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VOL. 96 NUMBER 41
KINGS MOUNTAIN, NORTH CAROLINA
Kings Mountain policeman
Gary Sale has always been proud
of his superior physical condi-
tion.
The veteran officer spends
many hours lifting weights in
Charlotte area gyms, and when
he’s not there, he can usually be
found exercising with his
registered = bloodhound, Buck,
which he uses to track criminals
for area police departments. Just
this spring, he entered the North
Carolina Police Olympics and
won a number of awards and rib-
bons.’ :
His excellent physical condi-
tion, and the quick action of a
Kings Mountain man, saved his
life late last Wednesday when he
wrecked his police car on Grover
Road while answering a call for
assistance to another police of-
ficer in the Margrace communi-
ty.
Sale was leaving Hardee’s on
Cleveland Avenue after having
coffee with his wife, Mary, when
he received a call that officer Bil-
ly Benton needed backup on a
1040 (fight in progress) on
Margrace Road.
“He kissed me goodbye and
said he’d see me later,” Mary
said Tuesday from Gary’s
hospital room in Charlotte,
Sale’s Lucky
To Be Alive
where she has stayed since Sale
was rushed to Charlotte
Memorial after the 10:30 acci-
dent. “I went on home and turn
ed on the scanner and heard
them call for the rescue squad to
go to the wreck scene. But I had
no idea at that time that it was
Gary.”
A tire blew out on Sale’s police
cruiser, causing him to swerve
back and forth across the road
several times, run up an embank-
ment, hit a utility pole and over-
turn into the highway. The car
burst into flames.
Turn To Page 3-A
GARY SALE
Photo by Gail Shytle
PIONEER DAYS - People flocked to the Kings Mountain State Park last weekend to
celebrate Pioneer Days. Over 6,000 attended the two-day event.
Woman Wins Zoning
Suit Against City
A Cleveland Avenue woman
who recently had her property
backzoned by Kings Mountain
City Council had her day in
court Monday and will be per-
mitted to open a beauty shop in
her residence.
The court ruled that the city
illegally backzoned the property
of Della Carter Sexton because it
did not advertise for a public
hearing before taking its action.
Mrs. Sexton requested that
her home be rezoned from
Residential to Neighborhood
Business several months ago so
she could open a beauty shop.
The board approved her request.
But several weeks later, a
group of citizens appeared before
the board and asked that the ac-
tion be rescinded because the ci-
ty code of ordinances allows
other businesses besides beauty
shops to be located in
Neighborhood Business areas.
The board, with Commis-
sioner Jim Childers casting the
lone no vote, reversed its earlier
decision.
Mrs. Sexton, who was not pre-
sent at that second meeting, took
the matter to court because the
board did not advertise for, or
hold, a public hearing before
voting on the matter.
Firemen Douse Blaze
At Convalescent Home
Fast action by the Kings
Mountain Fire Department
prevented a potentially
dangerous situation late Sunday
night at the Kings Mountain
Convalescent Center.
A fire broke out in one room
of the center at 10:23 p.m.
Firemen quickly went to the
scene and had the fire under con-
trol in minutes.
According to Pete Peterson of
the fire department, the fire was
caused by a short in a window
heating and cooling unit. No ma-
jor damage was reported.
The Kings Mountain Rescue
Squad was also on the scene.
The city police department
had its emergency command
post ready if an evacuation had
been necessary, Mayor John
Henry Moss said.
“I appreciate the fire depart-
ment, rescue squad and con-
valescent center staff, who
handled the situation so well,”
Moss said. “Everyone in the
community can be very proud of
these organizations for handling
what could have been a very
serious fire so well.”
The city fire department battl-
ed five other fires during the past
week.
Wednesday night, the firemen
extinguished the fire and hosed
down the area on Grover Road
where city policeman Gary Sale
wrecked while answering a call.
The car was a total loss.
Friday at 6:30 a.m., the
firemen extinguished a house
fire at a vacant house at 808
Third Street. The rear of the
house was heavily damaged.
Saturday at 11 a.m., firemen
doused a small grass fire across
Turn To Page 3-A
Pioneer
Days Held
lifestyle of settlers from this area.
The pioneer character of the
1800 farm homestead provided
the setting as both spectators
and participants re-lived the past
during the two day festivity held
September 24-25. According to
Phil Gaines, Park Manager
Assistant, around 6,000 people
turned out for Pioneer Days.
Activities included musket
Turn To Page 3-A
Mountaineer
Days Slated
A big four-day celebration of
Mountaineer Days | will get
underway next Wednesday mor-
ning and continue through
Saturday night.
The celebration is sponsored
by the Kings Mountain Fire
Department, with all proceeds
earmarked for the Toys For Tots
program, which benefits needy
children at Christmas.
There will be activities for the
entire family. Barbecue will be
sold throughout the event by the
fire department, and a dunking
machine will be set up on
Railroad Avenue. Saturday,
there will be carival rides all day
at the Community Center and
buggy rides all day at the Com-
munity Center and Railroad
Avenue.
An always-popular rock-a-
thon will begin Friday at 4 p.m.
on Railroad Avenue, and judg-
ing for the beard contest and
best dressed contest will be held
at 6:30 p.m. on Railroad
Avenue. Street dances will be
held on Railroad Avenue on
d Friday nights.
110
Kings Mountain Jaycees will
have fingerprinting stations
setup all day Saturday.
A complete list of events
follows:
WED., OCT. §
7:30 a.m. - Breakfast for in-
dustry, hosted by the Industrial
Committee, at the multi-purpose
Senior Center.
12 P.M. - Industry exhibit
opens at community center gym.
~ sold by fire department at con-
Ave open (
“val and the
6:30 p.m. - Raising of flag at
city hall; Firing of cannon at city
hall.
7-9 p.m. - Group singing at ci-
ty hall.
9 p.m. - Taps and lowering of
flag at city hall.
Continuing events - Barbecue
sold by fire department at con-
cession stand on Railroad
Avenue; dunking machines
(evening) on Railroad Avenue;
band on Railroad Avenue.
THURS., OCT. 6
All day exhibit at community
center.
5 a.m. - Self-defense exhibition
by Robbie Eng on Railroad
Avenue.
6:00 until - Horseshoe contests
on Railroad Avenue.
6:30 p.m. - Raising of the flag
at city hall; Firing of the cannon
at city hall.
6:30-8:30 p.m. - Bingo (tent on
Railroad Avenue).
8 p.m. - Street dance featuring
“South’s Finest” on Railroad
Avenue.
Continuing events - Barbecue
4 pm. - Rock-athon on
Railroad Avenue.
6:30 p.m. - Raising of the flag
and firing of the cannon at city
hall.
6:30 p.m. - Judging of best
dressed contest and beard con-
test on Railroad Avenue.
6:30-8:30 p.m. - Bingo (tent on
Railroad Avenue).
7-8 p.m. - Play - Little Theatre
Turn To Page 4-A
LOOKING OVER GOOD WORK - Carl Champion, left, and
Gerald McMahan of Champion Contractors stand on the
Highway 74 bridge east of Kings Mountain and look over the
new I-85-Highway 74 interchange which got its official stamp
74-85 Interchange Open
Kings Mountain motorists
traveling to and from Gastonia
at the new Highway 74-85 inter-
change will no longer be swit-
ching off and on lanes.
The State Highway Depart-
ment Friday officially opened
the interchange and gave its
stamp of approval on new con-
struction done by Champion
Construction Company of Kings
Mountain.
Construction of the total 2.2
mile project, which runs from
I-85 past Bethware School, is
scheduled to be completed by
November 15. Officials said Fri-
day there’s a good possibility
that deadline will not be met, but
they hope the new bypass will be
open to traffic shortly thereafter.
The total project, which is
costing $15.8 million, consists of
30 miles of 12-feet traffic lanes.
Construction began 2Y4 years
ago.
Jim Warren, assistant division
engineer for the State Highway
Department, said all concrete
work on the Highway 74 main
line through Kings Mountain,
Photo by Gary Stewart
of approval from the State Highway Department Friday. There
will be no more switching of traffic in that area of the $15.8
million 74 bypass project.
most shoulder work, construc-
tion of guard rails and signs, and
some ramp work remains to be
done.
Gerald McMahan, general
supervisor for the 74-85 inter-
change project, said, “we ap-
preciate the cooperation of the
public during this 2Y-year
period. Everyone in Kings
Mountain has been anxious to
see this project completed, and
as of today, we've finished ahead
of schedule.”
Carl Champion, owner of
Champion’s Contracting, said
his company, with the approval
of the State Highway Depart-
ment, made some minor changes
in the original plans which made
it possible to complete the pro-
ject ahead of schedule.
“Those changes enabled us to
relieve the bottleneck of traffic
sooner than anticipated,” he
said. “We would like to thank
the people of Kings Mountain
for their patience and coopera-
tion during the construction
period. We're real proud of the
job our men did.”
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