[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.]
Below, we’ll get to North Carolina moonshine legend Amos Owen, aka “the Cherry Bounce King,” but first:
According to the latest numbers from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, only about 2.5% of all employees in North Carolina are members of a union.
Compared to the national rate—around 10% of employed wage and salary workers are union numbers—the numbers in North Carolina are dismal. The only state with a lower percentage is South Dakota (2.3%).
A report published by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute last week found that our state has experienced one of the biggest drops in teacher union membership since 2008, as reported by WRAL.
I’m not here to proselytize on the benefits of labor unions or call on you to organize your workplace, but I do think the above statistics provide critical context to one bill that may be voted on this week by lawmakers in Raleigh who aim to discourage organizers from bringing those numbers up.
It leads off our 3 Things Happening column, which this week includes a good mix of politics, sports and old-fashioned corn liquor.
North Carolina Republicans want to stop unions from picketing workplaces. Here’s how
The NC House is scheduled to consider Senate Bill 484, titled Workplace Violence Prevention/Mass Picketing, this week.
SB 484 would amend North Carolina’s North Carolina’s Workplace Violence Prevention Act by allowing employers to seek restraining orders against organizers and protesters participating in “mass picketing” that blocks access to businesses and public roads.
The bill identifies picketing that hinders or prevents the “pursuit of any lawful work or employment,” the obstruction of entrances to or from a place of employment, and the obstruction of the use of public roads, streets, and other areas of travel as unlawful conduct and allows employers to seek civil no-contact orders against people participating in any such activity.
The bill passed through the NC Senate in early May with a 40-7 vote, with Democrats casting all the No votes. Other Democrats voted in favor of the bill after lawmakers approved two amendments from NC Sen. Mujtaba Mohammed that he said ensured the bill won’t prohibit any federally protected labor activity, as reported by NC Newsline.
One of the amendments clarifies exemptions for peaceful demonstrations, informational picketing, and legally protected labor activity unless they involve violence, threats, or intentional obstruction.
The House is expected to take up the bill for a potential vote on Tuesday morning.
Hurricanes host first games of NHL Stanley Cup Final
The Lenovo Center will be rocking on Tuesday night as the Carolina Hurricanes kick off the 2026 NHL Stanley Cup Final against the Vegas Gold Knights — a matchup that is certainly angering those hockey purists who don’t think any hot-weather cities should have hockey teams.
They’ll just have to cope.
This week’s championship series comes after the Hurricanes cruised by the Montreal Canadiens in the semifinals, winning 6-1 on Friday night in Raleigh to take the series four games to one.
Since relocating from Hartford before the 1997-98 season, the Hurricanes have reached the Stanley Cup Final three times, losing the first time in 2002 before taking the Cup home with them in 2006.
Who comes out on top of this year’s matchup will depend on how the two defensive powerhouses continue to carry their respective momentum, with the Hurricanes only having dropped one game in the playoffs thus far. Let’s go, ‘Canes!
Cherry Bounce Festival celebrates a moonshining legend
Known as the Cherry Bounce King, Amos Owen was a turn-of-the-century legend of the North Carolina mountains thanks to his tasty mix of cherries, honey and corn whiskey that he called Cherry Bounce.
Now, 120 years after Owen’s death, his legacy lives on in the Cherry Bounce Festival, held annually in his hometown of Forest City in Rutherford County.
Launched in 2019, the festival features art from local and regional artists, live bluegrass/Americana music, and plenty of moonshine and cherry-inspired items from local vendors, restaurants, and businesses.
And if you’re looking for a side mission, check out the Cherry Bounce Trail, which traces Owens’ bootlegging path with stops along the way at 18 historical markers, the county courthouse, and a few local businesses. That includes the Blue Ridge Distilling Co., as long as you have a designated driver to finish off the scenic drive.
