Sports...
SNOW! Tessa Hilton was doing some swinging in the snow early Saturday evening in Stowe Park following the surprise “mini-blizzard” that coated our area with several inches.. She’s the daughter of Jennifer and Jacob Hilton. Photo by Pat Rooney
South Point downs N. Gaston... 6A
Serving Belmont, Mount Holly, Stanley, Cramerton, and McAdenville
Volume 78 • Issue 8 • Wednesday, February 20, 2013
75¢
Living his dream Pageant rescheduled Tyler Brown, rodeo clown Due to inclement weather on Feb. 20, the Miss South Point Pageant has been rescheduled for Saturday, Feb. 23 at 7pm.
Pope’s resignation understood By Alan Hodge Editor Alan.bannernews@gmail.com
Starting with the construction in 1843 of St. Joseph’s church near Mount Holly, and continuing through the decades with the founding of Belmont Abbey and Queen of Apostle’s church, the Roman Catholic tradition is deeply rooted in our area so it was no surprise that last week’s announcement by Pope Benedict XVI that he was stepping down generated quite a buzz among members of that denomination. Benedict cited health as his main reason for stepping aside effective Feb. 28. The 85-year-old pontiff had been showing signs of slowing down in recent months. At his final public Mass, he thanked those who had been praying for him. “Physically, these days haven’t been easy for me,” he was reported to have said. Benedict’s resignation will be the first time in 600 years that a pope has done so. “I did this in full liberty for the good of the church,” he said. Belmont Abbey Abbot Placid Solari praised the courage of Benedict. “I think he is acknowledging that his age and health won’t allow him to live up to his responsibilities of serving others,” he said. “His whole life has been about service and he has the character to realize it is not just all about him. “It takes character to step aside and let someone else step in.” Belmont City Council member Charlie Martin is a member of Queen of Apostles and active in a variety of causes at Belmont Abbey. He also thinks the Pope exhibited character in his decision to retire. “He is a very holy man and we will miss him very much,” Martin said. “But I think he decided to resign due to being unable physically to perform to his own expectations. I saw his final mass and he looked very feeble. However the good thing is he will go back to being a cardinal.” Belmont Abbey College assistant professor of theology Dr. Ronald Thomas sees Benedict as a pivotal person in the history of the Catholic Church. “He has done so much to raise the level of theological discourse as well as raise the liturgical and ecumenical standards,” Thomas said. Thomas also thinks the decision to step down has been carefully thought out and the transition to a new leader will be a smooth one. “I think he acknowledges that the church now is truly dynamic and global and more work than it has ever been,” he said. “He has poured himself out to it and now has little left to pour.” The conclave that will select the next pope is made up of 117 cardinals under the age of 80. Benedict will not be on it. According to the Vatican, come March 1, he will be retired and living in a converted monastery on the edge of the Vatican gardens. Benedict’s last general audience is set for Feb. 27 and the event is expected to draw huge crowds.
By Alan Hodge Editor Alan.bannernews@gmail.com
Most 18-year-olds haven’t decided what their career path will be, but recent East Gaston High graduate Tyler Brown knew what his calling would be the first time he got in a rodeo arena with nothing between himself and a 1,500 pound bull but a plastic barrel and a clown suit. “When I was in fifth grade at Gaston Christian School I did a project and dressed like a rodeo clown,” Brown said. “It kinda went from there.” Brown says the job of a rodeo clown is two-fold. One is to protect the rider when he “gets off” the bull and the other is to provide entertainment to the crowd between competition segments. One photo he has on his laptop shows a large plastic barrel being tossed several feet into the air by an angry bull- and Brown was inside. “It gets scary at times,” he said. “But when a rider is on the ground you have to stay focused and distract the bull. The adrenaline gets flowing and God gives me the strength to do what I need to do.” No matter if they are in the circus or the rodeo ring, every clown has his or her own costume style and Brown is no exception. His outfit is
Photo by Alan Hodge
Robert Jackson has been a volunteer at Community Fire Dept. for 51 years. He was given the Order of the Long Leaf Pine last year for his service. He’s seen holding the certificate that is North Carolina’s highest civilian honor.
Contributed Photo
Eighteen-year-old Tyler Brown of Belmont is pursuing a career as a rodeo announcer and clown. In this photo he and one of his dogs are behind a barrel that’s used to distract a charging bull. a mix of Wrangler clothes and Goodwill shopping and consists of ultrabaggy jeans, a red, white, and blue fringed shirt, cowboy hat, and makeup. Footwear is cleats or tennis See BROWN, 4A
Jackson honored with Long Leaf Pine award By Alan Hodge Editor Alan.bannernews@gmail.com
When 74-year-old Robert Jackson first started volunteering at Community Volunteer Fire Dept. 32 in North Belmont, the guys were stationed in a little shed and had no formal training to speak
of. That was 51 years ago and over those decades Jackson has seen a lot of change and growth leading up to the high-tech and high-class station Community Fire currently operates out of on Perfection Ave. A native of Mount Holly, See JACKSON, 4A
Elizondo joins Belmont police force By Alan Hodge Editor Alan.bannernews@gmail.com
What do you get when you combine Hollywood good looks, a lifelong desire to serve in law enforcement, and a willingness to help others? Answer- Belmont’s newest police officer, 21-yearold Michael Elizondo. A native of New Jersey, Elizondo moved to Asheville with his parents when he was a teenager. After graduating high school, he attended Blue Ridge Community College where he earned his Basic Law Enforcement degree. From
that point, last September he began a serious search for a police job that saw him crisscross North Carolina. “A friend of mine and I took several days and went from town to town stopping at police and sheriff’s department offices and filling out applications,” he said. Just a few of the spots the pair approached included Polk County, Transylvania County, Forest City, High Point, Hendersonville, Greensboro, and Belmont. “We would fill out an application and move on to the next location,” Elizondo said. “By the third day we stopped at the house of my
friend’s girlfriend and went hunting.” Soon, in October, Elizondo got a call from Belmont PD. “I went back and forth between Belmont and Asheville several times during the interview process,” he said. “I took the job and my first day was December 17, 2012.” Elizondo says becoming a police officer lets him do something he really enjoys- helping others. “Even if I can’t completely solve their problems at least I can try,” he said. “I’ve always wanted See ELIZONDO, 4A
Photo by Alan Hodge
Michael Elizondo is Belmont’s newest police officer. Elizondo says he has always dreamed of a job helping people and is glad to be at his post.
Beauty and tranquility of garden brings community together Photo by Alan Hodge
Melvin Graham is seen standing on the bridge in his memory garden on Sandy Ford Road in Mount Holly. Graham and friends built the garden as a place of reflection and peace for everyone to enjoy.
By Alan Hodge Editor Alan.bannernews@gmail.com
There’s an oasis of tranquility, memory, and racial harmony on Sandy Ford Rd. near Mount
OBITUARIES, 2A Marcia Baldwin, Cherryville Angela Barker, Mount Holly Velia Carlisle, Gastonia Thelma Franklin, Gastonia Mildred Hall, Belmont Mary McGinnis, Stanley
Holly and it’s the labor of love by retired Freightliner employee Melvin Graham- and more of his friends than he can name. Graham’s memorial garden is just off the busy intersection of Sandy Ford Rd. and NC 273 behind historic St. Joseph’s Catholic
Church. He says he got the idea for creating it after seeing his son get involved in drugs, then pull his life together again. A marble plaque near an arched bridge and babbling brook on the property reads, “Trail to Recovery”. “The garden is in memory to not just him, but all those in recovery from drugs, alcohol, or whatever,” Graham said. “My son has been clean for nine years now and I am so proud of him.” Other plaques in the garden pay homage to members of Graham’s family. One recognizes those who served in the military going back to World War II. Another lists his parents, grandparents, and uncles on a slab of black granite encased in a stone monument. But Graham’s memory garden is also a place of whimsy. A little grist mill with a waterwheel and rocking chairs on its porch, two See GARDEN, 3A
INDEX Belmont Police Log ................................................................2A Belmont Fire Dept...................................................................3A Classifieds..............................................................................5A Gaston Day Homecoming Court.............................................6A Sports ....................................................................................6A