Thursday, October 13, 2005 Vol. 117 No. 41 Since 1889 Mounties blank Chase in rainy homecoming 3B 50 Cents KM Gateway Festival is Saturday NDIE BRYMER abrymer@kingsmountainherald.com Kings Mountain’s annual Gateway Festival is Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. downtown fol- lowed by a 7 p.m. concert. Over 50 vendors, exhibitors, and entertainers will be part of the fes- tivities. During the day musical groups Praise in Blue, the Log Cabin String Band, Rod Croft on hammer dulcimer and Mark and Kathy Bradley on the guitar, saxo- phone and vocals will perform. Dance Magic also will take the: stage. There will be a petting zoo and pony rides. The Girl Scouts will host a carved pumpkin contest. Finished entries should be brought to Patriots Park by 10 a.m. Some exhibitors include Tom Bittner’s What's in a Name, a fami- ly name history and coat of arms business from Lenoir, collage art and small furniture by LL Designs of Cherryville and windows deco- rated with scenic art by Lauren Mooney. There also will be hand- crafted bows by Christy Cook, can- non demonstrations by Terry Helms who also will sale small cannons, wood turning by Thomas Tucker and hide tanning by William Wesbrook of Georgia. Reenactors will demonstrate how the early European settlers lived in what was then the back- country. They'll be at the gazebo this year. Mauney Memorial Friends of the Library will sale used books and Premier Credit Union will offer See Gateway, 3A Gateway Festival Schedule 10 a.m. - Praise in Blue 11 a.m. - Log Cabin String Band 12 p.m. - Rod Croft on hammer dulcimer 1 p.m. - Cute Critters Competition 2 p.m. - Mark and Kathy Bradley on the guitar, saxophone and vocals 3 p.m. - Dance Magic 4 p.m. - Awards presented for the pet show, car show, store window dec- orating and pumpkin carving contests : 7 to 10 p.m. - King Pup Radio Show Ongoing events at Patriots Park include a petting zoo, pony rides and liv- ing history demonstrations. ———— BATTLE OF KM 225TH ANNIVERSARY- JOSEPH BRYMER / HERALD Timothy Berly stands with Multi-State Composite Color Guard during Friday’s 225th anniversary celebration of the Battle of Kings Mountain at Kings Mountain National Military Park. Celebration at park remembers ‘Turning Point of the Revolution’ _ ANDIE BRYMER abrymer@kingsmountainherald.com Kings Mountain National Military Park celebrated this past weekend the 225th anniversary of the battle which is considered a pivotal turning point in the American Revolution. The full day of events started at 7 a.m. with a colonial reception break- fast at the Patrick Center hosted by the City of Kings Mountain. Local officials and other leaders along with descendants of people who fought in the battle enjoyed the spread. Mayor Rick Murphrey traced the area’s his- tory from a backcountry community to the city’s current status as a Gateway to the three nearby national and state parks. Park Superintendent Erin Broadbent gave an update on the park including its new exhibit at the visitors center. Later that morning cloudy skies and scattered showers didn’t keep over 90 groups from laying wreaths at the U.S. monument located at the Kings Mountain National Military Park. Among those honoring the war dead was Phyllis M. Porter of Canton, Ga. representing the Hightower Trail Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution and the Strozier Family Heritage Society. Peter Strozier was among the 30 Georgians who fought at Kings Mountain. : Porter wears several pins, each rep- resenting an ancestor who fought in the Revolutionary War. One pin is for Margaret Strozier. Though not a sol- dier, she is considered a patriot. After her home was burned, she and her five children set out to find their hus- band and father who was fighting the British. She worked as a cook for the Patriot forces and was reunited with her husband. Porter counts 35 ances- tors who participated in the Revolution. On the walk up to the monument, two “Redcoats” stood guard at Major Patrick Ferguson's grave. Reenactors Daniel Stowe of Charlotte, dressed as a regular soldier, and David Sherrill of Kannapolis, dressed in not quite as elaborate garb, portrayed an “American bearing arms for the law- ful government of the colonies,” flanked the final resting place of the Loyalist officer. Paul Desrosiers of Gastonia stood See Battle, 10A Ultra Machine moving to KM Company makes components for military mine retrieval vehicles ANDIE BRYMER abrymer@kingsmountainherald.co Ultra Machine and Fabrication Inc. is moving from its Gaston County location to Kings Mountain. The move was announced during a press conference Tuesday at Kings Mountain City Hall. The company anticipates making a $1.5 million invest- ment in its new 709 Broadview Street location. Company President Frank Stewart started the business in 1989 as a machine shop. Answering to market trends, he added fabrication six years ago. “Our business has really taken off,” Stewart said. A year ago Ultra, which was located at the former Kings Mountain Industrial Park on N.C. 161, began looking for a larger location. Stewart considered Gastonia, Clover and Kings Mountain. Industrial real estate agent John Barker showed Stewart a the Kings Mountain location then introduced him to Mayor Ne Rick Murphrey. From there city staff in codes, electric, gas | He and water along with City Manager Greg McGinnis met | with him. Stewart says the city’s willingness to work with B him is why he located here. “Your community has embraced us,” Stewart said during the press conference. Ultra Machine and Fabrication makes components for a military vehicle which Stewart describes as “three times a - Humvee.” Murphrey said the company is making it safer for military personnel like Kings Mountain's own 505th National Guard Unit which is now serving in the Middle East. The vehicle are used for land mine retrieval. See Business, 2A ANDIE L. BRYMER/HERALD Steve Padgett, left, welcomes Frank Stewart to Kings Mountain. 3 KM test scores second in state ) GARY STEWART / HERALD Nikki Summitt was crowned KMHS homecoming queen during halftime of Friday’s game with Chase. She is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Joel Summitt. ANDIE BRYMER abrymer@kingsmountainherald.com Career and technical stu- dents at Kings Mountain High School scored the sec- ond highest in the state on VOCATS testing. * Principal John Yarbro called the scores “amazing.” “We're proud of them,” Yarbro said. He credited teachers for preparing the lessons and students for making a good effort. Drafting and engineering teacher Dan Owens tries to create an on the job environ- . ment in his classroom. “I tell them what I expect,” Owens said. “I treat them as adults if they let me.” Students can put in “over time” working at lunch and after school on projects. Owens worked in the field for 14 years before becoming a teacher 11 years ago. He often uses real world problems in the class instead of abstracts. For example students draw the radius of a basketball goal hoop instead of a plain cir- cle. “Something they can relate to,” is how Owens describes it. The Drafting II class is drawing plans for the coat- ing of a fiberglass burial vault. Their real life cus- tomer will pay them $150 which goes into the Drafting Club treasury. Owens said some of his students get jobs right after high school while others go after two and four year degrees in mechanical, archi- tectural or civil drafting. Advanced student Eric ANDIE L. BRYMER/HERALD Instructor Dan Owens helps students Chad Blanton, right, and Justin Gsellman in Drafting | class. Hellstrand enjoys the com- puters and design tools. He plans a career in either design or architecture. He's now helping another senior by drawing two- and three- dimensional plans for a trail- : See Tests, 7A
