LINCOLNTON - The Lincolnton Recreation Pool at Betty G. Ross Park will be open this Labor Day weekend, Saturday, September 4, Sunday, September 5, and Monday, September 6. Hours are as follows: Saturday and Monday: 10am – 5pm and Sunday: 1pm – 5pm (Weather Permitting). Admission is $2.00 per person.

The pool will still be available for private rental through September.

For more information, please contact the recreation office at 735-2671.

Photo: This 1963 Ferrari Testa Rosa Won Best of Show Award at the Food Lion AutoFair. Photo Credit: Brad Bowling.

CONCORD, N.C. - An exotic, foreign car reigned supreme over American muscle and classic cars as the 1963 Ferrari Testa Rosa owned by Jim Rose, of Farnham, England, earned the prestigious Food Lion AutoFair Best of Show Award. The award was presented Sunday afternoon as the four-day automotive extravaganza concluded at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

The stunning cherry-red Ferrari almost didn't make it into the running for Best of Show, according to Rose, in part due to the weather.

"I was out at the AutoFair all day Friday looking for some parts and it was hot," Rose said. "I told my wife that I wasn't sure I could spend another day in the heat, but we decided to come Sunday anyway."

STAFF REPORTS

Lincoln/Gaston/Cleveland Counties – Pathways Local Management Entity (LME), the local manager of the publically-funded behavior health system for Gaston, Lincoln and Cleveland counties, recently welcomed seven new board members at its regular meeting on August 19, 2010. These individuals, as part of a 19-member Board of Directors, provide oversight of public funds and management of community-based mental health, substance abuse and development disability services.

“Service on the Pathways LME board is an investment in the lives of the consumers receiving help through the local behavioral health system,” remarked Jason Falls, board chair. “Through your time and commitment, we are helping citizens obtain a better quality of life while ensuring that public funds are spent wisely.”

GASTON/LINCOLN COUNTIES - If you are a parent in Gaston or Lincoln Counties you will want to take part in the Gaston-Lincoln Parent University Kickoff.

This free event will take place on September 25, 2010 at Gaston College. The event will take place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Parent University is a collaborative effort of Gaston and Lincoln County organizations designed to provide parents, grandparents, and guardians with opportunities to build their parenting skills and confidence through educational seminars and workshops. Parent University will serve as a one-stop shop for linking parents to local resources.

Parents will learn ways to enrich their children’s growth and development, learn new parenting strategies and find new ways to communicate effectively with their children.

LINCOLN COUNTY - The Register of Deeds Inquiry System and the Tax Inquiry System will not be available on August 30, 2010 from 11:30 am until 1:30 pm. The outage is due to server maintenance.

For more information, please contact the Lincoln County Information Technology Department at (704) 736-8432 or email it@lincolncounty.org and be sure to include your email address for a reply.

Pictured from L to R: Guy Perkins and Christopher Schultz

By April B. Dillon, Extension Agent
4-H & Youth Development

LINCOLN COUNTY Christopher Schultz, 18, son of Steve and Michelle Schultz of Cherryville and Guy Perkins, 16, son of Gordon and Cheree Perkins of Iron Station, were recently inducted into the North Carolina 4-H Honor Club. Membership in the North Carolina 4-H Honor Club is bestowed upon those 4-H'ers who have exhibited outstanding 4-H citizenship, community service and leadership throughout their 4-H career in addition to active participation in 4-H projects.

An Honor Club member continues to provide leadership and service to the total 4-H program throughout life.

STAFF REPORTS

LINCOLNTON - Heafner Pottery, located at 170 Beagle Club Road in Cherryville, NC, will hold a Summer Pottery Sale this Saturday, August 28, 2010 beginning at 10:00 AM.

This will be a kiln opening this coming featuring wares recently fired in the wood fired kiln. The sale will begin at 10:00 AM, with all items available to view at 9:00 AM

For more information contact Luke Heafner at (704)530-5818.

Photo: Luke Heafner forms a new work. File photo by Melany Dawn Crouse for the Tribune and
ImageOneNC.

LINCOLN COUNTY - Members of the Class of 1970 from West Lincoln High School are invited to a lunch meeting to plan a 40th reunion and memorial t-shirt at Court Street Grill in Lincolnton, Saturday, Aug. 29, 1 p.m.

CROUSE - Crouse & Pleasant Grove United Methodist Men will sponsor a mission spaghetti supper Saturday, August 28 at 5 p.m. at Crouse United Methodist Church, Old NC. 150 W in Crouse.

Proceeds will benefit the boy and girl scout troops and Hesed House of Hope.

It is dine in or carry out.

For more information call (704) 735-2443.

STAFF REPORTS

LINCOLNTON - On Sundays, 9:25 – 10:15 am, beginning September 12, St. Luke’s will be offering “Godly Play” for children and youth in Lincolnton.

This is a nationally renowned Christian formation program which focuses on tangible experiences of basic Bible stories, art work, and simple prayer and song. Based in the Montessori tradition which respects the natural curiosity and spirituality of the child, Godly Play creates an opportunity for children and youth to experience the best of the Bible in a calm and welcoming way.

CHARLOTTEThe Mecklenburg County Tax Collector will mail tax bills to approximately 379,300 property owners and mortgage companies on August 25, 2010.

Tax bills are mailed directly to the owner of the property as of January 1, 2010 or the mortgage company that requested the bill for property owners with tax escrow accounts. Property owners who escrow their property taxes with a mortgage company will receive a property tax notification from the Tax Collector. These owners should review the notice carefully to ensure the bill was sent to the correct mortgage company.

Charlotte - The Easter Seals UCP (United Cerebral Palsy) 11th annual Walk With Me event is adding a 5K fun run to its roster of activities on Saturday, October 16th at Freedom Park. Run With Me will begin at 8:00 a.m. and the non-competitive 5K walk will start at 10:00 a.m. Lunch, awards and a family festival will follow at 11:30 a.m. Walk With Me | Run With Me is a fundraiser for Easter Seals UCP and benefits critical programs and services for children and adults with disabilities in the greater Charlotte area.

Registration is now open for Walk With Me | Run With Me at www.WalkWithMe.org/Charlotte or www.SportOften.com. The registration fee is $25.00

‘Redneck Roots’ filming in Stanley

By Jason Saine

STANLEY, NC – If you were driving through downtown Stanley today you might have wondered what all of the commotion was about on Main Street as film crews from Charlotte-based Emulsion Arts filmed part of their movie, ‘Redneck Roots’ there in the town.

Photo: Film crews were filming portions of ‘Redneck Roots’ in downtown Stanley on Wednesday. Photo by Jessica Ballard.

STAFF REPORTS

GASTONIA - Opening August 28, 2010 and running until March 6, 2011 at the Gaston County Museum is Love & War: The History of Wartime Weddings.

This exhibit will feature an exciting collection of wedding dresses, photographs, military uniforms, and weapons that span from the Revolutionary War to the Iraq War. Visitors will learn how wedding traditions and fashions have changed over the years and how war has affected these changes.

Read local stories of couples who have experienced marriage during wartime, test your knowledge of wartime facts, and even dress up in military uniforms and load your pack as if going to war. This fun and interactive exhibit will help you explore the compelling connection between love and war.

STAFF REPORTS

CONCORD, N.C. - B.R.A.K.E.S., the teen safe driving organization founded by NHRA Top Fuel drag racer Doug Herbert and Speedway Children's Charities, will host its third annual benefit dinner on opening day of the O'Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Nationals.

The benefit dinner will be held Thursday, Sept. 16, at 7 p.m., in The Speedway Club at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The event will include a live auction sponsored by IRWIN Tools and a silent auction.

"The benefit dinner is the biggest night of the year for us," said Herbert, B.R.A.K.E.S. founder and NHRA veteran. "Our supporters who come out that night are the ones that make it possible for us to host the driving school for free."

NC Civitas

Raleigh, N.C. - Lincoln County receives a grade of D in terms of county government worker growth, according to a study by the Civitas Institute. The study examines the changes in county government employees from 2000 to 2009 for each of North Carolina’s 100 counties and compares that to each county’s change in private sector jobs and population.

Overall, 73 of North Carolina’s 100 county governments grew their workforce at a faster pace than their respective private sector employment.

Furthermore, 60 county governments expanded their payrolls at a rate that exceeded the county’s population growth over the same period.

According to Civitas Institute analyst Brian Balfour, “At a time of heightened concern over the explosive growth of government, citizens should be concerned about their county government adding workers at a pace faster than population growth – or even as the county sheds private sector jobs.”

By Beth Saine | Lincoln Tribune

Vale, NC- This coming Saturday, August 21st, 2010, Joe Reinhardt, a local Catawba Valley potter in Vale, NC, will host his annual Pottery Sale.

This year’s sale has a special added attraction since there will be pieces dating back to 1994 when Reinhardt first began making pottery.

In addition to a variety of face jugs, jars, vases, mugs, pigs, elephants, bird houses and tea pots, this year’s sale includes some one of a kind pieces and also pieces that only a few were made. This is a sale you don’t want to miss.

Born with clay running in his veins, Reinhardt was born in Catawba County near the Startown Community but has been living in Vale, NC since the age of two.

Reinhardt is a talented and gifted traditional potter who comes from a family of potters that goes back several generations. Although he was never privileged to actually see his great-grandfather, grandfather, uncles, and cousins make pottery, he was fortunate to live near Burlon Craig, the God-Father of Catawba Valley Potters.

Photos by Melany Dawn Crouse.

STAFF REPORTS

CROUSE - Former members, friends and relatives of Antioch United Methodist Church, Crouse, N.C. are invited to the annual homecoming on Sunday, August 22, 2010.

The church is located off of Hwy. 150 in Crouse.

Guest speaker at the 11 a.m. worship service will be certified lay speaker Gary Mauney.

A covered dish meal will follow in the arbor. A business session will be held at 2 p.m. following lunch.

STAFF REPORTS

CHARLOTTE - Recent regional employment figures were a good news/bad news scenario. The regional unemployment rate went down marginally between May and June, falling from 11.7 percent to 11.6 percent, with nearly all counties’ rates declining from the beginning of 2010. However, the total labor force also decreased slightly from a year ago, which may indicate that discouraged workers are still dropping out of the workforce.

The Carolinas Survey of Business Activity indicates July activity remained flat, a reflection of national trends. The Institute for Supply Management’s Report on Business reflects growth during July in the manufacturing sector, although it continues at a slow pace.

STAFF REPORTS

Hickory, NC – Frye Regional Medical Center is striving to reduce carbon emissions by switching to a proactive service utilizing reusable sharps containers that prevent a significant amount of cardboard and plastic from going to the landfill each year. The hospital has implemented the Sharps Management Service using Bio Systems reusable containers by Stericycle (NASDAQ: SRCL) which keeps an average of 600 disposable sharps containers from going to the landfill for each reusable container used with this system.

U.S. hospitals generate 6,600 tons of waste each day¹. Whether hospitals choose to use disposable or reusable sharps containers, their regulated medical waste must be properly segregated and disposed for environmental and compliance reasons. Disposable containers end up in landfills, contributing to the sizable carbon footprint the healthcare industry makes.

DENVER – Today, Congressman Patrick McHenry announced that he will hold a town hall meeting on Wednesday, August 18th at 6:00 p.m. at East Lincoln High School, 6471 Highway 73 in Denver.

At the town hall meeting, Congressman McHenry will give an update on recent legislative activity in Congress and what to expect in the coming months. Town hall meetings are an opportunity for constituents to share their thoughts on the issues they are concerned about.

Additionally, the Congressman’s staff will be available to meet privately with constituents who have issues with federal agencies including Social Security, Department of Veterans Affairs, and Internal Revenue Service.

STAFF REPORTS

LINCOLNTON - Each year Friends Underwriting Economic Development (FUED) seeks to identify outstanding practitioners and to recognize and support their educational and professional development. The organization looks to honor individuals who have contributed to the profession, had a strong commitment to high professional and personal standards, and were highly successful in achieving their goals while earning the respect of their peers and associates. FUED has awarded one of this year’s annual scholarships to Rhonda Hunter, Operations Director at Lincoln Economic Development Association (LEDA).

Friends Underwriting Economic Development (FUED) was started in 2007 as a group of individuals interested in supporting economic development initiatives in the Charlotte region. One of their main objectives is to support the educational and professional advancement of the economic development professionals in the 16-county region.

STAFF REPORTS

DALLAS, NC - On Wednesday, a joint Ribbon Cutting & Open House was held by the Gaston Regional Chamber & Montcross Area Chamber of Commerce for Partnership for Children of Lincoln & Gaston Counties to celebrate their new location at 120 Roechling Street, Dallas.

Cutting the ribbon is Steve Eaton, PFCLG, Executive Director. Included in picture are Lewis Carter, President of Röchling Engineering Plastics; Cathy Davis, PFCLG, Vice-Chair of Board of Directors; Tracy Zimmerman, NC Partnership for Children, Communications & Development Director and Bill McLucas, Lincolnton-Lincoln Co. Chamber, Chair of Board of Directors.

Also included are elected officials, staff and Gaston Regional and Montcross Chamber members.

STAFF REPORTS

CONCORD, N.C. - Nearly 565,000 horsepower will surge through Charlotte Motor Speedway, zMAX Dragway and The Dirt Track at Charlotte as the legendary motorsports complex showcases its 2010 Fall Season of Speed.

During the next 107 days, Charlotte Motor Speedway will host thousands of race cars, monster trucks, motorcycles and classic cars in the most exciting fall event schedule ever produced for race fans.
"From nitro-burning top fuel dragsters to dirt-slinging sprint cars to America's most popular racing series, we've got something to give every race fan an adrenaline rush," said Marcus Smith, president and general manager of Charlotte Motor Speedway. "With this incredible lineup from NASCAR, NHRA and the World of Outlaws, there's no doubt the Charlotte Motor Speedway complex is truly the greatest place to see the race."

Photo: Race vehicles representing every major series that will compete this fall at Charlotte Motor Speedway, zMAX Dragway and The Dirt Track at Charlotte took part in a Parade of Power today in uptown Charlotte. Photo: HHP

By April B. Dillon, Extension Agent | 4-H & Youth Development


LINCOLN COUNTY - The Lincoln County 4-H Science Club is recruiting young scientists between the ages of 9 and 13 to charter a new 4-H club that will meet on Friday afternoons from 4:00 to 5:30 pm. This fall, the 4-H Science Club will participate in Safety Through Design, On Track for Learning Curriculum. Members will design and build pine wood derby cars, experiment with fabric resiliency, flame retardancy, seat belt design, egg drop design and paint schematics. The first meeting will be held on Friday, September 10. Enrollment and registration will be due by August 31.

Youth ages 9 to 18 are invited to compete in the West Central District 4-H Science Fair. The competition will be held on Saturday, November 6 at the Catawba County Science Center.