KINSTON, N.C. – Make a stop at the CSS Neuse Civil War Interpretive Center on your visit to see the annual Christmas parade and beautiful lights in downtown Dec. 9. The parade will begin at 10 a.m. and afterwards visitors can enjoy cider and cookies in the museum. Experience a Victorian Christmas while making a craft with staff and see the opening of the Foster’s Raid exhibit. The exhibit requires admission; cookies and craft are free.

The Foster’s Raid exhibit will be unveiled at 11 a.m. with a presentation from Randy Sauls, with Goldsboro Bridge Battlefield Commission, at 11:30 a.m.

Union Gen. John G. Foster led troops through eastern North Carolina Dec. 11- 20, 1862, that included the Battle of Kinston, Battle of Whitehall and Battle of Goldsboro Bridge. The new exhibit commemorates to 155th anniversary of the campaign and the men who fought in it through graphic panels and unique artifacts from the museum’s collection.

If you love making Christmas crafts and learning about past Christmas traditions, the CSS Neuse staff and volunteers will be waiting for you. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., learn about Victorian Christmas practices and make a Christmas craft to take home. Craft activities are free and open to all.

The CSS Neuse is the only remaining commissioned Confederate ironclad above water. It was part of a new technology that the Confederacy used to combat the superior manpower and firepower of the Union Navy. Learn about this technological advance and warfare in eastern North Carolina at the CSS Neuse Civil War Interpretive Center. The Confederate Navy launched the CSS Neuse hoping to gain control of the lower Neuse River and New Bern, but ultimately destroyed the vessel to keep it out of Union hands.

The CSS Neuse Civil War Interpretive Center is located at 100 N. Queen St., Kinston, N.C., and open Tuesday-Saturday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Admission: adults $5, senior/active military $4, Students (ages 3-12) $3, ages 2 and under free.

For additional information, please call the site at (252) 526-9600 x223. The CSS Neuse Center and the Richard Caswell Memorial are within the Division of State Historic Sites in the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

About the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources

The N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (NCDNCR) is the state agency with a vision to be the leader in using the state’s natural and cultural resources to build the social, cultural, educational and economic future of North Carolina. NCDNCR’s mission is to improve the quality of life in our state by creating opportunities to experience excellence in the arts, history, libraries and nature in North Carolina by stimulating learning, inspiring creativity, preserving the state’s history, conserving the state’s natural heritage, encouraging recreation and cultural tourism, and promoting economic development.

NCDNCR includes 27 historic sites, seven history museums, two art museums, two science museums, three aquariums and Jennette’s Pier, 39 state parks and recreation areas, the N.C. Zoo, the nation’s first state-supported Symphony Orchestra, the State Library, the State Archives, the N.C. Arts Council, State Preservation Office and the Office of State Archaeology, along with the Division of Land and Water Stewardship. For more information, please call (919) 807-7300 or visit www.ncdcr.gov.