Good morning, Hickory.

Today the 90th Iredell County Agricultural Fair opens at 5 p.m. at the fairgrounds on North Main Street in Troutman and runs until Sept.

12. Daily events feature Marc Dobson’s One-Man Band, Jay Mattioli’s magic performances starting Sept. 7, agriculture exhibits and fireworks—adult admission is $8.

New Translations will perform a free show today at 7 p.m. on Union Square as the fall Sails Concert Series begins.

The event launches Passions Alive (a live music and visual art project) with Dan Smith painting live while nearby businesses and restaurants follow social-district beverage rules.

One Catawba County school earned an A on its performance review while nine schools earned a B, 16 received a C and one received a D out of 27 eligible schools.

The North Carolina State Board of Education will hold a hearing on the proposed merger plan for county schools in December; briefs from Catawba County Schools, Hickory City Schools, and Newton-Conover City Schools can be submitted in October (as part of the review process).

Hickory will host a Patriot Day Remembrance Ceremony on Friday, Sept.

11 at 9:30 a.m. at Union Square to mark the 25th anniversary of Sept. 11 (bells toll at 8:46 a.m.), with city leaders presenting remarks and musical tributes.

Dr. Matthew Edwards was named CEO and area president at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist (aligning clinical and academic priorities with Wake Forest University) to boost the health system’s mission.

Hickory's Crawdads scored three runs in the fifth inning to edge the Fayetteville Woodpeckers 3-2 at LP Frans Stadium on Thursday night.

The win extended the team's 13-game streak + established the best record in the Carolina League.

High school boys soccer on Wednesday saw Hibriten defeat South Caldwell 10 & 1 while Patton beat St. Stephens 7 & 2 in non-conference matchups in Hickory.

The results highlighted strong local team performances.

Hickory Metro high school volleyball teams swept non-conference matches on Wednesday, Sept.

2. Alexander Central, Freedom, Mooresville and South Caldwell won their games by a margin of 3 to 0.