Good morning, Hickory.

A former Conover daycare worker, Kaleigh Gambill, pleaded guilty to eight counts of assault on a child under 12 and began an eight-day sentence—accompanied by 18 months of supervised probation—after assaulting children under four at Woodlawn Baptist Church Child Development Center.

On July 17, Governor Josh Stein announced that the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources awarded more than $11 million from the Great Trails State Program to support 37 trail projects in western North Carolina, including a $500,000 rebuild of the boardwalk at Glenn C.

Hilton, Jr. Memorial Park in Hickory—this funding is part of a historic $25 million trail investment by the General Assembly.

In Hickory's fall election, voters will choose a mayor and city council members as incumbent Hank Guess faces first-time candidate Park Inglefield and five candidates vie for the contested Ward 5 seat — while two other council races are unopposed.

Filing ended July 18 and ballots will be cast on Nov 4 — with a Ward 5 primary set for Oct 7.

On July 20, 2025, the Charleston RiverDogs beat the Hickory Crawdads 6-4 when Ricardo Gonzalez hit a two-run single in the tenth inning — five errors and six walks hurt the Crawdads while a Myrtle Beach win moved the Pelicans into first place by half a game.

On July 20th, the Hickory Crawdads defeated the Charleston RiverDogs 7-5 at LP Frans Stadium by rallying with five runs in the sixth inning—breaking a three-game losing streak.

Wady Mendez sparked the comeback with a two-run homer that turned the game in Hickory's favor.

On July 20, CVCC baseball alumni Ethan Young and Trace Baker were selected in the MLB Draft at Truist Park in Atlanta—Young was drafted in the fifth round by the St. Louis Cardinals and Baker was picked in the 13th round by the Toronto Blue Jays.

On Friday night, the Charleston RiverDogs beat the Hickory Crawdads 7-1 at LP Frans Stadium—Ryan Andrade delivered a decisive four-run seventh inning while Wady Mendez got the only extra-base hit for Hickory.

Garrett Horn suffered the loss, dropping his record as the team struggled to find its usual spark.

On Saturday, July 19, winners from the 4th Annual Jack Ingram Memorial at Hickory Motor Speedway were announced — Caden Kvapil won the 111-lap late model race while Ryan Zima, Cody DeMarmels and Tristen Barnes took wins in the limiteds, street stocks and super stocks respectively.

The NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Series will race again this Saturday night with the late models running 100 laps and additional events in the limiteds, baby grands, Carolina Pro Late Model Series and crate modifieds.

Big Bang Boom!

10-11 a.m. — Patrick Beaver Memorial Library — Free entry — Enjoy a family-friendly rock concert perfect for kids of all ages in a cozy library setting.

Furniture Festival & Clearance Sale

9 AM – 6 PM — Hickory Furniture Mart — Free entry — Discover amazing discounts on furniture while enjoying artisan displays and demonstrations.

Sunny Ledfurd Live Performance

7-10 p.m. — The Premier — No cover — Enjoy an eclectic mix of tunes from Sunny Ledfurd's broad musical influences.

Summer Heat Mixed Moneyball Tournament

5:30 AM — Carolina Pickleball Club - Hickory — Competitive entry — Enjoy an exciting day of mixed doubles pickleball action under the summer sun.

ASICS XC Night

6-8 p.m. — Fleet Feet Hickory — Free entry — Gear up for your XC season with exclusive insights and gear at Fleet Feet.

Metallica & Guns and Roses Tribute

7-11 p.m. — The Premier — $17.45 - $519.00 — Experience a night of classic rock as tribute bands King Nothing and Appetite for Illusion rock out to legends Metallica and Guns N' Roses.