JUNE, 1957
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PAGE 7
V
Contribution Of $1,821.75
To Center For Handicapped
N. C. Highway 104. new link belween Boons
and Linville, affords an unusual view of Ihe pro
file of Grandfather Mountain and its mile-high
suspension bridge. Inset: "Happy John" Coffey,
GOING PLACES. . . SEEING THINGS
Grandfather Mountain resident, tunes his 21-
string, hand-made harp, in preparation for his
annual offering of ancient folk tunes at the 33rd
Singing on the Mountain, June 23 at Linville.
Wilderness Is Real In Smoky Mountain Park
June, which officially rings up the curtain on
summertime, is one of the year’s most action-
packed months on the plant Recreation Depart
ment’s travel service calendar. Its 30 days of
usual sunshine in the mid-South is a veritable
storehouse of activities that beckon the traveler
to interest-packed experiences—especially in the
out-of-doors.
From coast to mountains in the two Carolinas
the week-end traveler or vacationer may choose
between the sun-fun of beaches, sports events,
outdoor dramas, colorful festivals and spectacular
sightseeing—to mention a sampling from the
lengthy roster.
TOP ATTRACTION on the Atlantic Coast is
the sixth annual Myrtle Beach, S. C., Sun Fun
Festival, June 5-9. The Festival is an extrava
ganza of beauties, celebrities, kiddie frolics,
parades and contests that officially launch the
summer season at this seashore resort.
All across North Carolina the growing num
ber of outdoor dramas and pageants begin their
seasonal runs after mid-June and continue
through Labor Day. At Manteo, most famous of
all these dramas, “The Lost Colony,” begins its
17th season on June 29. “Unto These Hills” opens
its seventh season at Cherokee on June 25, while
“Horn In The West” begins its sixth season at
Boone on June 28.
FESTIVALS abound in the North State dur
ing June. One of the most colorful of such events
is the Singing on the Mountain near Linville on
U.S. 221, just off the Blue Ridge Parkway. In a
broad meadow on the western slopes of lofty
Grandfather Mountain, thousands have gathered
each fourth Sunday in June since 1924 for a
day-long program of old-time songfests and pic
nics. The mountainside takes on a carnival at
mosphere as temporary refreshment and souvenir
shops are set up to accommodate the visitors who
come from all over the South and as far away as
California. Sunday school and church groups,
preachers and mountain music-makers from
North Carolina and other states are joined by
state officials, civic leaders, noted musicians and
other visitors. The Singing this year may be at
tended by traveling over a new state highway
that links the resort community of Linville with
Boone.
AT BENSON, a gathering similar to the Grand
father Singing will be staged June 23. The State
Singing this year will be the 37th annual con
vention.
Another festival of note in June is the 11th
annual Rhododendron Festival on the summit
of Roan Mountain, near Bakersville. It is the
grand climax to the spectacular flower show in
the region, celebrating the peak blooming of
purple rhododendron on the Roan. The Festival
this year on June 23 and 24, can be visited by a
paved highway and the U.S. Forest Service road.
A highlight of the event is the crowning of rhodo
dendron queens from North Carolina and Ten
nessee, with both states participating in the pro
gram held on the state line. Highways 26 and
261 connect Roan Mountain to the Blue Ridge
Parkway.
A VISIT to the Smoky Mountains National
Park is this month’s suggested week-end or vaca
tion trip. This mountain wilderness of unsur
passed natural beauty, with its half-million acres
of towering forests, is the most-visited of all the
country’s national parks. Last year more than
2,500,000 tourists drove its mountain roads, hiked
its wilderness trails, visited its pioneer museums
or fished its 600 miles of swift streams.
Within the Smoky Park area are facilities for
camping at Cades Cove, Chimney Tops, Smoke-
mont. Deep Creek near Bryson City and at Bal
sam Mountain, 10 miles from Soco Gap. Except
for these park-managed camp grounds, the only
overnight accommodations inside the park are
on Mt. Le Conte. Motorists without camping
equipment can find a number of motels and
hotels at Cherokee, Waynesville, Maggie, Bryson
City, Fontana and other points on the eastern
approach to the park, and at Gatlinburg and
other points on the Tennessee side.
OPEN to the public are 635 miles of hiking
trails, including a stretch of the famed Appalach
ian Trail. From May through October free na-
turalist-guided field trips and talks are available.
FOLKWAYS of the early settlers are me
morialized in the Pioneer Museum at Oconaluftee
Ranger Station. Nearby is a re-created pioneer
farmstead. Other mountain dwellings and build
ings have been preserved in original settings in
Cades Cove.
The plant travel information service suggests
the following route to the Smoky Mountains
Park: From Gastonia over U.S. 29 to Shelby and
over U.S. 74 to Asheville. U.S. 19 from Asheville
to Cherokee Indian Village, at which point it
connects with U.S. 441, the main thoroughfare
through the park.
IN MEMORIAM
Funeral services for John
Thomas Pearson were held May
21 at First AR Presbyterian
Church and burial was in Gas
ton Memorial Park.
Mr. Pearson is survived by
his wife, Mary Edith Boyd Pear
son, and the following children:
Miss Phoebe Pearson, Shop sec
retary; Ray Pearson, Synthetics;
Mrs. J. G. Tino, whose husband
is overseer in the Multi-Stage
Nylon Treating Unit; also Mrs.
Fred Grigg, Mrs. Thomas Cock
er and Boyd W. Pearson all of
Gastonia; Mrs. W. B. McQueen,
Work went along as usual—
carding, twisting, winding,
weaving, and all the other op
erations on a regular day at the
mill.
But while Firestone employees
were at their regular jobs, their
same hands were busy a few
miles away—helping to erect a
center where dreams might con
tinue to come true and where
miracles could be wrought.
You see, it was one day this
Give Pretty Dress
To Drab Trash Can
This is the time of year when
efficient home owners turn at
tention to outside appearance
around the house. A fix-up pro
ject that will add a touch of
neatness to your premises is a
shield to hide the garbage can.
It can be constructed of three
sides, with the open portion fac
ing away from the street, or a
neighbor’s house. The open side
gives ready access to removing
the can for trash disposal.
Construct a light wood frame,
anchoring it to the ground with
posts. Take a wire mesh used by
builders as a base for plaster.
Cut it to size with tinner’s snips
and staple or nail to the frame.
The diamond mesh lath is gal
vanized or painted black and
can be had at building supply
houses and hardware stores.
You can paint it to harmonize
with the surroundings.
An added touch may be pro
vided by planting a climbing
vine at the base of the shield,
a few low shrubs, or annual or
perennial flowers.
Outdoor Movies
—From page 1
July 12: To Hell and Back
(technicolor), Audie Murphy.
July 19: Count Three and Pray
(technicolor). Van Heflin and
Joanne Woodward.
July 26: Ma and Pa Kettle at
Waikiki, Percy Kilbride and
Marjorie Main.
August 2: Far Country (tech
nicolor), Jimmy Stewart and
Walter Brennan.
August 9: This Island Earth,
Jeff Morrow and Faith Domer-
gue.
August 16: Last of the Com-
manches (technicolor), Brod
erick Crawford and Barbara
Hale.
August 23: It Came Beneath
the Sea, Kenneth Tobey and
Faith Domergue.
August 30: Saturday’s Hero,
John Derek and Donna Reed.
September 6: Forbidden Land,
Johnny Weismuller and Jungle
Jim.
Columbia, S. C.; and Mrs. Gene
Ledford, Washington, D. C.
Also surviving are three
brothers, W. F. Pearson, George
Pearson and Zeb Pearson, and a
sister, Mrs. W. S. Torrence, all
of Gastonia. Nine grandchildren
and two great grandchildren also
survive.
spring, and construction was
getting underway on the new
Gaston County Center for
Handicapped Children.
The employee-contribution of
$1,821.75 had been sent along
and was doing its share in terms
of concrete blocks, mortar and
steel. For the donation, collected
through the last United Fund ef
fort at the plant, the Center’s
business administrator. Brown
Baird, wrote:
“Your contribution certainly
helped our financial status. I’m
sure our boys and girls would
say, ‘Thank you, for helping give
us a school of our own so we can
learn to the best of our abili
ties’.”
The Gaston County Center for
Handicapped Children, at 322
South Linwood Street, was
founded in Gastonia in Septem
ber of 1953, and incorporated in
December of the following year.
The new building near the
Gaston County Farm Center at
Dallas, is scheduled for com
pletion by next September.
Luck is preparedness catching
up with opportunity.
To be successful, you don’t
have to stay awake nights—just
stay awake days.
12 Great Things
To Remember ...
The value of time . . . the
pleasure of working . . . the suc
cess of perseverance . . . the
dignity of simplicity . . . the
worth of character . . . the power
of kindness . . . the influence of
example . . . The obligation of
duty . . . the virtue of patience
. . . the wisdom of economy . . .
the improvement of talent , . .
the joy of originating.
Bill w/« ss> sv/?p t
POULO
US9 youK
^ Ptetect)Ve Equiptnenf
Joseph A. Martin, a former
Carding Department employee,
died April 20, after an extended
illness.
From National Safety News !*:
Published by A
:•>; The National Safety Council