Remembering our Fallen Heroes
INSIDE...
6-7A
Obituaries................. 2A Opinion..................... 4A Sports ...................... 8A Garibaldi Fest ......... 10A Business................. 11A
Serving Belmont, Mount Holly, Stanley, Cramerton, and McAdenville | Volume 79 • Issue 21 • Wednesday, May 21, 2014
75¢
Memorial Day –
Walkers take cardiac disease Honoring to heart, raise over $17,000 those who served, May 25 American Legion Post 144 will sponsor a Memorial Day service at 2pm on Sunday, May 25 at Greenwood Cemetery, Belmont. Former Belmont mayor and Post 144 member Billy Joye will deliver the welcome. Presentation of the colors will be made by South Point JROTC Naval Color Squad. Fred Dixon will lead the Pledge of Allegiance. The National Anthem and other patriotic songs will be performed by Park Street Methodist choir. Current Belmont mayor Charlie Martin and Post 144 commander Ron Self will make remarks. The POW ceremony will be performed by Larry Norwood. Guest speaker will be Pastor Gary Richardson, Park Street Methodist Church. The closing prayer will be by Lincoln Lawing, South Point FCA. The event will conclude with a 21 gun salute by Gaston County Sheriff Department Honor Guard and taps by Brandon Putnam.
Celebration will honor the ‘Bicycle Man’ The first annual Jethro R. Mann, Sr. Friends and Family Weekend will take place June 7-8 in Belmont. Activities begin Saturday, June 7 from 5-9pm at First Foursquare Baptist Church. On Sunday, June 8, more festivities will be held at Reid Park on Sacco Street from 1-3pm. There will be music, dancing, food, a talent show, and family fun. The events are sponsored by Hood Memorial AME Zion Church, Rev. Dr. Bernard Sullivan, Pastor. For more information, call 704-8256007. Jethro Mann, also known as the Bicycle Man for his habit of repairing old bikes and lending them out to children free of charge passed away on Nov. 11, 2013 at age 96. He was the subject of a Charles Kuralt TV documentary as well as a feature story in Our State magazine. He was a beloved member of the Reid Community as well as everywhere he went.
CaroMont Health recently held the 11th annual Heart Walk to help raise awareness about cardiac disease and to promote heart healthy lifestyles in Gaston County. The walk attracted more than 600 walkers and teams on the front lawn at CaroMont Regional Medical Center and raised nearly $18,000. This total will be donated to the Heart Society of Gaston County, a nonprofit organization serving the cardiac needs of individuals living in Gaston County. “Heart disease continues to be the leading cause of death for both men and See HEART WALK,5A
Envisioning Belmont’s future By Alan Hodge
Photo by Alan Hodge
alan.bannernews@gmail.com
The Gaston College Kimbrell Campus in Belmont was the site last week for a public meeting regarding the city's participation in the North Carolina Main Street program. A variety of officials and concerned citizens attended the event that was themed “Picture Downtown” and featured a photographic display with shots of Belmont areas both positive and those needing attention. The purpose of the forum was to gather input from cit-
A meeting was held last week between City of Belmont officials, local citizens, and representative of the NC Main Street program to brainstorm ideas for keeping the town's downtown area vibrant and lovely.
izens regarding their views of what is good about downtown Belmont, what needs
improvement, and what parts of downtown should become in the future.
There were about 40 people there and they broke into small groups and each indi-
vidual gave input as to their vision of Belmont in five years. “We had a great turnout and we came up with five great vision statements,” said City of Belmont downtown director Reba See MAIN STREET, 5A
Living History Day set for May 31 Hundreds of Belmont citizens ride or walk past the Belmont Historical Society’s history museum on Catawba Street. They are completely unaware of the treasures this 1899 home of Robert Lee Stowe, Sr. contains. Once they step inside they are astonished, “I sure didn’t know we had anything like this in Belmont!” On Saturday, May 31 from 10am-3pm BHS is presenting a Living History Day with four main opportunities. First, visitors can tour the main house where Robert Lee Stowe, Jr., Mrs. Catherine Stowe Pharr, and Dan Stowe were born. In this house you can see many artifacts depicting Belmont’s history up to the 1950’s, Also, you may examine the Doctor’s bags, that were carried throughout the community as they made house calls. You may examine all of
Photo by Alan Hodge
The restored kitchen at the Belmont Historical Society Museum will be one of the featured attractions when the group holds its Living History Day on May 31st.
the Clarions that were published, the nickel plated stove that has been declared by Our State as “a Tar Heel Treasure”, and many items reflecting the civilian and military life in Belmont during WWII and other military conflicts. Next you can be on hand when the renovated “Stand Alone Kitchen” is dedicated. It has been furnished with pieces that are typical of that period when outdoor kitchens were common. The third opportunity will be a visit through a genuine mill house that once rested on the Acme Mill Village in North Belmont. It has been furnished with items that were commonly used in the 1920’s and 1930’s. The last feature is to be an array of activities common to the Backcountry, which is what we were in the 1800’s. Some of these activities and presentations are Blacksmithing, Spinning, Needlework, Bucket Making, Herb Identification and Usage, and a Silent Auction for a Quilt. During the day there will be several special presentations including a skit, “The Backcountry Woman During the Revolutionary War” by Dan Seufert, and a presentation by Sheila Ingle who specializes in writing children’s books about the Revolutionary Period. Between these presentations and demonstrations you may eat, enjoy music by the Catawba River Bluegrass Group, meet friends, talk to a genealogist, and find out what a “Dope Wagon” was.
Marlene Suddreth (right) was named Mount Holly Woman of the Year. Marlene is pictured with 2013 winner Elizabeth Connell.
Rev. Max Pendleton (left) was named Mount Holly Man of the Year at the recent 64th Annual Community Awards banquet. He's seen with last year's winner attorney Kemp Michael. See more community awards on page 3A.
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