The exhibition incorporates some of the state&squo;s best professional and amateur photographers, and for the first time photographs from the State Archives are on tour.

The exhibit next will travel to the Cleveland County Public Library in Shelby. The &dquo;Telling Our Stories&dquo; exhibit will have visited 33 public libraries across the state by December, on an eastern and a western route.

Each route includes 11 images from the top winners of the 2008 &uot;Our State&uot; magazine Readers Choice Photography contest, 21 images from professional photographers, and 18 pictures from the N.C. State Archives.

Among the images are a young Andy Griffith in The Lost Colony, a desert crossing, and a pleasant pig (see p. 5).

Photographs from the western region include the &uot;Our State&uot; magazine grand prize winner, &uot;Blue Heron in My Backyard,&uot; by Bonnie Short of Hendersonville (see front page). Professional photographers from Asheville are Pamela Pecchio with &uot;Still Life with Bill Clinton,&uot; and Alice Sebrell with &uot;Where do you hide your innocence?&uot;

Written comments from visitors at other venues include &dquo;Beautiful, all pictures tell a story of time. Your mind goes to the past and present. Great work!&dquo; and &dquo;Excellent work! Great variety of subjects,&dquo; from McDowell County.

From Madison County, &dquo;Great exhibit ‐ a pleasant surprise at our library,&dquo; and &dquo;Great, wonderful, especially the black and whites ‐ fond memories of days gone by.&dquo;

The State Library of North Carolina arranged the tour. For additional information on the exhibit, call (828) 894-8721. For information on the tour, call (919) 807-7389.

The state library is a division of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources, the state agency dedicated to the promotion and protection of North Carolina&squo;s arts, history and culture, with information available 24/7 at www.ncculture.com.