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Thursday, December 9, 2021
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Good news for great people! Volume 87 • Issue 49
• Belmont • Cramerton • Lowell • McAdenville • Mount Holly • Stanley
Thursday, December 9, 2021
Christmas lights go on in McAdenville By Alan Hodge alan@cfmedia.info
The switch was thrown last Wednesday turning the Christmas lights on in McAdenville for the 66th year. The lights will be on Dec. 1 until Dec. 26th and will shine from 5pm to 10pm nightly. Each year a student from McAdenville Elementary School turns on the lights with the special switch. This year it was flipped by Ileny Zuniga, a second grade student at McAdenville. She lives with her mom and dad and two sisters- Ivy and Iverly. She likes coloring, eating fruit, and playing with her baby sister. Her favorite thing about Christmas is opening presents Christmas morning. She is a conscientious and kind student. “We are so happy to have her representing
McAdenville Elementary,” said principal Dawn Lavinder. Zuniga was thrilled to be able to flip the switch. “I’m so happy they picked me,” she said. “It is very exciting.” Runner-up and Santa Escort was Anderson Hammond, also a second grade student at McAdenville Elementary. He lives with his mom and dad, sister Violet, and brother Jackson. He enjoys playing video games, spending time with family, playing with his dogs, and riding his dirt bike. His favorite thing about Christmas is spending time with family and seeing people laugh and having a good time. See LIGHTS, Page 3
Ileny Zuniga getting set to throw the switch that turned on the famed McAdenville Christmas lights. Photo by Steve Rankin
Work continues at a rapid pace on Chronicle Mill project By Alan Hodge alan@cfmedia.info
The redevelopment project at the former Chronicle Mill on E. Catawba St. in downtown Belmont is progressing rapidly. It’s the largest single site construction project in downtown Belmont in many years. The partnership for the project, Chronicle Holdings, includes John and Jennifer Church who originally bought the mill about ten years ago, Armada Hoffler Construction, and Shane Seagle. “It’s fun to see how fast it’s coming along,” said John
Church. ”Nothing is stopping those guys. Sometimes they even work on Saturday. Everything is on schedule.” Plans are for the $50 million residential/retail project to be completed and ready for occupancy by the third quarter of 2022. “We will be opening a rental office and model apartment in May of 2022,” said Church. Last week, Workers from Armada Hoffler Construction were busy hammering, sawing, nailing, ground moving, pouring concrete. brick laying and more with good weather adding to the pace. The 100+ year old mill
Colorful holiday outfits are a big part of the Christmas Town 5k.
building itself has required considerable work to make it structurally stable. Also, a street front façade that was added in the 1970s has been removed. Latest developments on the project have included framing of a fourth floor and framing of an apartment building on the property’s west side. Most of the framing has been wrapped in Tyvek sheathing. The Tyvek will be covered with brick to blend in with the mill’s historic portion. In addition to 9,000 sq. ft. of retail space, the project will also include luxury apartments in a separate
This is how the front of the Chronicle Mill project in downtown Belmont looked last week with a fourth floor added to the top. Photo by Alan Hodge structure to the side and rear of the mill. Studio and one bedroom apartments, which will comprise about seventy percent of the residential area, will rent for around
$1,000-$1,600 a month. Units will feature open and airy lofts, have exposed brick walls, and boast expansive windows amplifying tons of natural light. Modern
upscale finishes and hightech features will also be part of the package. There will be plenty of amenities such as a clubhouse and pool. See MILL, Page 9
Photo by Roxann Rankin
Christmas Town 5k draws 1300 entries Edited by Alan Hodge alan@cfmedia.info
The 9th annual Christ-
mas Town 5K was held on Saturday, Nov. 27 at 6pm and the event attracted a
large crowd of participants and spectators. See 5K, Page 6
BELMONT CHRISTMAS PARADE - Last week saw many towns in our area hold their first “real” Christmas parade in nearly two years. Folks came out in droves for the fun and festivities like this. See many more parade photos inside this issue. Photo by Alan Hodge