KM Little Theatre opens “The Dining
Room” Friday night -
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Volume 123 ¢ Issue 19 * Wednesday, May 11, 2011
6A
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Ea Soldier treks country for veterans
for Life
kicks olf
Friday 13th
Everyone's reason to Relay for Life
1s as unique as their own personal story
of cancer.
Kings Mountain's annual Relay for
Life for the benefit of the American
“Cancer Society kicks off Friday at 6
pam. at the Kings Mountain Walking
Track. It's the city's 13th annual event
and this year, organizers are hoping that
having the 13th on the 13th will bring
them a little extra luck, albeit Friday the
13th.
There's something for everyone to
enjoy in night-long fun-filled events, to
which the public is invited, led by 36
teams “that will relay until a 7 a.m.
breakfast and 8 a.m. closing/awards
ceremony.
"Our goal is to beat the $64, 000
raised last year and to put Cleveland
County back in the top 10 Relays for
_per capita giving in the nation," said
Chairman Frank Burns. :
Relay starts with a Survivors lap, an
inspirational time when survivors circle
the track together and help everyone
celebrate the victories they achieved
over cancer. After dark, the luminary
ceremony honors people who have
been touched by cancer and remembers
loved ones lost to the disease.
Burns said that El Bethel United
Methodist Church's relay team led by
Lois and Howard Blanton is already a
"platinum" team, exceeding its goal of
$5,000. He anticipates that other teams
will top their goals. Teams will be hon-
ored at the closing ceremony and Burns
says to all 36 relay teams "if you leave,
come back at 7 a.m. for breakfast and
awards at 8 a.m."
All the teams will be setting up
campsites around the track Friday, dec-
orating and offering yummy food items
to the public. At the back of the camp-
sites yard sale areas will be roped off
and anyone wanting to sell their wares
can donate $10 and set up their site at 6
a.m. Saturday morning. Call the fire de-
partment, 704-734-0555 or 704-739-
5010 to book your spot.
Another addition this year is a silent
auction by the Southern Arts Society.
"Bras for a cause," artist-decorated bras,
feature unique undergarment personal-
y in honor of loved ones who have
battled breast cancer.
The tricycle race is always popular,
among others like the hillybilly fashion
show, the womanless beauty pageant,
the Disney character lap and the animal
lap where your pets can also get in the
fun. The popular Preston Long Band
from Cherryville and Aaron Morrison
Band, in addition to dance groups and
‘other fun events are on tap.
The complete schedule of events for
Friday's big Relay: ;
6 p.m.- Opening ceremonies fol-
lowed by the Survivors lap at 6:30 and
team laps at 6:45 p.m.
7 p.m.- La Petite Dance Studio fol-
lowed by La Petite Zumba at 7:30 p.m.
8 p.m.- Aaron Morrison Band fol-
lowed at 9 p.m. by the luminary (Hush
Angels) and at 9:15 p.m. by solo and
group singing.
10 p.m.- The Preston Long Band
performs for an hour and then the big
tricycle race gets on tap at 11 p.m. fol-
lowed by the Hillbilly fashion show at
11:30 p.m.
Midnight- You don't want to miss.
See RELAY, 3A.
985257002001
Banks Trust
Troy Yocum, left, Army veteran of the Iraq War, walks with fellow veterans SFC
Castle, right, and Army veteran of Desert Storm Michael Mills. Not pictured,
Marti Mongiello Navy veteran and innkeeper walks with the soldiers.
— EEL ELC EY,
gr EMILY WEAVER
Editor
On April 17, 2010, Army
veteran Troy Yocum stepped
off from the Louisville Slug-
ger Museum in Louisville,
Ky., on a nearly 7,800-mile
walk across America. He
walks for the love of his fel-
low soldiers, raising money
- for veterans along the way.
On Tuesday, he stepped
into Grover on his way to
Charlotte, Raleigh, and
Washington, D.C. He plans
to go as far north as Boston
before turning around and
heading back to the museum
where © he started...and
where he’ll stop.
His journey has taken
him . through mountain
ranges, long deserts, in small
towns and big cities, and
even “down the aisle”.
“I proposed (to her) at
mile 100. We got married at
mile 256. And yesterday
(May 2) we had our first
wedding anniversary at mile
5,400,” he said, with the
smile of a newly wed.
His wife, Mareike
Yocum, giggled.
She has been with him,
literally, almost every step of
the way. Until Mareike, of
Germany, could get her
green card and driver’s li-
cense, she walked with him
— nearly 4,000 miles. Now,
she drives their support vehi-
cle,’a Hummer wrapped in
the loge of “Wish Upon a
Hero” (a charitable organiza-
tion that is sponsoring the
journey).
Joining the cross-country
newlyweds are: their two
dogs — “Emmie the Super
Dog”, a Shiba Inu who has
walked over 2,400 miles,
‘See SOLDIER, 7A
The difference
a year makes
Prayer, faith and brother's
kidney gives Shearra Miller
a fresh look at life |
wu ELIZABETH STEWART :
lib.kmherald@gmail.com
| just
wanted to
live.”
Kings Mountain's Shearra
Miller counts her blessings.
' Faith in God, her brother's
kidney, and a family and com-
munity who supported her
with their prayers sustained
her during a life- threatening
illness.
photo and story by TERRIE ARMSTRONG
" Left to right, Spencer Kellstrom, Jacob Korch and Chandler Summers, in
the boys class at Family Worship Center, lend a helping hand in loading
a truck headed for Alabama's tornado victims.
FWC sends relief to tornado victims
Family Worship Center's Pastor Roger Woodard and wife Margaret
Just returned from their second trip to Cullman, Ala., where they deliv-
ered food, water and supplies to assist the many victims that are begin-
ning to rebuild their lives after devastating tornados.
Family. Worship along with Operation Compassion has
delivered two semi trucks; one box truck and one pick up truck packed
with supplies. Family Worship's Rocky Smith and crew spent five days
in Alabama clearing property for the victims. The church hopes to send
two more semi trucks with supplies this week. If anyone-in the commu-
nity would like to support this much needed relief effort, contact Fam-
Shearra was on a dialysis
machine that kept her alive,
and, in spite of her health chal-
lenges, didn't miss a day of
work at the Cleveland County
Arts Council of which she is
director,
"I would have given a kid-
ney to Charlie (her brother
Charlie Beachum) but I would
have never asked him to be
tested | for my transplant
donor," said a very grateful
sister. She said Charlie is 48,
SHEARRA MILLER
has a wife and two small children. Shearra, 52, is the wife of
Tim Miller and they have two daughters, Rebecca, who is
married to Ben Hopkins, and Kathleen, who teaches third
ily Worship at 704-739-7206.
See MILLER, 3A
City digs in to fight hunger
Preparing Patriot's Park
for sweet
One out of every four Cleve-
land County residents are dealing
with hunger and several con-
cerned citizens are fighting to
change it.
. The City of Kings Mountain
has donated an acre of land next
* to Patriot's Park to the Cleveland
County Potato Project - a county-
wide, volunteer effort to plant po-
tatoes to feed the county's
hungry. Tractors tilled the land on
Monday, loosening the soil for
sweet potatoes as a group of vol-
unteers gathered at the park.
The city donated the use of
the land, but all of the work that
will go into planting, raising and
. harvesting a successful crop is
entirely volunteer.
ance
PILES
potatoes
Mayor Pro-tem Rodney Gor-
don read about the project last
year in the newspaper and felt
called to join the effort. He asked
City Manager Marilyn Sellers if
the city had any unused property
they could donate to the project.
There was property out near
Moss Lake, but deer have been a
concern for crops in some parts
of the county. The city looked at
the walking track and Patriot's
Park as other options.
"I thought, hopefully, we
wouldn't have a lot of deer prob-
lems at the park," Gordon said.
Doug Sharp, founder of the
Cleveland County Potato Project,
agreed that Patriot's Park might
See CITY, 6A
will be planting to feed the hungry. :
Glenn Hicks plows the land at Patriot's
Park Monday, loosening the soil for a
new sweet potato crop city volunteers
»
RTD
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Battleground Ave., Kings Mountain * 704.739.5411
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