Gaston County’s
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Thursday, September 8, 2022
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• Belmont • Cramerton • Lowell • McAdenville • Mount Holly • Stanley
Thursday, September 8, 2022
Park St. UMC celebrates 100th anniversary By Alan Hodge alan@cfmedia.info
Park St. UMC in East Belmont will celebrate its 100th anniversary on Sunday, Sept. 25 beginning at the 10am service. Actually, it will be the 101st anniversary but Covid put the kibosh on doing it in 2021. Nonetheless, the event will feature guest speaker Rev. Amy Coles who is assistant to the Bishop of WNC Conference of United Methodist Church, and a sumptuous lunch to follow. Park St. UMC pastor Rev. J. David Hiatt talked about the anniversary event. Hiatt has been at Park St. for eight and half years. He’s originally from Thomasville. “We are inviting former pastors and out of town members,” he said. “We want to celebrate and spent that time looking forward to our next 100 years and where we are headed.” Hiatt considered how Park St. hit the century mark. “It speaks to the commitment and faith that the people have who have
served and attended here,” he said. “The church has always had strong ties to the community and we will continue that.” Unlike some churches that have seen membership fall, Park St. is holding its own. “Covid was tough,” Hiatt said. “But we are seeing a lot of visitors now. Our online service attendance is growing as well. We have around 275 members on the rolls and average around 140 members in attendance on Sundays.” Now for a brief chronologyPark St. UMC was started in 1921 to serve East Belmont textile workers. The first meetings were held in the East Belmont Elementary School building. In 1922 work began on a church building proper. The first service in the new building was on July 23, 1922. The church grew and in 1939 a building was purchased from J.M. Stowe for $1,400. It was later moved and enlarged and was named the See PARK STREET, Page 5
Park St. UMC pastor Rev. J. David Hiatt and members Alta Aldrich, Judy Marett, and Gaye Bonnell look over some of the church’s historical materials. Photo by Alan Hodge
Mtn. Island Park at Mount Holly is closed until 2026 By Alan Hodge alan@cfmedia.info
The popular Mt. Holly Parks and Rec. Mtn. Island Park at 400 Mountain Island Road closed September 7 and will stay that way until early 2026.
Duke Energy owns the park but leases it to the city of Mount Holly. The park offered fishing, hiking, picnic area, and playground equipment for kids. Alternative access to the park’s trail system is being evaluated with de-
tails available in early 2023. The park closed because Duke Energy will undertake major maintenance work on the dam. “We will complete a maintenance project on the See MTN ISLAND, Page 6
Town of Cramerton interim town manager Josh Watkins at the Centennial Center upgrade project site. Photo by Alan Hodge
Plenty of progress on downtown Cramerton project By Alan Hodge alan@cfmedia.info
The project to spruce up downtown Cramerton, specifically the Centennial Center area, has been making steady progress over the past several weeks. Cramerton interim town manager Josh Watkins is pleased with the project’s forward momentum. “It is coming along real well,” he said. “It will be exciting to see the final product.”
Central to the work will be an upgrade to parking. The current lot at the Centennial Center is small and the pavement broken. Work has started removing the old tarmac in preparation for a new, larger, lot with a total of 48 spaces. The new lot will feature pervious brick pavers that will allow rainwater to soak in the ground rather than simply run off to the street and into the South Fork River. The lot will also have en-
trance and exit openings on Eighth and Ninth streets. “Having the new entrance will be a good thing,” Watkins said. Another great feature of the job will be installation of multicolored, fabric “sails” along one side of the lot. The panels, which usually last around ten years, will provide shade as well as a festive look. The area of Centennial Center along Central St. will See CRAMERTON, Page 6
City of Mt. Holly employees Shea Joyner and Jeff Lowery remove signage at Mt. Island Park. The park closed Sept. 7 and will stay closed until early 2026.