A North Carolina effort to use the state’s history of bootleg liquor and motorsports to boost tourism has added a Triad spot to its list of attractions.
The North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources launched the Moonshine and Motorsports Trail last year. Distilling grew out of the state’s rich agricultural and social history, and auto racing grew from occasional competitions among speedhungry moonshiners during the 1930s.
Among the nine new sites being added to the trail this year is the North Carolina Zoo’s Purgatory Trail at Purgatory Mountain, a well-known hideout for bootleggers in northern Randolph County that also is about 20 miles from Level Cross, the base of the Richard Petty family racing dynasty.
Other newly added sites:
• Bowman Gray Stadium, Winston-Salem: Built in 1937 as a public works project, this 1/4-mile oval has been referred to as “NASCAR’s Longest-Running Weekly Race Track,” a testament to the sport’s enduring legacy.
• Dale Earnhardt Tribute Plaza, Kannapolis: This plaza in downtown Kannapolis commemorates the NASCAR legend’s life and career with a striking 9-foot, 900-pound bronze statue of Earnhardt, a seven-time NASCAR champion.
• Dismal Swamp State Park, South Mills: Once a sanctuary for moonshiners, the Great Dismal Swamp near Elizabeth City hid large-scale illicit distilling operations during Prohibition.
• Johnston County Heritage Center and Johnston County Museum, Smithfield: Johnston County was the home of Percy Flowers, dubbed the “King of the Moonshiners.”
• Mountain Gateway and Heritage Center, Old Fort: Housing a moonshine still, the museum spotlights Southern Appalachian heritage, culture and the history of western North Carolina.
• Museum of Ashe County History, Jefferson: Featuring the “Moonshine and Music” exhibit, this museum showcases the fusion of Appalachian music culture with the region’s moonshine history.
• NC Transportation Museum, Spencer: Featuring the “Bumper To Bumper” exhibit, this museum displays vintage and antique cars alongside a Highway Patrol car from 1935 and other automotive treasures.
• Orange County Speedway, Rougemont: Known as “the fastest 3/8-mile race track in America,” the high-banked oval has hosted some of the most famous names in stock car racing, including Dale Earnhardt, Jeff Gordon and many more.
For more information and updates on the Moonshine and Motorsports Trail, please visit ncmmtrail.com.
BURLINGTON — Alamance County’s jobless rate inched up in March but remained at a level reflecting a strong local job market.
The county’s rate crept up from 3.5% in February to 3.7% in March, the N.C. Department of Commerce reported Wednesday. The rate was also higher than the 3.4% in March of last year, but 5% or less is a level considered healthy employment.
Alamance County’s labor force totaled 87.166 people this past March, with 3,185 listed as out of work.
Unemployment rates decreased in 44 of North Carolina’s 100 counties from February to March, increased in 22 and remained unchanged in 34, the N.C. Department of Commerce reports. Six of the state’s metropolitan areas recorded rate increases, four decreased and five remained unchanged.
When compared to March last year, unemployment rates increased in 72 counties, decreased in 11 and remained unchanged in 17. Fourteen metropolitan areas posted rate increases over the year and one decreased.
However, in a sign of a still-strong local job market, 90 of the state’s 100 counties recorded jobless rates in February and March at or below 5%, traditionally an indicator of a robust local job market. No counties in February or March recorded unemployment rates at or above 10%, historically the sign of a weak local job market.
The number of workers employed statewide increased in March by 45,082 to 5.09 million while the number unemployed increased by 1,588 to 195,758. Since March 2023, the number of workers employed statewide increased by 46,893 while the number unemployed increased by 15,025.
BURLINGTON — A Selma man was arrested Sunday after he reportedly exposed himself to women outside at least three businesses, the Burlington Police Department said.
Tikwuan Rodriguez, 29, was charged with sexual battery, seven counts of indecent exposure and resisting, delaying or obstructing a public officer. He was being held at the Alamance County Detention Center with no bond allowed.
A woman called 911 about 10 a.m. Sunday and reported that a man exposed himself to her at Harris Teeter, 2727 S. Church St., police said.
The police department received similar reports through the day from three additional women — at Planet Fitness, 635 Huffman Mill Road, at Academy Sports, 655 Huffman Mill Road, and the last about 4 p.m. at the Dollar Tree, 1389 Boone Station Drive.
Officers determined what kind of car the man was driving, and a patrol found it at the University Commons shopping center. Police set up a perimeter and used a drone to find Rodriguez. He tried to run away through the shopping center parking lot, but officers quickly apprehended him, police said.
Investigators ask that anyone with additional information about this investigation contact the Burlington Police Department at (336) 229-3500. For anonymous methods, call Alamance County Crimestoppers at (336) 229-7100 or use the mobile app P3 Tips. Tips provided through Crimestoppers may be eligible for cash rewards.