| ©
KINGS MOUNTAIN wi
=
LG
Ze 5
RRS b>
a BF ab”
Pari 2 /
oe vei WW apion
Ho Ql Wed ©
[ 2 QIN
QBN 6 WO 1B
Thursday, November 27, 2002 Vol. 114 No. 48 Since 1889 50 Cents
IM ot
Ne
ABIGAIL WOLFORD / HERALD
Grady Costner stands in front of one of his favorite Christmas creations - the carrousel - (top photo). Below, a
new Peace on Earth scene that sits on his roof.
Costners’ ‘Little McAdenville’ home
to come aglow Thanksgiving night
BY ABIGAIL WOLFORD
Staff Writer
For the last ten years, the
Midpines section near Kings
Mountain has been getting a taste of
modern art. No, Picasso has not
come to town. Grady and Katie
Costner have been putting up
Christmas lights.
“We've always put up
“We're really just getting started
putting it out,” said Katie Costner.
They start putting out the arches in
September, but the big decorations
don’t come out until after
Halloween, she said. This year she
was not able to start as early as she
would have liked because she had to
have knee surgery.
For just beginning to put decora-
a few [lights]. Then it
kept getting bigger and
bigger. I retired and start-
ed making stuff,” said
Grady Costner. Now they
probably have over
200,000 miniature lights
on and around their house
each year. The arch alone
has 1,100-1,200, said Katie
Costner.
“T used to count them,
but I quit,” she said.
They use seven break-
er boxes for the lights,
they said, and receive two
power bills, one for the
shop where they make the
decorations and one for
the house.
The Costners plan all year for
their annual Christmas display.
Grady Costner makes the forms in
their workshop, while Katie Costner
wraps them with lights. November
normally finds them both in the
yard, working like crazy to get all of
the lights up.
tions up, though, they certainly have
a full yard. Already thousands of
. strands of lights adorn the house and
anything else that will stand still.
The lights will come on at 5:30 on
Thanksgiving night, they said, and
last until a few days after Christmas.
Santa Claus will be there every night
from 5:30-9:30 p.m., giving out candy
to the kids.
With all the lights and home-
made decorations that adorn the.
house, the Costners have something
to please everyone. A cartoon area
will also be set up for the kids with
famous cartoon characters, like
Mickey Mouse, Barney and Scooby
Doo. Toy soldiers and ice skaters
will fill the yard, as well as a tree
with boxes, fairies and
rocking horses sur-
rounding it. They also
have a train set, said
Katie Costner.
“We always try to
add one box car each
year, but it’s going to
have to stop. We're
running out of space,”
she said.
For the religiously
minded, they will
have a full nativity
scene, as well as a
burning bush made
out of flicker lights.
The Grinch has his
sleigh on the roof of
the shop, right next to
the real Santa Claus and his eight
tiny reindeer. A life-size merry- go-
round in lights also holds a promi-
nent place on the front lawn. Angels
adorn the roof beside Santa Claus,
who appears to be getting ready to
climb down the Costner’s chimney.
This year, they added an arch over
See Costner, 3A
KINGS MOUNTAIN PEOPLE
Bumgardner happiest when he sings
BY ABIGAIL WOLFORD
Staff Writer
Eugene Bumgardner
comes from a musical fami-
ly. He said he remembers
all seven of his immediate
family members singing
together when he was a
child. Three of the five chil-
dren in the family majored
in music in college. He was
one of them.
Bumgardner has been the
choir director at Kings
Mountain High School for
over 24 years. Bumgardner
said he has always been
involved in music and has
always wanted to be a choir
director.
“I started piano when I
was six. Isang in church
always. Isang with my
family,” he said.
He said he was influenced
in his decision to study
music by his brother, who
was also a musician; his
high school choral director,
Myrle McClure; and Dr.
Glenn Draper of the
Junaluska Singers.
Bumgardner graduated
from Kings Mountain High
See Bumgardner, 3A
GENE BUMGARDNER
It’s official,
hospitals
are merged
By ELIZABETH STEWART
Republic Newspapers
It’s a done deal! Kings
Mountain Hospital and
Cleveland Regional Medical
Center will become
Cleveland County
Healthcare Systems January
1.
Directors of both boards
finalized the merger Tuesday
morning following also
unanimous approval of
‘This is a historic
moment for
Cleveland County.
Our hope and vision
for Kings mountain
Hospital is exciting
and robust. :
John Young
| erosen CRMC
trustee and advisory boards of both institutions.
With the new year citizens will see major changes at the
local hospital possibly as early as the summer with ground-
breaking for a major expansion to the emergency room and
operating room. In addition, the entrance will be moved
and the staff will get a New Year's gift with increased
wages and benefits comparable to wages paid at the Shelby
hospital. The construction project is estimated to cost $8
million with $4 million budgeted for 2003. Projects current-
ly underway include some landscaping and cosmetic
changes.
Current operating names of both Kings Mountain and
Shelby hospitals will remain the same.
Architects drawings of the proposed 27,000 square feet
two-floor addition were displayed in the local hospital con-
ference room for the meetings of both boards. ;
In the lease agreement with Carolinas Healthcare
Systems, Cleveland Regional has agreed to pay off and
: retire in 1 fll the in obligation bonds issued by the
ww om See Hovpinl; 2A
Downtown airals
to be lit December 5
ABIGAIL WOLFORD
Staff Writer
At 6 p.m. on Thursday,
December 5, the city will
celebrate the new down-
town murals by lighting
them. After that day, the
lights will come on each
night to draw attention to
the murals, said Mayor Rick
Murphrey. The public is
invited to the ceremony.
“We'll have a lot of fun.
We think that everyone will
enjoy the murals even more
when they're lit up,” said
Murphrey.
The murals are intended
to draw in some of the peo-
ple who stop near Kings
Mountain to see the three
parks, said Murphrey.
“Over 500,000 visitors
come to the parks every
year. Now we need to be
able to have sites for visitors
to come on into Kings
Mountain. The murals will
be a great way to show off
the sites of Kings
Mountain,” said Murphrey.
The extra visitors to the
city each year would help
strengthen the already
strong economy in Kings
Mountain as well. Plus the
citizens of Kings Mountain
will be able to enjoy looking
at their heritage each time
they drive downtown,
bringing them a sense of
community pride in their
city’s heritage.
“As a historical city, we
need to have sites for people
to observe,” said Murphrey:.
The murals will also serve
as part of the revitalization
effort in the downtown area,
said Murphrey.
“It will assist in the revi-
talization of the downtown
area. We look forward to
bringing more murals into
Kings Mountain,” said
Murphrey.
See Murals, 5A
CAROLINAS CARROUSEL
Propst to represent KM in parade
Sarah Alicia Propst will
represent Kings Mountain
High School in the 55th
Carolinas Carrousel
Thanksgiving Day in
Charlotte.
Propst is the daughter of
Mr. and Mrs. Alan Propst
and is a senior at KMHS.
The Carrousel parade
begins at 1 p.m. and will be
telecast at 4 p.m. on WBTV
Channel 3.
This year’s Grand Marshal
is Charlotte Fire Chief
Luther L. Fincher Jr. The
Marching Cavaliers from
East Burke High School in
Connelly springs will be the
Honor Band.
The Pepsi Coronation and
Awards Ceremony, which
features the crowning of the
new Carolinas” Carrousel
Queen, will be held
Wednesday, Nov. 27 at 7:45
p.m. at the Adams Mark
hotel in Charlotte. Keynote
speaker will be Dr. Pamela
S. Lewis, newly installed
President of Queen's
University in Charlotte.
Entertainment will be pro-
vided by the East Burke
High band, and Yours Truly,
See Propst, 3A
SARAH PROPST
Gastonia Shelby
529 New Hope Road 106 S ei St.
704-865-1233 704-484-6200
Kings Mountain
300 W. Mountain St.
704-739-4782
Bessemer City
225 Gastonia Hwy.
704-629-3906
FIRST NATIONAL BANK
Celebrating 128 Years