News Digest for Town of Carrboro, NC 

(Sept. 11, 2025) 

Hey, it's nice to see you again! Carrboro This Week is our town's weekly digest of news and service updates, as well as invitations to get involved in local issues and events.  In this issue, save the date for the Carrboro Music Festival, learn about the Crisis Assistance, Response, and Engagement (CARE) team, and join us in in remembering the sacrifice of first responders on 9/11. We also express our deepest sympathy following the recent death of former Town Alderman Hilliard Caldwell.  Thank you for your interest in community, Carrboro! 

Carrboro Music Festival - Lots of music, 

all around town, all for free!

The 28th Carrboro Music Festival is almost here! Lots of music, all around town, all for free! 

This fun event is free for everyone to enjoy. We start our kick-off event on Saturday, Sept. 27 with an Open Mic at Town Commons from 2 to 4 p.m. and then a show at the Cat’s Cradle later in the evening featuring Whoop and a supporting act. 

The Carrboro Music Festival's main event starts at 1 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 28 with live performances at various venues around Carrboro. The Hip-Hop and Grooves stage starts at 2 p.m. in the Back Room of the Cat’s Cradle featuring 13 acts. 

Carrboro’s All America City (AAC) Award  Celebration occurs at Sunday's start of the Carrboro Music Festival at 1 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 28, in the Drakeford Performance Space.  followed by the Triangle Jazz Orchestra. A special guest for the celebration is All-America City Award Director Rebecca Trout who will share aspects of Carrboro deserving of national recognition that were noted by a panel of judges.  Learn more about Carrboro's AAC win.

We have interactive and educational workshops available during the event as well. 

• For workshop times and all other Carrboro Music Festival information please visit Carrboromusicfestival.com . 
• You can also download the free Carrboro Music Festival App on your smartphone (note the full schedule is currently being uploaded).

Getting Around

• Each year, the Carrboro Music Festival draws a large number of attendees.  Please consider alternative modes of transportation when accessing the event.
• Take the Bus Shuttle - 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 to 9 p.m. from the Jones Ferry Road Park & Ride Lot, located just south of the intersection of Old Fayetteville Road and Jones Ferry Road across from the entrance to Poplar Place Apartment Homes and beside University Lake Road.
• Shuttle service will run approximately every 15-20 minutes and drop-off locations exist near most of the music venues.
• Check the festival website for additional parking options. 

Never Forget - 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb 

Never Forget -- The Town of Carrboro was represented in the annual 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb, hosted by the University of North Carolina AROTC in Kenan stadium on Thursday morning. Participants climbed 2,071 stairs to commemorate the bravery of firefighters and other first responders who ascended the World Trade Center towers to save lives on Sept. 11, 2001. The message of the attendees: Never Forget.

This year, members of the Carrboro Fire-Rescue Department (Chief Will Potter), Carrboro Police Department (Chief Chris Atack) and the Town Manager’s Office (Reilly Stahl) joined Tar Heels in remembering the sacrifice of citizens and first responders on that fateful day 24 years ago.

CARE Team now serving Chapel Hill and Carrboro, Plans to extend operating hours

After a successful first year in Chapel Hill, the Crisis Assistance, Response, and Engagement (CARE) team is now serving Carrboro and is planning to add staffing for a second mobile unit, which will allow for longer operating hours.

 The CARE team responds to a variety of 911 and crisis calls that do not require a law enforcement response. The team is a partnership between Orange County and the towns of Chapel Hill and Carrboro.

 “In its first year in Chapel Hill, the CARE team logged 1,040 responses ranging from wellbeing checks to outreach among community members who are experiencing homelessness,” said Chapel Hill Police Chief Celisa Lehew, whose department is home base for the existing team. “This continues to be an incredible team effort with Orange County, and we’re excited to collaborate with the Town of Carrboro, to support even more community members.”

 The North Carolina Department of Human Services (NC DHHS) allocated $790,640 to Alliance Health to support the expansion and operations of the CARE team. This marks a $211,140 increase from the program’s pilot funding in 2024.

 “We’ve seen firsthand how many of our residents face crises that don’t require law enforcement, but do require care, compassion, and connection to resources,” said Orange County Board of Commissioners Chair Jamezetta Bedford. “Recognizing that need, Orange County is proud to expand the CARE Team partnership into Carrboro — with the goal of eventually making this level of support available countywide.”

 In Carrboro, the CARE team’s arrival is part of the Police Department’s commitment to provide wide-ranging support for people struggling with challenges that are often unrelated to law enforcement matters.

 “I’m so glad that this program is now available in Carrboro,” said Police Chief Chris Atack. “The CARE Team will allow people in crisis or challenging circumstances to quickly access real-time care and meaningful assistance.”

 Leaders from each of the local governments are working together to hire staff for the second mobile unit and plan to share more about extending operating hours later this year.

Contacting the CARE team

Right now, the CARE team is available Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Anyone in Chapel Hill or Carrboro can contact the team by calling 911 or 919-732-5063, which is Orange County’s non-emergency number.

Town of Carrboro Remembers 

Former Alderman Hilliard Caldwell

The Town of Carrboro expresses its deepest sympathy following the recent death of former Town Alderman Hilliard Caldwell. 

Caldwell was a pivotal figure who advocated for and participated in the desegregation of schools in Carrboro and Chapel Hill during the Civil Rights Movement. He organized sit-ins and was arrested for protesting. Caldwell later served as a liaison for the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Schools' integration process and is recognized for his contributions to public service in the community. 

He served four terms (1981-1997) on the Town of Carrboro Board of Aldermen. 

“The Town of Carrboro will remember Hilliard Caldwell for his service to the community, for his courage and dedication, and for laying the foundation for an inclusive community,” said Mayor Barbara Foushee. 

When Caldwell was 23 years old in 1960, he was working as a UNC employee when he acted as an advisor to Lincoln High School students who organized the first sit-ins at Colonial Drug on Franklin Street in Chapel Hill. Caldwell also served on the executive committee for the Chapel-Hill Carrboro Committee for Racial Equality. 

Through an oral history interview with the Marian Cheek Jackson Center, Caldwell discussed the relationship he had to younger and older generations of Black residents who had some opposing views on race relations. While older generations believed prayer was the best solution, some young people believed in rebellion and active protest to address concerns. Caldwell acted as a mediator to those generations. While he believed in prayer and viewed the church as a place of grounding, for prayer and “renewed hope,” Caldwell also encouraged protestors to march and conduct sit-ins. These more active forms of protest were ultimately the turning point of the movement and encouraged much of the changes which are evident today. 

For The Chapel Hill Newspaper in 1981, Caldwell stated that he was a 1956 graduate of Lincoln High School where he served as student body president, attended NC Central University, and received professional certifications from Durham Technical Institute and UNC-Chapel Hill. He was the first Black PTA president for the Carrboro School, served as president of the NC Association of School Social Services Personnel,  and was on the Board of Directors for the Chapel Hill-Carrboro YMCA and the Inter-Faith Council. He was a member of the St. Joseph C.M.E Church. 

Hilliard Caldwell was born on Feb. 26, 1937.  

Thank you to the Marian Cheek Jackson Center for the oral history.

Town Council Update

The Carrboro Town Council will meet for a regularly scheduled meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025. 

The Town Council meets at Carrboro Town Hall, 301 W. Main St. Members of the public are welcome to attend in person or can view the livestream.

• The agenda for this meeting is available  online 
• Watch the meeting live on  YouTube . 

Past Meeting Recap 

The Carrboro Town Council met on Tuesday, June 17, and took actions on the items noted in the agenda found online .

• Watch the livestream on YouTube.
• Learn more by reading the full Town Council Update .

Join the 2nd Friday Art Walk on Sept. 12

Join the 2nd Friday Art Walk around downtown Carrboro and Chapel Hill on Friday, Sept. 12.

Explore art galleries, artist studios, shops and restaurants. There will also be live music, performances, spoken word poetry and more. Venues are generally open late afternoon and evening hours. Exhibits at Carrboro Town Hall and the Drakeford Library Complex are open from 6 to 8 p.m. 

Check out all the participating venues and their exhibitions here.

EV Event for National Drive Electric Month happening in Carrboro

Come out to learn more about electric vehicles at an event of National Drive Electric Month from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, Oct. 4 in the parking lot for the Carrboro Century Center located at 101 N. Greensboro St. 

Electric vehicles – you see them on the road, but have you ever been in one? Do you wonder how they work? This is a casual opportunity to check out these rides and speak with experts. Look inside some Town of Carrboro and Town of Chapel Hill EVs and speak with local EV owners who are excited to share their experience. 

This event is organized by the Town of Carrboro, Orange County, and the Town of Chapel Hill, along with EV drivers from the community. 

Find public parking here. Note that Carr Mill Mall is for mall customers and is not a public parking lot. Leaving the mall premises after parking risks towing. 

National Drive Electric Month, Sept. 12 to Oct. 12, 2025, is a nationwide celebration to raise awareness of the many benefits of all-electric and plug-in hybrid cars, trucks, motorcycles, and more. National Drive Electric Month is presented by Plug In America, Electric Vehicle Association, Sierra Club, EVHybridNoire, and Drive Electric USA.

Carrboro to update the Safe Routes 

to School Strategic Action Plan

The Town of Carrboro Planning Department is working to update its Safe Routes to School Strategic Action Plan with funding support from a North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) Safe Routes to School Non-Infrastructure Grant. This plan will guide efforts to make it safer, easier, and more enjoyable for students to walk, bike, or roll to school at Carrboro Elementary School, McDougle Elementary School, Morris Grove Elementary School, McDougle Middle School, and Carrboro High School. 

As part of the planning process, the project team will:

• Evaluate how students are currently getting to school.
• Listen to residents, parents, school staff, and community members about their needs and ideas.
• Develop strategies and action steps—such as new sidewalks, safer crossings, or programs like a walking school bus—to support safe, active travel. 

Why update the plan now? 

Carrboro’s last Safe Routes to School Strategic Action Plan was adopted in 2012. A lot has changed since then! Today, the Town is focused on:

• Addressing current safety concerns and infrastructure needs around our schools.
• Supporting healthy habits by encouraging more walking, biking, and rolling.
• Reducing traffic congestion and stress during school drop-off and pick-up times.

Project Schedule

• Fall 2025: Review existing Town policies and the 2012 plan; collect data on student travel patterns; engage families, schools, and community members through surveys, school walk audits, and pop-up events.
• Winter 2025: Draft an updated plan that identifies priority routes, safety improvements, and programs for each of Carrboro’s five schools.
• Spring 2026: Share the draft plan with the community for public review and feedback before adoption.

How can you get involved?

Your voice is essential—whether your child walks, rides the bus, or carpools. Visit our project website to:

• Tell us about your school travel experience.
• Share ideas for programs and identify areas that feel unsafe.
• Join upcoming school and community events. 
• Project website: Engage Carrboro

 Together, we can make Carrboro’s routes to school safer, healthier, and more enjoyable for everyone. 

Celebrating Honorary Strayhorn Drive

A joyous day for Carrboro! The Town of Carrboro celebrated the Honorary Strayhorn Drive at a public gathering on Friday, Aug. 29, 2025 at the corner of Jones Ferry and Laurel Avenue. 

The new sign honors Toney and Nellie Strayhorn, the first Black family to settle in Carrboro. Their descendants have lived in Carrboro since 1879, before the town was incorporated.

At the recognition event, Mayor Barbara Foushee shared remarks alongside family members including Dolores Hogan-Clark and Larry Clark. Look for a video of this historic occasion to be posted to the Carrboro YouTube Channel! 

Carrboro's Summer Vibes 

Every year, the Carrboro community comes together to celebrate our unique and diverse culture. From Juneteenth, Orgullo Pride, Fourth of July, and the Frederick Douglass Community Reading, we've enjoyed seeing familiar and new faces around town.

Enjoy some of our favorite moments from these celebrations and get ready for our Fall festival lineup!

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

2025 Fall Recreation, Parks and Cultural Resources Program Guide 

The Carrboro Recreation, Parks, & Cultural Resources Department’s Fall program brochure is now available! This includes registration for the 2025-2026 Youth Basketball Leagues.

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.