Please continue to pray for and support Hurricane Victims
Hurricane Helene & Milton Relief Funds Volume 136 • Issue 43
kmherald.com • 704-484-1047
Wednesday, October 23, 2024
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City of KM wants your feedback Last Thursday, City of Kings Mountain posted a request for citizens’ input on a new communication plan to keep residents informed with accurate and timely updates. They need your input to achieve this! Part of that strategy includes improving certain functions of the city’s website and creating a more user-friendly workspace. 1. What do you currently
like about the website? 2. What would you change? 3. What features or information would you like
to see added? They are also curious about how citizens currently receive city-related information and other communication methods they prefer. To participate, please send your thoughts to Gabriel.Thomas@cityofkm. com. Gabriel adds, “Your feedback is invaluable in helping us serve you better!”
The Great Pumpkin Halloween Parade will be held next Thursday, October 31. Line-up begins at 9 a.m. Come out and join in the fun. (Photo provided)
Early voting underway, learn City of KM hosts annual Great Pumpkin Halloween how to track your ballot Parade on October 31
Every vote counts. Voter activity this year is forecasted to be very high, with initial record-setting turnouts reported in the area as in-person voting begins across the state. For the 2024 general election, Cleveland County offers multiple early voting locations from October 17 to November 2. The sites include: • The LeGrand Center at 1800 E. Marion St., Shelby, NC • H. Lawrence Patrick Senior Center at 909 E. King St., Kings Mountain, NC • Boiling Springs Town Hall at 114 E. College Ave., Shelby, NC • Cleveland County Water – Lawndale Office at 439 Casar-Lawndale Rd., Lawndale, NC Early voting is underway, running from October 17 to November 2, with operating hours varying daily. You can also request an absentee ballot by mail, which
must arrive by General Election Day on November 5. On Election Day, polls will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. For information about voting in Cleveland County, visit https://www.clevelandcounty.com/main/departments/board_of_elections. php. For Gaston County residents, early voting runs from October 17 to November 2 at several locations, including: • Gaston County Citizens Resource Center – 1303 Dallas-Cherryville Hwy, Dallas, NC • Mount Holly Municipal Complex – 400 E. Central Ave, Mount Holly, NC • Cherryville Fire Department – 411 E. Church St, Cherryville, NC • Gaston County Board
of Elections Office – 410 W. Franklin Blvd, Suite 30, Gastonia, NC • Gaston County Main Library – 1555 E. Garrison Blvd, Gastonia, NC Voting hours vary by day, but they are usually from 8:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. and shorter on weekends. Voters must show a photo ID when voting in person, but if unable to present one, they can still vote by filling out an ID Exception Form. The North Carolina State Board of Elections reported that 353,166 people voted in person on Thursday, October 17, the first day of early voting, surpassing the record set in 2020 by about 4,500 votes. Falling below the record but still very active, Cleveland County reported 3,978 early voters on the first day and added 304 initial absentee votes from civilian, military, and overseas mail-in participants. See VOTING, Page 5A
The Yard Bridges Hardware announces Sports pending brand transition Facility opened Monday As True Value enters into bankruptcy
True Value Hardware filed for bankruptcy and plans to sell its assets to Do It Best, another hardware wholesaler. Bridges Hardware has operated under the True Value brand but will not be included in that bankruptcy. It has announced its pending transition to a new vendor soon. According to Bridges Hardware President Tim Miller, “The bankruptcy is unfortunate, but it does not in any way impact our ability at Bridges to continue providing the same quality goods and services that you have come to expect. As we have for nearly 140 years, we still can partner with suppliers who we believe allow us to deliver
value for our customers.” Bridges Hardware is locally owned and operated and has proudly served the Kings Mountain community since the 1880s. It is among Cleveland County’s longest-continuously operated businesses. "We remain fully independent and family-owned, with the ability to choose how much and from whom we buy in our mission to deliver value and quality to our customers," Tim said. "We believe that our customers have stood with us through the years due to our personal relationships and service, more than our brand association." In a press release on October 14, True Value Company stated, “True Value stores are independently owned and are not involved in the Chapter 11 proceedings.”
The Yard Sports Facility, at 811 Floyd Street, Kings Mountain, opened on Monday, October 21. It offers four batting cages (one cage with baseball and softball pitching machines and Hit Trax technology), a golf simulator bay, and a multi-sport court that can be reserved for pickleball or 3v3 soccer/futsal. Holly Benfield shared, “We look forward to opening our doors and welcoming our community to the best sports facility in the area.”
Trick or Treat, Bags of Sweets, Ghosts and Goblins Will Walk Down the Street!
The City of Kings Mountain will host its annual “Great Pumpkin Halloween Parade” on Thursday, October 31. Children Newborn-7, along with their parents are invited to gather at Cherokee Street Parking at 9:30 am to line up for this spectacular spooky parade. At 10:00 am, the foot parade, will travel to the Gazeboo at Patriots Park for a howling good time. Kings Mountain Mar-
keting, Tourism and Events Department, Mauney Memorial Library’s Harris Children’s Department, in cooperation with Dance Magic Studio, Cleveland County Childcare Connections, Partnership for Children and Kings Mountain Historical Museum will provide entertainment, games, Halloween stories, songs, sing-along’s and fun for all. Local merchants are encouraged to dress in costumes to greet the children and hand out candy along the parade route. Tables will be provided at Patriots Park for businesses to use to give
away candy and treats. Afterwards, children and parents are welcome to stay and play, have a picnic lunch, take photos with the Peanuts game in Linus’ pumpkin patch or dine in one of the convenient downtown restaurants. The parade will start at Cherokee Street parking and continue to Mountain St, across Battleground, then left on South Railroad Ave. The parade will end at Patriots Park. For additional information call 704-730-2101 or access our website at www. kingsmountainevents.com.
“Christmas Belles” at the Joy Theatre KMLT season starts November 9 Tickets are now on sale for the Kings Mountain Little Theatre production of the uproarious comedy “Christmas Belles,” written by Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope, and Jamie Wooten. The show will be performed at the Joy Theatre, 202 S. Railroad Ave, Kings Mountain. Performances are Friday and Saturday, November 8, 9, 15 & 16 at 7:30 p.m., with four matinee performances on Saturday and Sunday, Nov 9, 10, 16 & 17 at 3:00 p.m. Tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for seniors/ students. The ticket price is $10 for groups of 12 or more of any age. Tickets may be purchased online at kmlt. org. Reservations for season members and groups are available by contacting the box office at 704-730-9408 or at tickets@kmlt.org. “Christmas Belles” is presented by special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service, Inc., New York. Director: Chris Huffstetler; Asst Director: Mark Griffin. “Christmas Belles” is sponsored by Jack and Pam Buchanan and Edward Jones Financial. A church Christmas pro-
gram spins hilariously out of control in this Southern farce about squabbling sisters, family secrets, a surly Santa, a vengeful sheep and a reluctant Elvis impersonator in the small town of Fayro, Texas. Director Chris Huffstetler said the play begins with the Futrelle Sisters—Frankie (Caswell Martin), Twink (Lesley Villarose), and Honey Raye (Estelle Grabert)—" not exactly in a festive mood.” A cranky Frankie is weeks overdue with her second set of twins. Twink, recently jilted and bitter about it, is in jail for inadvertently burning down half the town. And hot-flash-suffering Honey Raye is desperately trying to keep the Tabernacle of the Lamb’s Christmas Program from spiraling into chaos. But things are not looking too promising: Miss Geneva (Susie Crews), the ousted director of the previous twenty-seven productions, is ruthless in her attempts to
take over the show. The celebrity guest Santa Claus—played by Frankie’s long-suffering husband, Dub (Greg Dixon)—is passing a kidney stone. One of the shepherds refuses to watch over his flock by night without pulling his little red wagon behind him. And the entire cast is dropping like flies due to food poisoning from the Band Boosters’ Pancake Supper. And when Frankie lets slip a family secret that has been carefully guarded for decades, all hope for a successful Christmas program seems lost, even with an Elvis impersonator at the manger. But in true Futrelle fashion, the feuding sisters find a See JOY, Page 5A
We Would Like to Welcome Robert Baker to Our Professional Staff
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Our Family Has Been Serving the Kings Mountain and Surrounding Communities for Four Generations with Six Dentists Since 1907. ACCEPTING NEW PATIENTS: To schedule your appointment
call 704-739-4461
703 E. Kings St., Suite 9, Kings Mountain • www.BakerDentalCare.com
Dr. Robert Baker