Newspapers / The Kings Mountain Herald … / Feb. 20, 1992, edition 1 / Page 40
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AE Set AR th nt rd a RD A SE ilo fi hi Page 14C-THE KINGS MOUNTAIN HERALD-Thursday, February 20, 1992 Sl a A ol RR Jl SA Wy Mr Lr A A AT wy A AS AS ATR on tA yu BS hE AYR br LU Bie AA pA Lm 3 Jo Goforth, manager of the Cleveland County Fair, said his is a business with a dif- ferent product. "We sell entertainment," he said. "But that's not number one. Education -- agriculture -- is our purpose. We try to let the public know what is going on in agriculture." The fair has been doing public relations for the coun- ty's agricultural segment since 1924. The Shelby Kiwanis Club came up with the idea for the fair when for- mer Governor O. Max Gardner was president. Dr. J. S. Dorton chaired the com- mittee, which led the merge between the Boiling Springs Community Fair Association and the Union Community Fair into one annual event. Doc Dorton managed the fair for 38 years until his death. His son, J. Sib Dorton Jr., took over and Elbridge L. Weathers managed the fair the next year, 1962, through the 50th anniversary until his death. Sam Goforth followed Weathers for two years -until State Kings Mountain State Park is a unique recreational set- ting for lovers of history and the outdoors. On the 6,141 acre tract, you can take a glimpse back in time at how this area's ear- ly pioneers lived or just take a walk on the nature trails of the southern Piedmont. A 119-site family camping area with water and electrical hook-ups is located in a hard- wood forest. Campsites are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Two sites are reserved for the handi- capped. Bathhouses with hot show- ers and restroom facilities are available, as well as laundry and dumping accomodations. Also available is a primitive camping area for organized groups. The park is the home of BAND Kings Mountain School bands are continuing a supe- rior tradition. The instrumental music de- partments of the Kings Mountain District Schools have a long-running tradition of excellence. Students begin band in the 7th grade, divided into wood- winds and brass and percus- sion classes, and then are combined to form a fully in- strumental band at the end of the 7th grade year. The 8th grade year is spent mastering fundamentals, scales and appropriate band literature. The 9th grade band contin- ues with fundamentals and participates in the South Central District Concert Contest Festival, consistently receiving Superior Ratings in grades III and IV music. The Kings Mountain Marching and Pep Bands, in- volving around 128 students, perform at all home games, Christmas parades, commu- nity functions such as Mountaineer Day and once every three years represents Kings Mountain in Central Florida at Disney World and this year will be the featured performers at the newly opened MGM Studios. The major emphasis of mu- 1976 and Joe, his brother, be- came manager in 1977. Dorton Sr. was innovative and quite a competitor. While other fairs faced losing sea- sons he counted some profits. Typical of his early savings was his homemade flagpoles. He refused to buy the sec- tional steel poles for $150 each. Instead, he made his own. He cut 300 loblolly pine trees from some acreage he owned in Shelby, peeled and seasoned them, painted them with aluminum paint and these were his flagpoles. They are still in use today. Through the fair, he en- couraged the breeding of purebred cattle and swine. In the late 1920s there was one registered herd of purebred cattle in Cleveland County. He felt the need for improv- ing seed crops as well. He saw a future in raising a bet- ter staple cotton and more cotton per acre. The Better Acres Program was another idea developed after World War II to im- prove the farm and home. two group camps, Camp Cherokee and Camp York. These facilities are for the use of organized groups and house 104 and 140 people, respectively. A trading post is located at the campground entrance. Visitors may purchase gro- ceries, film ice, camping sup- plies and gifts. Swimming and rental ped- al boats may be enjoyed dur- ing the summer months around Lake Crawford. Near the lake is a wooded picnic area with five picnic shelters. And putt-putt is played on a site near the campground. The park offers 20 miles of bridle trails with access off Apple Road. Fishing for bass, bream, crappie and catfish may be enjoyed on Lake York. Rental fishing boats are sic is best exemplified through the success of the Kings Mountain School Blazer Band. The Blazer Band consistently receives Superior Ratings at the South Central District Concert con- test festival in Grade VI mu- sic. Both the 9th grade and Blazer Band have been invit- ed and have performed at the North Carolina Music Educators State Music Conventions held in Winston Salem each November. Band members present a winter concert, a contest fes- tival concert, and a spring concert featuring over 300 Kings Mountain band stu- dents each year. They are al- so actively involved in the Lenoir-Rhyne Invitational Band Clinic, the Gardner- Webb Invitational Honors Band, the South Central District All State Band, and also participate and place stu- dents in the North Carolina Honors Band. The bands are directed by Christopher H. Cole and Gilbert R. Doggett. CHORUS Ninety-two Kings Mountain Middle School stu- dents in 7th and 8th grades and 130 Kings Mountain High School students sing in two Middle School Choruses and four high school groups. WPA labor was used to build the first two-story rock exhibit building and grand- stand, which stood by the main gate. The building burned on Christmas Eve 1951 -- suspected arson. From the ruins, Dorton planned a new grandstand. He brought a mound of dirt from the infield, piled it over the burned ruins to make a solid foundation for the new grandstand. The first fair was claimed a huge success. Miller Brothers Shows was featured that first year. There were death defy- ing riders inside the Motordome, wrestlers, chair swing, horse racing and high wire acts. It was claimed that more than 70,000 from over two states attended. Early fairs brought the Rockettes from New York City. After television, diversion was needed in the acts and entertainment at the fair to keep the public's attention. Demolition derbies, stock car races, Indianapolis Speedway available at the dock. The Living History Farm is the site of Pioneer Days, a two-day event held in September. Pioneer games, arts and crafts, country cook- ing and a black-powder shooting competition are highlighted. The Living History Farm is a replica of an 1840 South Carolina frontier farm. It fea- tures a two-story log farm house, a barn, smoke house, corn crib and cotton gin. Ongoing demonstrations and programs: illustrate the lifestyle of pioneer farm fam- ilies in the South Carolina upcountry. The Piedmont section of South Carolina was settled as “early as the mid-1700s main- ly by Scotch-Irish immi- grants traveling down the Great Philadelphia Wagon The KMHS Ensemble, Chorale and Mixed Chorus are consistent winners of Superior ratings at state con- tests. The Chorale has re- ceived Superior rating in Grade 6 for 12 consecutive years. Students also earn high marks at Mars Hill Choral Clinics. In addition, choral students perform at Walt Disney World in Florida every three years and score high at N.C. Honors Chorus Clinics and All-State Clinics . The Chorale will be per- forming with Crest, Burns, and Shelby students at a county-wide clinic in April. Eugene Bumgardner, who has directed the program for 13 years, is Kings Mountain High School's "Teacher of the Year." Sherry Young is assistant director. The KMHS performing group, "King's Revue" was featured 26 times at commu- nity, county and state-wide events in 1991. Bumgardner also directs the orchestra and music for the annual high school musi- cal and two community-wide concerts annually. Melissa Griffin, a member of the Chorale and King's Revue, was one of seven stu- dents in the state chosen for the American Choral Director's Association Southern Division Honors Choir. racing, harness racing, vari- ety shows and rodeos were invited. Miller Brothers was re- placed by the World of Mirth, Johnny J. Jones Shows, Rubin & Cherry Shows, Cetlin & Wilson Shows, James E. Strates Midway, Deggeler Shows and Reithoffer Shows. A pro- gram for the entire family has been the fair's aim and management has been cog- nizant of the educational awareness of the community as well as varied entertain- ment. Joe Goforth has overseen many improvements in his time. Attendance records continue to be broken. The only original building on the ground is the Poultry Building. The Poultry Council is restoring the old poultry building; the N.C. Farm Products building has had a face lift and an addition that allows for selling prod- ucts; radio stations WADA, WAGI-FM, WCSL, WKMT and WOHS have facilities to Park offers variety Road, which extended from the Pennsylvania frontier southward through Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina and into the South Carolina upcountry. These Scotch-Irish were Highland Scots who were moved into Northern Ireland by James I of England, and in later gen- erations moved to the New World because of political conflict between themselves and the Crown. They were fiercely inde- pendent, clannish, strong be- lievers in Calvinism and highly suspicious of out- siders. They were the van- guard of the frontier in the Southeast and their demo- cratic ideas were to set the character for America's west- ward thrust in later decades. In the years prior to the American Revolution, the IHS presents a taste DRAMA Drama students at Kings Mountain High School pre- sent top-notch entertainment for the community. Evolving from the tradi- tional senior play, the dy- namic program now also in- cludes a yearly Broadway musical and three act or one act plays performed by the students in forensic competi- tion and with the N. C. Theater Conference. Betsy Wells, who has di- rected the program for 12 years, is a former Kings Mountain Teacher of the Year. She leads two drama classes: the speech/technical theater course and the theater arts class. The classes are large and the Masquers, the drama club open to all stu- dents, is one of the largest clubs at the high school. Over 1/3 of the student body is involved in the drama ac- tivities, whether its setting the stage, working the lights, or performing under the lights. Wells takes pride in the ac- complishments of her stu- dents. Chip Caldwell was "Best Actor" in "Dark of the Moon" and Laura Beth Moss was "Best Actress" and won honorable mention in "The Crucible." This year the the- ater arts students won a spe- Fair began as service to agriculture broadcast from the grounds; Shriners have constructed a food concession; and new re- strooms have been provided. A new exhibit building was built in 1987 and contains 7.200. square feet. A Performing Arts stage is lo- cated beside the main exhibit hall. A 60 X 120 ft. show arena with bleachers for 900 was completed in 1990. The fair, which was a five- day fair until 1971, then a nine-day fair from '72 to '90, became a 10-day show in 1991. Goforth said they plan to extend the midway by two acres by next year for more exhibits. The fair covers about 55 acres as it stands to- day. The grandstands seat about 2,500 people. When the fair is not on, other groups and organiza- tions may use the facilities. For instance, companies rent the buildings for company picnics. "We have something about every week," Goforth said. There were 170,000 people last year in attendance and 173,000 the year before that, Goforth said. Those two years have been the record in attendance so far. Total ex- hibits numbered 5,741 and there were 2,000 exhibitors. "That's what makes this fair a community thing," Goforth said. "Everybody likes to work at this fair." The Cleveland County Fair gets its license from the N.C. ~ Department of Agriculture and is governed by a 15-man board. This year's fair will be held Oct. 1 through 10. There will be three stages of continuous performances, rodeos, stunt driving, tractor pulls, lumber- jack show, talent show and Miss Cleveland County, among other entertainment. Kids' Days will be Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday when all rides are reduced one coupon and over 110,000 free tickets are given to the school children. Once again there will be a Senior Citizens Day with special en- tertainment in the afternoon. of activities Scotch-Irish were joined by Germans, English and African slaves, who had fol- lowed the same road from Pennsylvania or had come from coastal settlements. By the end of the 18th cen- tury, this region had begun to lose its pioneer character and was evolving into a mature farming community. In later decades, the farmers adopted some elements of the planta- tion economy, which was be- ginning to dominate the state. Some might have owned a few slaves although the ma- jority did not. The Kings Mountain farm represents this process. Although not a palatial plantation as some of its neighbors may have been, the farm represents the cul- mination of many years of hard labor by a yeoman farmer and his family, who had managed to rise above an existence of self-sufficiency to a position where cash crops could be sold for profit. Other programs held at the state park during the year in- clude Halloween on the Farm -- with a bonfire and scary stories. In November, backpackers can go on a moderately stre- nous 18 mile, two-day hike through Kings Mountain State and National Parks. In December, visitors can... make ornaments and deco- rate an old-fashioned Christmas tree during Christmas on the Farm. Musicians will be on hand and refreshments are avail- able. For more information, call 803-222-3209 from 11 a.m. to noon and 4 to 5 p.m. of the arts cial award for makeup at the state competition in Mars Hill. Some of the award-win- ning and popular plays in- cluded "Wizard of Oz" and Hillbilly Weddin." Who could forget "FAME," and the ambitious production of "The Music Man?." Crowd pleasers were "Oklahoma" and "My Fair Lady," among many others. Drama students studying at Governor's School were Chip Caldwell, William Ledbetter and Laura Beth Moss. Miss Moss is finishing her senior year at N. C. School of the Arts. Caldwell is teaching elementary the- ater arts in Greene County. Other drama students pur- suing a career in theater or related fields include: Angela Patterson and Roberta Van Matthew Bradshaw and William Ledbetter, drama, UNC-G; Patrick Hamrick, drama, UNC-Asheville; Katherine Jenkins, a teaching fellow at Meredith ; and Janelle McCoy, voice student at Erskine College. Jimmy Yarborough is performing as a stand-up comedian at a comedy club in Philadelphia; Cathy Clore has been active in the KM Little Theater. Jenny Muench received her degree in arts management from Salem College and Ken Wright, electrical engineer- ing major at N. C. State, is using his training in theater lighting. "The King And I" is one of the more ambitious undertak- ings of the combined drama and choral groups and will be presented March 5, 7 and 8 at Barnes Auditorium. msm RR SE
The Kings Mountain Herald (Kings Mountain, N.C.)
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Feb. 20, 1992, edition 1
40
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