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FREE!
Thursday, August 26, 2021
Goat Island Games this Saturday Cramerton Parks and Rec. will present Goat Island Games this Saturday, August 28th, 2021 at Goat Island Park 141 8th Ave. Cramerton, NC, 28032. Come and enjoy a fun-filled family-friendly day! Events start at 7am and wrap up around 2pm with yoga, fishing, cornhole, pingpong, bike riding, disc golf, kayaking and a 5K taking place. There will also be live music, beer and a food truck!
News from a neighbor! Volume 87 • Issue 34
• Belmont • Cramerton • Lowell • McAdenville • Mount Holly • Stanley
Thursday, August 26, 2021
Mt. Holly police taking to the water at Mtn. Island Lake By Alan Hodge alan@cfmedia.info
The Mt. Holly Police Dept. has a new tool in its inventory that’s over twenty feet long. Actually, the “tool” is a boat designed to give a presence on the 27 miles of Mt. Island Lake shoreline the department is responsible for. The craft has a johnboat style hull, is 21-feet long, eight feet wide, and powered
by a 150 horsepower Mercury motor that can send it skimming along at up to 50 miles per hour. It also features a center console, lights, siren, and safety equipment. The boat has Lowrance electronics including a depth finder and sophisticated 3D side-scan and down-scan sonar. The boat didn’t cost the taxpayers of Mt. Holly a penny. “We got the boat with a
state governor’s crime commission grant for $35,000,” said Deputy Chief Brian Reagan. “We typed up a proposal and it was approved.” About ten Mt. Holly officers have taken a boating safety course and are approved to use it. The idea is to have at least two officers on each shift qualified. “We can deploy it 24/7,” said Reagan. See MHPD, Page 3
Mt. Holly police Deputy Chief Brian Reagan (left) and Captain David Sisk scan the Mtn. Island Lake shoreline on a patrol last week. Photo by Alan Hodge
Kemp Michael awarded Order of the Long Leaf Pine By Alan Hodge alan@cfmedia.info
One of Mt. Holly’s most distinguished citizens, Kemp Michael, was presented with the Order of the Long Leaf Pine at a recent city council meeting. Since 1963, North Carolina’s governors have reserved their highest honor, The Order of the Long Leaf Pine award, for persons who have made significant contributions to the state and their communities through their exemplary service and exceptional accomplishments. Persons named to The Order become North Carolina “Ambassadors” with their names and award dates recorded on a Roster maintained by The Order of the Long Leaf Pine Society. Michael was completely surprised by the presentation. “I am very appreciative of those who helped me obtain
this high honor!” he said. “I never expected anything like this.” Yet it is that very sense of humility, considering all he has done for Mt. Holly, that makes the Long Leaf Pine designation all the more fitting. Mt. Holly city council member David Moore, like many other city officials and citizens, has long been familiar with Michael’s heart of service. “The Long Leaf Pine Award was well deserved,” Moore said. “Kemp has always been about helping people. He is a huge fan of his hometown and enjoys making things better for people. He is a great person and someone you want to be around.” Retired Mt. Holly city manager Danny Jackson has known Michael professionally and personally for many Kemp Michael and wife Cindy at the Order of the Long Leaf See KEMP, Page 7 Pine presentation.
The Ability Experience has supported our angels for more than three decades
Journey of Hope Riders make a special visit to Holy Angels A group of adventurous and dedicated cyclists recently made a stop at Holy Angels during their 59-daylong, 3,663 mile journey across the United States to bring awareness and support for people with intellectual developmental disabilities. The Journey of Hope is an annual cross-country ride created by The Ability Experience, the exclusive philanthropy of Pi Kappa Phi. They started in Santa Barbara, California and will travel to Washington, DC. “It’s crazy because the further we go into it, the less tired we get. The first few weeks were definitely the roughest, but now that we’ve made it further into the trip we’re able to cope with what we’re dealing with,” said Dalton James, a Journey of Hope rider from Shelby who
attends NC State. The riders took a couple of laps around the Holy Angels campus with residents safely cheering them on from a distance. In years past, riders would eat lunch with the residents and get to know them on a personal level. Due to the pandemic, the riders were not able to interact directly with the residents. “Holy Angels is just a magical place for us. The opportunity to bring college students to a residential campus and to see the work Holy Angels does each and every day is inspiring, magical and an opportunity to connect the men of Pi Kappa Phi to these service opportunities is special,” said The Ability Experience CEO Basil Lyberg. “Every time a man steps on See HOPE, Page 6
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