[Editor’s Note: “3 things happening in NC” is Cardinal & Pine’s weekly guide to happenings, news, and culture in North Carolina. Sign up for Cardinal & Pine’s award-winning, free newsletter to get it in your inbox every week.]
With the North Carolina General Assembly heading into a weeklong Memorial Day break this week, the political scene won’t be all that active, but there’s lots going on in North Carolina’s sports world.
Before I get into the major NHL playoff run being made by the Carolina Hurricanes, I have to give a shoutout to a lesser known but no-less-important team: the Carolina Ascent.
The Ascent launched in Charlotte in 2024 as part of the inaugural season for the USL Super League, a Division I professional women’s soccer league that operates at the top tier of the sport in the United States — alongside, not under, the National Women’s Soccer League.
On Sunday evening, the third-ranked Ascent upset No. 2 Sporting Club Jacksonville to secure a spot in the final this week, facing off against the top-ranked Lexington SC (that’s Sporting Club, not South Carolina; the team is based in Kentucky.).
That match will take place at 7 p.m. on Saturday in Lexington. This weekend will also see the Hurricanes playing at home in Raleigh, we’re just not sure what their odds will look like when they arrive back in Raleigh from Montreal.
North Carolina hockey is really strong
The Carolina Hurricanes split two home games against the Montreal Canadiens to kick off the Eastern Conference Finals last week, including a 3-2 overtime victory at Lenovo Center on Saturday night that was closed out with a game-winning goal from free agent acquisition Nikolaj Ehlers.
The team will be back in Raleigh this Friday night, but not before they play two above the border, starting tonight with Game 3 at the Bell Centre in Montreal at 8 p.m.
Head coach Rod Brind’Amour emphasized the importance of a new addition like Ehlers over the offseason to help the ‘Canes clear the Eastern Conference Finals, where they fell to the Florida Panthers to end their run last year.
“It makes you that much tougher to play against,” Brind’Amour told team reporter Walt Rugg. “We’ve got a guy that, we don’t have to change our game, but now you add that piece in there, and all of a sudden, we’re more explosive. There’s a guy that can win the game for you.”
Hopefully, Ehlers & Co. can win at least one in Montreal so as to return to Raleigh with the series either tied or tipped in their favor. Regardless of what happens up north, the team will be back in the Lenovo Center for Game 5 at 8 p.m. on Friday.
State’s first African American hospital honored
The NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resources will install a long overdue North Carolina Highway Historical Marker in Uptown Charlotte on Thursday to commemorate Good Samaritan Hospital, opened in 1891 to treat African American patients in the Queen City.
Founded by Jane Renwick Smedberg Wilkes and others, Good Samaritan was the first public hospital serving Black patients in North Carolina. It was located at the corner of Mint and Graham streets from 1891-1996, razed shortly after its 105th birthday to make way for the Carolina Panthers’ new stadium.
When it opened in 1891, Good Samaritan could only house 20 patients. The hospital launched a school to train Black nurses in 1903 and doubled the number of patient beds with an expansion in 1925. Another wing addition in 1936 increased capacity to 100 patients.
After the hospital was sold to the city of Charlotte in 1961, it became Charlotte Community Hospital, treating both Black and white patients in segregated wards. The Charlotte Community Hospital became the Magnolia Rest Home in 1982.
Officials will commemorate the new marker at 11 a.m. on Thursday at Ebenezer Baptist Church on West Sugar Creek Road before installing it closer to the actual site later that day.
Bear Shadow Music Festival returns to North Carolina
Bear Shadow music festival will mark its fifth year this weekend at Base Camp, just a few minutes from downtown Highlands, a small mountain town near the Georgia state line.
This year’s three-day festival features a wide array of talented acts, including Grammy Award-winner Trombone Shorty and country staples like Charley Crockett and Margo Price (one of my absolute favorite artists in music right now).
Other notable acts include Mavis Staples, The Infamous Stringdusters, and Kashus Culpepper.
While the music is what carries the Bear Shadow fest, there are so many reasons why it’s worth your while. Organizers ensure the experience is an unforgettable one with side missions like “Summit & Sound,” which features guided hikes leading to intimate music experiences overlooking high vista views.
There are also fly-fishing excursions and other events throughout town centered on wellness and nature.
