20
02 – 202
It’s hard to keep something this big under wraps.
5
INSIDE ▼ State lawmakers focus on squatters
Park Pointe Village
More to love. Coming soon.
PAGE 2A
AboutActs.com/SouthCharlotteWeekly
Friday, April 11, 2025 • Vol. 25 • No. 14
thecharlotteweekly.com/mmhweekly
@mmhweekly
Time to hit the parks for spring festivals MATTHEWS – The odds were stacked against us with that nasty stomach bug going around as well as an unrelenting cold and flu season. But now it’s time to get out of the house and enjoy a fresh slate of spring festivals. We’ll share a region-wide slate of festivals next week but we thought we’d go ahead and review Matthews-Mint Hill events happening as early as this weekend.
yoga as well as saree tying. Food and souvenir vendors will be near the entrance. The park will also have a areas for Henna tattoos, visual arts and children’s activities. • When: Noon to 6 p.m. April 12 • Where: 120 S. Trade St. • Details: indiafestival.iacofcarolinas.org
The Unknown Artist Band (classic rock) on May 30. Music starts at 6 p.m. • When: 5 to 9 p.m. April 25 and May 30 • Where: 120 S. Trade St. • Details: matthewsfun.com
Music Company, and School of Rock. • When: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 26 • Where: 8850 Fairview Road • Details: minthillevents.org Mint Hill: Fetching Fun Festival
Mint Hill: Tina Ross Afternoon in the Park
The Town of Mint Hill’s inaugural Fetching Fun Festival will feature activities catered to your four-legged friends. Bring them to enjoy an afternoon at Mint Hill Founders Park. Walk the newly cut trails, meet the police department’s K9 unit, see pets available for adoption from CMPD Animal Care and Control and visit local vendors including veterinary care and dog-themed human treats. • When: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. May 3 • Where: 9801 Brief Road • Details: facebook.com/minthillevents
Carolina Beer Temple celebrates new space
Pat’s Place explains how to support child abuse prevention
Matthews: Regional Festival of India
The India Association of Charlotte presents the fourth Regional Festival of India at Stumptown Park. The stage will feature contemporary and traditional cultural performances throughout the festival. Behind the stage, there will be special exhibits of art and
Matthews: Beats n’ Bites
It’s sensory overload when the grass blades tickle your feet, the whiff of food trucks hits your nostrils and the sounds of classic rock and Motown music start jogging old memories. The Town of Matthews does all that with its Beats ‘n Bites series at Stumptown Park. The series kicked off last month but you can still catch performances by Carolina Soul Band (Top 40 and Motown) on April 25 and
The Town of Mint Hill, along with EDIFICE, will sponsor the annual Tina Ross Afternoon in the Park, a tribute to an educator and public servant that loved the town and the arts. More than 40 artists will display, demonstrate and sell their handmade items at Mint Hill Veterans Memorial Park. Find oil paintings, pottery, textiles and jewelry. Catch performances by Butler High School (A Cappella and Choir), Legacy Theater and
Patrons could bring in food from the El Jarrocho Taco Truck parked outside or enjoy it at the patio.
Neal Carter performed classic hits during the grand reopening of Carolina Beer Temple and the renovated Ames Street Market on April 5. Justin Vick/CMG photo
MATTHEWS – Carolina Beer Temple celebrated its grand reopening April 5 in an expanded space within the Ames Street Marketplace. The celebration featured live music near the bar, food trucks outside, a pop-up arts and craft market, and plenty of craft beer to go around. Carolina Beer Temple, a crown jewel of downtown Matthews since 2013, has
taken up 6,800 square feet of space. The venue allows more space for the tap room with 26 beers on tap and bottle/ wine shop. “This space is more than I need for the Beer Temple, so I am subleasing spaces out to other vendors so we can feature a small business marketplace,” Rob Jacik, president and owner of Carolina Beer Temple, told
Carolina Beer Temple’s tap room area features overhead menu boards showing the 26 available beers on tap. In the distance is the mezzanine, which featured a pop-up arts and craft shop.
The Weekly in October. Ames Street Market also houses Back Corner Cocktail Bar, CannaBuddy dispensary, Two Scoops Ice Cream and Trailside Games & Hobbies. Erick Crawford, of Chop, Chop Red Pot food truck, will open a concept in early summer. Ames Street Marketplace is located at 215 N. Ames St.
Body Safety Story Time
Want to go?
plan dated Feb. 3 calls for up to 9,600 square feet of office/retail in a three-story building. An updated site plan from March 17 calls for up to 4,500 square feet of office/retail in a two-story building. • 2025-810: Matthews Four Lakes LLC wants to rezone 4.39 acres at 1201 Four Lakes Drive from neighborhood business to small residential neighborhood uses. The applica-
Pat’s Place is bringing Body Safety Story Time in April to community groups across the county. Using the book “It’s My Body, I have a Say” by Krystaelynne Sanders Diggs, the nonprofit’s staff will guide preschool-aged children and their caregivers through interactive activities designed to introduce key concepts of: body safety and personal boundaries, using their voice and identifying trusted adults, and respecting others’ boundaries. This story time is primarily geared toward children up to age 6, which Pat’s Place said is ideal for preschools, daycares and community groups. The nonprofit can tailor the experience to fit a setting. The workshop does not use anatomical terms but does cover topics related to privacy, such as using the bathroom, bathing and changing clothes. For a curriculum preview, reach out to education@patsplacecac.org. To schedule, submit three preferred dates/times via the registration form.
Story continues, see ZONING page 3A
Story continues, see PAT'S PLACE page 3A
Carolina Beer Temple and Ames Street Marketplace will not only host beer collaborations, food trucks and live music but all sorts of things to create a fun vibe. Here’s what’s happening this weekend: • April 11: Feature Friday tapping with Bissell Brothers Beer, City Cookout Truck (5-9 p.m.) and Jarrett Raymond music (7-10 p.m.) • April 12: Save July music (2-5 p.m.), El Jarrocho Taco Truck (2-9 p.m.) and Movie on the Patio with Aurora Cinemas featuring “The Princess Bride” (8 p.m.) • April 13: Sunday Funday with Hopfly Brewing & Fontana Flora. See more events on Facebook @NCBeerTemple
Previewing the April slate of rezoning cases by Justin Vick justin@cmgweekly.com
MATTHEWS – Three new rezoning applications are scheduled to be reviewed by town commissioners on April 14, including two that would add more housing to Matthews. These hearings were set in February so there is a chance that applicants or town planning staff may request more time to work on them before they go before commissioners.
The board is also scheduled to continue a public hearing for one lagging rezoning that may lead to more townhomes as well as decide on two cases that could yield 73 townhomes and a hotel. Below is a quick look at each rezoning case. New public hearings
• 2025-811: Four Oaks Builders LLC seeks to rezone 0.42 acres at 409 W. John Street from single-family residential to office uses. A site
CHARLOTTE – Pat’s Place Child Advocacy Center is raising awareness of child abuse and related trauma in Mecklenburg County throughout April, which is National Child Abuse Prevention Month. The child advocacy center is putting out a call to action to the community to learn the signs of abuse, the actions to take to prevent it and how to support those who are healing after experiencing violence or abuse. Pat’s Place coordinates the investigation and treatment of the most severe cases of child abuse in the area. Last year, Pat’s Place served 1,307 children who were victims of abuse or neglect or experienced trauma. “While Pat’s Place is committed to evolving with the changing needs of children and families in our community, what will never change is our focus on prevention, ensuring we reach more children before abuse occurs, while also providing a safe haven and ongoing support for those who have faced abuse or violence,” said Andrew Oliver, CEO of Pat’s Place. Here are three ways for community members can support Child Abuse Prevention Month:
check us out on - line THE
thecharlotteweekly.com | WEEKLY
Pinwheel Planting Events