Gaston Alive April 2019 by David Hamrick

Gaston Countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

Craft Breweries & Spiritsp8

Martha The Miracle

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Kommander-Pro Series

A Clean Cut For Every Budget. We’ve listened to the feedback from our readers, and while the print issue isn’t going anywhere (besides your mailboxes), we are launching an online, weekly newsletter to spotlight Gaston County events, articles from the magazine, area partners, and other happenings in our fantastic part of the state! Sign up here So you aren’t left out: www.gaStonalive.com

www.tractorsusa.com 126 Bessie Drive • Kings Mountain, NC 28086 Toll Free: 888-428-7902 • Phone: 704-482-7061 • Fax: 704-739-3713

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Taking care of All your family’s dental needs New Patients Welcome!

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Join Team Austin on Sat. Apr. 13

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From the Publisher We are excited to tell you about our newest project! Just in the last two weeks we have started our weekly GA emails which contain a lot of info and articles from the print magazine, but also special features, news, events and articles found only online. We are very gratified by the response-don’t miss out! If you haven’t already, go to gastonalive.com and find the signup tab lower right. We are sure you’ll love it!

Is it spring yet? David

featured this month

Gaston Craft Breweries & Distilleries By DaviD HamriCk

DanCinG on tHe reD Carpet By Ben DUnGan

sHelBy’s easy CroCk-pot CHiCken & DUmplinGs By sHelBy wilson

Gaston County’s

Craft Breweries & Spiritsp8

Martha The Miracle

p10

Easy Crock-pot Chicken & Dumplings

p12

gastonalive.com

Pictured on this month’s cover is a glass of craft beer. the gaston county craft brewery and distillery scene is growing. see page 8 for more. cover graphic design by David James.

our staff Publisher DaviD Hamrick contributing PhotograPhers Ben Dungan sales DaviD Hamrick Design DaviD James contributing writers Ben Dungan DaviD Hamrick sHelBy Wilson intern oPPortunities Please contact us By email at info@gastonalive.com

magazine

gaston alive

events contact us aBout Partnering WitH us for your event at DHamrick@gastonalive.com

to be part of our team, or to submit art, photo or story ideas, please email us at: info@gastonalive.com

Professional Portraits are a treasure forever. Call and sChedule your Portrait session now.

128 Birchwood court mt. Holly nc 28120 www.gastonalive.com 704.650.8330

advertising info: 704.650.8330 info@gastonalive.com ga|03|19

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gaston alive magazine is published monthly in the gaston county, nc area by art fX media. all editorial contained within is the property of the publisher and cannot be reproduced in whole or in part without written permission. the publisher accepts no liability for the accuracy of statements made by the writers or advertisers. ©2019 art fX media.

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LocaL craft

SpiritS

By David Hamrick

Unless you have been living under a rock, you have noticed the proliferation of craft breweries and distilleries in recent years. Gaston County has been a little slow to join the movement in a major way, but now several breweries and a distillery have opened and are going gangbusters. Prohibition lasted in the United States from 1920 until 1933. Fortunately, laws and attitudes have changed since then. It is now legal for breweries and distilleries to operate and sell product- with the appropriate state and federal permits, and growth has been tremendous. According to industry insiders, since 2017 the volume of the market is growing faster than the number of distillers. Photo courtesy of: http://millicanpictorialhistorymuseum.com

8 gastonalive.com | facebook.com/gastonalive

Here are some of our local breweries and distilleries… Cardinal Gin- started in 2010 by brothers Alex and Charley Mauney, is actually located in Kings Mountain. Beginning with a 3000 foot section of their families’ old hosiery mill (which still reads Mauney Cotton Co, Inc.) they have since expanded to 13,000 feet. Forget the “tastes like pine needles gin” that you may be used to. Cardinal Gin has a decidedly floral taste, attributable to the eleven botanicals that make up recipe. They also offer a bourbon and a rye, with all of the corn and rye grown in Cleveland County. Cavendish Brewing Company is located at 207North Chester Street in Gastonia in what used to be a car dealership. Started by mechanical engineer turned brewer Scott Cavendish in 2017, Cavendish is hard to miss with its’ bright red paint and eclectic interior. Winner of a 2017 NC Brewers Cup Gold Medal, they have 7 “Core” beers and 3 seasonal beers on tap. Muddy River Distillery – started by Robbie and Caroline Delaney in an old Belmont mill that borders the Catawba River, they claim that “we make the best rum you’ve ever tasted by using premium ingredients, handcrafted recipes, and custombuilt stills.” A true craft distillery, they now offer Silver Carolina Rum, Queen Charlotte’s Reserve, Coconut Carolina Rum, and Spiced Carolina Rum. They offer tours and tastings on Saturday afternoons. See their website for recipes for their products. Ole Dallas Brewery is located outside of downtown Dallas at 136 Durkee Lane. Started by Dallas natives Chris Cloninger, Cliff Cloninger, Beau Norwood, Kyle Britton and John Hoffman, they strive to bring quality craft beer to Dallas and the surrounding communities. Their signature brews are Pale Rebel Y’Ale, Cross Roads IPA, Wildcat Wit, and Ole Georges Porter. They usually have a food truck and live music on the weekends. Rivermen Brewing Company-A former neighbor of Muddy River Distillery, they are now located at 52 Ervin Street behind the post office in Belmont. Featuring 20 rotating taps, their beers include Precipitation Scottish Ale, Brennan’s Irish Ale, Triple Drop IPA, Foundation Black IPA, Take Out American Pale Ale, Shuttle bunny Honey Blonde, as well as season offerings. They also have a full lunch and dinner menu. York Chester Brewing Companylocated in the same Riverside Complex as Muddy River, York Chester is a tiny brewery occupying just 600 feet in what used to be the Spectrum Yarn Mill. Their products include Berry Me at Sea Strawberry Gose, Hoppy birthday West Coast IPA, Dance With the Dead Vanilla Porter, 533 Hoolligan NE IPA, and Las Oscuridad Mexican Stout. You can also find their products at Grape & Barley in Gastonia and The Pita Wheel in Dallas. gastonalive.com | facebook.com/gastonalive 9

It’s Martha’s Party- she Can DanCe If she Wants to! By BEN DuNGAN

A 50th birthday party celebration looks about like what you’d think it would. Friends and family all gathered in one place. Balloons and decorations as far as the eye can see. Fifty years worth of photos scattered nicely throughout the room. But the 50th birthday party celebration that I attended last month was just a little bit different. For one 10 gastonalive.com | facebook.com/gastonalive

thing, instead of serving traditional ice cream and birthday cake, they handed out Rice Krispie treats on a stick. They even rolled out a red carpet for the Guest of Honor to make a grand entrance. But above all that, the Guest of Honor that day, the woman celebrating her 50th year on the planet, wasn’t even supposed to be there. That is, if you

had asked some of her doctors when she was born. The thing is, no one asked Martha. She had other plans. She always has. That’s because Martha is a living miracle. And she just so happens to live at a place where miracles happen every day. That place is Holy Angels - a residential facility located in Belmont that specializes

community at large, Martha has become the amazing woman she is today. Despite being blind in one eye, and nearly blind in the other, having a heart condition and all of the other devastating medical setbacks, she hasn’t stopped living.

in round-the-clock care for those with special needs and delicate medical conditions. The miracle that is Martha came into this world on February 11, 1969. She was diagnosed with Down’s syndrome immediately after she was born. On top of this unexpected diagnosis, her parents also came to learn that she had a severe heart condition, one that was inoperable to correct or fix at that time. As a result, doctors only gave her a few years to live. It wasn’t long after her first birthday that Martha found her way to Holy Angels. Day by day, month by month and year by year, Martha did more than just exist and survive - she thrived in ways that no one saw coming. One reason for that could be because she’s been surrounded by great people her entire life - loving parents and brothers, dedicated caregivers, a supportive community and some of the best doctors around. However, the one thing the doctors and the experts haven’t ever been able to quite measure or quantify when it comes to Martha is her love of life and her will to live. Martha’s mother, Meli, credits her daughter’s integration into the community as a big piece of Martha’s success. For nearly 30 years, Martha has had the opportunity to live, work and play within the community in which she lives.

Martha has been part the fabric of life in and around the Belmont area for a long time. Not only was she one of the first residents to move into a community group home, she was also one of the first residents to begin working as a supported-employee at Cherubs Cafe in Downtown Belmont. Martha also has served in a volunteer capacity at Page Elementary as a teacher’s assistant.

At 50, Martha is still living and thriving, albeit a little slower than in years past. She still works a partial schedule and can be found at the new Spruced Goose Station retail shop in McAdenville making candy bouquets. However, due to her limited eyesight, you can usually find her with a walker most days. It comes in handy especially when she’s navigating in unfamiliar places.

I think it’s fair to say people in the community know Martha. And without question, these people in the community absolutely love her. And who couldn’t love someone like Martha? Her love for life is so contagious. Even despite her medical setbacks and challenges, she continues to not let her disabilities stop her from living and loving life. And that’s why this 50th birthday party celebration was so special. They say it takes a village. And maybe it does. Between her family, her Holy Angels family and the

But on the day of her party, the walker was there, but it was barely used. This was her day, dammit, and she was going to make a splash one way or the other. After all, you only turn 50 once. And a splash she made - especially when it came time to make her grand entrance down the red carpet at her party. And in true Martha fashion, she didn’t just walk down the red carpet, she danced down the red carpet. That’s the way it should be done especially when you’re 50 and fabulous! (Disclosure: Ben Dungan is a full-time employee of Holy Angels.) gastonalive.com | facebook.com/gastonalive 11

12 gastonalive.com | facebook.com/gastonalive

Easy CroCk-pot ChiCkEn & Dumplings By ShelBy WilSon

Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve heard it said that even if you could have steak everyday, some days you just want a hot dog...or a veggie burger. Hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an easy crock-pot chicken and dumplings recipe that will warm your bones on a cold and wet winter day. You can make your own dumplings from scratch, but I used Pillsbury Grands.

Ingredients 1 onion, chopped 1 1/4 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts 1 tsp. dried oregano Kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper 2 (10.5-oz.) cans cream of chicken soup 2 c. low-sodium chicken broth 4 sprigs fresh thyme 1 bay leaf 2 stalks celery, chopped 2 large carrots, peeled and chopped 1 c. frozen peas, thawed 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 (16.3-oz.) can refrigerated biscuits

Directions 1. Scatter onion in the bottom of a large slow cooker then top with chicken. Season with oregano, salt, and pepper. 2. Pour over soup and broth then add thyme and bay leaf. Cover and cook on high until the chicken is cooked through, about 3 hours. 3. Discard thyme and bay leaf, then shred chicken with two forks. Stir in celery, carrots, peas, and garlic. Cut biscuits into small pieces, then stir into chicken mixture. Spoon liquid over any biscuits at the top. Cook on high until vegetables are tender and biscuits are cooked through, about 1 hour more.

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We’ve listened to the feedback from our readers, and while the print issue isn’t going anywhere (besides your mailboxes), we are launching an online, weekly newsletter to spotlight Gaston County events, articles from the magazine, area partners, and other happenings in our fantastic part of the state! Sign up here So you aren’t left out: www.gaStonalive.com

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