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Volume 136 • Issue 1
Wednesday, January 5, 2022
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KM Herald headlines 2021 year in review By Loretta Cozart (Ed. Note: This is a twopart article looking back on 2021 and how the Kings Mountain Herald brought hometown, community news, and local issues to our readers. We at Community Media wish you a Happy New Year 2022!) JANUARY • Cleveland County’s 2021 property revaluation took effect on January 1. The revaluation included land and all residential, commercial, and industrial structures in Cleveland County. The revaluation did not include personal property. Not everyone's property value changed by the same percentage and could vary widely across properties. • West School wins national recognition. Highly regarded for academic achievement, stakeholder involvement, creativity, and innovative programs, West Elementary earns top honors as a 2020-2021 ESEA Distinguished School. Additionally, West met or exceeded growth for the past five years, is a PBIS Exemplar School, and has been recognized as a Green Ribbon School. The selection committee noted the following as contributing factors and "fantastic" points from
First responders attended the community prayer rally in January. Photo by Loretta Cozart their findings. • NC DHHS reported new COVID-19 records to start the year. On Jan. 1, North Carolina reported its highest one-day number of COVID-19 cases with 9,527 new cases reported, exceeding the state’s previous highest day set on Dec. 18, 2020, by more than 1,000. • On Saturday, January 9, Kings Mountain Ministerial Association held a community prayer rally in Patriots Park to pray for
first responders in the community. • On January 16, JACK & georgia held a grand opening at 209 S. Battleground Avenue after the retailer relocated from their original location on E. Gold Street. • Legion Riders held a ride for Cpl. Lee Whittington of Kings Mountain Police Department. Corporal Whittington was shot in the line of duty while responding to a call on Downing
Downtown trees were removed in preparation for the Streetscape Project to begin. Photo by Loretta Cozart proposed development, Catawba Ridge to be located at 415 Dixon School Road. Developers Wallace Cheves and partner Paul Sparks presented their plan with approximately 15 people in attendance. • Paul James Candle Company held a soft opening for the new business at Diana Bramble was se807 Cleveland Avenue. lected as the new Superin• The old gas station at tendent of Kings Mountain 259 Dixon School Road was National Military Park, demolished in January. The along with the others inproperty, once owned by the cluded in the Southern Parks Plonk family, had been the system. Photo by NPS site of a Sinclair Gas station, a BP station, American Petroleum station, and a FINA Drive. He underwent surstation before it was purgery and was released bechased by Roadside Truck fore Christmas. Plaza in November of 1997. Eugene and Mary Curry • A community meet• Tens of thousands of celebrate 64-years of maring was held by Let’s Roll See REVIEW, Page 4A Photo provided Holdings regarding their riage.
Last week to see the Toys, Games, and Trains exhibit By Loretta Cozart January 7 is the last day to see the Toys, Games, and Trains exhibit at Kings Mountain Historical Museum. If you haven’t seen it this year, or want one last look, be sure to visit KMHM by Friday. This annual exhibit fills the museum with a model train display assembled by local “S” Gaugers, as well as railroad memorabilia, and antique toys and games. Visitors of all ages
KM Historical Museum Toys, Games and Trains exhibit ends Friday, January 7. will be enchanted as they explore the miniature scenes that line the tracks. Parents and grandparents
will enjoy reminiscing about the toys and games of their childhood. Admission is free.
KMLT auditions scheduled for upcoming comedy Mark your calendars now for auditions for Kings Mountain Little Theater’s upcoming play, Deliver Us from Mama. Auditions are scheduled for Saturday, January 8 from 10:30am to 1pm, and Sunday, January 9 from 2pm to 5pm at Joy Performance Center at 202 S Railroad Avenue in Kings Mountain. Roles needed are six
male roles and five female roles, 30 years old and up, and one male and one female role 16 and up. Auditions will involve reading from portions of the script with other auditionees. Performances are scheduled for March 4 & 5 @ 7:30pm, March 6 @ 3:00 pm, March 11 and 12 at 7:30pm, and March 13 at 3:00pm. Mama’s back - so chaos can’t be far behind! This rip-roaring, hilarious, high-octane race to beat the
stork begins when Walker Sprunt's wife, Hayley, goes into labor with their first child. The problem? She's in Alabama, and he is in L.A., trying his best to get through a surprise visit from his meddling mother and his bossy big sister, Savannah, when he gets the call. Unfortunately, an air traffic controllers strike has just begun across the nation and Walker is at a loss for what to do. But his Mama, as usual, is not. And when See AUDITIONS, Page 5A
Playwright, director, and performer Mike Wiley will hold a question-and-answer session after the performance.
Tired Souls: The Montgomery Bus Boycott at Joy Performance Center January 17 To honor the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Mauney Memorial Library, and the City of Kings Mountain welcome Mike Wiley to perform, Tired Souls: The Montgomery Bus Boycott at the Joy Performance Center on January 17. Tired Souls opens in Montgomery, Alabama on December 1, 1955 – the day Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a city bus to a white man. Her determination was the catalyst that inspired Montgomery’s black citizens to abandon all travel on city buses until they were no longer forced to sit in the back or stand when a white person boarded. But there were others who came before Mrs. Parks and laid the groundwork for this pivotal moment. Tired Souls introduces audiences to Jo Ann Robinson, Claudette Colvin, and others so instrumental in lighting a fire under the Civil Rights movement and changing the course of U.S. history forever. Immediately after production, the audience
Rosa Parks with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Photos provided is invited to take part in a talkback with Mike Wiley. No photos or videography will be allowed during production. The event, scheduled to begin at 2:00 pm, is free and open to the public. The Joy Performance Center is located at 202 South Railroad Avenue, Kings Mountain.
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