The Herald:
Thursday, November 24, 2005
Vol. 117 No. 47
Since 1889
50 Cénts
an
C 28086-3414
YINGS RUURERAR
i
Hope Christian ele-
mentary children
enjoy Thanksgiving
, 6A
Mangan
Carrousel
Princess
Kings Mountain High
Carrousel Princess Phaedra
Mangan will represent
Kings Mountain in the 58th
annual Carolinas Carrousel
Parade on Thanksgiving
il parade
begins at 1
p-m. and
can be
seen on
WBTV-3.
Mangan
was com-
peting
Wednesday for the
Carolinas Carrousel Queen
title. There are around 60
princesses from area
schools participating. She
was selected as a princess
after an interview with sev-
eral local past princesses.
Kings Mountain High
School serves as her spon-
sor, paying for Mangan to
attend the two-day event.
She and the other
princesses stayed at the
Omni Hotel Tuesday and
Wednesday nights. On
Wednesday they had lunch
with various local profes-
sionals and interviewed
with judges. The coronation
was Wednesday night.
See Mangan, 5A
Thanksgiving
services set
at churches
Numerous church activi-
ties are scheduled for
Thanksgiving Eve and
Thanksgiving Day in the
Kings Mountain area.
The annual Kings
Mountain Community
Thanksgiving service, spon-
sored by the Ministerial
Association, will be held
Wednesday at 7 p.m. at
David Baptist Church. Rev.
J.R. Robbins, pastor of Faith
Baptist Church, will deliver
the message.
Grover churches will hold
a joint worship service
Wednesday at 7 p.m. at
Bethany Baptist Church, 723
Cleveland Avenue.
Rev. Doug Ramsey,
MANGAN
Bethany pastor, will deliver
the message. Refreshments
will be served following the
service and a there will be a
nursery for infants to four
years old.
- Dixon Presbyterian and
Victory Baptist churches
will hold their annual serv-
ice Wednesday at 7 p.m. at
Victory.
~ Rev. Dennis Wells of
Victory will be the worship
leader and Randy Patterson
of Dixon will preach.-
- Refreshments will be served
- following the service.
+. Pathway Baptist Church,
3100 Parkdale Circle, will
-serve a free Thanksgiving
“meal to anyone who needs
one from 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
November 24 in the church
fellowship hall. Persons
See Services, 5A
First Baptist is expanding
ANDIE BRYMER
abrymer@kingsmountainherald.com
First Baptist Church’s membership voted
unanimously Sunday to expand its
Christian ministry center and make other
upgrades.
The CMC will be expanded in the direc-
tion of Mountain Street and additional park-
ing will be added. Pastor Dr. Chip Sloan
Wise
beside him is Aaron Jefferies.
ANDIE BRYMER
abrymer@kingsmountainherald.com
A room full of Kings Mountain High
School freshman football players tried to
keep their babies from crying and navi-
gate sitting, standing and picking up
objects off the floor while “pregnant.”
It’s all part of Wise Guys: Male
Responsibility Curriculum. The 17 young
ANDIE L. BRYMER/HERALD
Jiris Thomas, left, holds a battery operated baby during Wise Guys class. Seated
Class encourages young student athletes
to make wise decisions about parenthood
men have spent the last eight weeks
attending classes on Tuesdays and
Thursdays with Coacli Dave Farquharson
and Jimmy Hines and Kerri Brutko from
the Cleveland County Health
Department. The program is included in a
weight lifting class Farquharson teaches.
The object of the program is to teach
the student athletes good decision making
skills which includes delaying
See Wise, 11A
* Santa will be on hand each night. He's even gotten
Holiday dreamland
Costners’ lisht show
begins Thanksgiving
ANDIE BRYMER
* ‘abrymer@kingsmountainherald.com
Grady and Katie Costner’s yard is a kid's holiday
dreamland. Come Thanksgiving night over 200,000
bulbs will be flipped on illuminating displays in the
yard with overflow into the neighbors’ yards.
It all began for the Margrace Road couple 13
years ago with a few lights around the doors and
windows. Now they attract sight seers by the car-
load. In addition to the angels, nativity, Victorian
carolers, horse drawn sleigh and more, the Costners
have added new displays.
Four elves ride a see-saw. A cannon shots pack-
ages into a Christmas bag. Dolphins swim over one
archway while squirrels scamper over another.
“We're going to light this whole corner up,” Katie
Costner said. “
Using his welding and electrical skills, Costner
has created the illuminated works of art. Katie
strings the lights onto frames and keeps bulbs fresh.
Why do they do it? Grady Costner’s answer is
simple.
“I love to do it,” he said.
The lights will come on at 5:30 p.m. Thursday.
a new suit for this season. The Costners flip the
switch off once the people stop coming.
They appreciate the community support. Many
people donate money to pay the electric bill and
provide candy canes for the children.
“If it wasn't for the donations we couldn't do
this,” Katie Costner said.
said the church has instructed its architect to
be considerate of the residential neighbor-
hood.
“There is going to be a good buffer
between Mountain Street and the building,”
he said.
Sloan describes the current CMC as “just
about overgrown.” The expansion will
accommodate 300 additional people. The
See First Baptist, 5A
he
Grady Costner stands at candles in
his front yard. His home and proper-
ty will be lit for Christmas on
Thanksgiving night.
KM history hook
‘Tracks through Time’.
is hot off the press
ANDIE BRYMER
abrymer@kingsmountainherald.com
A Kings Mountain native has written “Tracks Through
Time,” a book about the town where he grew up.
Author Dave Baity called the project “quite an exercise in
writing, research and photog-
raphy.”
He worked on the book
“every waking hour” from
would not have
June to mid-September. Even
for an experienced journalist - been Kings
Baity covered Kings Mountain Mountain without
and Gaston County for several .
papers including The Herald - the railroad.”
the job was taxing.
Years of writing columns
about people in the communi-
ty for the Charlotte Observer's
- Gaston section influenced how Baity approached the book.-
“I am fascinated with people and their lives, telling their
stories,” he said. Baity included information about the per-
sonal lives of the town’s major players in an attempt to
avoid what he says is most history books’ major downfall,
the books are “boring, names and dates.”
“I want to know who these people are, the humanity
involved. That's what makes people read and become inter-
ested in history,” he said.
Baity combed family and community histories and books
compiled by the Cleveland County Historical Association.
“I had to do a heck of a lot of reading,” he said.
Baity worked on the assumption that as a native son,
whatever interested him would interest the reader. Baity
traces his own history to the Margrace Mill village. His
grandparents on both sides of the family came to Kings
Mountain seeking work in textiles.
“My early memories of living in that village are pleasant,
it was family oriented, a place to play,” he said.
While researching the mills Baity was fascinated by the
family ties between mill owners in Kings Mountain and
across the region. He describes these early entrepreneurs as
people who saw an opportunity and invested.
In addition to the industrial history, Baity has written
vignettes he calls “personal glimpses” of Wilson Griffin,
Connie Allison and J.C. Bridges and his father and uncle.
Baity also included a column reprinted from the Charlotte
Observer about his boyhood at East Elementary.
The book's title comes from Kings Mountain's depend-
See Book, 5A
Commissioner wants
more ET) members
on KM Zoning Board
ANDIE BRYMER
abrymer@kingsmountainherald.com
“Kings Mountain
Dave Baity
Where members of the Kings Mountain Planning and
Zoning Board come from may change.
After a request from Cleveland County Commissioner
Johnny Hutchins to examine how many members are from
the city’s extra territorial jurisdiction, the council will hold a
public hearing. County Planning Director Bill McCarter rec-
ommended the city look at where board members live, the
ratio of board members living inside the city limits and
those living in the ET] and whether ET] representatives
should vote on requests from inside the city limits.
Before the city council can make any changes, it must
hold a public hearing.
Hutchins plans to speak during the Nov. 29 hearing
which will be part of the regular city council meeting which
begins at 7 p.m.
“We need to try to get people from different walks of life,
different areas,” Hutchins said.
Hutchins suggested Hugh Logan, Bob Scoggins, Linda
Moss and Wayne Yarbro as good picks for the board. He
said this group represents a good cross section with one a
farmer and one living at Lake Montonia which is in the
Gaston County portion of Kings Mountain.
“We need everyone that is interested to come out,”
Hutchins said.
The following people currently serve on the planning and
zoning board: Chairman Jim Childers, Maner Road;
Tommy Hawkins, Woodside Drive; Phillip Hager, Belvedere
Circle; Stephen M Marlowe, Hillside Drive; David Allen,
Merrimont Avenue; Curtis Pressley, Oakland Street; Preston
Todd, North Gantt Street; representing Cleveland County
ET], Tony Ruppe; representing Gaston County ET], Angie
Richardson.
Terms for Hager, Marlowe and Todd expire this year.
ANDIE L. BRYMER/HERALD
Grading i is taking place at Woodlake Parkway near Interstate 85 and Holiday Inn.
According to the City of Kings Mountain Codes Department, a grading permit was issued
in late October for industrial development there. The permit was secured by Johnson
Development who has not yet made public what it plans to do with the land.