“I’d rather wave and smile than have to duck.”

— John Heilig, owner, Taylor Mattress Co., on running into customers and being proud of the mattresses he sold them

“The citizens in the Town of China Grove should rest easy knowing they have a fine group of firefighters protecting them and their property in case of an emergency.”

— Wayne Goodwin, N.C. insurance commissioner and state fire marshal, on China Grove Fire Department changes

“The chicks in Kenya, … they had on Paris fashions with their fabric. I’m trying to be really African and here they are being influenced by the people that are around them.”

— Thomasina Paige, at African American fashion show

“We both made a new friend over this but I didn’t do anything that others wouldn’t have done,”

— Gwen Conner, newspaper carrier, after finding Ollie McKnight fallen on icy steps and getting help for her

“Sometimes you have to lose your sight in order to gain a vision.”

— Julius Koonce, pastor, Christ Transformation Center, at groundbreaking for Martin Luther King Dream Park, on initial doubts about why he was called to Salisbury