Catawba College historian Gary Freeze will be at  South Main Book Co., 119 S. Main St., during Friday Night Out on March 3, from 6:30 to 8 p.m.

At 7 p.m., Freeze will give a short talk about his latest book, “The Catawbans: Boomers and Bypasses.” The work is the last of a trilogy on the local heritage of Catawba County.

The earlier volumes, “Crafters of a North Carolina County” and Pioneers in Progress, “will also be for sale.  For more information call the store at 704-630-9788.

Open poetry contest

The N.C. State creative writing program announces its annual statewide poetry contest. This is one of the largest free literary competitions in the state and the Southeast, drawing more than 600 entrants last year. The guest judge is poet Richard Garcia.

Mail entries to NC State Poetry Contest, Campus Box 8105, English Department, NC State University, Raleigh, NC, 27695-8105. Postmark deadline is Monday, March 13.

Winners will be announced at the 2017 NC State Poetry Contest Awards on April 13 at Titmus Theatre, Thompson Hall, NC State Campus, 210 Jensen Drive, Raleigh 27606.

The contest is open to all North Carolina residents except tenured/tenure track profoessors in the University of North Carolina system, writing instructors teaching at NCSU (teaching assistants and graduate students are eligible); poets with a published book; and previous winners.

One grand prize ($500) winner and four honorable mentions will be chosen.

There will also be a prize for the NCSU undergraduate with the most admired poem.

Participants may submit up to three typed poems; all poems must be titled.

Previous years’ finalists must submit different poems than before.

Please do not put your name on the poems, so they will be judged anonymously.

Attach a separate sheet with your contact information (name, address, phone number and email).

Because of the volume of entries, no poem will be returned and none may be submitted via email.

For complete rules, visit goncsu.edu/poetrycontest.