🗞️ A Kernersville potter brings Moravian history back to life

🗞️ Blueberry Day returns to Apple Family Farm on July 11

🗞️ Where to celebrate the Fourth across the Triad

🗞️ Feeling frazzled by the Fourth? How to keep the holiday low-stress

🌞 Sunny and hot | High: 95°F | Low: 73°F

A hot, sunny start to July with a high near 95 and building heat heading into the holiday weekend. Drink water, find shade, and check on neighbors who feel the heat.

Kernersville's Tara Logue is a master potter, ceramics expert and pottery historian, but she got there by an unusual route. After earning a fine arts degree from UNC Asheville in 2013 and teaching middle school while making pottery on the side, she landed a job at Old Salem and came at history "pottery-first." "I was doing ceramic reproductions," she said. "I studied the art and the artists that made it, and that led me to specific research. I landed in decorative arts from that angle, and it led me to the depth of research I am doing now."

In eight years at Old Salem Museum and Gardens, where she served as lead potter and director of education, Logue reproduced Moravian earthenware tile stoves known as "kachelofen," German for "tile oven." "A lot of cultures claim to have invented the tile oven, probably because everybody put their own spin on it," she said. Her work has taken her to the International Conference of the Masonry Heater Association and the "Things" podcast at the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts, and she worked alongside the late master potter Ron Probst to restore a historic tile stove in the Single Brothers' House at Old Salem.

Her research centers on Piedmont Moravian earthenware, and she is updating old forms for modern life, making pieces in the stoneware range so they are dishwasher and microwave safe. On June 23 she gave a talk in Asheboro on how tile-stove tiles were made in the old days, including the patriotic designs of Jacob Meyer, the earliest known potter in Randolph County. Logue is now working on launching a web store; you can follow her work on Instagram at instagram.com/Tara.logue.pottery.

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If you are looking for a sweet, low-key way to spend a summer Saturday, mark July 11. Apple Family Farm, at 1765 NC-66 South in Kernersville, hosts its annual Blueberry Day, a family favorite built around the farm's u-pick blueberry patch. In past years the celebration has paired pick-your-own berries with live music, local vendors, games and prizes, and plenty of blueberry treats.

It is the kind of homegrown outing that fits this town: grab a bucket, fill it with fresh berries, and let the kids run while a band plays in the background. Bring a hat and water, since it will be a warm one, and wear shoes you do not mind getting a little dusty.

Hours and the full lineup can shift year to year, so check Apple Family Farm's Facebook page or give them a call at 336-993-2279 before you head out. Either way, it is a delicious reason to support a local farm and slow down for a morning.

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Wherever you are in the Triad this Saturday, there is a fireworks show with your name on it. Close to home, Kernersville's free Fourth of July Fireworks and Concert lights up Raiders Field, with gates at 5 p.m. and live music, food trucks and face painting before the show.

Looking to make a day of it? Greensboro brings back Fun Fourth downtown, with a Freedom Run in the morning and Freedom Fest along Elm Street in the afternoon. High Point hosts its Uncle Sam Jam at Oak Hollow Festival Park, with gates at 4:30 p.m. and fireworks around 9:15 p.m. And in Winston-Salem, the Dash mark "America 250" week at Truist Stadium, including a July 4 game with a pregame flyover and the city's official fireworks show.

A few of these charge for parking or admission, so check each event's page before you go. And with real heat in the forecast, pack water, sunscreen and a plan to stay cool no matter which show you pick.

Triad fireworks guide

The Fourth is supposed to be fun, but big crowds, loud booms, family logistics and high heat can leave anyone frazzled. A little planning helps. Psychologists who write for Psychology Today suggest leaning on simple tools: slow, deep breaths when a crowd or a traffic jam gets to you, a few minutes of quiet to reset, and permission to say no to the plans that feel like too much. Setting gentle boundaries, and keeping expectations realistic, protects your good mood as much as anyone else's.

Fireworks are a joy for many, but the sudden booms can be genuinely hard on some neighbors, including young children, people with sensory sensitivities, pets, and veterans living with PTSD. If that is someone in your circle, plan ahead: watch from farther away and upwind, bring ear protection, pick a calmer vantage point, or enjoy a quieter at-home celebration with glow sticks and music. Familiar songs and steady rhythms can actually help settle a racing heart.

None of this means skipping the celebration. It just means celebrating in a way that feels good for you and the people you are with. If you or someone you love is struggling, support is available any time by calling or texting 988, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

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