When you think of immigrants to North Carolina, you might think of the Scotch-Irish in the Sandhills, the Swiss around New Bern or the Moravians in the Triad. Chances are the Lebanese might not be near the top of your list. But earlier this month, Cultural Resources Secretary Susan Kluttz got a taste (literally!) of the deep roots of the Lebanese community in North Carolina at the N.C. Museum of History’s Cedars in Pines on the Plaza festival.
The event celebrated the long legacy of the Lebanese in Tar Heel State. The Cedar in the Pines exhibit that the event is tied to explores how the group has changed and been changed by North Carolina since its members began to arrive here around 1880.
While at the festival, the Secretary sampled some the finest local Lebanese food and watched displays of Lebanese-American music and dance. Crafts, henna hand painting, Arabic calligraphy, a scavenger hunt were some of the activities that rounded out the day.
If you missed the festival, have no fear! The exhibit will go on view at Tryon Palace in New Bern between September 12 and December 14.
Secretary Kluttz and N.C. Museum of History Director Ken Howard inside at the Cedars in the Pines on the Plaza festival