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While some men his age may prefer retirement
to the front porch rocking chair, John E. Yarbro at
95 is still tending his cattle.
Yarbro's trademark are his bib overalls, cap and
denim jacket.
His love of farming has been his lifelong occu-
pation and he doesn't plan to quit.
Yarbro still oversees his Bethlehem Community
farm even though his eyesight and hearing are
not quite as sharp.
"I can't bale hay like I used to do and I can't
disk a field for planting but we still raise all our
vegetables and meats and kill hogs every year,"
he said this week on his birthday.
Yarbro has seen the Bethlehem Community
grow by leaps and bounds in the 75 years he has
lived on the former old Herndon farmplace at the
corner of Bethlehem and Yarbro Road. It was to
that 10-room two-story frame house that he took
his bride and there they raised their children.
Before his wife's death the couple had been mar- -
RETIRE? NO WAY! |
95-year-old John Yarbro still has lot of hard work to do
ried over 50 years. The house is a bout 140 years
old and the 50-plus acres contains two covered
sheds and two barns.
"My children take care of me and the house is
always full with 14 grandchildren and 19 great-
grandchildren," Yarbro said at his family party
planned by his children. j
Yarbro was born September 27, 1901 to the late
Albert and Ida Yarbro and was reared in the
Fairview Farms area of Shelby. He married Sarah
Vela Herndon, daughter of Walter and Pratt
Herndon of the Bethlehem Community, on
December 27, 1923 and they had six sons and
three daughters. He is the oldest living member
of Bethlehem Baptist Church.
"Dad oversees everything on our farm and has
an active part in the farm decisions and always
has the final word," said his son.
See Yarbro, 10-A
JOHN E. YARBRO
Mountaineer Day Saturday in downtown KI
Fun for all is promised by promoters of
Mountaineer Day 1996 Saturday in downtown’
Kings Mountain.
"The place to be is the intersection of Gold and
Cherokee Streets in front of Kings Mountain City
Hall," says Tandra Ramsey, events chairman for
the sponsoring Kings Mountain Parks &
Recreation Department.
Kiddie rides and games, a big car show, a vari-
ety of all-day entertainment from the
Mountaineer stage, Pro wrestling, crafts galore
and plenty to eat from nine vendors offering
hamburgers and hotdogs, Polish sausage, caramel
apples and cotton candy features the agenda.
Mayor Scott Neisler and the Kings Mountain
High School Pep Band will open the event at 9:45
a.m. The mayor will conduct the colorful fire-
works show with a big fireworks extravaganza
scheduled to go off between 8:15 and 8:30 p.m.
Ramsey said the day's event will end with a
street dance from 8:30 until 11 p.m. with music
by the popular dance band, Mink. .
Featured entertainers include the Old Habits
Country Band from Shelby, vocalist Chuck
First Wesleyan to build family life center
Their dream for several years
for a Family Life Center is be-
ginning to take shape for the
200 members of First Wesleyan
Church.
Last Wednesday night the
church broke ground for a
$550,000 facility that will house
a gymnasium, kitchen, class-
rooms and multipurpose facili-
ties in 7,800 square feet of floor
space.
The proposed building will
be connected to the present
building at the drive-through at
the back of the church.
"The vision is here to build a
K-6 school," said Rev. Don
Williams as he turnedthe dirt
with a shovel, assisted by Clyde
Dixon of the building commit-
tee; Richard Reynolds, vice-
chairman of the church board;
Jay Rhodes, vice-president of
Carolina State Bank and Jim
Ramsey, building contractor for
AA Ramsey & Sons Inc.
Williams, who came to Kings
Mountain last July from
Rockingham, said the congrega-
tion sees the building program
as a facet of ministry to the con-
gregation and the community
of every age, particularly chil-
dren. "We have accepted the
challenge to better minister to
the community's children," he
said.
Mrs. Williams, the former
Debra Conner of Kings
re
251 I WONDERALY
MAT 2% 3
posed new home of the Kings Mountain Little Theatre to go up
in the former Dixie Theatre building on Railroad Avenue.
hazardous situations .
SCHOOL FOR FIREMEN - Local firemen are training to survive
Mountain, says it's anticipated
that someday a Christian school
will be located at the site if God
sees fit to lead them.
Mrs. Williams said the vi-
sion for the school started sev-
eral years ago under the leader-
ship of former pastor Rev. Mark
Bardsley and has continued to
develop.
"God has confirmed His tim-
ing for the building and the
time is now, "said Rev. Williams
at the groundbreaking. Sunday
Schoel Supt. Gary Crisp opened
the service with prayer. Kevin
Bolin, Youth /Music Director,
led in the singing of "To God Be
See Wesleyan, 10-A
KM Little Theatre raising funds
Final architectural plans are
expected in six to eight weeks
after which the Kings Mountain
Little Theatre will begin bid let-
ting for a $300,000 to $400,000
new home in the former Dixie
Theatre in downtown Kings
Mountain.
Terry Barrett of Barrett
Architects has been hired as the
architect for the project and city
councilman Dean Spears, a local
building contractor, will be gen-
eral contractor.
President Jim Champion said
that pledges and donations are
encouraged from the public.
Champion said that about 65
percent of the necessary monies
have been secured and tax-de-
Local firemen train for emergencies
Area firemen were being
trained this week to cope with
any emergency.
Dressed out in fully encapsu-
lated vapor-type suits and
headgear, Kings Mountain,
Bethlehem, Oak Grove and
Waco firemen together with the
Cleveland County Fire
Marshal's staff, the hazardous
materials team from the county
and volunteers from as far dis-
tant as Asheville and
Morganton were in school at
the Kings Mountaih Fire
Department.
Thursday they will experi-
ence an all day exercise at the
Kings Mountain Community
Center to complete a 92-hour
Brimer from Gastonia, gospel group Carver
Crusaders, gospel singer Shane Facemeyer, vocal-
ist Talia Quinn, the cloggers of Dance Magic, Jane
Campbell dancers from Dance Academy and
Miracle Tabernacle Choir.
"Every event will be held in the downtown area
with the back lot behind KM Office Supply and
Sub Factory to be used for kiddie rides, games
and vendors," said Ramsey.
See Mountaineer, 10-A.
§ RET
Hearing set |
on proposed |
industrial park
A heated controversy which has simmered for
months among county commissioners over the
site of a proposed county industrial park escalat-
ed into a shouting match Tuesday night in
Shelby.
After trading barbs and accusations and fol-
lowing lengthy oration by county commissioner
Ralph Gilbert who has led the opposition, the
board voted 6-1 on motion of Commissioner Jim
Crawley, with Commissioner E. T. Vanhoy oppos-
ing, to hold a public hearing October 15 at 7 p.m.
Vanhoy's earlier motion to postpone indefinite-
ly the decision about a park was rejected by vote
of 2-5. Joining Vanhoy in seconding the motion
was Gilbert.
"Society is confused and I'm confused and I
don't think we need to do anything on the spur
of the moment," said Vanhoy who said the coun-
vy needs an industrial park but the decision needs
to be made in an orderly fashion. He said three of
the seven county commissioners go off the board
next month and some were pushing to get the
park decision made before the new board is seat-
ed.
"Some of us have been ignored throughout this
whole procedure and were even called for an
emergency meeting this afternoon to be told we
could take a $1 a month option two pieces of
property for the next 120 days," said Vanhoy.
"There are too many unanswered questions and
I didn't get a lot out of this presentation by the
engineer tonight," he added. A
hari vs See County, 3.
AR
ductible donations may be sent
to Box 1022, Kings Mountain,
28086.
Seventy-five Little Theatre-
goers were given an update on
the project at Saturday's
"Sample the Season" by the the-
atrical group at Kings Mountain
Country Club. Hammer dul-
cimer player John Mason pre- |[¢ ¥
sented the entertainment for the.
evening.
A computer model display of
the proposed building and dia-
grams of floor plans were fea-
tured. .
"This is a major undertaking
but something that everyone
will be proud of when it's com-
pleted," said Champion.
school led by Jim Covington of
the North Carolina Department
of Insurance.
Covington trains firemen as
regional response teams to
work with the county HASMET
team and County Fire Marshal.
A group of firemen were sim-
ulating a chlorine leak at City
Hall and others were simulat-
ing a transportation, storage
and facility problem and wear-
ing the Level A suits and then
taking their turn in the showers
to rid their clothing of any con-
tamination. The contamination
reduction zone was clearly
roped off on the grounds of the
* Kings Mountain fire station and
See Training, 2-A
Manager says cit
cannot light pilots
GROUND-BREAKING - First Wesleyan Church broke ground
last week for a Family Life Center. From left, Pastor Don L.
Williams; Clyde Dixon of the building committee; Richard
Reynolds of the church board; Jay Rhodes of Carolina State
Bank; and Jim Ramsey, building contractor.
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The first cool snap of the fall
season has made the telephones
ring at City Hall from gas cus-
tomers wanting their pilot
lights turned on.
The city stopped lighting pi-
lot lights last January when City
Council voted on advice of the
city attorney to pass an ordi-
nance which stopped the prac-
tice.
"We can't be liable for what
might happen if a furnace has a
cracked firebox that we can't
visibly spot," said City Manager
Jimmy Maney who explained
that the reason the board made.
the decision to get out of the
See Light, 10-A
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HOMECOMING QUEEN - Molly Blanton, daughter of Jerry and
Libby Blanton and a senior at Kings Mountain High School, was
crowned homecoming queen during halftime of Friday's
Mooresville-Kings Mountain football game at Gamble Stadium.
Molly is the granddaughter of Mr. and mrs. Raymond Blanton
and Mr. and Mrs. Tom Trott.
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