Thursday, June 15, 2000
ED
Vol. 112 No. 24
Since 1889
50 Cents
nburg
5 Oak Grove’s
King of Corn
page 3A
\
Beach
BY ALAN HODGE
Staff Writer
Hot cars, hot pavement, hot
music and cool water were
just a few of the attractions
that made Saturday’s Beach
Blast 2000 in Kings Mountain
a resounding success. The
event was organized by the
Kings Mountain business and
professional Association and
KM Pools.
Literally hundreds of folks
flocked to Patriots Park and
the new Gazebo to take in all
the summer fun that the Blast
had to offer. Attractions in-
cluded a watermelon eating
contest, hot rod show, teenie
Ten-year-old
Trinity Logan
got his face
painted by
artist Dana
Wray at
Saturday’s
Beach Blast
2000 in Kings
Mountain.
Dedication of
the new mural
by Clive Haynes
was also part
of the fun that
brought hun-
dreds down-
town. Getting
ready to salute
the mural are,
from left; Dale
“Mountainman”
Putnam,
Haynes, Rick
Murphrey, and
Don Homesley
of the
Cherryville
Shooters.
Blast 2000 hot event
weenie bikini contest for the
tots, face painting, water
dunk, food, dedication of the
- downtown mural, musketry
by several Cherryville
Shooters and much more.
“This is an excellent event,”
said nine-year-old Josh
Human. “It’s just like being at
the beach.”
No beach would be com-
plete without water, and
Beach Blast 2000 had it in the
form of an open fire hydrant.
As the water shot high into
. the air and cascaded down
again in a cooling spray,
scores of glistening children
cavorted with glee.
“This is a well attended
Mountain Parks and
Recreation director. “It’s good
to see something like this that
gives the people a place to
gather and have some fun.
This should become an annu-
al event.”
Music for the get together
was provided by renowned
beach band Ocean Blvd.
. Many a memory of days gone
by at the coast came flooding
back as the band played oldie
goldie favorites from the days
when penny loafers and
Bermuda shorts were re-
quired beach club wear.
Proving that a good band will
make your feet move, many
‘couples took the floor for a bit
of vigorous shagging.
Also part of Saturday’s ac-
tion at the Blast was the dedi-
cation of Clive Hayne’s mu-
ral. Depicting a panoramic
view of the Kings Mountain
countryside, as well as bits of
history from the town’s past,
the mural is an eye opening
piece of work. Dedicating the
mural with a blast of mus-
ketry were several guys from
the famous Cherryville
Shooters.
One of the best things to
come to town in quite a
while, Beach Blast 2000 left
everyone with a smile on
their face and eager for more.
- event,” said Skip Hord, Kings
New engine will take
far into future
Another technical feature of the rig is its 500
horsepower Detroit Diesel engine. The machine
KMFD
BY ALAN HODGE
Staff Writer
Look! Up in the sky! It’s a bird, it’s a plane, no-
it’s a Kings Mountain fireman in the air on the
ladder of their new fire truck.
After a year of shopping around, chief Frank
Burns and his crew at the Kings Mountain Fire
Department have a new 46,000 pound baby in the
form of a Pierce-Aerial machine that has so much
glistening red paint and sparkling chrome trim
that you need sunglasses to look at it.
“The new fire engine will give us the ability to
reach the taller buildings in town,” Burns said. |
“ An example where we could have used the aeri-
"al ladder on the new truck was the fire last ;
Christmas at St. Matthew's Lutheran Church. -
Now, we can reach the top of three-story struc-
tures such as the new Holiday Inn or the Central
School building.”
At maximum extension, the truck’s ladder can
erect 75 feet. The attached water cannon can
squirt 1,500 gallons per minute. Four other noz-
zles on the truck’s sides can put out a total of 500
gallons per minute for a total of 2,000 gallons per _
minute of high pressure spray.
OXS
GE)
YOUR
HOMETOWN
BANK
gets about 8 miles per gallon.
“We went to the factory in Appleton, Wisconsin
and picked the fire engine up,” Burns said. “It
took about 200 gallons of fuel to drive it back to
road as well.
Kings Mountain.”
Even though the fire truck cost $499,684, it was
a bargain. The fact that it was a demonstrator
‘model with 4,000 miles on the odometer saved
the city about $50,000.
“We searched for a used model that we could
fix up,” said Burns. “But no used fire trucks were
. out there that didn’t need around $200,000 to get
in decent shape.”
~ The truck will last the fire department about 30
years. It will add to the security of the tallest
buildings in Kings Mountain now, and down the
“If some day buildings as tall as six stories are
built in Kings Mountain, we will be able to deal
FIRST NATIONAL BANK
Cotebrating 126 Years
with them,” said Burns.
Though the new aerial truck is in the fire de-
partment garage awaiting its first day of action,
Burns said his men will need a month of training
to be proficient on all its features.
© “It will take us into the future,” he said.
Kings Mountain
300 W. Mountain St.
739-4782
Merger goes
to hearing
Friday in Raleigh
- BY ALAN HODGE
Staff Writer
Like a weary mule staggering
along in the noonday sun,
school merger continues on its
tortuous path to some sort of fi-
nality. ;
Since the State Board of
Education’s decision to approve
merger two weeks ago, the July
1 date for implementation is ap-
proaching with increasing ra-
pidity. Though time seems to be
running short for opponents of
the plan, many still feel they
have a chance to stop it.
“I feel every judge we have
seen has validated our case,”
said Stella Putnam. “They just
said the timing was wrong. I
think we have merit in our case
to stop merger. I think we can
still win it.”
One angle that merger oppo-
nents are working is the issue of
voter’s rights. Putnam and oth-
er members of the three sepa-
rate school boards that were in
office before the interim board
was named June 6 argue that by
merger eliminating their jobs,
the election that put them there
has been declared null and
void.
“How can the county com-
missioners overturn the voters
who put us in office for four
years and fire us after six
months? “ Putnam said. “The
fifteen people who were on the
pre-merger boards were elected :
by the people.”
Another argument that anti-
merger folks are hoping will
turn the tide in their favor is the
question of the 188 students
who live in Gaston County, but
who go to school in Kings
Mountain. The Kings Mountain
anti-merger group Save Our
Schools says that because these
students live in Gaston County,
then the county commissioners
there must also approve merger. . :
Their argument for an injunc-
tion to stop merger went before
Judge Sammie Chess on June 9.
Chess is expected to rule on the
question June 22.
This Friday will see another
round take place at 9 a.m. in
Raleigh at the Office of
Administrative Hearings when
the Kings Mountain School
Board's lawsuit against the
State Board of Education is
heard.
“We are arguing that merger
is based on an illegal plan and
should have included the stu-
dents in Gaston County,” said
Kings Mountain school board
member Ronnie Hawkins. “In a
legal merger plan, Gaston
County should have signed off
on it too.”
While the legal battle contin-
See MERGER page 3A
Groundbreaking ceremony held
for new KM Senior Center
BY ALAN HODGE
Staff Writer
In a long-awaited ceremony,
ground was broken Friday for
the new H. Lawrence Patrick
Senior Life and Conference
Center in Kings Mountain.
To be located on East King
Street near Canterbury Road
across from the Herald build-
ing, the $1.4 million center will
encompass 16,000 square feet
on a 71/2 acre site. Now that
the ground has been officially
broken, work on the structure
itself will begin the last part of
July or early August.
“This is a very exciting day,”
said Senior Center director
Monty Thornburg. “When we
actually start seeing the bricks
go up, then I'll feel even better.”
Many dignitaries as well as
civic and business leaders at-
tended the ceremony which
was held under a crystal blue
sky and warm morning sun.
Just a few of the folks who at-
tended the event included Reps.
Debbie Clary and Jim Horn,
members of the Kings
Mountain city council, mayor
Rick Murphrey, members of the
Senior Center Advisory Board
and the Capital Campaign
Committee.
Others at the ceremony in-
cluded Shirley Brutko from the
Kings Mountain branch of the
Cleveland County Chamber of
See SENIOR CTR. page 3A
ALAN HODGE /THE HERALD
The Kings Mountain Fire Department recently took delivery of a brand new Pierce-Aerial fire
truck. The rig has a ladder than can extend 75 feet and a water cannon that can shoot 1,500 gal-
lons per minute. Pictured on the ladder are firemen John Caldwell Ii (left) and David Ayscue.
Gastonia
529 New Hope Rd.
865-1233
Shelby
106 S. Lafayette St.
484-6200
Bessemer City
1225 Gastonia Hwy.
629-3906
Member FDIC
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