Gaston County’s
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Thursday, January 6, 2022
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• Belmont • Cramerton • Lowell • McAdenville • Mount Holly • Stanley
Thursday, January 6, 2022
Faith Family Farm lives up to its name By Alan Hodge alan@cfmedia.info
Faith. Family. Farm. Those three words make up not only the name of the Stroot family spread near Stanley, they also spell out the philosophy of the place. Faith Family Farm is the passion of thirty-eight-yearold Joel Stroot, his wife Andrea, and their daughters, one-year-old Joanna, threeyear-old Leah, and six-yearold Claire. The root of the story starts with Joel, who grew up on a 200-acre farm in Missouri. When he was just 16-yearsold, Joel lost his father, Mike, in a car crash, but the farming gene was already firmly planted in his soul. With Faith Family Farm, Joel is paying homage in many ways to the agricultural lessons he learned at his dad’s side. “I grew up with fire in my
belly to be a farmer,” said Joel. “This whole journey is about getting back to farming and continuing dad’s legacy.” The family moved to the 35-acre former horse ranch off Rhyne Rd. in 2015 and set about turning it into an organic oasis. Joel, who is a bundle of physical and intellectual energy, is a dentist by trade and constantly works the farm when he’s not in his office. He’s been known to be on his tractor in the dead of night. “The neighbors say I’m the midnight farmer,” he says with a smile. Proof that the family that farms together has fun together. Presenting the Stroot group- Joanna, Andrea, Claire, Leah, Joel. Currently, Joel is taking a Photo by Alan Hodge sabbatical from dentistry and devoting his time to getting the farm ready for spring. “I have a big backlog of projects to do,” he said. One of the biggest jobs Joel does is soil preparation. By Alan Hodge alan@cfmedia.info See FARM, Page 5
2021 Year in review: Part 2
Cherubs Café celebrated 25 years on December 21 By Shawn Flynn A lot has changed in downtown Belmont the past quarter century. The one staple: the famous chicken salad served up by the Crew members at Cherubs Café. Cherubs Café officially opened the doors on Main Street in December, 1996. The business not only provided a meaningful employment opportunity for the differently able, but allowed Holy Angels to connect with the community. “Our whole goal is to serve the people we support, but also to serve our community,” said Holy Angels Pres-
ident/CEO Regina Moody. “Cherubs Café is our happy place (as the sign reads in the restaurant). This is a little piece of heaven.” Sr. Nancy Nance, Holy Angels vice president of community relations, helped to start Cherubs Café and managed it for the first decade. She called it her greatest mercy moment at Holy Angels. “I loved watching our crew members grow in their job skills,” said Sr. Nancy. “They were so proud of what they did because they knew See CHERUBS, Page 4
The second half of 2021 saw folks continue to get their lives back to “normal” following 2020’s Covid restrictions. Festivals, high school football games, and Christmas parades all drew large crowds of folks happy to be able to mingle again. July kicked off with Belmont’s Red, White, and Belmont July 4th street fest. A huge crowd crammed Stowe Park for music, fun, and fireworks. That same month saw Mt. Holly WWII veteran Willie Bert Rhyne celebrate his 100th birthday. On the school scene, Stuart Cramer High welcomed new principal Jessica Steiner. August came in hot and the Mt. Holly PD was making good use of its new Mtn. Island Lake patrol boat making sure everyone was safe and sound on the water. August
The West Creek Recreation Association near Mt. Holly held a celebration in September. also saw ground broken for the MHPD Memorial Plaza next to the Municipal Center. Another August story
covered the official opening of the new Belmont Middle School. In Stanley, Ashley Price was recognized as Gas-
LOCAL TRUSTED COMMUNITY NEWS REPORTING
ton County Firefighter of the Year. September rolled around See REVIEW, Pages 6 & 7
EVERY THURSDAY