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Press Association
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VOL. 102 NO. 42
Kings Mountain, N.C. 28086 .35¢
of a full week of activities.
Mountain Mayor Kyle Smith.
schools.
: Participants from the 10 sponsoring
industries will form a parade at 4:30. The
welcome address will be given by Kings
Kings Mountain area plants are also
scheduling plant tours this week for fourth
and seventh graders and some industry
officials are presenting programs in the
W. Duke Kimbrell, who started working
as a teenager in Parkdale Mill and saw his
plant grow from one to 16 in this state and
Textiles Celebrate
Their Bicentennial
The first-ever Cleveland County Textile
Olympics heralding the 200th anniversary of
textiles in the United States will be held
Saturday at 4 p.m. in Shelby High Stadium
and local plants are gearing up for the finish
Mills of Lawndale.
production from 16 million to 220 million
pounds yearly and sales from $11,000,000 to
more than $315,000,000, was the keynote
speaker at the Bicentennial textile luncheon
Tuesday at Cleveland Country Club.
Kimbrell is chairman of the board and chief
executive officer of Parkdale Mills, Inc., a
privately held "S" corporation which employs
2,950 people. Today, Parkdale is the largest
yarn spinner in the United States.
Area plants sponsoring the Olympics, to
which the public is invited, are Clevemont
Mills, Glen Raven Mills, Parkdale Mills, all
of Kings Mountain; Grover Industries of
Grover; and Artee Industries, Doran Mills
and Sackville Mills of Shelby and Cleveland
See Textiles, 7-A
PROCLAIMS TEXTILE WEEK - Mayor Kyle Smith, second
from right, proclaims this week as Textile Week in Kings Mountain
as area textile leaders look on. Representing area plants are, front
row, left to right, Charles Mauney of Mauney Hosiery, Lavon
Strickland of Parkdale and Steven Neal of Glen Raven. Back row,
Paul Dover of Tultex, Howard Jones of Spectrum, Patrick Carter of
Clevemont and Ernest Rome of Anvil Knit.
KM School
Buildings
Dedicated
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Bob
Etheridge praised Kings Mountain citizens for making
schools the "focal point of the community" during a
ceremony dedicating new high school and middle
school facilities Sunday at B.N. Barnes Auditorium.
The new facilities repre- |
sent $4.5 million of Kings §
Mountain's $10-million
share of the the funds ap-
proved for school con-
struction in a $30 million
county referendum. A new
Despite a rainy morning, orga-
nizers of Saturday's Mountaineer
Day in downtown Kings Mountain
rated the celebration a huge suc-
cess.
A steady drizzle which caused
‘many vendors not to show up end-
ed around 11:30 a.m., the sun came
out and the crowd got larger as the
day wore on.
David Hancock, director of the
Parks and Recreation Department
which co-sponsored the event with
the Chamber of Commerce, said
the crowd for Saturday night's
street dance was "one of the best
we've ever had."
Other than the morning rain, or-
ganizers said they experienced no
problems whatsoever. Despite the
rain, downtown merchants said
sales were better than normal for a
Saturday.
"We had 25 craft people booked
but that morning only about 12
showed up," Hancock noted. "Then
the rain came and only about four
or five stayed. But the food ven-
dors seemed to have pretty good
business."
East Gold Street was blocked off
from Battleground to Piedmont
Avenues. A stage was set up at the
intersection of East Gold and
Battleground for singers and other
See Celebration, 9-A
City To Break Ground
For Water Improvements
Groundbreaking ceremonies for major improve-
ments at T. J. Ellison Water Treatment Plant at Moss &
Lake will be held Friday morning at 10 a.m.
Tom Howard, the city's Director of Community
auxiliary gymnasium and
classroom wing have been
constructed at KMHS and
a new classroom wing and
other improvements have
been added at the middle
ay Was Huge Success
MOUNTAINEER DAY FUN- Western square dancers entertain the crowd during Saturday's Mountaineer Day
celebration in downtown KM. Hundreds of people braved the damp, rainy weather to enjoy the activities. More photos
are on page 9-A.
&
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Services, said the water treatment plant improvements,
which include a new five million gallon water storage
tank, are expected to cost $2,696,900.00 and funds
were approved in the recent bond package voted by
Kings Mountain citizens.
With the groundbreaking ceremonies, the city will
launch construction of the third bond project approved
by citizens.
Mayor Kyle Smith and city commissioners, includ-
ing members of the utility committee chaired by
Commissioner Al Moretz, will break ground for the
project. The public is invited.
Jd
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United Fund Campaign
Is Falling Short Of Goal
Kings Mountain United Way has
received pledges of $84,070 (66
percent of its goal), it was reported
at the second report meeting
Friday.
After getting off to an excellent
start, receipts have slowed during
the past two weeks but United Way
leaders hope to bring the campaign
to a successful conclusion by the
end of the month, i
Because the campaign is
$43,430 short of its goal, volun-
teers are asking individuals and
businesses to make their pledges as
soon as possible.
Campaign leaders said they feel
like unfavorable economic trends
have impacted contributions, but
demands for services provided by
United Way agencies rise under
such conditions. During the alloca-
tion process this year, the United
Way pared back thousands of dol-
lars from the requests from agen-
cies, thus the $127,500 goal repre-
sents a minimum amount necessary
to support the various agencies.
Division results through October
12;
Advance gifts, $4,172 or 81 per-
cent of its goal; commercial,
$2,300 or 53 percent of its goal;
hospital, 0 or 0 percent of its goal;
industrial, $62,705 or 75 percent of
its goal; ministerial, $635 or 51
percent of its goal; professional,
$1,600 or 38 percent of its goal;
schools, $7,704 or 105 percent of
its goal.
school.
Bill McMillan of the BOB ETHERIDGE
Regional Center in Charlotte, KM Supt. Bob McRae
and other school officials also participated in the cere-
mony. School officials hosted an open house at both
facilities afterward.
The new facilities allowed the school system to re-
structure their grades with grades six through eight at
the middle school and grades nine through 12 at the
high school. Etheridge said the buildings represent a
See Schools, 9-A
Sunday KM Crop Walk. J
To Benefit KM, World $g
The first annual Crop Walk for benefit of Kir
Mountain Crisis Ministry and Christian Rua!
the oldest and youngest walkers. Participantsf may
walk the full route or drop out at any point
transported back to the church, where refres
will be served.
Walkers will walk down Mountain Street
Central Church, turn left on Cansler, proceed to
Hillside and Sims Streets, turn right on Parker and pro-
ceed to King and cross the overhead bridge and walk
to the Community center on Ridge Street, where they
will be given a tour of the Crisis Center and Food
Bank. The walk will end at Central Methodist Church:
Rev. John Futterer, pastor of Resurrection Lutheran
Church who is heading up the walk, invites everyone
to put on their walking shoes and join the fun for
health and for a worthy cause.
Mother Nature Kind To KM
By JIM HEFFNER
Mother Nature broke the drought with a vengeance
last week, when the remnants of two tropical storms
passed through the area, dumping from seven to eight
inches of rain.
_ Several nearby towns, Gaffney, S.C. in particular,
suffered severe damages, including washed out bridges
and roads. Kings Mountain, however, came through
the extended downpour in fairly good shape.
The Police Department reported a single wreck and,
other than that, nothing unusual because of the rain.
There were problems in many new construction
sites because of soil erosion.
City Engineer, Tom Howard, reported some back-up
flooding and water infiltration into the sewer system.
"We have some undersized culverts and storm
drains that need to be enlarged. It becomes really no-
ticeable when you have heavy rain," he said.
Howard says there were some electrical outages in a
few sections lasting up to two hours.
"A power problem cropped up at the water plant
when some underground cables got wet and shorted
out. That's something we may have to correct by in-
stalling overhead lines," said Howard.
The deluge washed soil from several sewer lines ad-
jacent to creeks, leaving them exposed. Howard said
the extent of that damage isn't known as yet.
The U.S. Weather Service reported over two inches
more rain fell on Thursday and Friday than last year
when Hurricane Hugo passed through, followed by
several days of rain.
Kings Mountain People
CHARLES L. ALEXANDER
A Self-Taught Architect
Drawing house plans comes naturally for Charles L.
Alexander.
The retired Kings Mountain postmaster, who recent
history records as serving the longest tenure of any
Kings Mountain postmaster, from 1956-77, started
drawing house plans at the old Elmer Lumber
Company in the 1940's and hasn't quit.
Some of the most beautiful homes in Kings
Mountain and Macedonia Baptist Church were on his
drawing board.
Alexander also drew the plans for his home and his
children’s homes and the beautiful homes in Gold Run
and Brandonwood Developments, combined talents of
Alexander and his talented wife, Ruby Moss
Alexander, president of Alexander Realty, who also
got in the building business at Elmer Lumber
Company. When Alexander Realty opened some years
ago, Charles drew the house plans and Ruby was its
first super saleswoman. Alexander Realty has devel-
oped Gold Run and Brandonwood, in addition to
building business buildings and numerous apartments.
Ruby and Charles Alexander, both Kings Mountain
natives, met at Central School. They married in 1945.
After his service in World War II, Charles returned to
Elmer Lumber Company and also completed a two-
year architecture course at Gaston College.
He describes himself as a "self taught architect."
Recently, he added to the expertise for the building of
the new First Baptist Church, serving as chairman of
the building committee and also on the future growth
committee of the church, which he calls a "labor of
love."
Charles got his early business experience delivering
groceries for his father in Kings Mountain. Son of the
See Alexander, 2-A