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Thursday, August 22, 2019
Do you have dry, uncomfortable eyes? If so, you’re not alone. Dr. Nancy Cline and Dr. Patrick Vollmer are working to find new treatments for dry eye disease and will be conducting a new eye drop research study starting soon. The study involves 6 visits over the course of 10 weeks and you may be compensated up to $950 for your time.
Learn more today by calling 866-393-3767 or visit myeyestudy.com! Study Location: Vita Eye Clinic | 222 N. Lafayette Street, Suite 12 | Shelby, NC 28150 • Belmont • Cramerton • Lowell • McAdenville • Mount Holly • Stanley
Gaston County’s FREE! Volume 85 • Issue 34 Thursday, August 22, 2019
Good news for great people!
Belmont’s oldest piece of public art is a treasure by Alan Hodge alan@cfmedia.info
Belmont has been making great strides in the area of public art, but there’s one piece that predates all the others by a wide margin. Long before Belmont’s City Hall became the center of the town’s municipal government, it was a U.S. Post Office, constructed in 1938. In that building is a reminder of those days when the federal government’s New Deal was in full swing in the form of a mural entitled “Major William Chronicle and His South Fork Boys”.
Many thousands of people over the years have seen the mural, but not that many know about the artist, Peter DeAnna, who painted it, how he went about his work in Belmont in 1940, and the fact that the mural as folks see it today was not his first choice of theme. DeAnna was one of a small army of artists that the Works Projects Administration (WPA) sent out across the land during the Great Depression to create public art, perform music, and take photos of everything from poor folks to national park
vistas. Overall, from 1934 to 1943, over 1,300 murals and 300 sculptures were commissioned by the federal government nationwide. Artwork for post offices was supposed to reflect the heritage or history of the town where it was located. Most of the post office murals were funded by the Section of Fine Arts under the Treasury Department. The Belmont Post Office mural was DeAnna’s first paying art job. A native of Uniontown, Penn., DeAnna had grown up in Washington, See ART, Page 4
This mural “Major William Chronicle and His South Fork Boys” inside Belmont city hall dates to 1940 and is the town’s first and oldest piece of public art. Photo by Alan Hodge
Stanley mayor Steven Denton (center) along with guests and the Jackson family break ground for a new Habitat for Humanity house in Stanley. Habitat Gaston Photo
Habitat for Humanity of Gaston County holds groundbreakings Habitat for Humanity of Gaston County held a groundbreaking ceremony in Stanley on Sunday, August 11, 2019 for the 120th house it will build, and which will be the home of the Jackson family when completed. The Jackson family – Shana, along with her children Brooklyn, age 13, and Tykailen, age 9, were joined by family and friends, along with Habitat for Humanity of Gaston County board members Rev. Claude T. Williams, Patricia Franks, Pastor Ray Hardee, Rev. Ken Alexander, Andy Ratchford, executive director Kay Peninger, and community leaders Stanley Mayor Steve Denton and Kiser Elementary School Assistant Principal Kathi Withers. Habitat for Humanity of Gaston County will begin
construction in upcoming weeks and expects that the house will be completed by Thanksgiving. Executive Director Kay Peninger said in her welcome, “This Habitat house represents our goal of helping families achieve stability, safety, and security through shelter. The Jackson family will have a decent, affordable home where they can focus on their family, where the children can play, where they can celebrate family milestones and traditions, and continue to achieve their dreams for the future.” Habitat for Humanity of Gaston County partnered with United in Action of Stanley Churches to welcome the Jackson family to the Stanley community. The house that will be built at 408
N. Mauney Avenue in Stanley will be the first home that Habitat has built in this community. Cesar Perez, Habitat for Humanity of Gaston County board member and chair of the Homeowner Services committee, says “this home represents the hard work the Jackson family has invested in taking positive steps for their family and their goals for the future. Research has shown that homeownership benefits families by reducing stress and that children who live in a stable home achieve more in school.” Habitat for Humanity of Gaston County also recently broke ground for a new home See HABITAT, Page 4