News Digest for Town of Carrboro, NC 
(Sept. 24, 2024) 

Who's excited for free live music all over town this Sunday at the Carrboro Music Festival?!! Be sure to download the app to make your plan for a wonderful day in Carrboro. Hello fall! It's our favorite time of year.  A couple of surveys for ya! Share your views for the Carrboro Downtown Area Plan and tell us about your experience biking around town for the League of American Bicyclists. You look great for 50 ... Happy Birthday to Chapel Hill Transit and also to the ArtsCenter! Open this issue for more community news. 

Carrboro Music Festival This Weekend

On Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, the Carrboro Music Festival will host 100 acts all over Carrboro, all for free. The music festival begins at 1 p.m. and runs all day. 

One of the largest free music festivals in North Carolina, the festival marks its 27th year. Established in 1998, the festival was originally held on June 21 as an official affiliate of the Fête de la Musique, which is also known as 'Make Music Day'. 

The kickoff event on Saturday, Sept. 28, is Open Mic at Town Commons, 301 W. Main St, from 2 to 4 p.m. Later in the evening Saturday, Dawn Landes and Chessa Rich will be featured at the Cat’s Cradle backroom. No tickets are required, and all shows are free! 

Get the complete list of shows at the festival website or download the festival app. DON’T MISS the hip-hop show from 2 to 10 p.m. Sunday at the Cat’s Cradle backroom! 

This year, the Carrboro Music Festival is featuring free educational workshops starting at 10:30 a.m. at Town Commons, the Century Center and other locations! These include learning about synthesizers, recording, accordions and more! (some workshops require registration and have limited availability). Register online and look under "Special Events". If you don't have an account, you will need to create one before registering.

To sign-up for a workshop, please go to carrbororec.org then click on online registration. Our workshops can be found under Special Events. 

For all other Carrboro Music Festival information please visit Carrboromusicfestival.com  You can also download the free Carrboro Music Festival App on your smartphone.

The event is a product of a coordinated effort by the Carrboro Recreation, Parks & Cultural Resources Department and the Carrboro Music Festival Planning Committee.

This program is supported by the Town of Carrboro and the Carrboro Tourism Development Authority.  Generous support is also provided by the local business community.  Please visit the sponsorship page for a complete list of sponsors.

Quick links for more information:

• To see the music lineup, visit www.carrboromusicfestival.com .  A festival guide and map will be available soon, along with a sortable Excel database to search bands by name, genre, location, and time.  Any changes that occur after the Festival Guide & Map is published will be reflected on the Excel file.  
• Download the Carrboro Music Festival phone app.!  The phone app. will be a standalone app. available by searching 'Carrboro Music Festival' in your phone's app. store.  
• FREE park & ride shuttle from the Jones Ferry Road Lot. See the Festival Shuttle Map
• There will be limited public parking. Please check the parking map.

Festival Parking, Shuttles and Alternative Transportation

Each year, the festival draws a large number of attendees.  Please consider alternative modes of transportation when accessing the event.

We highly-encourage festival attendees to walk or bike to the venues if possible.  We need to be able to accommodate our performers and allow them to park in designated areas near their respective venues, so public parking may be limited in some lots.  If attending the festival by car, please utilize the FREE park & ride shuttle from the Jones Ferry Road lot.

The Town of Carrboro has partnered with Chapel Hill Transit to provide a free shuttle for festival goers.  The shuttle will run on Sunday from 12 noon to 9 p.m. from the Jones Ferry Road Park & Ride Lot, located just south of the intersection of Old Fayetteville Rd. and Jones Ferry Rd., across from the entrance to Poplar Place Apartment Homes and beside University Lake Rd.

Shuttle service will run approximately every 15-20 minutes and drop-off locations exist near most of the music venues.

You're invited! Join the Community Visioning Workshop Thursday, Sept. 26

The Town of Carrboro invites community input as it prepares The Downtown Area Plan. The study focuses on the Main Street and Jones Ferry Road corridors, as well as the downtown business districts and surrounding neighborhoods. 

The Town is hosting a variety of meetings, events, and engagement opportunities including: 

• TAKE THE SURVEY
• JOIN A COMMUNITY VISIONING WORKSHOP –  5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 26, at Carrboro Town Hall, 301 W. Main St. Drop in and provide input by visiting various activity stations. Stay for pizza! 
• CARRBORO IN MOTION is coming to Fitch Lumber from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 12. Come chat with Town Staff about ongoing projects, including the Downtown Area Plan. 
•  Learn more at https://engage.carrboronc.gov/

The Town conducted the first Community Vision Workshop for the Downtown Area Plan on Thursday, Sept. 19, at Town Hall. Activities included a hands-on city building exercise, mapping activities for strengths opportunities and ideas, and stations asking folks about priorities for addressing climate change and advancing racial equity. 

Thanks to everyone who dropped by to share what you love, your ideas, and your vision for the downtown area. If you couldn’t make it, join us for the workshop continuation on Thursday, Sept. 26! 

This Downtown Area Plan is a specific implementation step identified in the Carrboro Connects Comprehensive Plan to help guide decisions related to:

• Public spaces
• Land use
• Downtown Infrastructure and Streetscapes
• Branding and Urban Design
• Building Appearance
• Redevelopment and Infill Opportunities

Background about the Plan 

The Downtown Area Plan is part of the implementation of the Carrboro Connects 2022-2042 Comprehensive Plan, unanimously adopted by the Town Council in June 2022.

The Downtown Area Plan is a study with the goal of creating a multi-modal friendly downtown that is inclusive and inviting for all residents.

The planning and engagement process and its recommendations will support and advance Race and Equity and Climate Action in the Town of Carrboro.

Town Council Update

The Carrboro Town Council will meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 24. The agenda will be available at https://carrboro.legistar.com/ 

Members of the public are welcome to attend in person at Carrboro Town Hall, 301 W. Main St. or view the livestream at YouTube.com/CarrboroNC  or  https://carrboro.legistar.com/

Watch the livestream for this meeting on YouTube.

New Council Meeting Time 
A new meeting time has been set for 6 p.m. on those Tuesdays when the Council meets through 2024.  

The Council wants to hear from the community about if the new time works well! Let us know at https://engage.carrboronc.gov/ 

Past Meeting 
The Carrboro Town Council met on Thursday, Sept. 12, and considered an agenda posted at https://carrboro.legistar.com/ 

Council actions included the following: 

• adopted resolutions/proclamations including Diaper Need Awareness Week, Hispanic Heritage Month, Chapel Hill Transit Appreciation Month, Reproductive Rights are Human Rights Resolution. Read the full resolutions and proclamations.
• set a legislative public hearing for Oct. 15 relating to advisory board and commission consolidation and attendance. 
• adopted a resolution supporting the Orange County Contract for Financial Feasibility Services by the Development Finance Initiative (DFI) for the Greene Tract. 
• held a hearing to determine whether a tree on private property poses a danger to public health or safety. The Council directed the Town Manager to take all necessary actions to remove the tree located at 710 W. Rosemary St. The tree was subsequently removed on Monday, Sept. 16. 
• received a presentation by Baker Tilly on the recently completed Town of Carrboro Organization Structure and Staffing Assessment and adopted the changes to the Town of Carrboro Position Classification and Pay Plan in alignment with the recommendations of the organizational assessment.
• changed the start time of the scheduled regular meetings and work sessions for the remainder of 2024 from 7 p.m. to 6 p.m.     
• received information about the Orange County Short Range Transit Plan.
• received results from a public engagement survey about proposed paid parking. Read the full report including survey responses at https://engage.carrboronc.gov/
  
  As background, the public weighed-in on a proposed paid public parking ordinance earlier this summer via an online survey and other feedback options from June 13 to July 19, 2024. A significant majority expressed strong opposition. Many expressed the view that free parking is a fundamental aspect of the town's charm and accessibility. They also said that paid parking would negatively impact local businesses.
• The Council took no action on the paid parking proposal. Council members requested additional information on the following: 
  • impacts of a proposed parking enforcement program (following the opening of the new library and civic building in downtown at 203 S. Greensboro St.)
  • the wayfinding signage parking project
  • how much the Town spends annually on leased parking
  • an exploration of the Carrboro Business Alliance leasing parking spaces from the Town to expand parking choices for employees who work in downtown
  • a study to understand the impact of paid parking on mobile businesses and other overlooked groups.
  • a feasibility study on Weaver Street between Greensboro Street and Main Street being closed to vehicular traffic.
  • a micro-mobility study for downtown which will look at opportunities for mobility options like bike share programs or scooter rentals.

Watch the Sept. 12, 2024 meeting livestream  on YouTube.

Carrboro celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month

Mayor Barbara Foushee has proclaimed Sept. 15-Oct. 15 as Hispanic Heritage Month in Carrboro. Residents are encouraged to participate in the month’s events and to learn about and celebrate the lives, history, and contributions of Hispanic people during this month-long celebration and throughout the year.

National Hispanic Heritage Month is a time to recognize the contributions and achievements of Hispanic and Latinx people in the United States, to acknowledge their vital impact both locally and throughout the nation, and to celebrate these communities’ diversity, culture, and traditions. 

Events in the Triangle include the following: 

• Sunday, Sept. 15, El Centro Hispano, Africa Unplugged, Arthur Murray Durham and Mambo Dinamico will Embrace Rhythm and Dance at the Living Arts Collective in Durham, NC
• Thursday, Sept. 19, the Orange County Department on Aging will host the Hispanic Heritage Cultural Fair at the Seymour Center in Chapel Hill, NC
• 11th annual Hispanic Heritage Fiesta will be held on September 21st at the Shakori Hills Arts Center in Pittsboro, NC 
• Throughout the month, the UNC Carolina Latinx Center will celebrate Latinx Heritage Month with the theme “Llama De Orgullo – Embracing the Fire Within”

Read more about Carrboro Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month.

Carrboro Film Fest Honors

Hispanic Heritage Month

Carrboro Film Fest is honoring Hispanic Heritage month (Sept. 15 - Oct. 15) by sharing two previously screened documentaries which highlight the experience and impact of Hispanic individuals and communities. 

Both films offer insight into the unique worlds of protagonists caught in challenging liminal spaces–in a small town in Puerto Rico, an artist uses a community wide art project to build pride and under the shadow of American colonialism and the threat of natural disaster, while across the Southern U.S. a group of Mexican men on temporary work visas spend 8 months out of the year replanting American pine forests, in the hope of securing a more prosperous future for their families back home. 

While both films expose the failures of U.S. political and social systems to create safety, stability, and peace for Hispanic people within and outside of America, they also offer intimate portraits of individual and community resilience. Through these stories, we get a layered exploration of the ways people sacrifice themselves to their work and craft in order to reclaim what has been lost or taken and create beauty and hope for the people and places they love most.

Each of these films were official Carrboro Film Fest selections in previous years. 

• A Thousand Pines | Official Selection Carrboro Film Fest 2023
• Mi Fango, Mi Cerro (My Mud, My Hillside) | Official Selection Carrboro Film Fest 2020

Carrboro Celebrates the 50th Anniversary of Chapel Hill Transit

Mayor Barbara Foushee proclaims September 2024 as Chapel Hill Transit Appreciation Month in Carrboro.

Carrboro has partnered with Chapel Hill and UNC for 50 years, developing a local transit system that serves almost 7 million bus trips per year and on average nearly 8,000 boardings per day in Carrboro alone.

Mayor Foushee recognizes and congratulates Chapel Hill Transit on its milestone anniversary, encouraging all residents to participate in celebrating this vital service and to honor the dedicated individuals who have contributed to its legacy.

Learn more about Carrboro's 50 year partnership with Chapel Hill Transit.

Take the survey and help Carrboro win gold!

The Town of Carrboro is applying with the League of American Bicyclists' Bicycle Friendly Community (BFC) Program to be designated the first gold-level community in North Carolina, and we need your help. 

Take the League’s community survey and share how you bike, how safe you feel biking and more. Responses are confidential and will help guide our biking programs and infrastructure going forward. The online survey is open through Tuesday, Oct. 15.

Background

The Town has participated in the BFC program since 1999. In 2006, the Town obtained a Bronze Award, and in 2010, the Town was awarded with a silver-level designation - the first community in North Carolina to achieve this ranking. 

Carrboro 10K Road Race set for Oct. 5 

CARRBORO, NC -- A Carrboro 10K road race is scheduled for 8 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 5. 

Expect traffic delays around this time on N. Greensboro Street and Hillsborough Road. The race begins in front of McDougle Middle School, winds through downtown Carrboro and its neighborhoods, and finishes on the McDougle track. Feel free to cheer on the runners! 

The Carrboro 10K is the second race of the Le Tour de Carrboro race series, sponsored by the Cardinal Track Club.  

Learn more at https://www.givesignup.org/w/LeTourdeCarrboro

Come out for the ArtsCenter Group Photo 

In celebration of its 50th anniversary, the ArtsCenter is hosting a 50th Anniversary Homecoming Photo for everyone past and present in the arts community! Organizers are asking folks to gather for the photo from 5 to 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 26, outside the center at 400 Roberson St.  

Carrboro in Motion coming to Fitch Lumber on Saturday, Oct. 12 

Carrboro in Motion is coming to Downtown Carrboro 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 12 at Fitch Lumber & Hardware parking lot, 309 N. Greensboro St.

Stop by to join the free event - no registration required.

Carrboro In Motion will feature the following:

• Zumba led by Oscar Garcia. Come join in!  
• Bike and ped resources including repair for map and routing resources, and reflective gear and bike lights 
• Chapel Hill Transit 
• Downtown Area Plan outreach and engagement 
• Town of Carrboro programs and services including Carrboro Fire! 
• Orange County services including housing and public health departments
• Recreation Programs: The Town’s Party Trailer will provide games and activities for children
• New Resident packet information

Learn more at https://www.carrboronc.gov/2735/Carrboro-In-Motion 

Carrboro Street Resurfacing and Rejuvenation Project Underway

The Town of Carrboro has contracted with Daniels Inc. of Garner for the 2024 Carrboro Street Resurfacing and Rejuvenation Project. 

Work coming up will target areas of Pathway Drive (Sept. 30), Hanna Street (Sept. 31), and Shelton and Lindsay streets (Oct. 1)

Learn more about the resurfacing and rejuvenation project.

Carrboro brings some of Triangle's

most beloved community festivals

• Carrboro Music Festival: Sept. 28-29, 2024 
• West End Poetry Festival: Oct. 17-19, 2024 
• Carrboro Film Fest – Jan. 24-26, 2025

Carrboro is proud to continue to showcase a diversity of musicians from the Piedmont with FREE concerts at Town Commons, the Cat’s Cradle, and venues across the town with the return of the Carrboro Music Festival (opening afternoon on Saturday, Sept. 28 with Open Mic from 2 to 4 p.m. at Town Commons, with a full day of outdoor concerts on Sunday, Sept. 29); followed in October by the West End Poetry Festival (Oct. 17-19) featuring Poetry in the Round and a Community Poem Reading. 

The Carrboro Film Festival which has historically occurred in November will shift to January (Jan. 24-26, 2025) and continue offering a lineup of independent films that challenge and expand our understanding of Southern culture.

Read more details about our Fall Festivals

See the Carrboro public parking map

Community Update for the 203 Project: September 2024

Construction continues to progress on The 203 S. Greensboro Street Project in Carrboro.

Work performed in last 30 days:

• Parking deck stairs and bollard installation continues
• Installation of restroom fixtures and partitions has begun
•  Door hardware installation continues
• HVAC system testing and balancing has begun
• Fire alarm and data cable installation continues throughout the building

Work upcoming in next 30 days:

• Conduit for decorative light poles will be installed
• Curbs, gutters and sidewalks will be installed
• Concrete seat walls and benches will be installed
• Interior finish work will continue, including installing decorative wall panels, ceiling baffles, and cabinetry
•  Installation of restroom fixtures and partitions will continue
• Main fiber and data connections to building will be installed

Read more about the September 2024 Community Update for the 203 Project.

Lights Out for Birds

The Town of Carrboro encourages everyone to go lights out 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. now through Nov. 30 to help save birds migrating through North Carolina. 

Birds play a crucial role in Carrboro’s local ecosystem. They help with seed dispersal, pollination and pest control. Additionally, their nutrient-rich droppings contribute to natural balance of nutrient cycling, enriching the soil and having a significant impact on the entire ecosystem. Preserving these species aligns with Carrboro’s Community Climate Action Plan.

Contribute to Lights Out

• Turn off exterior decorative lighting
• Extinguish pot and flood-lights
• Substitute strobe lighting wherever possible
• Reduce atrium lighting wherever possible
• Turn off interior lighting especially on higher stories
• Substitute task and area lighting for workers staying late or pull window coverings
• Down-shield exterior lighting to eliminate horizontal glare and all light directed upward
• Install automatic motion sensors and controls wherever possible
• When converting to new lighting assess quality and quantity of light needed, avoiding over-lighting with newer, brighter technology

Learn more from the North Carolina Audubon Society .

Recreation, Parks & Cultural Resources

Monthly Events Newsletter

View the Monthly Events Newsletter and discover all of the exciting programs and special events that are coming up!

Check out the Monthly Newsletter.

Early Voting Begins on October 17

Orange County offers early voting to all eligible, registered Orange County voters who wish to vote early, in-person rather than voting absentee by mail or on Election Day at your assigned polling place.

Please note that the early voting location in Carrboro will be at the Carrboro Town Hall Complex at 108 Bim St. 

Previously the plan was to use the new Carrboro Library, but the opening has been delayed past the first day of early voting.

Learn more about early voting in Orange County.

2024 Chapel Hill-Carrboro Community Holiday Parade Participant Application Now Open

Walk, dance, bike, and scoot your way through the 2024 Chapel Hill-Carrboro Community Holiday Parade on Saturday, Dec. 7 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.!

We’re looking for local organizations with diverse cultural, faith, and community traditions to participate. We hope you’ll consider joining. A few things to keep in mind:

• Get festive. Decorate your parade unit with a winter theme and add entertainment value. Be a spectacle!
• Get creative. Describe how your unit will entertain/engage spectators. Show us what you got!
• Get ready. This year’s parade will be non-vehicular. Stay on foot, bike, or scooter.
• Please, no ads. No entries for strictly advertising, fundraising, or recruitment activities. No political campaigning or electioneering.

Apply online today to participate in the 2024 Chapel Hill-Carrboro Community Holiday Parade.

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 10 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.