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ATAUGA DEMOCRAT
ioLu
ME LXXV1 ? NO. 25
An Independent Weekly Newspaper . . . Seventy-Sixth Year of Continuous Publication
BOONS W*A
1983 Hi Lo prrc.
Dec. 10 34 21 .03
Dee. 11 36 26 .09
Dec. 12 38 21 .46
Dec. 13
Dec. 14 37
Dec. IS 19
Dec. 16 19
21
19
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7
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tr.
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Hi La
18 8
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90 24
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42 29
BOONE, WATAUGA COUNTY, NOBTH CAROLINA, THUBSDAY. DECEMBEB 1?, 1963
10 CENTS PEB COPY
22 PAGES? 3 SECTIONS
Flowers' Photo
CROWDS LINE UP ALONG BOONE'S KING STREET DESPITE FREEZING WEATHER TO SEE THE CHRISTMAS PARADE
IGNORE ICY HIGHWAYS
Huge Crowds Enjoy Parade
3 Arrested |
In Jewelry
StoreTheft
Three out-of -county men Jwre
been arrested and charged with
the theft of some $4,000 worth
pf jewelry from Stalling! Jew
elry Store in Boone last Sunday
morning.
According to B. W. Stallings,
proprietor of the store, about
fc0% of the stolen goods, taken
early Sunday when the thieves
knocked a hole in the front door
?f the establishment and crawl
ed through, has been recovered
*s date.
:i The three men, according to
Boone Chief of Police Hubert
Thomas, were arrested last
Thursday in Shelby, county
leat of Cleveland County. They
are Martin T. Gentry, Robert
John Frizzell and Dewey Lee
?entry.
, A fourth man, James M.
fhouppe, was also arrested for
questioning in a number of rob
beries which the four allegedly
ptagtd during the past few
greeks in a four county area ln
i tiding Ashe, Burke, Caldwell
pi Cleveland counties. Anoth
er man, Don Harrill of Borke
County, was being held at last
Report for Ashe County author
ities for questioning in a break
in at Central Food Market in
West Jefferson two weeks ago
hi which the haul Included some
funs.
Cleveland County Sheriff Hay
wood Allen said that Harrill had
admitted participating in the
<\ (Continued on page four)
Christi
Fund
tmas
Is Collected
For Orphange
For a great many years the
publisher of the Democrat and
other businessmen In the com
S unity have solicited funds for
bristmas cheer for the little
children at the Grandfather
Boae in Banner Elk.
Since time Is growing short,
those who wish to help make
the holidays happier for these
children, moat of whom come
from this Immediate area, are
akked to make their contribu
tions at
) Donations may he left at the
Democrat office with Boh Riv
ers, with James Marsh at Wa
tt ug? Savings ft Loan Associa
tes, with W. W. Chester at
Be Iks, or with Gay Hunt at
Bui's
r
Ignoring the ice on highways
and streets and the 20-degree
temperature, youngsters and
their parents from all over Wa
tauga County arrived in Boone
Saturday to Watch the Christmas
parade move along King Street.
Led by the color guard from
the Boone National Guard, and
the Appalachian High School
Band, the parade proceeded
qjAOg. Unscheduled route from
the "Horn in the West1' parking
lot to disband at the bys station.
In the parade were floats
from the Winston-Salem Fire
Department, the Queen City
Trailways' Egyptian prize-win
ning float from Charlotte, the
Rhododendron Queen, Miss Wa
tauga County, and Miss Spruce
Pine. The girls wore colorful
wool coats and warm headdress
es over their flimsy dresses and
crowns.
A stunt automobile brought
delighted screams from the
children, and Santa rode a small
wild-animal train drawn by a
tractor with reindeer.
Parade officials expressed
amazement at the number of
people who defied the weather
and the hazards of walking and
driving, to come to Boone for
the parade.
Yule Program
Is Planned At
Greenway
"The Way", a Christmas pro
gram of peace will be present
ed next Sunday evening at 7:30
at the Greenway Baptist church.
This program of song, scrip
ture and pantomine presents
Christ as the Way of Peace for
all nations of the world.
The service will be under
the direction of Mr. Richard
Greer and Mrs. Lucille Wallace.
A cordial welcome is extend
ed to all.
Christmas Store
Hours Announced
Herman W. Wilcox, Presi
dent of the Boone Chamber of
Commerce and Merchants As
sociation, announces that Mer
chants Association mess be rs in
Boone will continue to remain
open for business until 8:30 p.
m. through Dec. 23, with the
exception of Saturday, when
the stores will close at their
regular time.
Stores will close at their re
gular times Christmas Eve, and
will be closed all day Christmas
day, Wilcox said.
This announcement follows
another made earlier this week
that all county offices will close
at noon Dec. 24 and rents in
closed all day Christmas day,
the 25th.
Postmaster Ralph Beshears
explained that, since "the
volume of mail this year, both
Incoming and outgoing, is run
|SMt 10 Per ?nt above
last year," the post office would
be open Saturday afternoon (in
stead of closing at noon, as is
the usual custom) in order to
take care of holiday needs.
The post office will be closed
all day Christmas day, Besh
ears said, although "mail will
be dispatched from the office
as on any other holiday."
The Watauga Savings and
Loan will be closed all day
Wednesday and Thursday,
Christmas and the day after, as
will Boone's First National
Bank and Northwestern Bank.
Town hall will also be closed
Christmas and the day after.
Winners Are Named In
Store Window Contest
For the third successive year
the merchants in Boone have co
operated with a project spon
sored by the Fine Arts Depart
ment of the Worthwhile Wo
man's Club to "Keep Christ in
Christmas", by using a religious
theme in their holiday windows.
Judging for this year's com
petition was completed Friday,
and ribbons were awarded to
the following stores: First ?
Newton's for originality; second,
C h u r c h's ( artistic display ) ;
third, Carolina Pharmacy
(theme well carried out);
fourth, Mayflower Beauty Shop
(shows simplicity and is home
like). The descriptive comments
are by the Judges.
Two windows were awarded
"honorable mention" ribbons ?
First, Boone Insurance; second,
First National Bank.
Rev. Boyce Brooks, Kev. C.
0. Vance, Rev. Richard Crowder
and Dr. J. C. Canipe were
judges and Mrs. W. M. Mathe
son was consultant.
Woman's Club members serv
ing on the project were Mrs.
Herman Wilcox, Mrs. B. W. El
lis, Mrs. Roy Rufty, Mrs. D. L.
Wilcox and Mrs. A. E. South.
Sr. Citizens
|
Meet Delayed
Because of the Christinas holi
days involving varied personal
plans of members aid of the un
certainties of the winter weather,
.he December meeting of the
Boone Senior Citizens hat been
cancelled.
HickoryExplorerScouts Caught
|
In Icy Blasts On Grandfather
The Hickory Explorer Scouts
set out Saturday morning on
what they thought would he a
routine climb up Grandfather
Mountain.
But they were caught by a
blizzard, spent the night in sub
zero weather and were being
sought by the Watauga County
Rescue Squad Sunday afternoon
while on their way home.
The boys, Michael Hamman,
16, Robert Little, 17, David
Robb, 16, and Paul Allen, 17,
were not harmed by their or
deal
Whan the boys didn't m?*t
Hamman's father at 2 p. m.
Sunday as they bad planned,
he called his wife who notified
the Watauga Sheriff* Depart
ment.
The Rescue Squad was sent
to hunt for the boy*.
Meanwhile, they had descend
ed, told a ranger they were not I
lost, and were on their way ;
back to Hickory by 4 p. m. i
The rescue squad did not ;
learn the boy* were not lost un- :
til about 5 p. m., according to
Oscar Danner, Jr., Rescue
Squad Chief.
Hamman said Sunday might
from bit home in Hickory that
they had wanted to climb the
mountain in cold weather "but
we didn't expect it (the mer
cury) to go down to eight be
low zero."
Hamman, who had climbed
the mountain by way of a Scout
trail twice before said they
planned to get to the top Satur
day night, spend the night, and
rendezvous with his father at
I p. m. Sunday.
"We started about 0 o'clock
Saturday morning," he said,
"but about 1 O'clock w* ran in
(continued on page four)
MAN, WOMAN DIE
Two Killed, One Hurt In
Head-On Crash On 421
West Jefferson
Victim Had Been
ASTC Visitor
Two persons were killed and
another seriously injured in a
head-on collision about 6:19 p.
m. Sunday on U. S. Highway 421
about five miles east of Boone.
Watauga County Coroner
Richard E. Kelley said Miss
Clara Ruth Watson, 34, of West
Jefferson, Rt. 2, and Richard C.
Springs, 18, of Reidsviile, were
instantly killed in the wreck.
Kelley said they died of mul
tiple skull fractures and inter
nal Injuries.
Miss Shelby Watson, 24, sister
of the dead girl, received lacer
ations about the face and chest
injuries. She was treated at Wa
tauga Hospital. Her condition
was listed as serious, but she
will recover, doctors said.
The two deaths raised Wa
tauga's highway death toll to
six this year, all occurring since
September 3. The total is the
highest since 1958, when 11 per
sons were killed on Watauga
County highways.
State Highway Patrolman G.
L. Morgan said Miss Shelby Wat
son was operating one car, a
1962 Dodge, traveling east.
Springs was operating a 1951
Plymouth and riding alone, trav
eling west. When the crash oc
curred on a curve near the Park
way School, reported a witness,
the Plymouth was traveling at
a high speed on the wrong side
of the road.
The Watson girls had been
visiting a sister, a student at
Appalachian State Teachers Col
lege. They were returning
home. They are daughters of
Mr. and Mrs. Turner D. Wat
son of West Jefferson, Rt. 2.
Springs was a son of Mr. and
Mrs. W. G. Springs of Vance
Street Extension, Reidsville. He
was a student at Lees-McRae
College at Banner Elk.
The body of Springs was sent
to Wilkerson Funeral Home at
Reidsville, while the body of
Miss Watson was taken to West
Jefferson.
Democrat Will
Come From Press
Early Next Week
The Democrat will come
from the press next Monday
rather than on Wednesday as
usual, so that members of the
staff may have some time at
their homes at Christmas.
Vour newspaper will suspend
all activities Tuesday and Wed
nesday, but will be open for
normal business Thursday
morning.
The Monday edition will be
composed largely of Christmas
greeting ads. Those who haven't
been contacted by one of onr
salesmen, may place orders for
these ads by telephone. Copy
and art work will be supplied
by the newspaper without add
ed cost.
It is important however that
all ads, personal Items or other
nutter for the Monday edition
be in oar hands by Friday noon,
at the latest, to Insure publica
tion Monday.
Cantata , Christmas
Program Is Planned
The Blowing Rock Glee Club,
under the direction of Fred
Poplin, will present a Christ
mas Cantata at Laurel Springs
Baptist Church, Sunday night,
Dec. 22 at 7:30.
Monday night, Dec. 23 at
7:30 members of the church
will present a Christmas pro
gram.
The public if invited to both
?Photo by Flowers
1951 PLYMOUTH IN WHICH RICHARD C. SPRINGS WAS KILLED.
?Photo by Flowers
DODGE CAR IN WHICH MISS WATSON WAS KILLED AND SISTER INJURED.
I ? .
Holiday Celebrations Reach
Happy Peak At BlowingRock
Registration
Books To Open
The registration books will
open Saturday December 21, for
the benefit of those who need
to register for the special elec
tion January 14, at which time
the redistricting of the State
Legislature will be determined.
It had been erroneously re
ported that the books would
open last Saturday.
The books will remain open,
says R. T. Greer, Elections
Board Chairman on December
28 and January 4. January 11
will be challenge day.
Absentee ballots will be avail
able at the special Elections
Board office la the court
house. Mr. A. E. Sooth Is in
charge of the office.
Mrs. Collins
Dies Monday
Mrs. Lee Ella Coffey Collins,
age 82, of Blowing Rock, Route
1, widow of William W. Collins,
died Monday morning at Blow
ing Rock Hospital after an ill
ness of a year.
She was born in Caldwell
county to Thomas A. and Louise
Gragg Coffey and had lived in
{continued uo page four)
Picture on page 6, section C
Holiday celebrations, in num
ber and scope, may reach a
new high point in Blowing Rock
this Christmas season.
The town park adjacent to
the Chamber of Commerce
building on Main Street is filled
with decorative scenes, and a
general feeling of holiday jub
ilance seems to fill the air
along with frequent snowflakes.
Celebrations already held at
Blowing Rock included special
Christmas parties by the Ro
tary Club, the Ruritan Club,
and the Home Demonstration
Club, and a Christmas program
given by the Blowing Rock High
School Beta Club.
On tap for coming week in
clude the following:
? A PTA Christmas Program
Thursday, December 19, at 7:30
in the school auditorium. The
program will be presented by
the Glee Club, under the di
rection of Mr. Tom Poplin. This
will be the club's annual Christ- .
mas cantata.
? A party at the Presbyterian '
Church at 7 p. m. Saturday.
? A Youth Recreation Christ
mas play, to be presented at
8 p. m. Saturday.
?A special holiday breakfast <
for college students Monday '
morning.
? Special Christmas Eve serv- I
ices at all the churches in town 1
TUMday night.
United Fund
Campaign Hits
One-Third Spot
Watauga County United Fund
Chairman James Marsh announc
ed Monday that the 11)63 United
Fund drive for the county ti. i
reached over one-third of its goal,
in cash and pledges.
Marsh said that of the $14,
S20.S6 goal, 42.823.S0 was already
on hand end $3,082.25 bad bec.i
pledged, making a total so tar
of $5,915.73. He pointed out th^t
Watauga has gone over its goal
in each of the three preceding
yews, and urged all ?<**? ~ to
contribute whatever they could
to insure that 1963 would be the
fourth mccbbM year in the
series.
Roby L Shull
Dies Monday
Roby Lee Shull, age 82, of
Route 3, Boone, the Shulls Hills
immunity, died Monday at his
tome after a heart attack.
He opearted a general store
in the Shulls Mills community
for many years and formerly
(Contniuad on paga lour)