INSIDE...
SPORTS...7- 8
Obituaries .......................... 2 Police Log .......................... 4 Lifestyles ........................... 6
■ Alex Goff ties golf course record at Clev. Country Club
Film Fest to light up screen see page 3
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Wednesday, July 20, 2016
Volume 128 • Issue 29
kmherald.com • 704-739-7496
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17th annual event
Beach Blast Saturday in KM Splash into summer fun
CAPT. DEREK JOHNSON
Johnson tops in public service Police work has been Derek Johnson's life and he's by all accounts tops in his field. Captain Johnson, promoted through the ranks, was hired at age 20 by the late Chief Jackie Barrett and at that time one of two of the department's youngest patrol officers. He is re tiring July 29 at the age of 55 after 35 years of service with mixed emotions but with a good feeling of accomplishment in public
service because he has made a difference in the lives of others.. “The profession, the city, and the people we serve have been good to me. I have the utmost respect for everyone. You helped me fulfill a dream to give back to the community and make a difference but it's a two way street – you have given back to me your trust, your appreciation for the work that all of us do and your See JOHNSON, Page 4
The 17th annual Beach Blast Saturday at Patriots Park in Kings Mountain promises to be a fun day for all participating in a variety of events. Sponsored by the City of Kings Mountain, events get underway at 10 a.m. with registration at the Information Booth. Competition begins at the Gazebo at 11 a.m. with the Tiny Tots and Teenie Weenie Bikini Contest for ages 6 and under. There will be two categories: Newborn-3 years old ( boys and girls) and 4-6 years old ( bo ys and girls.) There is no entry fee and all participants will be recognized. The first place award in each category is a $25 Toys R Us gift card. The event, which will run from 10 a.m. until 10 p.m., pays homage to the water, the sand, the sun and the the music normally seen
Young children will don their swim suits and participate in a contest Saturday at 11 a.m. in the city-sponsored Beach Blast. Special Events Coordinator Haley Wilson took this photograph last year at the 16th annual event. along the Grand Strand. City Special Events Coordinator Haley Wilson said that with all of the activities planned downtown Kings Mountain will feel more like Ocean Drive. Beach music fans can shag into the summer night
with music at the gazebo provided by the Cindy and Randy Floyd Duo from 12 noon until 12:45; the Entertainers from 1-3 p.m.; Gary Lower and Smokin' Hot from 4-7 p.m. and Band of Oz from 7-10 pm. Watermelon eating con-
tests, a woodie car show, inflatables and water wars for the kids, crafts and food vendors and much more are on the day's agenda. The Splash Pad at Patriots Park is sure to be busy with little ones cooling off in the summer heat.
Pieces of Kings Mountain History
Last 2 days of drama Saturday, Sunday, 3 pm Plays Celebrating the Battle of Kings Mountain Throughout Our History By Loretta Husky Cozart
Jamie Lovelace, left, and Raven Lovelace stop at the sign at the Kings Mountain Historical Museum, a stop for Pokemon Go fans who also use stops at Central United Methodist Church, Mauney Memorial Library, and the Barber House, the “gymn” to “battle' other users of the digital game. Groups of young people were seen on downtown streets Monday with cell phones in hand playing the new tech game Photo by ELLIS NOELL .
Pokemon Go craze attracts players It depends on who you talk to about the newest digital popularity craze Pokemon Go. Since release of the Smart Phone “Pokemon Go” game last week kids and growups too have been using the phone's GPS technology to find and capture animated creatures – in real world places.
Every time the app is opened, a warning from game maker Niantic pops up, telling players to be aware of their surroundings. Players must also agree to fine print saying they cannot enter private property without permission. Some of the warnings aren't getting through in some areas. Police have reported no incidents of residents playing the game on private property or searching for the 'creatures' in places they See POKEMON, Page 4
Sadie Sadieisisa ahero! hero! Sadie, a chocolate brown and white Border Collie, is by all accounts a hero. She proved the old adage that “a dog is man's best friend” last Monday when she pulled a fiveyear-old little girl out of the ocean at Oak Island, NC. The “Grand dog” of Tammy and Keith Roper of Kings Mountain was on a leash and taking a stroll about 10:30 a.m. on the beach with Tammy Roper when she suddenly broke loose and bolted into the water where the child was apparently having a diabetic seizure and was
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physically struggling. The dog held on to the child and got her safely to shore. “Sadie overpowered me, the first time I have ever seen this good-natured dog act the way she did, she sensed the child was in trouble,'' said Tammy, adding, “We were at the right place at the right time.” The child's mother had turned to unload a golf cart, told her daughter and other children not to go in the water. The water was just too tempting for the youngster who could have drowned if not for See SADIE, Page 4
Liberty Mountain: A Revolutionary Drama is a wonderful play about the COZART War for Independence in our own back yard. If you haven’t seen the play, you should go. If you have seen it, go again. Each
season, Bob Inman makes changes to improve the play which keeps it fresh for the audience. Everyone who has seen it says it just gets better and better each year. But Liberty Mountain isn’t the first play written about the Battle of Kings Mountain. During the sesquicentennial celebration in 1930, four performances of an historic pageant of the battle of Kings Mountain, sponsored by the Daughters of the American Revolution, were performed for the public at Kings Mountain High School. See PIECES, Page 4
Parking lot to open July 29 The newly-renovated Cherokee Street back parking lot is scheduled to open to the public July 29 to allow ample time for asphalt curing, City Manager Marilyn Sellers said this week. Sellers said the paving process is scheduled for July 25 and painting and stripping is scheduled for July 26. Sellers said that if the time lines are met that the project has taken over the 30 day original time line. Ad-
ditional lights were installed to better cover the area; the addition of a catch basin to assist in storm water collection; an additional curbing area at the intersection of Gold and Cherokee to better mitigate the safety of pedestrians; and replacement of the sidewalk, curbing and entrance points on the west side of Cherokee Street that's adjacent to the parking lot will better mitigate the water and possible See PARKING LOT, Page 4
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