News Digest for Town of Carrboro, NC 

(Dec. 4, 2025) 

'Tis the season for celebration! Join us at Town Hall for the Annual Tree Lighting on Friday, Dec. 5, followed by the Community Holiday Parade on Saturday, Dec. 6.  The parade starts in Carrboro this year. It begins near Carrboro Town Hall and will head toward the Communityworx Thrift Shop on W. Main  Street and then move east toward Chapel Hill. Get festive and watch arts, cultural, and community groups! Congratulations to our newly seated Town Council following the swearing-in ceremony held this week. Stay warm and safe out there! A winter weather advisory is in effect late tonight through Friday evening.  

Celebrate at the Carrboro Annual Tree Lighting

Join us at Carrboro Town Hall on at 6 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 5 as we gather for the Annual Tree Lighting and celebrate the festive season!

We welcome all community members to join members of the Town Council along with local schoolchildren from Carrboro and McDougle elementary schools as we officially kick off the season with music and the lighting of the community tree.

In collaboration with our participating schools, we have partnered with Porch to hold a canned food drive. Please bring non-perishable items to the tree lighting and place in each designated box. Let's see which school can collect the most donations! 

Celebrate Holiday Magic at the Carrboro-Chapel Hill Community Holiday Parade

The annual Carrboro-Chapel Hill Community Holiday Parade kicks off at 10 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 6. Get festive and watch arts, cultural, and community groups make their way through our community downtowns! 

The parade begins at 501 W. Weaver Street in Carrboro, continues onto E. Main Street in Carrboro, and travels eastward along Franklin Street to end at 140 W. Franklin Street in Chapel Hill.  

Arrive early to grab a spot and plan to stay after the parade to explore restaurants and shops. 

Parade Traffic Alerts

• Starting at 7 a.m., W. Weaver Street to Greensboro Street will be closed for parade participants to assemble. Country Junction business traffic will be able to access the restaurant up until 9:15 a.m. from W. Main Street. 
• Starting at 9:30 a.m., note that roads closed to motor vehicle traffic are W. Main Street from near the CommunityWorx Thrift Shop and E. Main Street in Carrboro moving eastward toward Chapel Hill and W. Franklin Street. 
•  In Chapel Hill, W. Franklin Street and Church Street between Rosemary Street and Franklin Street) will be closed as the parade moves through.
•  Carrboro Farmers’ Market Traffic: We highly encourage early morning Farmers’ Market traffic to access and exit the market via Jones Ferry Road from the NC-54 Bypass due to the W. Main Street closure during the parade. 

Parking 

Find Parking in Carrboro at https://www.carrboronc.gov/2774/Downtown-Parking ; and in Chapel Hill at https://parkonthehill.com/public-parking/ ;

Please remember there is no event parking at Carr Mill Mall.  Parking is for mall patrons only while on premises. Leaving the site may result in your vehicle being towed. 

Parking along Rosemary Street or outside of designated spaces is not permitted. 

Carrboro elected officials take oaths of office

Our local elected officials on the Carrboro Town Council held an Organizational Meeting to take their oaths of office on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025. 

Have you ever heard the oath of office taken by your local government leaders? In North Carolina, all local elected officials take a general oath that requires a pledge to support the Constitutions and laws of both the United States and North Carolina, and to faithfully discharge the duties of the office.  

• Watch vid highlights: https://youtu.be/LhL2VUb6TA8?si=JLOuDWQFq27tKvPD 
• Full video here: https://www.youtube.com/live/0uFOpIAC63Y?si=_RSKk5XIQPr7Fz2u

Mayor Barbara Foushee was sworn-in by Judge Joal H. Broun, Council Member Fred Joiner read his oath of office with NC Rep. Allen Buansi, and Council Member Danny Nowell also read his oath with Rep. Buansi. Council Member Cristóbal Palmer will take the oath of office at a future date. 

A resolution of appreciation was read for Council Member Randee Haven-O’Donnell, who received a warm reception and standing applause following her remarks providing an overview of her decades of local service. Also at this meeting, Council Member Eliazar Posada-Orozco was selected as mayor pro-tem. 

Wreaths for Town Hall: A Community Tradition

Thanks to the Carrboro Garden Club, Town Hall is adorned with a beautiful natural wreath and greenery swags for the holiday season.

A community tradition for the past 40 years, the wreaths are made by community members with clippings from their yards and gardens including conifer greenery like Eastern Red Cedar, Pine and Juniper. They also use Magnolia branches, grasses, pinecones, other interesting cones, holly, and berries of different colors.

The Carrboro Public Works Department works closely with the club members on the wreath project each year. Thanks to Mayor Barbara Foushee for meeting with local garden club members for the wreath raising on Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025.

Here’s a historical overview of the tradition from the membership:

Ken Moore asked the Town to build a huge 6-foot wooden wreath form from plywood and paint it green. Since then, two other smaller wreath plywood bases have been created. We strive to use native conifer boughs, Eastern Red Cedar, Magnolia branches, Holly berries, native pinecones, decorative pods, grasses and even dried Okra pods to embellish our wreaths. Sherry Jones and her friend and colleague Jean (who worked together at Southern States) created huge red velvet bows to embellish our wreaths.

The Carrboro Community Garden Club was formed by Frances Shetley and others in 1987.  At that time, Marty Mandell was president, Nancy White was vice president, Sherry Jones was secretary, and Doug Wait was treasurer. Committees were led by Aileen Randall (membership), Sherry Jones and Frances Shetley (Town contacts), and Barbara Cox, Sherry Jones and Mary Jiminez (program).

For 36 years, our local Carrboro Community Garden Club has strived to encourage our neighbors and the town of Carrboro to include natural, native plants for our beautiful Carrboro gardens and public spaces. In the 1990s, Ken Moore, then assistant director of the NC botanical Garden, joined our group and helped steer us toward appreciating native plants for our gardens and the community.

Carrboro is a special town that honors nature.

Beyond the Thirteenth Amendment: Reclaiming the Promise of Freedom

The Town of Carrboro is a co-sponsor of the community history event “Beyond the Thirteenth Amendment: Reclaiming the Promise of Freedom” offered from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025 at the Carrboro Century Center, 100 N. Greensboro St. 

The public is invited to register online for this free event.

Event Details

On December 6, 1865, the ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment abolished slavery in the United States. As we reflect on this dark chapter in our nation’s history, join our continued work to build a nation that protects the rights of all its people.

This symposium will feature panel discussions with renowned legal scholars and historians, as well as a keynote conversation between Dr. Martha Jones and NC Supreme Court Justice, Anita Earls.

Dr. Martha Jones is an American historian and legal scholar. She is the Society of Black Alumni Presidential Professor and Professor of History at Johns Hopkins University. She studies the legal and cultural history of the United States, with a particular focus on how Black Americans have shaped the history of American democracy. She has published books on the voting rights of African American women, the debates about women's rights among Black Americans in the early United States, and the development of birthright citizenship in the United States as promoted by African Americans in Baltimore before the Civil War.

Anita Earls is an American civil rights attorney who has served as an associate justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court since 2019. She previously served as the executive director of the Southern Coalition for Social Justice, as well as a deputy assistant attorney general in the Civil Rights Division of the United States Department of Justice during the Clinton administration. On Nov. 6, 2018, Earls defeated Republican incumbent Justice Barbara Jackson in a three-candidate election to win a seat on the state's highest court.

Program partners for Beyond the Thirteenth Amendment symposium include:

• Orange County Community Remembrance Coalition
• Orange County Office of Civil Rights & Civic Life
• Carolina Public Humanities & Carolina K-12
• Town of Carrboro
• Chapel Hill Public Library's Community History Program

Braxton Dunkin Foushee Day of Service 2025

The Town of Carrboro will recognize Saturday, Dec. 13, as Braxton Dunkin Foushee Day of Service in Carrboro in his honor and for gratitude for his service to the town. 

Residents are encouraged to learn and reflect on Carrboro’s Black history and perform an act of service. 

Town Manager Patrice Toney has commissioned the Town’s leadership to volunteer on Monday, Dec. 8 at Inter-Faith Council for Social Service.  She is also encouraging ongoing volunteering at non-profits that support education, mentorship, and life skills development for at-risk youth, all of which are a lifelong focus of Braxton Dunkin Foushee.

Learn more about how you can celebrate Braxton Dunkin Foushee Day.

Buy BIPOC this Holiday Season

The Town of Carrboro invites everyone to support locally owned businesses that reflect the diversity of the community this holiday season. 

The Buy BIPOC campaign running this December highlights minority-owned businesses and encourages the community to shop local. As you’re out shopping this holiday season, consider supporting Carrboro’s BIPOC Businesses.

Carrboro has a vibrant and inclusive local economy that is home to many BIPOC businesses and nonprofit organizations. The Town aims to support the growth of BIPOC business and the community as a whole. Our town's diversity in race, ethnicity, language, gender identity, education, and culture is an important part of what makes our town unique. Inclusive, equitable growth is fundamental to our economic sustainability.

In the Carrboro Connects Economic Sustainability plan, the Town sets a goal to "create a more inclusive economy, encourage more racial equity in business development, and increase support for locally-owned businesses."

To find a full listing of Carrboro BIPOC businesses you can support this holiday season, visit the Economic Development webpage to see the Buy BIPOC database:  https://www.carrboronc.gov/2582/Buy-BIPOC-Listing

Carrboro receives high score in the 2025 Municipal Equality Index

The Town of Carrboro is pleased to announce a score of 93 in the 2025 Municipal Equality Index (MEI). 

The MEI is a nationwide evaluation of 506 cities on how inclusive cities’ laws, policies, and services are of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) people.

Since 2014, the Town of Carrboro has been rated by the Human Rights Campaign in their annual report of the MEI. The index examines how inclusive municipal laws, policies, and services are of LGBTQ+ people who live and work there. Cities are rated based on non-discrimination laws, the municipality as an employer, municipal services, law enforcement and leadership on LGBTQ+ equality.

“Carrboro’s commitment to equity is not just a value—it’s a practice.," said Town Manager Patrice Toney. "This high Municipal Equity Index score reflects the work of an entire community that believes every person deserves to feel safe, affirmed, and fully included. We will continue strengthening our policies, services, and partnerships to ensure Carrboro remains a place where everyone can thrive.”

To see the Town’s score, and how Carrboro compares to other cities across the nation, please visit: www.hrc.org/mei

Leaf Collection in Carrboro

Have you noticed leaf piles around town? It’s certainly that time of year. The Town of Carrboro would like to remind everyone that leaves should not be piled into traffic lanes, bike lanes or sidewalks, as they become a dangerous public safety hazard.

Residents should also check collection schedules for yard waste and leaves, so that piles do not remain at the curb longer than necessary.

Typically, residents receive yard waste and loose-leaf collection twice per month, either on the first and third Mondays of the month or the second and fourth Mondays of the month. It’s important to note that although the collection day is Monday, depending on the volume of material placed at the curb, the routes may take more than one day to complete.  

Read more about Leaf Collection in Carrboro.

Save the Date: Carrboro Event Honoring Martin Luther King Jr.

Join us on Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026, at 1 p.m. in Century Hall located at the Carrboro Century Center, 100 N. Greensboro St. Carrboro, NC 27510 to hear from speakers and friends of the community gather for the Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration. 

Activities include trivia, youth speakers, Performances by Sisters Voices Choir and SkyBlew, and more!

This youth led event strives to bring the community together to celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 

Dr. Martin Luther King Day Youth Poetry Exhibition

Celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by submitting a poem to be a part of our Dr. Martin Luther King Day Youth Poetry Exhibition. Elementary, Middle and High School students in Orange County, NC are invited to submit original poems emphasizing Dr. King's core values such as kindness, acceptance, compassion, social justice, unity, equality and civic responsibility. 

Selected submissions will be displayed at the poetry exhibition, and one participant will be awarded the opportunity to speak at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day event on Saturday, Jan. 17. 

Participation is free, and submissions are now being accepted online. For more information and to submit a poem, please review the online entry form.

Town Council Update

CARRBORO, NC --The Carrboro Town Council will meet next at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 6,  2026. 

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 www.YouTube.com/CarrboroNC  

• The agenda is available at  https://carrboro.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx
• Access the livestream direct link to view the meeting at https://www.youtube.com/live/0uFOpIAC63Y?si=_RSKk5XIQPr7Fz2u

Past Meeting Recap 

The Carrboro Town Council met on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025 for an organizational meeting to take their oaths of office.  See the story above! 

Watch the meeting livestream at https://www.youtube.com/live/g2lavy4GI0U?si=YBgN0dCUsdZ9U7fy 

Leave the Leaves

Fallen leaves are more than just seasonal color — they are shelter. 

Leaving your leaves is one of the easiest ways to help insects and soil health in your yard. Piles of fallen leaves create homes for all sorts of beneficial critters, from butterflies and beetles to worms and fireflies. It’s also a great way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Instead of using a gas-powered leaf blower, leave those leaves where they fall.  

How to Leave Your Leaves:  

• Leave them where they fall - Fallen leaves offer shelter for creatures like fireflies, beetles, and butterflies, and save you time on yard maintenance! 
• Rake leaves under trees, around shrubs, and into perennial beds – Leaves can act as a natural mulch that suppresses weeds and retains moisture 
• Compost your leaves – Add valuable nutrients to your soil for even more beautiful plants in the Spring  

Read more about leaving your leaves.

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.