Teddy Bear and Friends Chicken Dinner is a fundraising benefit for North Shelby School. Organized by Carl “Teddy Bear” Fortenberry, it has been held annually since 2004. Proceeds are used for the school’s senior class for a trip to Myrtle Beach. More. . .
February
The annual wait for snow and the obligatory milk and bread shopping.
March
Hope is dwindling for snow like the ones we had in 1960.
April
Webbfest, or Webbstock, has been happening in Boiling Springs each April since 2022. The event is hosted by Gardner-Webb University and the Town of Boiling Springs. Info
The Foothills Merry-Go-Round Festival was established in 1998 through the leadership of Jim Allen and John Godbold. It is held at the Shelby City Park each April. Info
May
Relay for Life of Cleveland County has been held annually since 2003. Jeff Ross started Relaying in Cleveland County after losing his mom, Mildred, just 29 days after her cancer diagnosis. That loss turned into purpose—and a 25-year commitment to creating change. Info
The Uptown Shelby Block Party is sponsored by the Uptown Shelby Association which has been active since 1980. This event is held each May. Info
July
Revolutionary 4th is Kings Mountain’s 4th of July celebration that has been held annually since the late 1980s. It generally has the largest fireworks show between Charlotte and Asheville. Info
The Real to Reel International Film Festival is presented by the Cleveland County Arts Council and held annually in Kings Mountain at the Joy Performance Center. It was founded in 2000 by Will Eskridge and Noel T. Manning II to offer a forum for independent film, video, and multi-media artists from around the world to showcase their talents and expose the works of these artists to our region. Info
August
The American Legion World Series permanently moved to Shelby, NC in 2011 through the leadership of Eddie Holbrook and Jim Horn. The six-day event is held at Veterans Field at Keeter Stadium in Shelby.
The Kings Mountain Beach Blast Festival is held in downtown Kings Mountain each August. It has been held annually since 1999.
The Shelby Hamfest is held at the fair ground generally around the end of August or first of September each year. It has been held annually since 1957. Info
Liberty Mountain: the Revolutionary Drama, a play written by Robert Inman, has been performed at the Joy Performance Center (formerly the Joy Theater) in Kings Mountain since 2014. Dates vary between summer and fall months.
September
The Belwood Antique Tractor and Engine Festival is held each year in the month of September. The festival was the brain child of Don Dellinger and has been held annually since 1991. Info
The Shelby Corn Maze and Pumpkin Patch has been in operation since 2004. The maze is generally ready by the last week of September and runs through the first week of November each year. Info.
October
The Cleveland County Fair The Cleveland County Fair has been operating annually since 1924. It is generally a 10-day run, beginning in the final days of September and ending in the first week of October. It is the state’s largest county fair. Info
The NC Livermush Festival: Mush, Music, and Mutts has been held each October in Shelby since 1985. It was in 2012, the Shelby Livermush Festival was designated by the NC General Assembly the official fall livermush festival of North Carolina. Info
November
Veterans Day Parades are held in Shelby and Kings Mountain each year on the 11th.
The Carolina Pottery Festival, in coordination with the Cleveland County Arts Council, has been held each November since 2001.
Murphey’s Annual Toy Run has been held every November since 1994.
The Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony is sponsored by the Uptown Shelby Association at the court square in Shelby is usually the last Saturday in November.
December
The Windjammers Motorcycle Club’s Annual Toy Run has been held since 1988. The toy run is a fundraising event for Children’s Homes of Cleveland County, raising money and collecting toys to bring joy to foster children during the holidays.
Several Cleveland County towns hold an annual Christmas Parade. Information for those are below:
Boiling Springs ~ Casar ~ Earl ~ Fallston ~ Grover ~ Kings Mountain ~ Polkville ~ Shelby
Cleveland County History 