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Page 4A The Kings Mountain Herald photo by LIB STEWART Scott Campbell, left, and Bobby Horne are pictured inside the corner build- ing of what was once part of Plonk Brothers Department Store, which oper- ated in Kings Mountain for a century in downtown Kings Mountain. They and Robert Campbell have purchased the two properties from the Plonk family. WRECK From Page 1. ° to palm trees, grass to fences, marked each painted cake plate with a card and a’ lady bug, wrapped cutting boards, and had a “good eye” for graphic design. She was ma- joring in Library Science and, wanted to pursue a Master’s in history and work as an archivist in a museum. Jennie loved to read and had volunteered to read to children this summer in the local library. Jennie read to her mother when Mrs. Huff stetler drove the car. She spent afternoons at Mauney Memo- rial Library immersed in the history of the building. ‘When her mother painted, Jennie read to her. She en- couraged her mother to paint with secondary colors, telling her “Oh Mama that’s beauti- ful.” Jennie loved animals ‘and one of her favorites was a stray, gold colored tomcat she named “Ginger” that she fed every day. Melba said that the cat would make terrible sounds at night. But Jennie declared, “Oh Mama he’s just proud of himself.” After Jen- nie’s death the Huffstetlers looked for the cat. He was gone. The Huffstetlers think their daughter was enjoying her drive in the cool air last Tuesday with the windows rolled down in her car. Feel- ing better after a migraine headache, she told her Mom that she was going for a Diet Sundrop. Her cell phone was not in the wrecked car, only the small purse that contained her . driver’s license and the Sun- drops. They speculate that Jennie may have reached for her phone or it could have fallen out the window and she swerved and lost control of the car. “Our house is empty with- out her laughter,” says her Mom. “She was incredible,” says her Dad. And they won’t for- get what she preached to them on many occasions “Don’t you dare give up, you're stronger than that.” EMILY WEAVER/HERALD Left to right, Chris Smith and Mark Blanton stand beside the sign of their new restaurant in the Oak Grove community. RESTAURANT From Page 1 "We bought ourselves a new job," he laughed inside the restaurant, Blanton runs the Grill with his son-in-law, Chris Smith, who teaches third grade at Cherryville Elementary. The two have tackled many things together. While Blanton is playing the drums or singing the lead vocals in the band, Smith is often running the sound system. The two also disc jockey together at local events. "He's been working with me sihce he married my daughter in 2000," Blanton said with a "We've been wanting to do this for a while and now the I right opportunity has come along," he added. Cooking has been a hobby for both men. But now the hobby will also be a profes- sion. * "It's a profession and a hobby because we both still teach in the school system," Blanton said, although he added that the restaurant will now be his primary job. He has been substitute teaching in Kings Mountain since 1989. Smith has been with the school system eight and a half years and will help out at the restaurants on nights or weekends when school is out. But even though the restaurant will take them out- side of the classroom, school spirit will not be lacking at the ADVERTISING Display Ads - 12 p.m. - Friday . Classified - 2 p.m. Friday NEWS ITEMS & SOCIAL NOTES 12 p.m. Friday LETTERS to the EDITOR 12 p.m. Friday OBITUARIES * 9 a.m. Tuesday Grill. The restaurant's charm lies in its Doo-wop and Moun- taineer-pride themes - two things that have meant a lot to Blanton over the years. After being in the music business 40 years and teaching nearly half as long, he has blended both passions with a love of grilling. Doo-wop will soon play from the speakers at the restaurant. Once the walls are fully decorated they will showcase oldies and Moun- taineer memorabilia. Both men have followed the Mountaineers through good and bad years, attending every home football game to- gether. Blanton was president of the Optimist Club for many years. ; j LANDMARK From Page 1 Horne has started the renovation of the corner building facing the down- town Patriot’s Park. Updat- ing the two buildings will cost about $500,000 but Horne said their ultimate goal is to draw more busi- ness into downtown. The two businessmen are = already recruiting prospective tenants. As the two worked at the site this weekend they said they showed the buildings to a man interested in opening a photography studio and to a restaurant owner looking at a site for an eatery. “Our family was looking for developers like Bobby and Scott and both have the expertise and are excited about how that entire block Wednesday, April 15, 2009 said John O. Plonk, who added the family closed on the sale Feb. 1. A new facelift of the for- mer Plonk buildings will feature new windows, new store fronts with awnings in front and back of the build- ings, new stucco, a new look to the back of the buildings with patio and other ‘enhancements that could draw traffic and inter- est from Patriot’s Park. Scott Campbell is the son of Ed Campbell of Kings Mountain and the late Betty Campbell. A sales manager for United Parcel Service for 18 years, he is interested and excited about new development in Kings Mountain. He and his wife, Marsha, have two daughters, Lauren and Summer. They are members of First Wesleyan church. tractor for 22 years, is the son of Linda Beaver and the late Sharon Horne. He has developed and owns a num- ber of properties in the downtown area, two build- ings just up the street from the Plonk buildings and also the former Sellers Chiro- practic building in down- town Kings Mountain. He has also worked on several other buildings in dowhtown, most recently for the new J Oliver’s. He ‘and his wife, Sharon, have four children, Brad Myers, Taylor Myers, Lauren Horne and Lindsey Horne. They are members of Res- urrection Lutheran Church. The two entrepreneurs are excited about their plans for Kings Mountain revital- ization on Railroad Avenue. “This can be a show- place and beef up our econ- omy,” they say. will look in the near future,” Horne, a building con- COO K-OFF KMFD and the Kings Mountain Fire Mu- From Page 1 fon Anna’s Sweet Treats will be selling many goodies, including fried banana pudding and fried Snickers. Another vendor is scheduled to be selling barbecue on a stick. Forty-five teams had registered to compete as of Friday afternoon. The competition will be capped at 52. Five local teams, including Big E’s BBQ of Kings Mountain, had regis- tered to compete as of Friday, Last year’s grand champion and first-time Firehouse contender Smokey Mountain Smokers, of Tennessee, will be returning to defend their title. Teams will be filing into the park this week from as far south as Lan- dolakes, Fla; as far north as Cleveland, Ohio; as far west as Jasper, Ga.; and as far east as Hartford, NC. The Kings Mountain Fire Department or- ganizes and hosts the event in conjunction with the city at the walking track each year. Money raised from the Cook-off benefits the With an average of six people per team, 65 judges and all of the friends and family, who join them in the competition, this year’s Fire- _ house BBQ Cook-off is estimated to bring in an average of 500 people over the weekend. But not only does the event attract barbe- quers, judges, friends and family nationwide, this year’s Firehouse will also welcome fire- fighters to the “hearth.” Teams from Lan- dolakes, Fla. and Cleveland, Ohio, are manned at least partly by firefighters. *' Royal Oak will provide all competing teams this year with charcoal and lighter fluid. For 41-50+ teams competing, the prize money will total: $4,000 — grand champion; $1,000 — reserve champion; and top category prizes of $550 — 1st place, $300 — 2nd, $200 — 3rd, $150 — 4th, and $100 — 5th. Anything Butt winners will be rewarded with $200 each for best desert and best non-desert. The best booth will receive $100 along with the highest plac- ing Cleveland County team. He has coached Pop. Warner football on and off for two decades. So ‘it makes sense that the two would pay tribute to their team. "All of our sandwich bas- kets are football-themed," Blanton said. The Miiriineer burger is 8 oz. of meat, the JV burger is 5 oz. and the children's "Mighty Mite! is 3 oz. ‘The. restaurant's ‘chicken sandwich is called the "tail- back" and "wingbacks' are chicken wings. The "line- backer" is an 8 oz. ribeye steak, served with other fixings for a full dinner. An 8-12 oz. hamburger steak plate is called "the quarterback." "When you're an avid foot- ball fan, this is kind of the way to go," he said. ‘He added that he's incorpo- rating the doo-wop theme in the other side of the menu. The restaurant serves a va- riety of foods, including burg- ers, chicken, wings, fried hors d'oeuvres, club sandwiches, hot dogs, salads, homemade slaw and breakfast sand- wiches. Although they haven't quite decided which brand to sell, Blanton said that the grill will soon be serving ice cream. Blanton and Smith got the property on August 6 and the two have worked on getting the restaurant ready for about a month and a half. "We've already helped the economy,” Blanton smiled. "We've hired three people." They didn't intend to hire anyone at first, but business was so steady the first week that Blanton realized they needed help. Although current health codes only allow the restaurant to have indoor seating for four, business has been good for the grill, which also offers curb service and pick-ups for call- in to go orders. Once the City of Kings Mountain's sewer lines are ex- tended to the property, indoor dining will be increased to ac- commodate a larger crowd.. But Blanton is working with the county to find another way, until then. The Grill is open 62 a.m.-8 pm. Monday-Saturday. All menu items are served at any time during the day. KM Museum hosts Spring Fling Sat. - The Kings Mountain. Historical Museum is plan- ning a Spring Fling on April 18th from 1-5 p.m. at the Museum Commons behind the Exhibit Hall. The 19th century Barber and Cornwell Houses will be open and interpreters, dressed in colonial cos- tumes will be performing crafts and skills. There will be several tomahawk throwing demonstrations throughout the afternoon. Shelia Ingle, the author of "Courageous Kate, A Daughter of the American Revolution" and winner of the 2007 DAR Historic Preservation Award will be speaking about the Revolu- tionary period at 2 p.m. Af- terward, she will sign copies of her book selling for $11.95. The Log Cabin String Band will be playing at 3 p.m. in front of the Barber House on the Museum Commons. Wells reunion slated April 26 The 23" reunion of the John and Britter Wells family 42 cent forym Letter wiheediin. Do you have questions or concerns about what's happening in your community? Are there good things happening in your neighborhood? Let us know in a Letter to the Editor. We welcome your comments”! Send your Letters to The Editor at: The Kings Mountain Herald P.O. Box 769, Kings Mountain NC 28086 or e-mail us at: eweaver@kingsmountainherald.com *Letters to the Editor must be signed and include address and phone number. Thank you letters are required to be placed as paid personal notes. descendants will be held Sunday, April 26, at Dixon Pres- byterian Church Fellowship Hall, 630 Dixon School Road, at 1 p.m. The family meeting will begin with a potluck lunch followed by a short business meeting. The group will ride to the old Wells Cemetery located on the Hughes farm on Stewart Road to view the tombstones of the original members of the family. Family members are asked to take documents, wills, pictures, etc. for display. All descendants are urged to at- tend to share the food, fellowship, memories, laughter and family genealogy. Rev. Robert Wells is the president of the reunion. John and Britter Wells were among the earliest settlers in this area, buying land in the Dixon Community from a land grant issued by the King of England prior to the Rev- olutionary War in 1780. Their cabin was used to treat the wounded from the Battle of Kings Mountain Oct, 7, 1780 and is currently the oldest residence in Cleveland County. Elizabeth Stewart owns the house on Stewart Road. The old Wells Cemetery, where John and Britter Wells are buried, is on the Betty Hughes farm located on Stewart Road. For additional information call Secretary Steve Wells at 704-739-1545 or President Robert Wells at 864-489-8680. (iY King Published every Wednesday ! Periodicals postage at Kings Mountain, NC 28086 USPS 118-880 by Gemini Newspapers, Inc. Postmaster, send address changes to: P. O. Box 769, Kings Mountain, NC 28086 Phone (704) 739-7496 ° Fax (704) 739-0611 Office: 700 East Gold Street * Kings Mountain, NC 28086 E-mail: heraldnews @kingsmountainherald.com Ron Isbell - Publisher (ron@kingsmountainherald.com) 4 Emily Weaver - Editor (eweaver@kingsmountainherald.com) ' Gary Stewart - Sports Editor Lib Stewart - Staff Reporter Nancy Miller - Advertising Coordinator Lisa Zyble - Composing Manager Wendy Isbell - Business Manager Kathy Reynolds - Circulation/Classified Mary Wood - Front Office Assistant Mail Subscription Rates Payable in Advance. All Prices include 6% NC State Sales Tax. 1 Year 6 Months Gaston & Cleveland County $28.00 $17.50 Other NC Counties $29.50 $19.25 Outside NC $34.50 $21.25 Member ASSOCIATION en North Carola Pres Assocaion We reserve the right to refuse any advertisements or news that we deem inappropriate or offensive to our readership. N VU
The Kings Mountain Herald (Kings Mountain, N.C.)
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April 15, 2009, edition 1
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