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FREE!
Thursday, August 11, 2022
Mt. Holly school supplies drive The City of Mount Holly, in partnership with the Rotary Club of Mount Holly and Brown Shugah Nail Bar, is collecting school supplies to help students in need. Drop off supplies at the Mount Holly Fire Station at 433 Killian Avenue before school resumes.
Thank you for your help!
Good news for great people! Volume 88 • Issue 32
• Belmont • Cramerton • Lowell • McAdenville • Mount Holly • Stanley
Thursday, August 11, 2022
Millican Pictorial Museum looking for a new home By Alan Hodge alan@cfmedia.info
If a picture is worth a thousand words, then the over 21,000 images housed in the Millican Pictorial History Museum in Belmont speak volumes. Unfortunately, there is the very real possibility that treasure trove could be leaving Belmont. Located (for now) at 35 E. Catawba in the Abram Stowe House, which is the oldest house in Belmont, the free museum was created by Allen Millican and according to TripAdvisor.is the third most popular tourist stop in the Belmont area. “People come from all over to see the photo collection,” Millican says. “I’ve had people from as far away as Paris, France and Puerto Rico stop by.” What’s the attraction? An
Allen Millican’s photo museum currently houses around 21,000 archival pictures he’s restored and reproduced. He takes the old photos and restores them at his computer.
incredible array of old photos that Millican has restored and reproduced. The main body of work consists of pictures taken in and around the Belmont area. Most of these spans the years from the 1920s to the 1960s. Scenes the pictures reveal include textile mill villages and workers, schools, amusements such as Stowe Park, churches, sports teams and players, and local celebrities and civic leaders. More recently, Millican has expanded his photo collection to include early scenes from Charlotte and Gastonia. He has also built up a large number of photos showing movie stars from the golden age of films. Many of the photos are donated by folks who don’t want to see them thrown in the trash, but rather, preserved with the Millican
magic. The photos are just part of the museum’s allure. Millican knows the history behind nearly every one of the pictures and can tell the stories to anyone interested in hearing them. “There are so many stories it’s unbelievable,” he says. In addition to the pictures, Millican also has a large number of historical, local city directories and high school annuals. Bound volumes of the Belmont Banner going back to 1945 are also housed there. The museum is an outgrowth of Millican’s interest in photography. After a career in the auto parts industry, he found himself ready for a change and challenge. He opened a studio in Belmont back in 2003 and things grew See MILLICAN, Page 4
Cramerton town manager resigns By Alan Hodge
the town of Cramerton for the opThe Town of Craportunity to serve as merton’s town mantown manager over ager David Pugh the previous seven resigned his post years, as I pursue effective August 4. other opportunities,” Pugh had been in his he said. position since June 2, Pugh will be rePugh placed for now by 2015. Pugh issued a statement town planning director Josh Watkins. released by the city. “We are very excited “I want to wholly thank alan@cfmedia.info
to have Josh expand his responsibilities in Town Hall,” Mayor Nelson Wills said in a statement released by the city. “He has been involved in all facets of town government and is ideally suited to his new position in Cramerton.” Pugh was born and raised in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. He came to Cramerton See PUGH, Page 2
Luncheon is served- breakfast too at Gaston County Schools Mt. Holly Historical Society president Richard Browne (left) and past president Garrie Brinkley in the museum’s sports collection room. Photo by Alan Hodge
Mt. Holly Historical Society getting back up to speed By Alan Hodge alan@cfmedia.info
Like many cultural facilities, the Mt. Holly Historical Society’s downtown museum at 131 S. Main St. suffered from Covid-related closings and program cancellations. But that was then, and this is now and the museum is open weekends with many new exhibits and a roster of programs lined up for the coming months. “We had to shut the doors
on March 9, 2020, but we reopened in June 2022,” said MHHS president Richard Browne. “We are getting our momentum back.” The museum has a wide variety of things to see. When folks first enter the building they can view an exhibit that shows what an upper class Victorian era parlor looked like in Mt. Holly complete with an antique piano. Right beside that room, a group of mannikins wearing dresses
from the late 1800s to the 1970s are lined up. The dresses are ones actually worn by Mt. Holly ladies of each time period. A hallway with a timeline of Mt. Holly’s history on the wall leads to a room with Mt. Holly church memorabilia ad artifacts including a pew from First Presbyterian Church, an 1874 Catholic bible, photos of local churches, and a large See HISTORICAL, Pages 6 & 7
Enjoying nutritious meals is an important part of the school day. Gaston County Schools is proud of its school nutrition program and the hundreds of employees who work each day to prepare well-balanced meals for students. Here is a look at school nutrition information for the 2022-2023 academic year. Parents and their children are encouraged to review the information carefully. And, remember, the first day of school for students is Wednesday, August 17. What is included in a school meal? A breakfast meal includes an entree made with grain and/or protein, fat-free or 1% milk, and fruit and/or juice (limit of one juice per meal). A lunch meal includes an entree made with grain and/or protein, fat-free or 1% milk, vegetable, and fruit. What is the cost for meals? Breakfast is $1.40 for students (all grade levels) and $2.00 for adults. There is no charge for breakfast for students who qualify for reduced-price meals. Lunch is $2.90 for students in grades K-5 and $3.00 for students in grades 6-12. The price for adults is $4.00. The lunch charge is 40 cents for students who qualify for reduced- School lunch is an important part of the price meals. See SCHOOL LUNCH, Page 4 day!