KANNAPOLIS — The Kannapolis History Associates (KHA) had to wait two years before they could get back to their regularly scheduled monthly meet-ups.

While a lot may have changed in the world over that period, an appreciation for Kannapolis and the roots of the community has never wavered among the organization’s members.

The rich heritage of Kannapolis as a city with generations of residents who have watched it grow from a mill town into a bustling 21st century community give it a unique sense of identity and history.

On June 6, members of the KHA from years past came back together to convene in the Social Room of A.L. Brown High School to behold and appreciate that history yet again.

The theme of the first post-COVID meeting was “Radio, Cars and Trucks” and Kannapolis City Council member Ryan Dayvault was on-hand to present, just as he was scheduled to do two years prior, before the COVID shutdown.

Dayvault’s collection of antiques, radios and stories about his family’s legendary cars that drove around Kannapolis throughout the years captured the interest of those in attendance like Vicki Graham, who was fascinated by the WWII-era radio Dayvault was able to operate nearly a century since it had been made.

The show marks a return to form for the KHA with Phil Goodman overseeing the group as president, a position he has held since 2007.

The nonprofit has actually been in existence since 1987, when a pair of women named Myrtle Alexander and Mabel Brown stepped forward to create a 501(c)(3) with the explicit purpose of purchasing back old artifacts from the city before they could be torn down during a transitional period in the community.

When Goodman moved back to his hometown of Kannapolis years later, he felt the urge to “honor and preserve our history and the history of the Cannon family.”

In the time since he has assumed leadership of the group, the organization has managed to secure a spot for monthly meetings at A.L. Brown High School and have also built up a museum on-site for visitors to tour in the school’s History Room.

With the pandemic now passing, the group is ready to get back into the swing of things and Goodman noted that there would be meetings held moving forward at 7 p.m. on the first Monday of every month (except in July due to the Fourth and in September, both of which will instead be held on the second Monday of the month).

The organization is also looking to open up its hours of operation for the museum in the coming months, which is currently available for public visits on Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Those who are interested in learning more about the organization can find out about upcoming events, membership registration and more on the Kannapolis History Associates page on Facebook.