North Carolina Folklife Institute Joins National Folklore Roadside Marker Program Will Serve as N.C. Grant Evaluator for The William G. Pomeroy Foundation’s Legends & Lore® Marker Program
DURHAM, N.C. – Intriguing stories from North Carolina’s rich heritage of folklore will be featured on roadside markers at sites across the state thanks to a partnership between the North Carolina Folklife Institute and The William G. Pomeroy Foundation.
The North Carolina Folklife Institute will serve as a grant evaluator for the Pomeroy Foundation’s expanding national Legends & Lore® Roadside Marker Grant Program, helping to put North Carolina folklore in the spotlight. Established by the Pomeroy Foundation in 2015, Legends & Lore is designed to promote cultural tourism and commemorate legends and folklore as an important part of the historical past.
“The Pomeroy Foundation is thrilled to partner with the North Carolina Folklife Institute on our expanding Legends & Lore program,” said Bill Pomeroy, founder and trustee of the Pomeroy Foundation. “We feel this is an incredible opportunity to showcase the folklore near and dear to North Carolina, and we’re proud to work with your communities in celebrating and preserving your folklore and legends.”
The Pomeroy Foundation is a private grant-making foundation based in Syracuse, N.Y. that helps people celebrate their community’s history through a variety of signage grant programs, including Legends & Lore. The Foundation’s grants cover the entire cost of a marker, pole, and shipping.
“North Carolina’s folk traditions are truly among our greatest resources,” says North Carolina Folklife Institute Executive Director Sarah Bryan. “They represent our state’s boundless creativity and deep commitment to tradition. We are so looking forward to working with the Pomeroy Foundation to bring recognition to our fascinating folklore, partnering with diverse communities across the state who cherish their folk traditions and keep them alive and well for future generations.”
As a Legends & Lore grant evaluator, the North Carolina Folklife Institute will be responsible for reviewing applications, as well as confirming the legitimacy and accuracy of folklore and legends that applicants in North Carolina intend to commemorate on a marker. Legends & Lore marker grants are now available to municipalities and 501(c)(3) organizations in North Carolina. “We invite community members to visit us at www.ncfolk.org to learn more about how they can commemorate their traditions,” says Bryan.
Working with its first partner organization, the New York Folklore Society, the Pomeroy Foundation’s Legends & Lore program has already helped more than 35 communities in New York State to commemorate their own fascinating local stories. One of those Legends & Lore markers celebrates Ichabod Crane and “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” It’s said that this famous Washington Irving character was based on a real schoolteacher named Jesse Merwin in Kinderhook, New York.
About North Carolina Folklife Institute
The North Carolina Folklife Institute promotes the preservation, appreciation and understanding of the folklife heritage and culture in North Carolina, through documentation projects, festival production, community education programming, publications, and partnering with community organizations throughout in North Carolina.
About the Pomeroy Foundation
The William G. Pomeroy Foundation is a private foundation established in 2005. The Foundation is committed to supporting the celebration and preservation of community history; and to raising awareness, supporting research and improving the quality of care for patients and their families who are facing a blood cancer diagnosis. To date, the Foundation has awarded more than 700 grants for historic signage in New York and beyond. Visit: www.wgpfoundation.org
Contact
North Carolina Folklife Institute
Executive Director Sarah Bryan
www.ncfolk.org
sarah@ncfolklife.org