Good morning, Hickory.

Pretty Little Goat will perform at 7 p.m. Friday, June 26 to close the spring season of Hickory’s free Sails Original Music Series at Union Square (downtown), where lawn chairs and blankets are welcome and food is available from local vendors.

CCC&TI students earned honors at the state SkillsUSA competition in Greensboro this spring + Jonathan Snyder won first in welding while others excelled in CNC milling, programming and robotics contests; the school was noted for boosting participation under the state SkillsUSA North Carolina Total Participation Plan.

Newton-Conover school district will provide summer meals-to-go for families facing economic hardship – school nutrition director Nancy Price said the program aims to help meet essential needs.

Drought conditions keep Hickory in Stage 2 of the Low Inflow Protocol, so customers must follow water-use rules (irrigate no more than two days a week and avoid watering on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday) with fines for violations.

Governor Josh Stein declared the summer as Stanley Cup Summer to honor the Carolina Hurricanes' championship and named Edwards Mill Road in Raleigh as Hurricanes Highway.

A championship parade is planned in downtown Raleigh where the Cup will be displayed and he is scheduled to speak.

The Catawba Police Department received a $5,500 grant from the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation today to buy five new AEDs for emergency response + police said the equipment will help officers deliver lifesaving care with support from local Firehouse Subs in Hickory.

Chris Cogdill resigned as head football coach at East Burke High School on June 22 and accepted the position at East Rutherford High School after one season (4-7 overall).

4th of July Music Festival and Fireworks

5:30-11:30 p.m. — L. P. Frans Stadium — $25-$30 — Celebrate America’s 250th birthday with a vibrant concert and a spectacular fireworks show.