Thursday, July 24, 2003 Vol. 115 No. 30 Since 1889
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program
celebrates
success
1B
Bethware
Fair family
tradition
BY ANDIE L. BRYMER
Staff Writer
Giant strawberries that spin round and
round, funnel cakes and cotton candy, games
with stuffed animals as the prize, it’s a kid's
paradise also known as the Bethware Fair.
The 56th annual fair started Monday night
and runs through Saturday on the Bethware
Elementary campus.
Sponsored by the Bethware Progressive
Club, the event raises funds for the school
and other community projects.
Kay Franklin and her husband Randy
watched their granddaughter Bailey Kenna
Tate ride the Bumble Bee Boop. As the little
girl went round and round inside the giant
yellow and black bee, the grandmother
reflected on the fair.
“I've been coming since I was 13,” Franklin
said. “It’s gotten larger, more interesting.”
Though she has missed a few years, she
and her husband come more now that they
are grandparents.
“Just watching the kids,” Randy Franklin
named as his favorite part.
Across the midway, Eddie Baines tossed a
dart, trying to win a stuffed animal for
Darlene McPheters. The pair have attended
the last four or five years. Both say the food -
hotdogs, candied apples and homemade ice
cream- is the best part of the whole event.
Ron Heller watches both his games, the
Balloon Store and One Ball. This is the second
year at Bethware for Heller who is part of
Smokey Mountain Amusements.
“It was good here last year. The people are
real nice, treat us well,” he said.
Shane Adams brought daughter Haley out
to the fair to see the livestock. The two were
See Fair, 3A iting from England.
ANDIE L. BRYMER/HERALD
Ethan Davis climbs the wall during the Bethware Fair. Ethan and his family are vis-
Beach Blast Saturday in Kings
four categories - newborns to
age three and ages four through
six both boys and girls.
There is a $5 entry fee. For
more information, call 704-739-
0441.
Family members of the 505th
North Carolina National Guard
Unit will be honored at noon.
Kids will be invited to release
born through six can show off balloons with soldiers” names.
their beach ware during the Crimson Rose will play at 1
Teenie Weenie Bikini Contest. p.m.
Trophies will be awarded in Kids can cool off in the spray
Kings Mountain will celebrate
summer Saturday with its annu-
al Beach Blast.
Opening ceremonies began at
11 a.m. at Patriots Park.
“We would like for everybody
to come. We'll all have a good
time,” said Mayor Rick
Murphrey.
At 11:15 a.m. kids ages new-
from a fire hydrant at 1 p.m.
when officials open it up.
Antique fire truck rides start
at 3 p.m. A beach ball release
follows at 3:45 p.m.
The Magic 96 Band of Gold
plays at 4 p.m. A watermelon
eating contest is sponsored for
this time also.
Tethered hot air balloon rides
began at 5 p.m. Sponsored by
Summit Place, rides are free for
the first 150 participants.
Harley Davidson motorcycles
Sports legends remembered
in KM History Museum display
BY ANDIE L. BRYMER
Staff Writer
What do New York Yankee Tony
Cloninger, Kevin Mack of Clemson and
Cleveland Browns football, and L.A. Laker
James Worthy have in common? All are
from this region.
The famous trio and many more local
sports legends are featured in an exhibit
that opens today at the Kings Mountain
Historical Museum.
“It's amazing to me how many profes-
sional athletes come from this area,” said
curator Mickey Crowell.
Uniforms, autographed balls and photos,
biographies and statistics of players from
Cleveland, Gaston, Lincoln and Rutherford
counties will be on display through October
12.
Crowell readily admits sports memorabil-
ia is not what most folks expect to see at a
museum.
“I hope people will enjoy it. It will bring
in a different visitor group,” she said. . =
Crowell, whose father named her after
baseball great Mickey Mantle, enjoyed put-
ting the exhibit together. She called sports
reporters across the region, talked to friends
of players and former coaches.
“It’s been a fun exhibit to pull together,”
she said.
ANDIE BRYMER / HERALD
Margrace Mill baseball uniforms are part
of an exhibit opening today the Kings
Mountain History Museum.
See Sports, 3A
Mountain
roar into town at 6 p.m. Awards
will be presented to choice
bikes.
At 7 p.m. events in the park
and gazebo area wrap up. At
7:30 p.m. streets around city hall
will be closed. The parking lot
will be turned into an amphithe-
ater.
Billy Scott and the Prophets
will play at 8 p.m. kicking off
the summer concert series. The
free event ends at 11 p.m.
KM would
not lose
PO if plan
approved
BY ANDIE L. BRYMER
Staff Writer
If a presidential commission gets its way,
some small post offices across the country
may be closed in the near future, though
Kings Mountain's office will remain open.
“Absolutely not,” said Postmaster Bob
Howard when asked if the local post office
was in jeopardy.
The question was generated after a presi-
dential commission on the United States
Postal Service recommended last week that
some post offices in small towns and commu-
nities be shut down.
Kings Mountain's volume of mail has
grown so much that an additional city cartier
has been added, Howard said.
“That's going to help us out,” he said,
referring to the new position.
Grover Postmaster Morris Page, a 39 year
veteran of the postal service, said he has
heard similar reports of closing his entire
career. He had not received any official word
regarding the latest commission report.
Grover serves approximately 1,800 home
boxes, 820 residential post office boxes and 25
business post office boxes.
~The only post office in this area that has
been closed recently was the Kings Creek, SC
Post Office.
According to the commission report, mail
service could be better provided through
kiosks in shopping malls, banks and grocery
stores.
KM to welcome
soldiers back home
One hundred members of the 505th
Engineer Combat Battalion of the North
Carolina National Guard will be honored
Tuesday at 10 a.m. at First Baptist Church.
Soldiers began arriving back in North
Carolina on Saturday. They spent the first of
this week out processing in Fort Bragg. They
will continue the process Saturday through
next week at the local Armory, according to
Staff Sergeant Greg Thompson.
The local battalion served over the last sev-
eral months at high security military installa-
tions in Maryland and Virginia guarding
everything from the front entrance to satel-
lites, Thompson said.
The public is invited to the ceremony.
aE
sae
a
KINGS MOUNTAIN PEOPLE
GENE ATKINS
FINDING
HISTORY
mission for Gene Atkins
By ANDIE BRYMER
Staff Writer
GROVER - If Gene Atkins had it his
way, every deceased veteran's grave
would have a head stone. The Grover
man has worked for the past four years
to put stones on his ancestors graves.
He also helps others with the work.
“They need to be honored,” Atkins
said of veterans.
What has become a mission for
Atkins started four years ago. Shortly
after his father’s death, Atkins started
searching for family history.
“I'just wanted to find out where I
came from,” he said.
The search meant Atkins began mak-
ing more frequent visits to Yancey
County where many of his ancestors
were from. While visiting, he met
Thelma Adkins Whitson, 84. The elderly
See Atkins, 3A
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