BLOT
I *niursday.Juiy 9,i98i,Voiume29,Number28 Second class postage paid at Black Mountain, NC 28711 *5*J
Town to receive
$320,000 ARC grant
Black Mountain is to receive $320,000
in Appalachian Regional Council (ARC)
funds to revamp the town water system,
Mayor Tom Sobol learned Tuesday. The
figure is a reduction from the $500,000
the town had originally asked for and
expected to get as a first back-up
priority for funding by ARC.
e In a letter to Mayor Sobol, Governor
James B. Hunt explained that despite a
48 percent reduction in funds imposed
by Congress and the Reagan admini
stration, Black Mountain would receive
only a 36 percent reduction in its
original request.
Mayor Sobol stated that the figure of
$320,000 was given to the Governor by
himself and former town manager as
the absolute minimum at which the
town could still make water system
improvements, when it became appar
ent that Congress was going to reduce
ARC funds.
“We felt we could live with $320,000,”
Sobol said. “We were extremely for
tunate getting it.”
Firemen to challenge
disc jockeys in ballgame
t
A Donkey Softbajl Game, played
between the Black Mountain Fire
Department and WWNC Radio disc
jockeys, will begin at 6 p.m. August 5.
This fundraising event for the Black
Mountain Fire Department will be one
of the first events in the 1981 Sourwood
Festival, and, according to the firemen,
will also be one of the funniest.
Those who have seen a donkey ball
game before say the clever donkeys
have no respect for riders and feel no
remorse whatsoever for dumping them
on their “dignity”.
Appearing at the game will be Easy
Rider, billed as “America’s buckingest
donkey. ' After hundreds of attempts,
Easy Rider has yet to let anyone ride
him.
I Bob McKinley, nationally famous
rodeo down, will also appear with a
half-time show featuring comedy animal
acts.
The donkeys, which come from the
Tarheel Donkey Ball Company of Den
ver, Colo., will also carry firemen in the
Sourwood parade, which begins at 4
p.m the same afternoon.
Courtesy of local merchants, residents
of the W estem Carolina Center will be
able to attend the donkey softball game.
Tickets will be $2 each, and proceeds
will be used to purchase equipment for
the fire department.
The game will be held at Burgess Field
beside the Phillip 66 station on U.S. 70.
The gates will open at 5 p.m and the
game will begin at 6.
Cherry St.
festival
Saturday
The 1981 Cherry St. Musical Festival
will begin at 2 p.m. Saturday, July 11.
Sidewalk artists and craftsmen are
invited to set up on the street between
1:30 and 2 p.m
Music will start at 3 p.m with a
contemporary Christian band called
Smyrna. At 4 p.m, Fox Watson will
play and sing traditional and folk music.
At 5 p.m, “Unde” Walt Davis and his
band will play “old-timey” music. At 6
p.m, Bagshot Row will play rock ’n’ roll
music and at 7 p.m, Robert Brown and
Robert Swain will play and sing.
Finally, there will be a street dance
with Carolina Bluegrass and the Spivey
Mountain Cloggers from 8-11 p.m
Everyone is welcome. Free balloons and
bubble gum will be handed out to the
children.
Two truckers killed on Old Fort Mountain
A Florida couple driving a tractor-trail
er loaded with frozen foods were killed
Saturday about 8:10 p.m. when their rig
lost its brakes and crashed into the right
guardrail on Old Fort Mountain.
The driver of the truck, Dell Petys
Hoard, 44, was eastbound on Interstate
40 when he apparently lost his brakes.
His wife, Joyce, 43, was a passenger in
the vehicle. Both were thrown from the
cab in the accident.
The tractor-trailer overturned, sliding
over 300 feet on its side along the
guardrail, which tore into the cab. The
rig came to rest a short distance from a
sandpit designed to stop runaway
vehicles safely.
Heavy holiday traffic was backed up
for several miles in either direction after
the accident, which blocked all four
lanes. One eastbound lane was opened
about three hours later. The contents of
the trailer remained scattered along the
road throughout the weekend.
The rig, totally demolished in the
accident, was owned by the driver.
Because of its exceptionally steep
grade, Old Fort Mountain has been the
scene of many accidents involving
runaway trucks with brake failures. In
the last seven years, over 20 have lost
their lives on the mountain.
A manned trucker information station
was replaced by flashing warning lights
and signs between Ridgecrest and the
top of the mountain this spring. The
information station, manned by law
enforcement officers, was opened in
September, 1980, as a temporary mea
sure to warn truckers of the danger.
■ ■ I, - - ■
Ex-quarterback Roman Gabriel
tees off in Black Mountain
by BUlStudenc Jr.
Ex-professional football stand-out
Roman Gabriel paid a visit to the Black
Mountain Golf Course Tuesday as part
of a two-week vacation in his native
state of North Carolina.
“We’re here to play that famous
par-six hole and we want to see if we
can get through before nightfall,” the
former Los Angeles Ram and Philadel
phia Eagle quarterback explained.
A Wilmington native, the former star
said jokingly that when he was bom
six-foot-three and weighing 215 pounds,
he knew he was going to be a football
player.
Gabnel said he owes much of his
success to his father, who gave him the
inspiration he needed to continue to
strive for success.
“My dad was a full-blooded Filipino,”
Gabriel said. “He came to this country
with nothing in his pocket.”
Gabriel said that though his father was
Ground breaking held at
Highland Farms for
new lodge facility
by BUI Studenc Jr.
Highland Farms in Blade Mountain,
one of the South’s most complete
retirement facilities, broke ground on
Saturday, July 4, for the Lodge, the
newest phase of the retirement com
plex.
Chet Prentice, president and executive
director of Highland Farms, said, “The
Lodge will be a hotel-type residence and
will complete the full range of accomo
dations already offered.”
Highland Farms presently offers a
choice between cottages, apartments
and a health care center staffed by
skilled nursing personnel.
“The Lodge is for persons who no
longer want private home or apartment
living, but do want the convenience of
full meal service, housekeeping and
other hotel-type services,” Prentice
said.
He added that the Lodge should be
complete and ready for occupancy on or
about September 1, 1982.
The new facility will contain 48 units,
many of which have already been
reserved. Each unit will have a living
sleeping area, a large closet and
complete bathroom. Pairs of rooms may
be connected to provide larger living
quarters.
Rather than the traditional spade
shovel routine, Prentice chose to climb
aboard the company back-hoe tractor
and break ground with it.
Allan Robertson, chairman of the
board of directors of Highland Farms,
Inc., gave the introductory remarks and
a short history of Highland Farms.
A dedicatory prayer was offered by Dr.
Raul Limbert, one of the founders of the
company and a resident of the retire
ment community.
Inquiries from persons interested in
the Lodge should be directed to Mrs.
Jewell Price, director of the Lodge.
Participants in Saturday's ground
breaking at Highland Farms
included Chet Prentice, executive
director and president of Highly
Farms on the back-hoe and, from
left to right, Allan Robertson,
chairman of the board of directors;
R«nk Washburn, Immediate past
chairman of the board; Dr. Paul
Llmbert, past president, and
Jewell Price, director of the
Lodge.
not athletic, he still had been his idol.
“He set quite an example for me with
Ex- quarterback Roman Gabriel
relaxed at the Black Mountain Golf
Course Tuesday afternoon.
Julia Codington
art exhibit
in Montreat
Watercolors on exhibit in Convocation
Hall in Montreat are the work of Julia
Neville Codington. A major portion of
the show is work done by Julie while
serving three years in Bangladesh as a
volunteer in mission for the Presbyter
ian Church, U.S.
Ms Codington was bom in Kobe,Japan
and was raised in Korea where her
parents were missionaries. She was
graduated from Agnes Scott College
with a major in art before going on to
Cornell Nursing School in New York
City. Julie then went to Bangladesh to
serve.
Julie returned to the United States and
settled in Black Mountain. She began
working as a nurse for Memorial
Mission Hospital in Asheville. Julie
died December 23,1980, when she was
involved in an automobile accident
returning home from work late that
night. She was 29 years old.
The JuliaCodington exhibit will be in
Montreat’s Convocation Hall through
the month of July. Gallery hours are 10
a.m.-4 p.m.
Weather
review
June 3u~high 82, low 51 degrees.
July 1-high 77, low 58 degrees; .73
inches precipitation.
July 2~high 70, low 58 degrees; 1.45
indies precipitation.
July 3-high 70, low 61 degrees; .15
inches precipitation.
July 4-high 80, low 57 degrees.
July 5-high 84, low 74 degrees; .04
inches precipitation.
July 6~high 82, low 64 degrees; .04
inches predpitation.
Weather Information courtesy of
WFGW Radio, Black Mountain.
his determination. I feel very fortunate
that I am athletic and have his
determination.”
Originally hoping for a career in
professional baseball, Gabriel attended
North Carolina State where, under
Coach Claude Gibson (who now coaches
at Mars Hill) he opted for football.
“The opportunity to become a pro
football player was suddenly staring me
in the face, so I took it,” he said.
Playing for 16 years, Gabriel has many
memories of his football days. Some
stand out in his mind, including the
1969 Most Valuable Palyer Award and
the 1973 Comeback Player of the Year
Award. He also holds about 13 Ram’s
passing records and lias the lowest
lifetime interception ratio in die WFL.
Retiring in 1977, Gabriel dtes “16
years and five knee operations” as his
reasons for leaving the game.
He began broadcasting football games
for CBS-Sports in 1978 and also coached
a high school squad for a few years. He
signed last April as head coach of
California Polytechnical Institute.
Noting the difference in professional
football 10 years ago ano today, Gabriel
said, “I think overall when I played it
was a tiling you wanted to ao, enjoyea
doing, and appreciated the opportunity
to do.
“But now they play still because they
enjoy the game, but now the great
amounts of money shorten their careers
because they don’t have to play as
long.”
Character is the trait Gabriel feels is
most improtant in youngsters wishing
to pursue a career in professional
football. “By character, I mean being a
positive person, not a negative person.
Eliminate the words, ‘ I can’t’ and turn ‘I
can’t’ situations into ‘I can’ situations,”
he explained.
Other traits admired by the ex-gridiron
pm are desire, organization, disdpWe
and the ability to set and reach goals.
Because he is now coaching football,
Gabriel said he does not miss playing
football as much as he would otherwise.
“My interest is still around the game
and Fm able to help others, and help
them hopefully not make the same
mistakes that I made,” he said. “I
believe you should correct your mis
takes from the past, live today and let
tomorrow take care of itself.”
Roman Gabriel (left) joined his ex-coach Claude Gibson and Black Mountain
Golf Course manager Wilbur Waters for a photo before teeing off.
Swannanoa Library to
launch Friends group
The Swannanoa Friends of the library
organization will be launched this
coining Tuesday, July 14. President
pro-tem W ayne W atters announced that
all people interested in being patrons
and supporters of the library are invited
to meet in the Community Center Club
House in Grovemont at 7:30 p.m. It is
hoped, he said, that a large number of
people will attend for the organizational
meeting.
Plans for the formation of the organiza
tion an3 for the initial meeting have
been formulated by members of the
Steering Committee: Vivian Astley,
Louise Hardie, Helen Hipp, Frances
Mann, Ruth Szittya, Jess Venable,
Frank Austin, David Faucette, Greg
Gamble, David Rozzell, and Roger
Stuck.
Following the brief business meeting
and the election of officers, Dr. Howard
Thomas will show slides and discuss his
recent return to The People’s Republic
of China.
Refreshments will conclude the eve
ning.
Swannanoa
fire department
elections
The Swannanoa Volunteer Fire De
partment will hold elections for its
board of directors July 14 at the
volunteer fire department from 2-7 p.m.
Anyone who lives in the fire district and
pays taxes is eligible to run and to vote
in this election.