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Page 5-A
RANDALL
Patriotic 4"
anne in KM
A patriotic "Salute To Our Troops" at 11:30 a.m. Thursday and a pa-
triotic address by State Senator Jim Forrester, Stanley medical doctor
and retired d Brg General and Assistant Adjutant General of the
1 North Carolina Army National Guard, will
headline the community celebration of
Independence Day Thursday.
Dr. Forrester, who represents the 25th
Senatorial District, will come from Shelby
where he will participate in 9 a.m. ceremonies
on the Courtsquare.
Commander of the 145th TAC Clinic and a
chief Flight Surgeon with 2400 plus flying
~ hours, Forrester flew air evacuation missions
out of Vietnam and was one of six commanders
receiving "excellent rating” on last inspection.
He was 'Command Flight Surgeon of the Year
in the United States' in 1978 and Acting State
Air Surgeon in 1986. Former chairman of
Gaston County Commissioners, he received WBTV's Jefferson Award
for community service in 1988. He was elected to the state Senate in
1991.
Forrester has arranged for four F-16 Fighters to fly over Kings
Mountain at approximately 10:30 a.m., weather permitting.
Mayor Kyle Smith saia the opening ceremonies will feature the re-
lease of hundreds of balloons in tribute to service personnel serving in
the War in the Gulf. Veterans of all wars will be recognized during the
opening, which will include a memorial service. Smith said the July 4th
and Memorial Day services are combined this year.
Recreation Director David Hancock encourages service people and
families of service people to notify him at the Community Center so that
he can seat them in reserved seats at Jake Early Memorial Park and rec-
wr asize ther publicly
"We invite the community to come out and enjoy the day at Deal
Street Pool, Community Center, Jake Early Memorial Park, and visit the
Fire Museum," said Smith. The numerous contests, a softball tourna-
ment, and water and field events will be topped off by a street dance
from 7:30 p.m. until 11: 30 p.m. featuring music by "Mink" and a big
fireworks extravaganza at 9:30 p.m.
iSensaule of events - Page 2A)
FORRESTER
Kings Mountain city officials are
hoping to hear good news from the
U. S: Justice Department and soon.
With only 22 days to go before
filing deadline for mayor and three
ward seats on city council, City
Manager George Wood and Mayor
Kyle Smith are anxiously awaiting
the go-ahead to conduct the munic-
. ipal elections this fall.
If U. S. Department officials
don't accept a voting plan recently
approved by the city council, elec-
tions scheduled for fall will be
. postponed until next year.
. "From what we've heard from
telephone conversations from
Washington, D. C., we were hop-
ing to hear by now but they have
until July 17 and it looks like it's
going down to the wire," said
Wood. City Attorney Mickey
Corry said he had talked with the
Justice Department several times
recently and had hoped to receive
.an answer this week.
.Wood said the new plan and de-
tailed maps were sent to
‘Washington May 15.
The new election system the
council adopted in April changes
the size of council from six to sev-
en members and creates a black
majority ward, thereby probably
assuring the election of the coun-
cil's first minority member.
The council voted 3-2 for the
Johnny Neal, nine years old, gets his face painted by Debbie | plan in which the mayor and two
Duffie during Grover's Fourth of July celebration Saturday after- council members would be elected
noon. Gospel singing, arts and crafts, games and good food was at large and five council members
highlight of the event held behind First Baptist Church. Kings '| would be elected by wards.
Mountain's celebration is Thursday at the Community Center. j
- Terms of Mayor Smith and
council members Al Moretz, Jackie
area plants this week.
Kings Mountain, NG a
KM awaits v
on fall electi
Interim
budget
for city
City Council approved a 30-day
interim budget Monday at a special
meeting.
Fearing it would be in trouble if
a tax rate was set before the N. C.
General Assembly says how much
money Kings Mountain would get
from the state next year, the board,
took the recommendation of City
Manager George Wood and appro-
priated enough money to operate
the city for a month.
"This will mean more bookkeep-
ing for the city but since the state
hasn't resolved its budget it's the
only thing to do," said Wood.
Members of the board backed
Wood's recommendation.
The proposed budget comes in at
$17,408,629.00, up $192,400.00 or
1.1 percent from this year. It in-
cludes a decrease in the property
tax rate from 37 to 36 cents per
$100 valuation and calls for no
cost of living increase but merit in-
crease for employees who qualify,
Barrett and Norma Bridges are ex-
piring. In the new ward lineup,
Barrett and Bridges are in the same
ward and Moretz and Scott Neisler,
whose term isn't up this year, are in
the same ward. The minority mem-
ber would be elected from Ward I.
Businesses slow down for 4%
Shorter holidays are in store for some segment of Kings Mountain in-
dustry which indicates that the economy may be picking up.
Most textile plants, however, will observe the full week of July 4th
and most plants are paying vacation bonuses, according to a survey of
Clevemont Mills, Dependable Knit, Mauney Hosiery Mills, Kings
Mountain Knit Fabrics, Anvil Knitwear, and Tultex Yarns, all of Kings
Mountain, and Minette Mills and Grover Industries in Grover will ob-
serve the full week for the holidays.
hours of ih spent od A Ah
perfecting a high-quality and safe
show using various types
ina star-studded "Salute To Heroes
Thursday
ules
Parkdale Mills will close on Thursday only.
Commercial Intertech and Cyprus Foote Mineral will be closed
Thursday and Friday only and Combustion Engineering, closed Bday,
will operate on regular schedule Thursday.
Hayward Pool Products will close Thursday and the production de-
partment will also be closed Friday but the shipping department will op-
erate on regular schedule
Financial institutions, Kings Mountain Post Office, City of Kings
Mountain, downtown stores and Kings Mountain Herald will be closed
Food stores and most service stations will operate on regular sched-
Charles Beachum gets roll of rubber to tread an-
other buggy tire. Tire machine is in the back-
‘ground.
Beachum keeps an old art alive
By JIM HEFFNER
When your car breaks down you take it to a me-
chanic. If your washing machine goes on the fritz you
call in an appliance repairman. What would you do if
your buggy needed new rubber on the wheels?
What's that? You say you don't own a buggy? Well,
there are still many old-timey buggies and carriages
around, and when they break down or the wheels need
rubber, most people in this part of the country call on
Charles Beachum.
Beachum, who lives in Mt. Holly, is part-owner of
Bridges Hardware in Kings Mountain. The hardware is
a family-owned business. Besides Charles there's his
father Wayne and brother-in-law Tim Miller. Bridges
is a bustling, busy enterprise that takes up most of
Charles Beachum's time, but he will make the neces-
sary time when a buggy wheel comes in for "recap-
ping."
Charles, age 28, is very likely the youngest man
around in the buggy repair business.
The unusual craft was passed from grandfather to
father to son. Beachum refers to his grandfather affec-
tionately as Poppa.
“Poppa taught my Dad and I how to work on bug-
gies," he said.
Hayes Beachum was in the service station and tire
_ business in Oakboro, NC most of his life. He died last
year at the age of 85.
"Back in the early fifties," said Charles, "Poppa
heard about a machine that could be used to re-tire
buggy wheels, and since he'd had several calls for that
kind of work, he decided to go see if he could buy it.
He and his brother traveled to the eastern part of the
state and found the machine. I don't remember who
owned it, but it wasjattached to a tree and they bought
it for ten dollars and brought it home in the back of a
'40 Ford."
The machine is an ingenious device that operates
with two gears and a series of wheels. The Beachums
think it was manufactured during the era of the Civil
War. :
Buggy tires are made from a hardened rubber that
has two holes all the way through the léngth. A special
wire is inserted through the holes, pulled tight by the
machine then welded. The rubber is extremely durable.
"Sometimes a buggy wheel with new rubber will
last a lifetime," said Charles. ;
Charles wasn't born when his grandfather brought
the machine home. It's now mounted in the hardware
repair shop.
"He didn't know how to use'it,’ ile said. "He learned
by doing. I guess I was about 14 or 15 when he started
teaching me. Poppa used to work on a wheel, and he'd
tell me to hand him the wire or get him a tool or some
rubber, or he'd tell me to turn one to the wheels, until I
finally got the hang of it. Later on he gave me the ma-
chine and I did all the work while he handled the sales
"You were younger than 14 when you started," said
Wayne Beachum. "I'd guess you were about ten."
Wayne Beachum doesn't spend a lot of time working
a the hardware store.
"I really don't get involved with the hardware," he
said, "I leave that to Charles and Tim."
For good reason, too. Wayne started his own finan-
cial and business consulting enterprise several years
ago, and he has more than he can handle with the ar-
chitectural firms to whom he provides his services.
Buggies, carriages and surreys have been around for
ages. They probably got their start from two-wheel
carts, and the wheels were originally carved from
wood. Archeologists have traced buggies back to an-
cient Mesopotania, about 3500 B.C.
The Celtics used the two-wheeled variety as war
chariots, which have been well documented. Celtic
war chieftains were entombed in their chariots. Some
have been reconstructed from archeological relics.
They were built chiefly from wood, leather and wick-
er. Not a single Celtic axle has survived the ravages of
time, but some wheels have been recovered intact.
They had ten to fourteen lathe-turned spokes made
from hornbeam and pine.
The Romans used chariots and several different
types of buggies. The men of Rome traveled the streets
in wheeled vehicles but women had to get special dis-
See Buggy, 2-A
and paperwork. Finally, he gave me the machine.”
SRA