Ward 1
A 32-picce Army Reserve Band from Charlotte
will kickoff Mountaineer D
$ ay~imr Kings Mountain
aturday with a 30-minute concert.
Mayor Kyle Smith will open the celebration at
9:45 am. followed by the band concert from 10 until
10:30 and a balloon release over the main stage area
on Gold Street beside Kings Mountain Farm Center
facing city hall.
-The sponsoring Parks & Recreation Department is
rolling out the red carpet to the annual event celebrat-
ing the October 7, 1780 Battle of Kings Mountain.
Events for citizens of all ages will include a cos-
lume judging contest at 11:30 a.m. in front of the
band stand and various entrainment acts, including
the KM Little Theatre at 10:30; Swinging Senior
Citizens at 11 a. m.; dance routines by Nadine
Pittman at noon; Hayes Family at 12:30; Clogging
Station at 1 p.m.; KM Pep Band at 1:30 p.m.; jug-
glers at 2 p.m.; New Direction Band at 2:30 pm.;
Blacksburg All Male Chorus at 3:30 p.m.; Good
Time Cloggers at 4 p.m.; Leon's "One Man Band" at
4:30 p.m.; Machine Band at 5:30 p.m. and strect
dancing to music by "Mink" at 7:30 p.m. followed by
a fireworks extravaganza at 9:15 p.m. *
Hot air balloon rides will begin at 5 p.m. in the
pasture of W. K. Mauney Jr. across from Mountain
Rest Cemetery. The third annual dog show will be
held in front of the fountain at city hall at 2 p.m. with
registration for most talented, cutest, owner/pet look-
a-like; most obedient and best dressed dog at 1:30.
Mountaineer Day Saturday in KM
Spectators will be able to view the evening fireworks
show, to be conducted by the Kings Mountain Fire
Department, from the downtown areca.
Crafters and food vendors will man booths in the
parking lot on Cherokee Street and at the corner of
Cherokee and Gold Streets. Sponsors are Youth
Assistance Program, KM Rescue Squad's blood pres-
sure station, Junior Rescue Squad's dunking booth,
Mauney Memorial Library puppet show and stories,
Century 21 Realty, Mary Kay Cosmetics, Aging
Department, TACC van, D.A.R.E, Gaston Observer,
Gaston Gazette and Pioneer Girl Scouts. Baked
goods for the Angela Strickland fund will be avail-
able as well as pizza, hot dogs from First Baptist
Church BYW, snack foods from Keith Falls, barbe-
cue from Kings Mountain Fire Bevartment and soft
drinks from the Kings N'ountain Chamber of
Commerce. is
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VOL. 103 NO. 40
\
Thursday, October 10, 1991
Kings Mountain, N.C. 28086 +35¢
Neisler, Hager, Bridges are in
Hager
sweeps
Neisler, youngest mayor,
will be KM's cheerleader
Scott Neisler, 35, easily won
election as the city's youngest
mayor Tuesday as 33.4% of the
city's registered voters went to the
TRIAS
polls EKM WKM TOT
5 Phillip Hager, 55, became the He will take the oath of office on | Neisler 615 420 1,045
irst black ever elected to city December 15 for a four-year term |
| council in a landslide vote Tuesday succeeding Mayor Kyle Smith. | Childers 228 196 430
in Ward One over two opponents. Smith did not seek reelection after | | dine 43 97 142
As the first minority council his first term in office and the inau- amric
member in the city's 117-year-old
history, Hager sees much work to
do but called his victory 'a
tremendous feeling."
See Hager, 9-A
ee
guration of the city manager form
of government, his platform for his
campaign after veteran Mayor John
Henry Moss stepped down after
Transfers - Neisler 10,
Childers 6, Hamrick 2.
yA
Ward1 EKM WKM Tot.
Hager 139 57 2
I
Transfers - Hager 4
at right.
Bridges gets
Incumbent councilwoman
Norma Bridges waged a major po-
litical victory Tuesday to win an-
other four-year seat on city council
but an upset in Ward 2 ousted in-
cumbent councilman Jackie
Barrett. Second runners wasted no
time in calling for runoffs.
Joe King, who ran second to in-
cumbent commissioner Al Moretz
for the two year At-large seat, and
Roy Pearson, who ran second to
top runner Jim Guyton for the four
4-year-seat,
run-offs set for two seats
WARD 2 LL
Jim Guyton
Roy Pearson 7
J.D. Barrett 60
Jeff Gregory
year seat in Ward 2, called for a
run off. Also defeated for the At-
Large seats, where six people were
running for office, were newcomer
Shirley Brutko, who placed fourth;
Luther Bennett and Jerry Mullinax.
Defeated for the Ward 2 seat, in ad-
dition to Barrett, was Jeff Gregory.
Former police chief Barrett, who
moved to Ward 2 from Ward 4 due
Kings Mountain People
to redistricting and received only
60 votes, said he was very disap-
pointed at the low turnout of voters
from his ward. Jim Guyton, a for-
mer recreation commission mem-
ber and contractor, received 91
votes to lead the field followed by
Roy Pearson, former city recre-
See Bridges, 9-A
Scott Neisler keeps score as votes are posted at City Hall after Tuesday's election. Pat Herndon looks on
chair.
Frank Burns.
Burns said.
Norma Bridges, big winner in Tuesday's election, is all smiles as
she gets a hug from a supporter.
over 22 years in the executive
Neisler, mayor pro tem two
years in the old Ward 6, beat for-
mer two-term commissioner Jim
Childers, who had been off the
board for several years, by 21.
The new m mayor pledged that un-
der his leadership Kings Mountain
Plan your escape
during 'Fire Week!
By RENEE WALSER
Of The Herald Staff
Community fire departments
and supporters are calling attention
to Fire Prevention Week across the
nation this week with their theme
of "Plan Your Escape,” according
to Kings Mountain Fire Chief
The objective of the week is to
call awareness to the advice of
planning at least two ways to get
out of a room in case of fire.
"No, that's not always possible,"
But if you have a window, you
should make sure that it opens or
raises, and especially, for young
children, show them how to get out
of windows, Burns said.
Other tips include designating
one place for everyone to meet out-
side the house in case of fire. And
will run second to none in this area
and says he is excited at the chal-
lenge to serve the city. "I appreci-
ate all the confidence of voters and
I won't let them down," he said.
Neisler was greeted with hugs’
and handshakes from a large num-
ber of people i in y the lobby of city
as elections roo chairman Becky
See Neisler, 9-A
don't return into a burning building
for any reason, Burns said.
"Most of our fires in Kings
Mountain are because people use
drop cords. Don't use them," Burns
said. And be wary of grease fires in
the kitchen, he said. Don't get dis-
tracted while cooking.
Bud Ware is the newly appoint-
ed Fire Prevention Officer and is
trying to spend time inspecting
“companies in the area for safety.
"So far, we haven't found any
problems in the Kings Mountain
area," Burns said. "Most compa-
nies are willing to work with you if
they know they have a problem."
Burns cited the recent fire and
deaths in the Hamlet factory for
making companies more alert
about fire codes and blocked exits.
The fire department will be at-
See Fire, 3-A
Fun
By ELIZABETH STEWART
of The Herald Staff
Fred Kiser, 67, gets up every
morning at 4:30 to open Minit Grill
but after 26 years he no longer
feels tied down to the business. At
a moment's notice he's ready to
join his 10-year-old grandson or a
fishing buddy on the creek bank.
"Everybody needs a little some-
. thing to take away the pressure” is
* his philosophy. For Kiser, nothing
beats fishing and he has the tro-
phies to prove it. The walls of his
popular downtown restaurant dis-
play prominently the sport he en-
joys with friends and kin. Bass and
crappie decorate the glass display
case and two framed pictures of
largemouth bass hang on a wall
along with photographs of Kiser
and his friends with their latest
catch from Moss Lake or Lake
Wylie.
Rising above the sizzle of coun-
try ham and eggs is the laughter of
the breakfast crowd ordering their
Whether fishi
ing or frying,
Fred Kiser can't be beat
favorite foods and their conversa-
tion that ranges from everything
from politics to the Mountaineer
football scores.
Minit Grill, at the corner of
Battleground and East Gold Street,
is one of the town's oldest restau-
rants and meeting places. When
Kiser leased the old B&B
Restaurant 12 years ago from the
late Paul McGinnis, the department
store owner teased him by asking
him if he thought he'd succeed in
that location. The family restau-
rant, which serves breakfast and
lunch seven days a week to crowds
that often spill over on the side-
walk, fed 100,000 people last year.
Kiser was trained by his brother
Melton at the old Silver Villa. He
formerly operated Minit Grill in
the old Burger Barn location be-
side the present Silver Villa. The
Minit Grill seats 85 people on
counter stools, at tables and booths
in a 25x100 feet building with
See Kiser, 2-A
half
home
Kings Mountain United Fund
campaign passed the half-way
mark this week heading down the
home stretch.
With only # few weeks remain-
ing in the driv: for $120,750 for 16
causes, the :: mpaign had collected
cash and pi» ses of $62, 633.74, as
of Wednes:
Campai- © Chairman Pat Carter
said that © nteers are encouraged
to try to ¢ plete their solicitation
canvasses «s soon as possible and
report the results to the division
leaders. "One gift will help so
many needy individuals and chari-
ty organizations and we look for-
ward to another successful drive
completion," said Carter.
Fred Kiser serves another satisfied customer (Terri Surber) at Minit Grill in downtown Kings
Mountain.
Carter said persons not contact-
cd who want to make a donation
arc urged to call him at Clevemont
Mill,