nerys Levy at rilevy@mindspring.com or (919) 932-1533.

Mental Health Mondays

May is Mental Health Awareness Month and Carrboro Police will be hosting Mental Health Mondays (May 5, 12 and 19) at the Drakeford Library Complex from 12 - 2 p.m.

Come join the Diversion Social Worker and the Carrboro Police Department for conversation, information, and more!

Carrboro Mayor Proclaims April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month

Mayor Barbara Foushee has proclaimed April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month in the Town of Carrboro.

Over half of women and almost one-third of men in the United States have experienced sexual violence involving physical contact in their lifetimes. Women and racial and ethnic minority groups, trans and gender-nonconforming people, people with disabilities, and children experience a higher burden of sexual violence.

The Orange County Rape Crisis Center, a nonprofit agency that has served this community since 1974, is working to stop sexual violence and its impact through support, education, and advocacy.

The Orange County Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Response Committee (DVSARC) brings together members of law enforcement, the medical community, the legal system, and community advocates to improve services for survivors of sexual assault who come forward.

Resources and Information:

• The Orange County Rape Crisis Center
• National Sexual Violence Resource Center
• Read the full proclamation.

Carrboro Police Host Medication Drop

Bring your used or expired medications to Carrboro Harris Teeter, 200 N. Greensboro St, on Saturday, April 26 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Help keep  our community safer and healthier. Disposing of used or expired medications properly can help reduce overdoses, overdose deaths, and drug-related violence.

Town of Carrboro offers presentation 
to Orange County Communicators Work Group  

The Town of Carrboro's Communication and Engagement Department and Race and Equity division of the Town Manager's Office jointly presented topics on best practices in inclusive community engagement for local governments. The presentation was made on Monday, April 21, 2025, at the Drakeford Library Complex. 

Presenting from Carrboro were Anita Jones-McNair, chief race and equity officer; Kannu Taylor, race and equity manager; Evelyn Greene, communication and engagement specialist; and Catherine Lazorko, communication and engagement director. 

Check out our Monthly Events Newsletter to discover all the exciting programs and special events that are coming up!  

Please note that our Summer Brochure will be released in mid-April. Registration for our Summer programs begins on May 7 for Carrboro residents, and May 8 for all others. 

2025 Summer Recreation, Parks and Cultural Resources Program Guide 

The Carrboro Recreation, Parks, & Cultural Resources Department’s Summer program brochure is now available! This includes registration for 2025 Fall athletic leagues and 2025 summer camps.

Registration for Carrboro Residents begins on Wednesday, May 7 at 8:30 a.m. and registration for all other participants begins on Thursday, May 8.

Learn more about the Program Guide and How to Register.

Public parking available in downtown Carrboro

It’s easy to find free two-hour public parking in Carrboro, where you can access convenient parking at 11 public lots all over town.

Please remember that the Carr Mill Mall parking area is for mall customers and is not a public parking lot. Leaving the mall premises after parking risks towing. When in doubt, always park in public lots, and enjoy a hassle-free and relaxed shopping and dining experience.

Find more information including an interactive parking map on our Downtown Parking webpage.