INSIDE...
History Comes to Life May 3-4
4A
Obituaries................. 2A Congratulate Your Graduate! ......... 4A Comm. Challenge...... 5A Red Raiders Win ....... 8A Business................... 9A
Serving Belmont, Mount Holly, Stanley, Cramerton, and McAdenville | Volume 79 • Issue 18 • Wednesday, April 30, 2014
75¢
Breaking ground! Work begins at new home of the Fighting Yank
Photo by Alan Hodge
Caleb Carpenter, 9, from Sherwood Elementary was on hand with his bag of clubs ready to pick up some pointers from the Clemson University golf team last week at O'Darcy Mountain View Golf Center.
Sticks for Kids Clemson golf team shares knowledge By Alan Hodge alan.bannernews@gmail.com
The Clemson University golf team made a stop last Wednesday at O'Darcy Mountain View Golf Center off Hickory Grove Rd. near Stanley where the players as well as coach Larry Penley shared their knowledge of the game with nearly fifty kids. The event was part of the Sticks for Kids program, a national endeavor to teach youth the ins and outs of the
game of golf. The Golf Course Builders Association of America established the GCBAA Foundation to provide the necessary tools and opportunities to allow the next generation of golfers to learn and enjoy the game. Since its establishment, the GCBAA Foundation has taken a special interest in supporting children by launching Sticks for Kids, a junior golf outreach program. The program provides clubs, bags, teaching materials,
Photo by Alan Hodge
Ground was finally broken last week in Stowe Park for the Fighting Yanks statue and pavilion. In this photo crews work while Art Shoemaker, Carlton Rouse and Adrian Miller confabulate. By Alan Hodge alan.bannernews@gmail.com
After months of debate and delay, ground was finally broken last week in Belmont's Stowe Park where the Spirit of the Fighting Yank WWII memorial statue will be relocated from the place it has stood since 1946 on the campus of the former Belmont High School (now Belmont Middle). Early last week two backhoes were busy in the park digging footings for
the pavilion where the Fighting Yank will be placed near Main St. across from Caravan Coffee. Carlton Rouse of Rouse Builders was overseeing the progress. “The first phase will be getting the footings in,” he said. “Then we will put in rebar, pour concrete and start laying blocks.” The blocks will be faced with decorative stone and form a low wall around the perimeter of the pavilion with the statue and its granite base in
the center. Pavers will form the floor of the pavilion. Other features of the pavilion will be benches, plantings, lighting, and patriotic flags. Originally, the plan was to have the statute in place in the park in time for a Memorial Day dedication ceremony. However, bad weather this winter pushed the timetable back. “Now, it has to be done by July 4,” said Rouse. When the rededication event takes See FIGHTING YANK, 7A
Folks work together to Deteriorating Keep Belmont Beautiful See GOLFERS, 7A
Waters film finds new life By Alan Hodge alan.bannernews@gmail.com
One of Mount Holly's most important historical artifacts smells like a pickled pig foot and that's not good for a variety of reasons. The aforementioned aroma is emanating from a can containing a 16mm film showing clips of Mount Holly life shot in 1936 by North Carolina cinematographer H. Lee Waters. The film is a slice of life type thing that shows local Mount Holly kids pedaling bikes, couples strolling the downtown area, and textile workers heading to work. The film was part of a
series Waters shot called “Movies of Local People”. He traveled throughout the southeast making movies of towns and showing them in locals theaters to make some extra cash. His “day job” was that of a photographer in Lexington, N.C. The Mount Holly film was found in some city archives by members of the Mount Holly Historical Society. When the can was opened a strong aroma of vinegar came blasting out. MHHS member Roy Vogel explained the cause of the stench. “It's called a vinegar syndrome,” he said. “The smell comes from the deterioration of the material that the film is made of.” In addition to the film that's going bad, there was another copy in a similar can but it has not yet reached the vinegar stage. According to See FILM, 7A
By Alan Hodge alan.bannernews
Most everyone agrees that Belmont is a beautiful town, and there's a group of over 100 folks dedicated to keeping it that way. Known as Keep Belmont Beautiful, (KBB) the organization celebrated its thirteenth anniversary last week. KBB can trace its roots back to a time when it consisted of just five folks- Dick and Sandra Cromlish, Judy Closson, Carol Strange, and Harold Fite. Now, the group has not only grown by leaps and bounds, it has a website and an office in the Belmont Public Works building with Closson as its director. “We started in 2001 in a closet in Dick's business,” Closson said. “I used to be in a similar organization in Fort Worth, Texas and was interested in trash so we met and started KBB.” KBB is an affiliate of Keep America Beautiful. Founded in 1953, Keep American Beautiful is a national, nonprofit (KBB is also nonprofit), public education organization dedi-
Contributed Photo
This picture gives an idea of how much trash Keep Belmont Beautiful gathered up on one of its Big Sweep campaigns. cated to protecting the natural beauty of the land and improving waste handling and management practices in communities across the country. KBB is one of over
500 of its affiliates. Closson sees KBB as an important player in putting Belmont's best face forward. “Main Street is like our town's front porch,” she
said. “When people come downtown they don't want to see trash.” KBB is active in other See KBB, 7A
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