| LIFESTYLES
a
ANDIE BRYMER / HERALD
Danny Joe Bridges, a third generation Bridges family television repairman in Kings
Mountain, works on a set in his shop on North Battleground Avenue.
Open Gate
members see
rose garden
Eight members of the
Open Gate Garden Club
visited the McGill Rose
Garden in Charlotte
Wednesday. Melba Boyles
and Polly Phifer arranged
the trip.
The McGill Rose Garden
was started in 1952 when
Mrs. Helen McGill planted
the first rosebushes along
the fence at McGill's Avant
Fuel and Ice Company. She
saw a need for some beauti-
fication in such an industri-
al part of the city so she
started with two rosebushes
from her home, eventually
planting more than 500
rosebushes anywhere she
could find soil.
In 1967, the McGills
began opening the garden
to the public on Mother's
Day and soon thousands
were coming to view the
vivid spectacle. In: 1973,
Mayor John Belk declared a
special day of appreciation
for the McGills, recognizing
their “painstaking care” and
“unselfish efforts” to bring
beauty to a once blighted
area. A lovely fountain in
the garden has been dedi-
cated to the memory of
Mrs. Helen McGill.
Even though the use of
coal and ice declined, Mr.
McGill continued with his
Exxon distributorship until
1975 when his business
closed and the property
became the McGill Rose
Garden. He continued to
support the garden, physi-
cally and financially, until
1996 when he established a
non-profit organization
managed by a volunteer
Board of Directors.
Today there are over 200
varieties of roses, along
with annuals, perennials
and herbs. In addition, the
original office building with
its historic photographs and
antique scales, along with
the Seaboard Coastline coal
car still standing on its
tracks in the garden, invite
the visitor to take a step
back in time. In 1998 The
McGill Rose Garden was
designated as an All-
American Rose Selection
(AARS) garden, one of only
a handful in the entire state.
In addition to the delight-
ful roses and other plant-
ings, the Garden has
become involved in various
aspects of education,
including a garden area for
young people, horticultural
therapy for people with
various mental and physical
handicaps, and gardening
and rose-related work-
shops. From late April
through mid-October, many
people from all over come
to see the roses at their
peak.
Today, at the age of 100,
Mr. McGill and his second
wife, Joy, are members of
the Board and continue to
be active participants, com-
ing to the garden almost
See Garden, 5B
The Kings Mountain Herald
une 17, 2004
Family Affair
Danny Joe Bridges third generation
TV repairman in Kings Mountain
BY ANDIE L. BRYMER
Staff Writer
Since age 14, Danny Joe Bridges has
worked around televisions. Now the Kings
Mountain man has opened his own repair
shop, Bridges TV.
As a young teen, Bridges swept and
mopped the floors at the family business for
$1 an hour. When he turned 19, Bridges
joined his dad Joe Bill Bridges and grand-
dad G.B. Bridges full-time repairing televi-
sions.
“I just fell into it. I grew up around it,” he
said.
When Bridges’ dad and granddad both
died in 2001, he closed the family business.
Bridges worked as a painter, heating and air
conditioning repairman and at Polygram.
None of the jobs suited him.
“I don’t like this. I'm going back to TV,”
Bridges told himself. He worked as a free-
lance repairman for TV shops in Gastonia
until opening the 324 North Battleground
Avenue location in late May.
For the first three weeks business was
slow then suddenly customers showed up
with sets needing repair. Bridges uses a
trouble shooting model to narrow down
what is causing the problem. He has 20
years worth of repair manuals and access to
an internet site for advice on newer model
S.
“Most can be fixed at a reasonable price,”
Bridges said.
The repairman tries to keep his cost low
so customers will opt to repair their sets
instead of buying new ones. He's studying
See Bridges, 5B.
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