Why is North Carolina called the Tar Heel State? Why is the pine the state tree?

The Stanly County Historical Society has invited Earl L. Ijames, curator, African American History/Curation at the North Carolina Museum of History in Raleigh, to come to Stanly County to answer these questions and share other interesting facts about North Carolina history.

The program will be at 2 p.m. Feb. 27 at the E.E. Waddell Center, 621 Wall St., Albemarle.

The program is free, and the public is invited to attend. Registration is encouraged by calling the Stanly County History Center at 704-986-3777 or online at historicstanly.org by selecting the Event Registration tab. Be sure to click Submit after completing the online registration.

Ijames has been a curator with the North Carolina Museum of History since 2008. Prior to that he was reference archivist with the NC Office of Archives and History for eight years and photograph archivist from 1994-2000.

Ijames is a 1991 graduate of North Carolina State University with a major in history and minors in economics, English, and african american studies.

From 1989-1990 he was a legal researcher at North Carolina Supreme Court, Department of History at NC. State University.

Among his many accomplishments he has served on numerous history-related boards and committees.

Ijames is frequently called on to serve as a lecturer, panelist, consultant and host for various events, festivals, organizations and radio and TV broadcasts. He has been involved with numerous historical film productions.

He graduated from George Washington Carver High School in Winston-Salem.

In his spare time he is a farmer in Johnston County and owner/manager of Towne and Country Book and Coffee in Wendell.

Over the years Earl has coached Boy’s and Girl’s Upward Bound Youth Basketball, Youth football in Zebulon and youth basketball for parks and recreation in Wendell.

Ijames will bring a long leaf pine from his farm to be planted at the E.E. Waddell Center.

The planting will take place at 2 p.m. prior to his program.