Serving— '**«mmm**. anr u» *• . t„ Thursday, September 14, 1978, Vol 24, No. 47 Bl"^■■1!l,,,■>,■l■■■,l■■■■■ll■■ —^— --- lSrpnts nprrnnv Booze bombs out Pet it ion,p arking head board action by Du Ward A packed house and a television news crew were disappointed when the liquor by-the-drink referendum surfaced for only a few seconds during the shortest -egular town Board meeting n Black Mountain in months September 11. Mayor Tom Sobol made the snly comments on Tuesday’s eferendum, repeating that he board had never officially aken a stand on liquor-by-the Irink, but only gave the people i chance to decide on the uue. All comments made to nedia were personal, not fficial views on the subject, le said. - There was no espouse from the audience. The most controversial eacehil *meeSTg"'waT",2r*" r,nouncement Of a petition gned by nine ’ downtown lerchants complaining of isruptive behavior by atrons of the Arcade on State treet The merchants complained at youths at the arcade were draining in public, Uttering, shouting obscenities st passing drivers, and urinating on nearby buildings. Bill Ricketts, owner of die arcade, called the complaints unjustified. He did not day that such behavior took place, but said that the incidence of it had been blown out of proportion. He added that the youths behave weD while in die business, and that some have been permanently kicked out Ricketts dted lack of law enforcement and a lack of “things to do here for younger people” as the cause of problems there. J Aid. A.F. Tyson countered, saying the young people should be home reading or use growing s* there was toe much to do here,"Tyson said. The rest of the board seemed to agree with a statement by Mayer Tom Sobol that police will have to provide “better control’ ’ on State Street Two Hoar Parking Following a report by Town Manager Mack Kirkpatrick that free two-hour parking downtown “began as a headache’’but shows promise as encouraging downtown shopping, the board chose to install two-hour free parking signs and permanently bag meter heads. The board chose, however, not to remove the meters until the two-hour parking system proves itself. Kirkpatrick noted that many merchants have refrained from parking in front of stores, but are now taking prime spaces in free off-street parking lots. Most are parking in out of the way places to accomadate customers, he added. ^ ^ Tfee board decided not to act 4ii a suggestion by Howard Rogers, thnx«t> Aid. Ruth Brandon, to re-evaluate a proposal to aet toe number of terms a person may be re appointed to a board, die ABC continued on page 8 Early turnout was heavy at the Lake Tomahawk poll. (Dan Ward) Horse,horseman, promoter equal winning team by Dan Ward As Johnny Fore of Swan* nanoa will tell you, it takes more than a great horse to win a world title in racking horse competitian. It takes promotion. And a good rider of course. Those who watched Fore’s horse, Sam Spade, a sleek stallion black as midnight, rji the N.C. championship for lour year-olds at Monte Vista Farms two weeks ago realized tot Fore has worked hard to nake Sam Spade a familiar tame in the stables. Banners, T-shirts and applause of the itowd showed the horse was a “P contender. When Sam Spade took the 'serve, or second place, Forld Title for three-year-olds u< year, an old-timer in »rse show told Fore that the erse would have taken a first ■he judges had recognized im. They are all saying to themselves that this could just be a good day for the horse — he may be terrible tomorrow,” Fore said. After that, Fore set out to get the best, and best-known, rider-trainer in the business and to get the word out that Sam Spade is champion material. “I read all the magazine articles about racking horses and learned about Larry Thomas. To my knowledge, he’s the only person who has won a world title and a grand world title— and he did them both last year. I said,‘well, if 1 could get this fellow to ride my horse, I' 11 stand a fair chance.” After Sam Spade proved himself to be champion material to Thomas, the 24 year-old Alabama rider trainer agreed to see what he could do. Since then, Sam Spade this year has won 14 blue ribbons and three red in state championships and large' charity shows. His closest competitor has won only three blues. Included in this year’ s trophies are first places in Missouri, Kentucky, Illinois, Georgia, South Carolina, and most recently here in Black Mountain, the North Carolina title. September 27 to 30, Fore, Thomas and Sam Spade go to Decatur, Ala., to com pete for the coveted World Title of Backing Horses. Racking horses, in general are being promoted by Fore even more than his own horse in particular. He was given a plaque by the N.C. Racking Horse Breeders Association for promoting the relatively new breed. Racking horses first started competing only seven years ago, Fore said. The rack is an unusual gait that is part natural and part taught. Any breed of horse that shows a natural racking ability can be registered now, though Fore predicts that the breeders’ books will be closed soon. “When we get enough registered racking horses we’ 11 close the books,’’ Fore said. “Then, the only way you’ll be able to get a registered racking horse is to breed a registered stud to a registered mare. That’s when the stud fees will get high.” Most racking horses now are bred from Tennessee Walking Horses, and Sam Spade is no exception. His grandfather was a grand world champion Tennessee Walker. Fore, who has ridden since he was 13, has had a number of show horses, but is new to the calibre of competition Sam Spade faces. He said the decision to get a professional trainer and rider for the horse was a difficult one. “Since I've got this good of a horse, I wouldn’t want to do him an injustice by riding him myself. Me being in business, I can’t show my horse and condition him. This horse has to be worked every day,” he said. The hardest part is leaving the stallion in Alabama — though Fore said he has been down to watch the horse work out a number of times this summer. Fore said he first saw Sam Spade when the horse was a colt Even at that time, he said he saw what he calls "bloom’’, the stature and spirit of a winner, in the youngster. After watching the horse compete for months, and its price tag go up $1000 at each win, Fore bought the horse. “I decided that if I was going to buy the horse, I’d better do it right away or I wouldn't be able to afford him,’ Fore paid. Fore made up for his hesitation in buying Sam Spade with some sharp horse dealing'for his full younger year old by offering rewards, through auctioneers and private sales to a huge pasture in Missouri where the stallion was running wild with a herd. “I didn’t lie, but I didn’t let the fellow who owned him know what he had, either,’ ’ Fore said. He won’t say how mucji he paid for the un trimmed, burr-covered horse, but “it wasn’t very much.” “My trainer had that colt 60 days, and now he says ’I think we’ ve got another world champion on our hands,’ Fore said. Now that championship competition is in his blood, Fore, owner of Burger Hutt in Black Mountain, said he plans to begin breeding racking horses for a whole line of world champions. “It’s a lot more fun when your hobby turns into something that pays.'Tie said. “It’s always more fun when you’re winning, of course.” I r°ome Donnie Thomas, Rider-Trainer Larry Thomas and Johnny Fore with * aovv-famous Sam Spade. At right, Thomas rides Sam Spade to a blue bon at Monte Vista last month. 2 to 1 in Precinct 2, passes in Precinct 3 By Dan Ward Mixed drink proponents stood outside the Lake Tomahawk Clubhouse and complained among them selves how so many could be taken in by false advertising by Black Mountain Concerned Citizens, an anti-mixed drink group, but none seemed too surprised that mixed drinks were voted down by a fairly large margin September 12. Mayor Tom Sobol, who has favored mixed drinks here, listened as the others com mented on hypocritical ministers and scare tactics. He did’t appear too upset over die outcome. “ The people decided this one, so there isnt much to say about it. I guessa a 60 per cent turnout is pretty respectable ’ ha said. ■' ' .. Sobol was at th« clubhouse, the poll for Precinct 3, when the voting results were checked on the machines. A IS vote majority, 329 - 314 for mixed drinks, caused little elation for pro-drink poll - watchers there. “ Wed guessed a long time ago that wed have to win here by 150 votes to pass,’he said, suggesting that pro-drink forecasters expected the referendum to fail in the second precinct, with polls at the Primary School. The vote at the Primary School was a decisive 2 to 1 againist mixed drinks, 335 - 148. While 643 out of 1175 registered voters turned out in the third precinct, or about 55 per cent, 484, or -53 per cent voted in Precinct 2. Some observers attributed the outcome to a lower than expected turnout and to a high number of elderly voters, considered to be primarily anti-drink. Approximately half of Black Mountain^ voters are over 50 years old. . Four fifths of the votes were In before 5 p.m. Tuesday, the time working persons traditionally rush to the polls. Sobol was unwilling to say why he thought the referen dum was defeated. Although he noted that the anti-mixed drink campaign had a good deal to do with it, he would not say that a prodrink coalition would have helped the referen^mMo^ass. the dam now, I just dont know, he said. • Sobol did note that if a petition for a referendum to close the ABC Store is revived, it would meet with much stiffer opposition. The Rev. Edgar Ferrell, chairman of Black Mountain Concerened Citizens, did not seem very surprised at the outcome, either. “ I think it shows sound judgement on the part of the majority”he said. “I don’t jhink it indicates we are against progress, or that we are against good restaurants. It just shows we are going to evaluate what real progress Ferrell said the the com mittee campaigned evenly throughout town, and could not explain why voting was so lopsided in one precinct and not the other. Early morning voting was heavy in both precincts, with approximately 10 per cent of all registered voters casting their votes. By 2 p.m., voting at both precincts was still about even, with 39 per cent of die voters reporting at Precinct 2 and 31 per cent at Precinct 3. At that stage, election judges at Lake Tomahawk said they had no way of knowing whether the vote was mainly pro or can mixed drinks. “They just aren't saying,” one lodge said. "1 know how Unit voted, but that’a htiranti they are my aaShBors.” Meanwhile/ voters at Precinct 2 were apparently less secretive about their ballots. “It seems to be running about even, from what they are saying,” one judge com mented. In a state-wide referendian on mixed drinks in 1973, Black Mountain voters defeated the proposer 619496. However, the town voted In its ABC Store three years later by a narrow margin. By Tuesday morning, no organized efforts on the part of proponents was yet ap parent Three youths charged Two juveniles have been arrested and one is being sought in connection with a series of burglaries shortly after the three ran away from the Juvenile Evaluation Center in Swannanoa last week. Two boys who were later picked up in Morgan ton have been charged with two counts of breaking and entering and two counts of larceny each in connection with break-ins at the Dairy King and at Leisure World on State Street in Black Mountain September 7. According to police, the two boys, plus one who is still at large, entered Dairy King through a wndow in the back and took cartons of cigarettes and about $100 in change. The three also broke into the ap parrel store and took a change of clothes each and jewelry valued at $172, beside causing $200 damage to the back door in gaining entry, police said. The three are also suspected of stealing cars in Ridgecrest and Swannanoa. Two were aged IS and the third is 14. Some of the property was recovered, police said. Det Don Ramsey said two 15-year-old Black Mountain youths were charged Sep tember 7 with 'arreny of a bicycle. He niu they were anight stripping the bike far parts. Ramsey said he la investigating the possibility that the youths were Involved in some of the other 20-odd bicycle thefts reported this year. Black Mountain Primary School experienced vandalism September 10 when persons broke the glass door to the cafeteria and scattered food about the floor, police reported. There are no suspects yet Police responded to one accident involving a minor injury and received 235 calls last week. Black Mountain fire Black Mountain firemen made four runs last week. Approximately $800 damage resulted from a fire in a car driven by Mary Pezant on Sutton Avenue in Black Mountain September 9. One engine and IS men responded A fire caused by a welder caused $250 damage to rolls of baling twine at Garland Landscaping on September 17. One engine and 15 men responded. A second car was a total loss after a fire on US70 near Ridgecrest the morning of September 9. Two engines and 12 men responded to that fire. An overheated stove was reported at 136 S. Ridgeway Ave., September 10. One engine and three men responded. That incident ia under investigation. The Buncombe County Ambulance Service made five routine and one emergency run last week Swan nano a fire The Swannanoa Fire Department made two run* last week. On September 4, 14 men responded to a call for assistance at the Abby Scott residence on Rockdale Avenue. On September 6, seven men assisted the county am bulance in an emergency call on Wilson Avenue. Fireman of the Month for July ia Gene Garriion, who resides with his wife and family on Bee Tree Road and is employed at Swannanoa Flower Shop. For the month of August, Roger Patton is fireman of the Month. Patton is employed by Daniels Graphics and lives with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Woodrow Patton, on Wilson Avenue.

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