HEARTS Happenings

Open Every Sunday 1:00-4:00pm Guided Tour at 2:00pm

Tickets required, donations appreciated. Step back in time and experience life in the home of Hugh and Isabella Torance and their son, James Torrance's mercantile store. Our experienced docents guide visitors on a living history adventure as they tour the c.1779 homesite and visit the Torance Store.

Multiple Dates Available

Do you think the oldest store in North Carolina is haunted? Join us for an authentic ghost hunt led by the experienced experts at the Charlotte Area Paranormal Society to scour for spirits using professional investigative tools and equipment.

Multiple Dates beginning Thursday, 4/9/26, 11:00 AM

Step inside The Historic Sharpe House for a charming afternoon where history and hospitality meet. Guests are invited to enjoy a traditional tea service followed by a guided tour of the home’s beautifully preserved first floor.

Multiple Dates beginning Sunday, 4/16/26, 2:00 PM

Enjoy an afternoon of tea and history at The Historic Sharpe House. Guests are invited to enjoy a traditional tea service and a tale of local history, exploring the people, traditions, and moments that shaped the Sharpe House and the surrounding community.

Saturday 5/2/26, 2:00-5:00pm

Join us for our annual community May Day Dance at the Hugh Torance House and Store for a special Living History Day bringing the late 18th and early 19th centuries to life through dedicated reenactors, hands-on experiences, and enthusiastic volunteers. Period attire and costumes are welcome!

Saturday, 5-2-2026 - 11:00 AM, 12:45, PM, or 2:30 PM

Treat the remarkable women in your life to an afternoon of leisure, gratitude, and tradition at the historic Sharpe House for a high tea on the lawn. Enjoy an afternoon of delicate teas, seasonal pastries, and traditional tea sandwiches served with precision by the Footmen of the House.

Saturday 5-23-26, 2:00-5:00pm

Presenting Sherrill’s Path, an important spur off the Great Wagon Road, now preserved in Troutman, NC, and open to the community. Join us to walk the trail and learn more about this path originally formed by bison and deer, adopted by the Native Americans, and eventually led Adam Sherrill to the west side of the Catawba River, now known as Sherrills Ford.

Saturday 6/13/26, 2:00-5:00pm

Presenting Reunion Project, Co-chair, Andre’ Kearns, returns to historic Cedare Grove to share his latest research on Henry Brevard of Lincoln County, made possible through HEARTS Reunion Project. Learn more about this fascinating history and how it interweaves throughout the Lake Norman region in the HEARTS tapestry. Live music, dance, art.

6/16/26 - 7/22/26 11 AM - Noon or 6/18/26 - 7/24/26 11 AM & 2:00 PM

Presenting lessons on Appearance & Carriage, Conversation & Gatherings, Comprehensive training in Tea Etiquette, Dining Etiquette, and navigating a Reception or Buffet with ease. Open to Youth Ages 12 - 16, providing the opportunity to learn the principles of refined conduct, social confidence, and formal dining skills.

Saturday 7/4/26, 2:00-5:00pm

Join us for a fun celebration of the 250th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence at Cedar Grove, featuring blacksmith demonstrations, metal forging history of our region, and, of course, live music, cold beer, and hot dogs with all the fixin’s!

Saturday 8/8/26, 2:00-5:00pm

Join us as we explore sacred grounds, sharing the history hidden around us in our fifth annual program exploring the burial grounds of the enslaved in our region.

Sunday 8/9/2026, 1:00-4:00pm

The Hugh Torance House and Store (HTHS) invites the public to step back in time as we experience a summertime Living History Day. Join us as we bring the late 18th and early 19th centuries to life through dedicated re-enactors, hands-on experiences, and enthusiastic volunteers. Period attire and costumes are welcome!

Saturday 9/12/26 6:00-9:00pm

Featuring Charly Lowry, a soulful powerhouse, enchanting audiences with velvety vocals, heartfelt compositions, and commanding stage presence. Her voice, imbued with a depth and resonance reminiscent of legends like Janis Joplin, Bonnie Raitt and Tracy Chapman, possesses a distinctiveness echoing her Indigenous ancestry rooted in the dark waters of Robeson County, NC.

Sunday, 9-27-2026,11:00 AM, 12:45, PM, or 2:30 PM

As all of the leaves begin to change, the Sharpe House invites you to an autumn tea inspired by the warmth and richness of the harvest season. 

Spiced teas and autumn-inspired pastries set the mood for a cozy yet refined experience served by our Footmen of the House.

Saturday 10/17/26, 2:00-5:00pm

Join us at historic Cedar Grove for an unforgettable afternoon with the Catawba Nation featuring history, ecology, live music and dance, artisan crafts, and jewelry.

Saturday, 10/24/26 - 6:00 PM

Join us at The Historic Sharpe House for an immersive Murder Mystery Dinner where elegance and suspense intertwine. While unraveling clues & questioning suspects, each guest will become part of this experience by observing, investigating, and perhaps even discovering that not everything is as it seems during this spooky dinner.

Sunday 10/25/26, 1:00-4:00pm

The origin of Halloween comes from the Festival of Samhain in Ireland’s Celtic past. This year’s annual event at the Hugh Torance House and Store highlights six unique Irish Halloween traditions we bet you never knew! Step back in time with us to the Celtic tradition of Samhain with a special Living History Day.

Saturday 11/14/2026, 2:00-5:00 pm

HEARTS Harvest features the “E” in HEARTS for Ecology, sharing our region’s agricultural history, natural resources, and how working with the land reaps more benefits than working against it.

Sunday 11/29/2026, 1:00-4:00pm

Join us for our annual Hanging of the Greens and help us decorate the Hugh Torance House and Store for the winter holiday! Partake in this delightful tradition and learn what the evergreens used symbolized and where the custom of kissing under the mistletoe comes from.

DECEMBER - Saturday, 12/05/2026, 2:00-5:00pm

We are excited to welcome back Margaret "Chuck" Basinger, who grew up in Cedar Grove and is the great-great-great-granddaughter of Hugh Torance. She'll share her memories growing up in the house, what has changed, and what’s remained the same.

Sunday 12/06/2026, 1:00-4:00pm

Step back in time, to 1779, and enjoy an incredible living history experience featuring traditional craft demonstrations. Watch as colonial-era crafters demonstrate their talents and participate in the making of their own traditional crafts to take home!

Sunday 12/13/2026, 1:00pm-4:00pm

Join us for a seasonal treat! Watch a colonial cooking demonstration, taste traditionally prepared foods, and listen or sing along with live carolers sharing colonial-era holiday songs.

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