See Thanksgiving greetings from local businesses on pages 8-9
Volume 129 • Issue 47
kmherald.com • 704-739-7496
November 22, 2017
Grover Parade Dec. 2
75¢
Parade, Lights, Santa, Snow
Al Conklin KM’s ‘Winter Wonderland’ Dec. 2 Parade Marshal Al Conklin, WBTV meteorologist, will be the Grand Marshal for the Town of Grover 2017 Christmas parade Dec. 2. Anna Hughes, parade chairman for the sponsoring Grover Women’s Club, said plans are underway for one of the largest parades ever. There is no entry fee to participate. Conklin started his forecasting career as a weatherman in radio at Accu-Weather in Pennsylvania and remained there for four years as a broadcast meteorologist. He began his television career at Wilmington, NC’s WECT in 1989 a Meteorologist ‘Environmental reporter. After a two-year stint at WINK-TV in Fort Myers, FL and a year at WTVJ in Miami, FL. He returned to the Carolinas
AL CONKLIN
and WBTV in Charlotte in April of 1993. He was honored with the AMS TV Seal of Approval and the 1997 Emmy for Best Weathercast. Conklin is married with two daughters and a son. The parade lineup is on Spring Acres about a block from the Main Street of Grover and begins at 10 a.m. The parade steps up at 11 a.m. To sign up for the parade call Anna or Mark Hughes at 704-730-9221.
Community Advent Services to begin Kings Mountain Ministerial Association will sponsor three Advent services each Wednesday in December prior to Christmas. The theme is “Faith, Hope and Love” and local ministers will conduct the 12 noon services. After each service the host church will provide a light lunch with a suggested donation of $3. Dr. John Sloan Jr., pastor of First Baptist Church, will lead the Dec. 6 service on the subject, “Faith,’’ at Central United Method-
ist Church. Wednesday, Dec. 13, the host church will be First Church of the Nazarene and Rev. Joshua Morgan, pastor of Advent Lutheran Church, will be speaker on the subject, “Hope.’’ First Presbyterian Church will host the Wednesday, Dec. 20 service with Rev. Ron Hawkins, pastor of Grover Church of God, using the topic, Love.” Rev. Ron Caulder, President of the Kings Mountain Ministerial Association, invites the public.
Cantata Dec. 3 At Eastside Eastside Baptist Church of Kings Mountain will present the Christmas cantata, “Come Let Us Adore” Sunday evening, Dec. 3, at 6 p.m. “Come Let Us Adore” is a musical filled with songs to draw the heart closer to the true joy of the season. The blend of new seasonal
anthems and traditional carols will awaken different perspectives of the Christmas story. Pastor Ron Caulder invites the public to come and join them in this musical experience as they lift up choruses of worship as we all relive the miraculous story of Christ’s birth. After the presentation there will be an afterglow fellowship in the church’s fellowship building. Eastside Baptist Church is located at 308 York Road in Kings Mountain.
The snow celebration, the big finale to “Home for Christmas” in Kings Mountain Dec. 2 will be the manmade stuff falling from the sky at Patriots Park after “The Grinch that Stole Christmas” stage show at 5:30 p.m. “We’ve got a big calendar of events planned on Dec. 2 beginning with the parade at 3 p.m.,’’ says the city’s Events Coordinator Christy Conner. She said that individuals, organizations, and groups may register at city hall to participate. A registration fee is $20 and payable with the completed registration form. Santa’s big welcome
party will start after the parade about 4:30 p.m. at the Gazebo stage in Patriot’s Park. The jolly ole man from the North Pole will arrive courtesy of a Kings Mountain Firetruck. Prior to Santa’s arrival, Mayor Scott Neisler will read the classic “Twas the Night Before Christmas.” Children can give their wish list to Santa who will be on the stage to gather the kids in his arms. The mayor will switch on the lights of the popular synchronized light show orchestrated to music and Conner says the lights will transform the downtown into a winter wonderland.
At 5:30 p.m. in the Liberty Falls Amphitheatre the story of Dr. Seuss” “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” will be presented by a performer from the Kings Mountain Little Theatre and
his dog, Max. “There will also be inflatables for the kids to enjoy, games, and plenty of food in this Winter Wonderland extravaganza,’’ said Conner.
Lynch to succeed Focht at KM Historical Museum The board of directors of the Kings Mountain Historical Museum announced today that Adria Focht, Museum/ Curator for the past five years, is taking a new position with the Charlotte Museum of History as President and Chief Executive Officer. As Focht completes her duties on Friday, the board will welcome Sarah Lynch as the Museum’s new Director and Curator on Dec. 4. Focht coordinated the 75th anniversary celebration of the Historic Kings Mountain Post Office, the current home of the Museum, and helped coordinate the National Register of Historic Places designation for the building and the return of the original Post Office
ADRIA FOCHT
SARAH LYNCH
mural. Focht coordinated with partners to benefit the Museum several successful grants, including the award of a large federal grant to digitize their collections and has overseen five highly successful Museum fundraisers where one in 300 participants won a top prize of $10,000. “I have been honored to serve the Kings Mountain Historical Museum and the community in this role over
NORMA DREWERY
the past five years. I have deeply appreciated the support of a fantastic board of directors and the citizens of this region. I look forward to working in partnership with KMHM in the future and to supporting the continued success of this organization,’’ said Focht. Under Focht’s leadership, the Museum’s annual visitation nearly doubled and the Museum’s annual operating budget was increased over
a third by introducing new income sources, such as a membership program and exhibit sponsorship model. By strengthening the Museum’s budget, Focht became the KMHM’s first full-time staff member,’’ said KMMS president of the board of directors. “Sarah Lynch stood out to us due to her experience with KMHM and her excitement for the Director and Curator role. She is a hardworking, patients, kind and caring person with strong museum skills and we feel she will be an ideal fit for the Museum and the community,’’ said Museum President Susan Champion. Champion said the board of directors received 31 well See MUSEUM, Page 7
Paper cranes from 79 KMMS students Going to Japan’s Child of Peace Museum Paper Origami cranes from students in Donna Logan’s 7th grade Language Arts class at Kings Mountain Middle School are being shipped to the Child of Peace Museum in Hiroshima, Japan – and they get there in time for Christmas. Students read the book, a true story, “Sadako and the 1,000 Paper Cranes,’’ and started the project in memory of the 12-year-old girl who died of leukemia or the ‘atom bomb disease’ as it was called. At age 2 Sadako lived one mile from where the Atom bomb was dropped in Hiroshima. Parents feared their children would die “from the Atom bomb disease” and there was a legend that the gods would spare the child’s life if 1,000 paper cranes could be made. The young girl had made 644 herself and her classmates had finished the project and an extra See JAPAN, Page 7
PAPER CRANES GOING TO JAPAN – Students in Donna Logan’s 7th grade Language Arts class at Kings Mountain Middle School have made 101 paper cranes for the Child of Peace Museum in Hiroshima, Japan. They are mailing them in time for Christmas.
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