On January 10, 2019, North Carolina First Lady Kristin Cooper visited Hillsborough to learn about the prolific music and arts scene existing in Orange County. She was joined by Secretary of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources Susi Hamilton and representatives from the North Carolina Arts Council.
The day began with presentations by Music Maker Foundation Managing Director Denise Duffy and Orange County Arts Commission Director Katie Murray. The First Lady, Secretary Hamilton, and Wayne Martin of the NC Arts Council were then interviewed on Hillsborough’s local radio station WHUP. The group received a tour of record distributor Redeye Worldwide’s office and warehouse in West Hillsborough and ended the day with a meet and greet with local dignitaries at Volume, a bar and record shop in Downtown Hillsborough.
The visit was part of the First Lady’s pledge to visit arts and cultural sites in all 100 NC counties by 2020. In addition, it celebrated the kick-off of the Come Hear NC campaign, an initiative of the NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resources and the NC Arts Council, celebrating 2019 as NC’s “Year of Music.” The campaign was created to promote and share stories of the musical artists – past and present – across the state who have greatly influenced and are still contributing to the music scene across America.