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Thursday. June 8, 1978, Vol. 24, No. 33
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T-shirt transfers inside!
An equine triumvirate grazes contentedly in the early summer sun at Mareswood in Black Mountain. (Sharon Huttles/
New budget hike small
by Clint Williams
A four per cent reduction in
the proposed cost of general
government helped hold the
Black Mountain budget in
crease of the upcoming fiscal
year to 6.7 per cent, a rate well
below the current rate of in
flation. Proposed general
fund expenditures for the 1978
79 fiscal year total $831,930, an
increase of $39,867 over the
proposed expenditures of last
year’s budget.
The greatest increase in the
new budget is in money
allocated for the police
department. The police
department will receive over
$26,000 more than they did last
year, which is a 26 per cent
increase. The establishment
of a clerk of records position
and three police dispatcher
News analysis
Unscrambling the mixed-beverage law
by Clint Williams
The mixed beverage
legislation currently pending
the States .House- of
Representatives Is certainly
the most controversial
issue confronting state
t 'vemment this year. It is
also one of the most confusing
issues confronting the people
this, or any, year.
| The majority of the voters
are only half-informed as to
the total aspects of the lull.
The biH now before the House
is lengthy, makes numer als
references to the etisiing
alcoholic beverage control
laws, and is written in the
legislative mumbo-jumbo
style of language that is hard
to understand and typical of
government.
What follows is an attempt
to condense the law into it’s
key points and simplify the
language.
The first section ef the Im
Jkiv.' ~
passed by the State Senate last
year and currently before the
jHouse defines the term
“mixed beverage’! A mixed
beverage is a drink made up
wholly or partiallv of alcoholic
beverage and served to an
individual in a quantity less
(continued on page 3)
1-40 opening set for July 4
North Carolina Secretary of
Transportation Thomas W.
Bradshaw, Jr. has announced
plans for the opening of 1-40
from southeast of Swannanoa
to US-70 east of Black
Mountain.
Clean-up projects increase
by Dan Ward
As Swannanoa Valley
Cleanup Day neared, a hand
full of businesspersons, clubs
and a church joined others in
accepting projects for Valley
beautification.
Recycling stations have
been established for
aluminum at the Bi-Lo
parking lot by Boy Scout
Troop 50; and for paper at
Black Mountain Union 76 on
State Street, sponsored by the
Eastern Star.
Troop 50, the VFW, the
Juvenile Evaluation Center,
and Macedonia AME Zion
Church have offered to pick up
roadside litter in Black
Mountain, on Craigmont Road
and around the lake, along US
70 and Old US 70, and in
Swannanoa, respectively.
The Black Mountain Moose
Lodge plans an intensive
cleanup of “Potters Field’ ’
cemetery.
Free trash bags for litter
pickup are available from
Quality Forward in Asheville
or possibly later at the Black
Mountain News.
Dr. Robert Dickey, in a
letter to local businessmen,
urged them as members of the
Swannanoa Valley Chamber
of Commerce to take part in
clean uphukyivities by fixing
up their own businesses. The
Nostalgia Store and Black
Mountain News have planned
projects for the day.
Black Mountain Town
Manager Mack Kirkpatrick
has said that the town will
have a truck and driver
available to pick up bagged
roadside trash within the
Black Mountain Town limits
on June 17.
The Black Mountain Town
Improvement Committee,
XYZ Club, and Black
Mountain News have been
working to promote Swan
nanoa Valley Cleanup Day.
The valley logo was designed
by Appalachia Windchime
Factory.
The Asheville-Buncombe
Clean Community System has
supported the Cleanup Day,
and has information on
establishing an ongoing
beautification program.
Persons or organizations
interested in the Clean
Community System may call
Jean Webb at 254-1776 for
more information.
Those who would like to
adopt a project for Cleanup
Day may call Dan Ward at the
News at 669-8728.
The 6.4-mile segment is
expected to open July 4-5,
weather permitting. The
opening of this portion of 1-40
will eliminate the present
traffic congestion in the town
of Black Mountain. Total
construction cost of the
project was $12.5 million.
The 4.2-mile segment of this
project was constructed by
Asheville Paving Company,
and the 2.2-mile portion was
contracted to A.B. Burton and
Company. These projects
were originally scheduled to
be completed by September
and October, 1978, respec
tively.
“The early completion of
this highway,’ ’ noted Brad
shaw, “was due to the interest
and concern of Governor Hunt
and his commitment to con
struct east-west corridors
throughout our highway
system. The elimination of
this bottleneck of traffic in
Black Mountain will enhance
tourism and travel to the
mountainous areas of our
State. In addition, we owe a
special thanks to Asheville
Construction Company and
A.B. Burton and Company for
their cooperation in moving
ahead to get the job com
pleted,” Bradshaw concluded.
Just east of the Black
Mountain section, there are
currently two construction
contracts underway to convert
existing US-70 to interstate
standards to become a part of
1-40.
The first section, 1.6 miles
extends from US-70 and SR
2702 (Yate Avenue) in
tersection easterly to the
McDowell County line.
The second section, five miles
in length, will add two ad
ditional lanes to existing four
lane segment from Ridgecrest
to Old Fort. Projected
completion dates for these
projects are August 1979 for
the first section and
November 1978 for the second
section.
Traffic will be maintained
through the construction site.
Line for sandwiches often ends outside
Lillian Reynolds and Betty Walker at rush hour. (Dan Ward)
by Dan Ward
If it’s a fast meal you’ re
after, don’t go to Lilli-Bett’s
Country Basket.
If good conversation and
sandwiches like Mom used to
make are in your line, you
may want to get in line.
Two fairy godmother-like
ladies, Betty Walker and
Lillian Reynolds, were almost
strangers to each other when
they decided to pool their
talents and money and begin
business next to the Black
Mountain Presbyterian
Church seven years ago.
“When we first opened up,
we sold craft supplies and
health foods—Lillian and I
were primarily interested in
health foods,’ ’ said Betty,
taking time out in the af
ternoon from mixing up a
batch of brownie-like ’ ‘dollies. ”
“We just put in the sand
wiches, tacked them on, as a
little sideline. What happened
is that the sandwiches have
just taken over the business.”
Jars of vitamins and natural
foods give an orderly clutter to
shelves that line most of the
walls. Craft supplies dangle
from hooks that cover the
remaining wall-space in the
tiny reconverted house. What
remaining wall space that
remains is taken up by yellow
curtained windows that shed
light on a shop that can only be
described as cute at its cutist.
In spite of the stock, people
jam the tiny store at lunch
time for one thing—
sandwiches the ladies make
while you wait.
"We used to sit on the porch
and do macrame I can't
believe it now. Now we don’t
have time to sit and breathe,"
Betty said.
Part of the attraction of the
sandwiches is cost. In spite of
rising costs, the ladies have
held the price down to under a
dollar for most.
"I was just talking to
someone yesterday,' ’ Betty
said. "She said ‘Why do you
stay in this business—how
much do you make a year?' I
said this is just a charitable
organization,"she said with a
smile.
“We feel this way, and you
can see it all over town.
Prices jump higher at the
grocery stores as soon as the
tourists arrive. But we hate to
do that—many of our
customers are business people
from town.”
Has she ever thought of
quitting the sandwich business
to get back to crafts and
natural foods.
“No-o-o!— it never crossed
my mind. I love cooking. We
cook fresh every day. We just
cook whatever we’re able to
cook, unless we wanted to
work 24 hours a day. When it
goes, it goes. We just try to
have enough to make it
through the rush hour.”
Another attraction of the
store is its crackerbarrel
atmosphere. Jokes flow free
and fast across the counter.
•‘We have very nice
* customers,” Betty said. “We’
re blessed in that respect.
They'll come to the store every
day and always have a nice
word. It makes life enjoyable.
“1 think it’s one of the last
places where people can
freely stay. Last week three
ladies stayed for over an hour.
There aren’t many places like
that anymore.”
positions is responsible for
most of the increase. The
money for these positions is
provided, in part, through the
receipt of two matching
federal grants.
The municipal golf course
will receive a 23 per cent, or
$11,000, increase in their
appropriations. A $12,000
increase in salaries due to
allowances for over-time and
the creation of the position of
clubhouse manager—which
has a salary of $100 a week—is
responsible for the allocation
increase.
Proposed allocations for the
city pool are $20,100, up
roughly one third from the
$15,500 set aside last year.
According to Town Manager
Mack Kirkpatrick, this in
crease is because of the
inability of “qualified people
to qualify’ ’ for the federal
funds that paid the salaries of
pool personnel last year.
Proposed expenditures in
the area of public works,
which includes streets and
sanitation, are up slightly and
this can be accounted for by
increase in material and labor
costs.
The most noticible feature
of the proposed budget is the
marked decrease in money
allocated for utilities,
telephone and postage, and
travel in all departments.
This, according to Kirk
patrick, is indicative of an
effort by the city government
to “tighten the belt.”
Also sharply reduced were
monies set aside for legal
services and zoning and
planning.
“We hope we don’t have as
many legal problems,’ ’ said
Kirkpatrick. He also ex
plained that a number of cases
pending against the city have
been dropped.
The allocation for zoning
and planning was reduced
because in the past there had
always been a sizable surplus,
Kirkpatrick said.
The budget published in last
week’s Black Mountain News
has not been finalized,
however. In a public meeting
held June 5, there was an
amendment to the budget to
transfer $2,000 from the
contingency fund to the police
department to facilitate the
purchase of two used cars
from the state to be used as
police cruisers. There has also
been a proposal to allocate
approximately $1,000 for the
purchase of uniforms for the
volunteer fire department,
Kirkpatrick said.
Azaleas bloom wild along the Black Mountain railroad tracks. (Dan Ward)
uwen graduates 1 Vo
Commencement for 198
Owen graduates was held
June 4 in Anderson Auditorium
of Montreat-Anderson
College.
Commencement was made
up of two services, with a
Baccalaureate service held at
3 p.m. Featured in the service
were three piano pieces
played by April Lynn
Buckner, a speech by
Christina Marie Wojtyna and
address by Joe Glenn Ballard,
and the Owen Chorus singing
“Joy in the Morning.”
Graduation exercises began
at 8 p.m., and included music
by Miss Buckner and the
chorus.
After an invocation by
William Gilbert Anderson,
Mary Ann Myers, student
body president, spoke on
“Commencement is Just the
Beginning,” and Becky Lynn
Loftis, valedictorian, gave an
address entitled “I Want to
Live.”
Diplomas were awarded to
almost 200 members of the
Class of ‘78 following
recognition of 26 honor
students, 44 Beta Club
members and various
scholarship recipients.
Following a tribute to
parents and friends by James
Henderson Love, diplomas
were presented by Charles
Lytle and Olen Sisk, Owen
principal and assistant
principal respectively.
Beverly Coston introduced
speakers and led the class in
Alma Mater.
Phqtos of the ceremony will
be included in a special
Owen graduation edition of the
News June 15.
Police report
Police are still investigating
the larcey of a sewing
machine from the Monte Vista
Hotel that occured June 5
night. Suspects remain to be
questioned, police reported.
Also under investigation are
two break-ins, both of which
occured June 5 night. Nothing
was apparently taken in a
breakw at the office of Mc
Murray Chevrolet. Also that
night, a window was broken at
the back of Dairy King, but
entry apparently was not
gained, police reported
Twf juveniles were charged
-with car theft June 6 and
returned to Raleigh
authorities after they were
arrested by Black Mountain
Police for theft of gas from
Burton’s store. A trace on the
car the youths, 15 and 16, were
driving showed that it was
stolen in Raleigh, according to
Sheriff’s Police who assisted
in the arrest.
Several persons were
arrested and later released in
the custody of relatives
following a fight on McCoy
Cove Road June 5.
Police reported two bicycles
were stolen last week.
Six out-of-town youths who
entered a room of the Apple
Blossom Hotel to take showers
without paying June 7 were
not charged, police reported.
Police issued four traffic
citations, arrested one for
DUI, and investigated two
accidents, including one in
volving a car and bicycle. No
injuries were reported.
They answered 252 calls last
week.