Meet Tiny. Don’t let the name fool you, Tiny is a 9-month-old Pit Bull mix who already weighs 60 pounds! This lovable pup is as sweet as they come and has never met a stranger. Tiny gets along great with dogs, cats, and children, making him a wonderful addition to many types of families.
He loves attention, enjoys making new friends, and is always ready for an adventure or a cuddle session. At just 9 months old, he’s still a playful youngster with lots of love to give. Tiny is looking for a forever home where he can share his big heart and happy personality.
Meet him at Burke Animal Resource Center, at 636 Kirksey Drive, Morganton. The shelter is closed on Sundays and Mondays, and open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Wednesdays and Fridays, and from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays. Call 828-764-9588 for more information.
Burke_county
Community Foundation of Burke County announces Summer 2026 Grant Cycle
This past week the Community Foundation of Burke County announced its plan to award 10 grants of $20,000 to nonprofits serving Burke County. The details of its Summer 2026 Open Grant cycle included updates on its effort to realign grantmaking with communal needs.
The CFBC has awarded grants to nonprofit organizations intending on benefiting residents of Burke County for over 25 years. Last year the foundation decided to increase its efforts toward community decision making.
“As we prepare for the future of our grantmaking, we wanted to start by listening,” said Barbara Wetsig-Lynam, president and CEO of CFBC. “The organizations serving Burke County every day are closest to the community’s needs, and their insight is essential as we consider how the foundation can better support nonprofits and, ultimately, better serve Burke County.”
Wetsig-Lynam has worked with foundation leadership to engage a diverse group of nonprofit partners across Burke County through a series of listening sessions, intended to address concerns and ideas about the circumstances facing local organizations.
The listening sessions also gave attendees the opportunity to comment on the grantmaking process, discussing the possibility of multi-year grants, various operation-specific grants, and the future approaches to supporting initiatives.
“Our goal is not change for the sake of change,” said Wetsig-Lynam. “Our goal is to ensure the foundation’s grantmaking continues evolving in ways that are thoughtful, responsive, and aligned with what nonprofits and our community truly need.”
The upcoming grant cycle will begin taking applications on July 1 and close on Aug. 1. Eligible nonprofit organizations serving Burke County are encouraged to apply through the CFBC’s online grants portal at www.cfburkecounty.org/grants.
Culture_community
Burke County lines up full day of Independence Day events
Burke County residents can make a full day of Independence Day this year, with a July Fourth lineup that starts with a parade in Glen Alpine, moves through history and theater in downtown Morganton, and ends with fireworks after dark.
Glen Alpine will host the county’s official America250 Parade at 10 a.m. Saturday, July 4. The event comes as the United States marks its 250th birthday, and the town has been preparing for a larger-than-usual crowd for the milestone celebration.
At 1 p.m., a “Charters of Freedom Celebration” is scheduled for the Historic Courthouse Square in Morganton. The square is home to Burke County’s Charters of Freedom display, which includes replicas of the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and the Bill of Rights.
The Burke Theater Guild and Historic Burke Foundation also will present “Tarheel Ladies of the Revolution,” a dramatic play at the Historic Burke County Courthouse. Performances are scheduled for 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. July 4, with an additional 3 p.m. show July 5.
Tickets are $10. For reservations, call 828-437-4104. The Paper previously reported that the production was planned to coincide with America250 and the nation’s semiquincentennial.
Fireworks will close out the holiday after dark. In Valdese, the town’s July Fourth celebration begins downtown with food, children’s activities, a cruise-in, live music, and fireworks at dusk.
The official Valdese schedule lists Main Street closing at 5 p.m., the cruise-in beginning at 5:30 p.m., opening announcements and the National Anthem at 6:45 p.m., The Tonez performing at 7 p.m., and fireworks at approximately 9:30 p.m. behind Old Rock School, 400 Main St. W.
Morganton’s fireworks will take place at dark at Freedom Park, 511 Independence Blvd.
Scooter is a compact little guy, but he has a lot of love to share. His foster mom found him in terrible physical condition. As the smallest boy in a colony of cats, he lost most of his battles and had the scars to prove it. With great care and attention she nursed him back to health, and he is now a playful little lovebug.
He loves getting belly scratches and also adores toys. Scooter is gentle, laid back, and gets along great with other cats, too. Scooter needs to eat Purina One Sensitive Stomach dry food, but this is not a prescription food and should not deter anyone from adopting him. Scooter is so ready to scoot off to his furever home!
Operating hours at The Mews Herald, 301 Collett St. in Morganton, are Wednesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., or Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Community_news
‘Tarheel Ladies of the Revolution’ to be presented July Fourth weekend
Some of the cast members for the Burke Theater Guild’s upcoming
production of ‘Tarheel Ladies of the Revolution’ include (from
left) Phyllis Garrison, Chris Honsaker, Martha Watts, William Keith
Watts, and Kelly Taylor.
FOR THE PAPER
On the heels of its March production of “Murder in the Courthouse,” the Burke Theater Guild is set to return to the stage during Fourth of July weekend when it presents “Tarheel Ladies of the Revolution” at the Old Burke County Courthouse in Morganton.
“Tarheel Ladies of the Revolution” tells the dramatic stories of seven courageous women who contributed to the revolutionary fight for freedom, with three of them — Margaret O’Neal McDowell, Grace Greenlee McDowell, and Sarah Robinson Erwin — calling Burke County home. The hourlong show debuts at 3 p.m. Saturday, July 4, with additional performances at 7 p.m. that night and 3 p.m. Sunday, July 5.
Burke native Kim Cozort Kay, well known locally for her one-woman performances of the play “Silver Shadows,” the story of Frankie Silver, joins the cast, which also includes Dr. Kelly S. Taylor — a Valdese native who wrote and directed the play — Martha Watts, William Keith Watts, Kathy Cozort, Mike Chandler, Chris Honsaker, and Phyllis Garrison.
Included in the presentation are several vocal songs, and additional music will be provided by fiddler Charlotte Courtney. The play will be presented in reader’s theater format.
Taylor drew information from 18 different sources to create this original work. One of those sources is “Under the Forest Floor,” which was written by the late Eunice Ervin and examines the lives of several notable Burke residents whose graves are located in the Quaker Meadows Cemetery.
The Burke Theater Guild, founded in 2013, has presented various types of performances over the years, including talent shows, musical theater, and dinner concerts. BTG is partnered with the Historic Burke Foundation.
Admission to “Tarheel Ladies of the Revolution” is $10. Tickets may be purchased at the door or online at historicburke.org.
For more information, call 828-437-4104 or 828-446-4974.
— JM
FOR THE PAPER
Sitting by the Patriot Tree she decorated for America250,
92-year-old Una Christine Smith Reep exclaimed, “God bless America!
Glory, glory, hallelujah.” Our thanks to Fred Schuszler for this
photo.
Decorating for America250
Page A11 | e-Edition | The Paper
FOR THE PAPER
Sitting by the Patriot Tree she decorated for America250,
92-year-old Una Christine Smith Reep exclaimed, “God bless America!
Glory, glory, hallelujah.” Our thanks to Fred Schuszler for this
photo.
Click and hold your mouse button on the page to select the area you wish to save or print.
You can click and drag the clipping box to move it or click and drag in the bottom right corner to resize it.
When you're happy with your selection, click the checkmark icon next to the clipping area to continue.
