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Earl Yule Parade Sunday, 3 PM page 2A
KMHS faces SP for shot at state title, page 1B
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Volume 127 • Issue 47 • Wednesday, December 2, 2015
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Santa Claus is comin’ to town KM Christmas Parade Grover Parade steps off starts Saturday at 3 pm Saturday morning at 11
Jolly Ole St. Nick waves to the crowd in previous parade. (file photo)
The annual “Home for Christmas” 100-plus unit K i n g s Mountain Christmas Parade will step off at 3 p.m. Saturday in downtown Rick Murphrey K i n g s Mountain. The holiday parade will form on East Gold Street near Mountain Rest Cemetery, proceed down S. Battleground Avenue, turn right up Main Street and right at the overhead bridge on King
Street (74) and disband on East King Street in the vicinity of Kentucky Fried Chicken. Mayor Rick Murphrey, who is completing this month 21 years in city government, 15 as mayor and six as city councilman prior to the year 2000, will serve as Grand Marshal. Parade-watchers can enjoy the sights and sounds of Christmas – pretty girls, floats, the jolly ole man Santa, from the North Pole, high-stepping bands and a plus for the kids who See KM PARADE, Page 7A
SEE PARADE LINEUP ON PAGE 3
Grover's annual Christmas parade steps off Saturday at 11 a.m. with 212 units, possibly the biggest parade in a number of years. T h e line-up Betsy Wells begins at 10 a.m. in the Spring Acres Subdivision. Parade Chairman Anna Hughes said a rain date is set for Dec. 12 at 11 a.m. “It's shaping up to be a great parade,'' said Hughes.
Former KMHS drama teacher and longtime area play director Betsy Wells will be grand marshal for the holiday event. “I'm honored to be asked,'' said Wells, a founding member of the Women's Club, which is sponsor of the parade. In her first time in this role, Wells joins past grand marshals Les Roark, Larry Sprinkle, Mary Accor and Suzi Keeter. The Women's Club selects a grand marshal based on their contributions to the community. The group recently has planted flowers See GROVER PARADE, Page 7A
Hawkins, “Keyboards at Christmas” Jingle Bell Rockin’ Run Hutchins, starts Saturday, Dec. 5 Allen file extravaganza set for Dec. 13 Will you be there with bells on?
It’s almost time again for the popular Jingle Bell Rockin’ Run. The Kings Mountain Family YMCA-sponsored event is celebrating its 15th year and with it is including a new feature – a 1-mile dash. The Rockin’ Run, as in years past, will also include a 5K, a 10K and a Kids Fun Run. The Run is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 5 (same day as Kings Mountain’s annual Christmas Parade held at 3 p.m.). The event schedule begins at 9 a.m. Those interested can register at any Cleveland County YMCA or by visiting www.kingsmountainymca.com. Check out the event’s page on Facebook, too: www.facebook.com/JingleBellRockin’Run. Still need more info? Call (704) 739-9631. The packet pick-up and race location is at First Baptist Church, located at 605
W. King St., Kings Mountain. Want to wait until the day of the race to register? Just go to the church between 7 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. that Saturday. Those who have registered early can pick up their packets on Friday, Dec. 4, from 3 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. Categories and registration costs: Phantom Dasher: Before Nov. 24 -- $25; After Nov. 24 -- $30 5K Walk/Run: Before Nov. 24 -- $25; After Nov. 24 -- $30 10K Run: Before Nov. 24 -- $30; After Nov. 24 -- $35 1 Mile Dash: $15 ($10 if also participating in another race) Kids Fun Run: $10 Proceeds from the Jingle Bell Rockin’ Run benefit the YMCA’s We Build People Scholarship Fund.
DAVE BLANTON
Incumbent County Commissioners Ronnie Hawkins, Johnny Hutchins and Susan Allen filed Tuesday at 12 noon for re-election to four year terms on the board. The primary election is March 15, 2016 and KM voters will be able to vote for a dozen political offices up for grabs. Candidate filing opened Tuesday, Dec. 1 and will end at noon on Monday, Dec. 21. All of these offices will file with the Cleveland County Board of Elections. The six incumbents are: NC House 110th district, two year term, Kelly Hastings; NC House 111th district, two year term, Tim Moore; Register of Deeds Bonnie Reece, four year term; and three incumbent county See CANDIDATE, Page 7A
KM Tourism Authority hires Ellis Noell Director Ellis Noell, who produced and promoted City of Kings Mountain sponsored events for 15 years, will now serve as the Executive Director of the Kings Mountain Tourism Devel-
opment Authortal projects for Kings ity. Established Mountain. Noell in 2002, the Auwill be promoting thority promotes the Kings Mountain travel, tourism area through state, and conventions national and interin Kings Mounnational advertising tain. and promotion of the Using proCity of Kings MounEllis Noell ceeds of the tain for business and Room Occupancy Tax, pleasure. the Authority sponsors "When I began attending tourist-related events and Authority meetings in 2002 activities in the City, and See ELLIS NOELL, Page 7A finance tourist-related capi-
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“Keyboards at Christmas,” which is set for two performances on Sund a y , Dec. 13, is more than a yuletide concert Jonathan M. Bundon – it’s a musical feat rarely seen outside of large metropolitan areas. The First Baptist Church on King St. will be the site of two performances -- at 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. First kicked off at the church in 2007, “Keyboards at Christmas” employs a large number of instruments
(five grand pianos, an organ and three electronic keyboards) to weave together special arrangements of “Silent Night,” “Joy to the World,” “Good Christian Men Rejoice,” among others. Jonathan Bundon, the church’s Worship Pastor, is organizing the free concert. He will join a talented group of pianists who have been practicing and putting together the program since summer. The roughly 70-minute concert will feature Bundon’s wife Heather Bundon, Traci Aderholdt, Mike Sisk, Bethany Kelle and Sherry Young. Also performing will be a number of young pianists. The show, which takes place in the church’s sanc-
tuary, will see the pianos arranged in a kind of half moon with the musicians’ backs to the audience. The positioning is designed so that audience members can watch the pianists’ arms and fingers energetically making music. “We’ve put on Keyboards at Christmas several different times,” Bundon said. “We’ve used several different set-ups over the years, and of course the selections and arrangements and selections are a little different every year.” Throughout the performance, those in attendance will see and hear up to seven musicians playing at the same time. There are no solos. With the exception of
See EXTRAVAGANZA, Page 8A
KM dispatchers: Too many non-emergency 911 calls DAVE BLANTON dave.kmherald@gmail.com
“Emergency 911. Where is your emergency?” That’s the greeting callers receive when they reach Kings Mountain’s 911 call center. Notice the one word that’s repeated in the message: “Emergency.” Kings Mountain’s 911 dispatch center, located in police department headquarters on South Piedmont Ave., receives on average about 200 calls per day. The dozen or so men and women
who work in the call center say about 40 to 50 percent of those are for reasons not appropriate for emergency dispatch services, and that such a high percentage of junk calls puts a strain on the important resources used for real crises. “Don’t call us to move your couch,” said Andy Underwood, the city’s Public Service Answering Point manager. “We’re here to
save your life.” Yes, people call 911 to get help moving their furniture. They call to report missing dogs and cats. They call to report trash in their See TOO MANY, Page 7A
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