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Thursday, November 3, 2022
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News from a neighbor! Volume 88 • Issue 44
• Belmont • Cramerton • Lowell • McAdenville • Mount Holly • Stanley
Thursday, November 3, 2022
Fifth annual Mt. Holly Lantern Parade lit up the town By Alan Hodge alan@cfmedia.info
On October 22 at 7:00pm the sidewalks of downtown Mt. Holly were filled with folks ogling hundreds of fanciful, illuminated paper and wire lanterns as they paraded by, held aloft by the folks who created them. The occasion was the fifth annual Mt. Holly Lantern Parade. This year’s theme was “Written in the Stars” and lanterns with any sort of outer space angle were in profusion. That includes stars, planets, heavenly bodies, spacecraft, astronauts, etc. etc. One young artist even created an eight-foot-tall astronaut lantern. Parade founder and Awaken Gallery owner Emily Andress was overjoyed at the way the parade turned out. “Never in my life have I seen such creativity,” she said. “It was without a doubt my favorite one yet.” As has been the case from the first parade, school kids
and their lanterns were plentiful. Stanley Middle School student Meghan Rankin (pictured) proudly carried her lantern in the parade. “It was fun! It was great seeing all of the colors and hearing the bands play<” Meghan said. Meghan’s mom, Leslie, also got a kick out of the parade. “It was a fun night!” she said. “It was great seeing all of the groups and their creative lights and lanterns!” Andress appreciated the hard work all the schools put into the parade. “This year we had seventeen schools building lanterns and taking part,” she said. “Also, the Pleasant Ridge Elementary School marching band led the parade. They are one of just two elementary school marching bands in the nation.” Other groups that marched with their lanterns included Girl Scouts and local See LANTERN, Page 7
Here are winners in the parade lantern contest- from left- First Place Georgia Becton; Second Place Meghan Berney; Judge Wendy Hickey founder and CEO of Art Pop Street Gallery; Third Place Ellen Aiken. Photo by Emily Andress
New Belmont Parks and Rec. building rapidly taking shape By Alan Hodge alan@cfmedia.info
Allen Millican at his new digs.
Millican Pictorial History Museum has a new home By Alan Hodge alan@cfmedia.info
Back on August 11 of this year the BannerNews featured a story outlining the travails that vintage photo restorer and collector Allen Millican of Belmont was having finding a new home for his Millican Pictorial History Museum collection of over 21,000 images. Well, the problem has been solved and one of Belmont’s most interesting tourist destinations is safe. Millican’s museum was at
35 E. Catawba in the Abram Stowe House, which is the oldest house in Belmont. The owners decided to sell the place and Millican scrambled to find a place to land. The answer to many prayers came when the Belmont city council voted on October 3 to let Millican move his photos and other materials into the J. Paul Ford Recreation Center at 37 E. Woodrow Ave. and operate from there. However, Millican will have to share the space with See MILLICAN, Page 4
Work on the new Parks and Rec. facility for Belmont is moving forward at a prodigious rate. Last week saw employees from Edifice General Contractors and other companies continue working like beavers at the site on E. Catawba St. in front of the CityWorks building. Parks and Rec. director Zip Stowe is pleased with the progress. “The project is on schedule,” Stowe said. “The crew and company are doing a marvelous job,” The new building will be two stories high and have 45,000 sq. ft. of space. It will feature basketball courts, a media room for gaming, an exercise studio, a kitchen, a kids play Belmont Parks and Rec. director Zip Stowe is happy about the progress being made on area, and a large lobby. It will also the new center. feature a walking track, an exercise room, a catering kitchen, and a lounge. The second floor will have a balcony with sweeping views of the Catawba River and Kevin Loftin Riverfront Park across the road. This notice is to inform Banner-News readers of the fol“Duke Energy has given us permission to trim some trees lowing Community First Media, Inc. announcement. by the river so folks can stand on the balcony and see it,” Stowe This decision comes after much thought and it is with said. heavy hearts that we will be ceasing the Banner-News print A tentative date for opening has been set. “We are looking at a ribbon cutting on May 4, 2023.” Stowe edition after the November 10th, 2022 issue. Since the shut down and current economic downfall of said. A visit to the site last week revealed the extent of construc- small businesses, decreased revenues have affected our pubtion. The outside walls and roofs are in place. Workers are busy lication dramatically and we are no longer able to sustain inside installing wiring, plumbing, HVAC, windows, doors, operations in the Montcross area. We would like to offer local businesses the opportunity and other necessities. “The job is 80 percent complete,” said Stowe. “Between to allow us to continue helping with your future marketMarch and the grand opening, we will go through the buildings ing campaigns, by advertising in our other weekly comwith a check list and give city staff a tour so they can become munity newspapers in the region: Kings Mountain Herald, Cherryville Eagle, Shelby Shopper & Info and Rutherford familiar with it,” According to Stowe, Belmont is the only town in our area Weekly. Please let me know if you have any questions, or would without its own structure where things like basketball games like to discuss advertising rates and scheduling. can be held. What currently serves the city as a parks and rec. Thank you …. we value your support over the past years! place is the decades old J. Paul Ford Center on Woodrow Ave., Greg Ledford but the city’s needs have far outgrown that one medium sized Community First Media, Inc. building. greg@cfmedia.info • www.cfmedia.info See PARKS, Page 5
A letter to the community