The Salisbury Post presents a “Year in Review.” With 2023 winding down, staff at the Salisbury Post reflect on the moments that made this year memorable. Today’s edition contains highlights from May through August.

May

Former Landis finance officer sentenced (May 10)

By Chandler Inions 

​​LANDIS — The former Landis finance officer implicated in an embezzlement conspiracy dating back a decade was sentenced to at least 3.5 years in prison in May.

Ginger Gibson was taken into state custody in handcuffs following a lengthy hearing in which her attorney argued that her role in the embezzlement scheme was merely a passive one. Her official sentence ranged from 44-65 months in prison.

Gibson pleaded no contest to the charges that included felony embezzlement and conspiracy for the scandal that has already seen the former town manager, Reed Linn, imprisoned.

Before Superior Court Judge Craig Croom’s courtroom, N.C. prosecutor Jordan Ford laid out a patchwork of impropriety in which Gibson knowingly participated in various efforts to scam money out of the town. Those efforts included improper credit card purchases, fraudulent time cards and excessive bonuses.

An agent from the state provided evidence that Gibson clocked hours when she was on vacation in Punta Cana, Mexico; Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; and at a friend’s wedding. That same agent demonstrated how Gibson used a Landis credit card for purchases at the Club at Irish Creek golf course and numerous trips to the ABC store.

The inflated salaries represented the most significant portion of the money obtained by Linn and Gibson, with each reporting income in excess of $200,000 multiple times over the decade from 2010-2019, when evidence of the crimes first surfaced.

During that time, Gibson accepted $899,495 in salary and benefits. Linn, who is currently serving time in Albemarle, took $1.5 million. A third party in the scheme, Andrew Morgan, the former parks and recreation director for Landis, was given probation.

While Gibson’s attorney, Vernon Russell, painted a picture of town officials turning a blind eye to Linn and Gibson’s bloated payrolls, Ford pointed to one interview where a former alderman called the situation “the fox running the hen house.”

Linn was in the courtroom on Wednesday to answer questions from Russell and Ford about the extent of his and Gibson’s roles in the embezzlement case. Russell sought to illustrate a situation in which Linn controlled the purse strings and maintained authorization of the illegal payments, arguing that every dime Gibson received was “authorized by a superior.”

Ford’s closing statements countered Russell’s claims that Gibson was a passive party to the crimes.

“Who was responsible for the books?” Ford said. “Linn and Gibson. The method they did it was secretive.”

While the judge ruled that Gibson would be required to pay back the money that she took, Gibson’s attorney indicated that there was no way she would ever be able to.

 

East’s Mako makes some magic (May 17)

By Mike London

GRANITE QUARRY — East Rowan ace Chance Mako further etched his place in local lore with a May night to remember.

The senior’s screaming homer leading off the bottom of the seventh — his seventh of the season — gave East an 8-7 win over North Davidson at Staton Field that featured a comeback from five runs down. The Mustangs (23-5) survived a sluggish start and punched their bus ticket to the fourth round of the 3A state playoffs.

With a towering frame and a lively right arm that can put 90-somethings on radar guns, Mako is a North Carolina State recruit and likely MLB draft pick, but baseball is game of percentages, not of absolutes. This was one of those nights when Mako didn’t have it on the mound. No pitcher has his best stuff every night. Mako fought. He battled. He struck out eight Black Knights, but he needed 101 pitches to handle four innings, and East sank into a 5-0 abyss.

“My arm was trailing behind my body some,” said Mako, who knows his pitching mechanics well enough to know when something is off. “When my arm trails, my pitches start getting up in the zone.”

The 15th-seeded Black Knights (16-11) brought a roster full of talented, college-bound players and they drew four walks and whacked seven hits during Mako’s time on the mound.

There was some rain, wet conditions that affected plays, especially in the outfield, but Mako wasn’t looking for excuses.

“The weather wasn’t any factor for me at all,” Mako said. “Just didn’t have a great outing.”

Justin Mabe, a North Davidson sophomore already committed to UNC, a future teammate of East shortstop Cobb Hightower, owned the third-round showdown for the first four innings. Mabe personally drove in three runs against Mako, while shutting down the Mustangs when he was on the mound.

Frustration was mounting for East, and head coach Brett Hatley didn’t make it past the top of the fourth. But Hatley’s early departure from the scene had the desired effect — it fired up the crowd and the 10th-seeded home team.

Five runs down seemed like a tall and steep mountain to climb, but East patiently went to work with grinding at-bats in the bottom of the fourth. Mabe, who had been sailing along, dealt with a wet mound and a rapidly escalating pitch count as one Mustang after another dug in and found a way to get on base.

A bases-loaded ground ball toward third base that should have been one out and maybe two netted zero outs for the Black Knights when the throw home sailed away.

Now it was 5-1, East was on the scoreboard, and momentum was swinging. A packed house roared approval.

Morgan Padgett’s bases-loaded walk made it 5-2. Hightower grounded out, but East got another run on that play to get back to 5-3. Blake Hill’s sharp, two-run single tied it at 5-all.

Just about everyone in East’s lineup had belted a homer — except Joe Burleyson. Naturally, it was Burleyson who suddenly went deep in the fifth. It was a titanic, two-run shot, and the Mustangs led 7-5.

Logan Dyer relieved Mako on the mound. The Black Knights, who had turned to Ethan Snyder on the mound after Mabe had thrown 40-plus pitches in the fourth, re-tied the game against Dyer with two runs for 7-all.

But North Davidson’s hard-earned runs in the sixth only served to set the stage for Mako to be a hero in the seventh.

Mako, who has pitched on national-level stages, had the maturity not to let his pitching struggles get into his head. He knew he could still win the game with his bat — and he did.

“My mindset was just to win the ballgame,” said Mako, who recently hit a grand slam to turn around the South Piedmont Conference Tournament championship game at Staton Field. “I was still as hyped up as anyone in our dugout. Going to the plate to lead off the bottom of the seventh, I was focused on getting extra bases, a double or a homer.”

Mako got ahead in the count 2-and-0, and when he got the pitch he was looking for, he gave it a long ride over the left-field fence.

“Fastball right where I wanted it,” Mako said. “Fortunately, I didn’t miss it.”

 

Estimates for Cheerwine festival hit 100K attendees (May 23)

By Elisabeth Strillacci

SALISBURY — The tradition that began in 2017 was back with a roar and those in the know estimate 100,000 attended the day-long event celebrating the city’s famous red soda, Cheerwine.

Though the festival did not officially open until noon, party-goers were already on hand by 9 a.m., and food vendors that had managed to open were not sorry. By noon, Innes and Main streets and most side streets in between were becoming packed with people, some from around the corners and some from across the state, or even outside North Carolina.

Several visitors came to see family and join in on the fun from places like Tampa, Florida, and Atlanta and one couple on a long honeymoon stopped in on a trip around the states from Las Vegas.

Food trucks and beer tents anchored a substantial portion of the event, and all had some sort of Cheerwine connection, be it a new ale, a sauce for meats or a popcorn or cotton candy flavor. Craft vendors were in the mix as well, along with activities for children, including a climbing wall and face painting. 

Most of the businesses along Main and Innes streets were also open for business during the festival, and the walk-in traffic was substantial. Alyssa Redmond, who owns the South Main Book Company, posted on the shop’s Facebook page, “Next year, this event should total be a weekend, instead of just one day, yeah?”

Musical performances on the Main Street stage kicked off with country music from Ryan Perry, who got the crowds gathered and dancing, followed by New Local, one of Charlotte’s top party bands, and Divided by Four, a Salisbury band.

“We were extremely excited to partner again with Cheerwine to put on yet another successful festival, said Parks and Recreation Director Nick Aceves. “We expected roughly 50,000 people but had well more than that attend. Vendors were pleased with the turnout and many had a great time. We look forward to meeting soon to discuss how we can make 2024 even more successful.”

 

June

 

College football: Former North star Wilson hopes to help Catawba (June 20)

By Mike London

SALISBURY — Former North Rowan star Malcolm Wilson Jr. quickly worked his way up to second team running back at Barton College, but that was as far as he was going to be able to go.

Barton’s Jordan Terrell still has eligibility, and he’s one of the best and most durable backs in Division II. A workhorse warrior who carries most of the load for head coach Chip Hester’s Bulldogs, Terrell rumbled 300 times for 1,672 yards in 2022 to finish in the top five nationally for the second straight year. In an 11-game season, Terrell averaged 27 carries and 152 rushing yards per game.

“Jordan was getting 30 carries every Saturday, and I can’t take anything away from him, he’s a great back and he earned everything he got,” Wilson said. “But it was hard being the No. 2 guy behind someone like that. If you’re the No. 5 or No. 6 guy, well, you know you won’t play, but being No.2 is so much harder. You want to be on the field. I was that No. 2 guy at Barton for two seasons.”

Wilson has come back home for the 2023 season. He’s looking forward to suiting up for the Catawba Indians. It’s a rebuilding program that lost 10 straight to close the 2022 season and lost big in most of them. There’s a new coaching staff headed by Tyler Haines, who has a solid track record.

“There was more opportunity at Catawba than Barton,” Wilson said. “My goal is to become part of Catawba’s running back rotation and to show what I can do. Catawba has good players and good guys. I just want to be part of it.”

 

Hundreds turn out for Juneteenth celebration at park (June 20)

By Elisabeth Strillacci

SALISBURY — Several hundred people turned out for Salisbury’s Juneteenth celebration at Bell Tower Green where food vendors, local organizations, artists, small businesses and games operated on the grassy lawn while live music played under the band shell.

Juneteenth has grown from a Texas celebration into a national holiday, and 2023 marks the third year since the holiday was given federal status by President Biden in 2021.

Gemale Black, president of the Rowan County NAACP, was all smiles even before the festival officially opened.

“We don’t officially kick off until noon, but there are already a lot of people here,” he noted as he strolled along through the food offerings that were just getting cooking. “We have an absolutely beautiful day for it, so I am hopeful a lot of people will come out. I know there is a lot going on this weekend, and it’s Father’s Day Sunday, but I hope people will join us.”

East Spencer’s Mayor Pro Tem Shawn Rush found an early spot under the shade of trees along the side of the park near the water wall, and said he thought participation was “great, it’s just good to see people come out for this. It’s an important part of history.”

Linda Black, chairwoman of the Juneteenth committee, said she was “very happy with the turnout and how we all united together, not just Saturday but through the week, for the goal of creating a diverse but unified city.”

Although she said the actual attendance might have been similar to last year’s, both vendors and attendees seemed to stay longer this year. And she expressed gratitude for the event sponsors, including Novant, Duke Energy, Hood Theological Seminary, Catawba College, Salisbury Parks and Recreation, J.C. Price American Legion, and First Presbyterian Church Race Task Force.

Saturday’s event was not the only Juneteenth event this year, and though each of the other pieces were more lightly attended, Linda said her goal is to grow each year as the word gets out. There were events throughout the week leading up to Saturday’s celebration, then on Sunday afternoon, the committee organized a musical event called “Soulful Sunday,” and another two to three hundred attended that event, which Linda said was a welcome and pleasant surprise.

A prayer vigil held Wednesday night on the steps of the Rowan County office building on West Innes Street was designed to bring together people from all denominations to offer up words of prayer for unity, and Black said while it was not as well attended as they hoped, there was enough representation there to make it meaningful.

“We have some work to do next year in terms of getting the word out, getting people to come out and join us, but last year we had three days, this year we had six days, and so overall I think we did well,” Linda said. She noted that she had not imagined either her son, Gemale, or herself as activists, but as he began his journey and to work to bring his vision to life, “I started to see where he was heading, and I got excited about it, and I just decided to join with him.” Linda said she intends to continue to work on the Juneteenth events “as long as my health is good and I’ve got my family behind me.”

 

New Dog Adoption Center hosts first open house (June 29)

By Robert Sullivan

The Nina Dix Dog Adoption Center hosted its first open house in June allowing visitors and supporters to view all of the amenities and services the building will provide to housed dogs in the near future.

The building has been meticulously planned to give the Rowan County Animal Shelter the chance to provide the best possible care and housing for the dogs that will be held there. The 11,600-square-foot building provides over 48 new kennels as well as new visitation rooms for people and families looking to adopt to privately and quietly meet with dogs.

The center is named after Dix, the chairman of the board of directors for Shelter Guardians, who raised the money for the new building. Shelter Guardians is a non-profit that aims to help homeless animals held at the animal shelter and the staff with Rowan County Animal Services that support those animals.

“The whole purpose of this building is this is not the pound. You cannot look at this beautiful building and say that’s the dog pound. This is a big, fat, green eraser. We’re gonna get that out of everybody’s head. This is no longer the pound, this is the animal shelter. We’re gonna make people believe, make people come and see that it’s better than it’s ever been. This is a wonderful place, come and get you a dog,” said Dix in a video of the event posted to Shelter Guardians’ Facebook page.

The building also has a central area that houses a laundry room, grooming area, food prep area, offices and other support areas. The center will also house a surgery area, a direct upgrade to the spaying and neutering area in the original Animal Shelter building. The area in the older building was a combined intake and surgery area which could lead to chaos when dogs were being checked in for vaccines or other procedures at the same time as an ongoing surgery, according to Animal Services Director Maria Pannell.

“This lady (Dix) right here just deserves absolutely so much credit for never giving up. She had the drive and the heart. This is the community’s building. We want you all to be a part of it. You all put in so much to get it here,” said Pannell.

The building will house dogs that are social and ready for adoption. Dogs that are not ready will remain in the dog wing in the original animal shelter building, said Pannell.

Construction of the building began in March 2021 and had some unexpected bumps as costs for materials and construction increased, but the building is fully constructed and simply awaiting state inspections so that it can be issued a full certificate of occupancy. Pannell estimated that the certification should arrive by the end of next week.

For more information or to support Shelter Guardians, go to www.shelterguardians.org.

 

July

Faith Fourth of July celebration does not disappoint (July 5)

By Elisabeth Strillacci

FAITH — Awash in a sea of red, white and blue clothing, flags, umbrellas, hats and even children’s headbands, the annual Fourth of July parade turned Main Street, Faith into a patriotic ribbon.

Opening with fire trucks from just about every local department, cheers and squeals of excitement rocketed through those in attendance. Both sides of Main Street were packed with lawn chairs, blankets, and people three, four and sometimes five deep.

The parade is the culmination of nearly a week of celebration that began as far back as June 24, with the Street Dance that featured Divided by 4.

Festivities carried on Thursday, June 29, with a concert by the Catalinas and the opening of rides and entertainment. Food trucks from a variety of restaurants and eateries, along with some representing civic organizations, offered everything from pork chop sandwiches, hot dogs and burgers, to ribbon fries, fried dough, ice cream and even frozen dipped bananas. Fresh lemonade appeared to be the cooling drink of choice during the day when the temperatures sometimes reached close to 90 degrees, and a few bouts with thunderstorms threatened, but never canceled events.

Mayor Randall Barger welcomed those attending at several events, his pride in his hometown showing. The first of two fireworks display went off Saturday night at 10:30 p.m. at the Faith Academy Ballpark, and the second was on the fourth itself, again at 10:30 p.m.

Following Tuesday’s parade, which stepped off at 10 a.m. and lasted until after 11:30 a.m., there was an official flag raising and Cheyenne Talley sang the national anthem. Master of Ceremonies Kay Hurst introduced Barger who officially welcomed everyone, extending wishes for a happy fourth all around.

The entire weekend was the base for Rowan County’s Fourth of July celebration, and between the concerts and the parade, children (young and old) had the time of their lives on rides that included tiny tractors and spinning tea cups. The event is presented by the Faith Civitan Club, Faith American Legion, and Faith Legion Auxiliary, with several supporting sponsors. All proceeds go to support “worthy causes in the Faith community and surrounding area,” according to information on the event. Title sponsors were Brent and Patti Lyerly, presenting sponsor was Wade Shows, Inc., gold sponsors were The Soda Shop, Randy Marion, and Friends of the Faith 4th, and bronze sponsors were Price Pharmacy, Spray Clean Power Wash, and Yard Stuff Sheds.

Re-enactors and motorcycle riders from the Sons of the Confederacy were present again this year, to cheers from the crowd, but there were also floats sporting messages that “Love is Love,” and two rainbow flags were on display as well as the Confederate flag, and those received their own share of cheers and applause.

 

“The clear choice:” Salisbury names new police chief (July 6)

By Chandler Inions

SALISBURY — The search for a new police chief is over, as city officials announced the latest person to put on Salisbury’s lead law enforcement mantle.

Captain Patrick “P.J.” Smith said that he is ready to lead the department he has been a part of for so long.

Smith rose through the ranks at the SPD. In 2009, he was promoted to criminal investigation detective. Five years later, he was elevated to patrol sergeant and then was promoted to lieutenant over the special investigations division in 2018.

Most recently, he held the position of captain over the investigations bureau. There, Smith supervised the services bureau comprised of seven units: general investigations, violent crimes investigations, vice/narcotics, neighborhood crime abatement team, the crime lab, organizational development and hiring. Those units are responsible for specialized investigations that go beyond the routine response of daily operations of the department and require that its personnel have specialized training. In addition to hiring, organizational development is responsible for leading the department’s internal practices and employee career enhancements.

Smith has led various crime reduction strategies throughout his tenure, including increasing community engagement relationships and implementing the Chief Jerry Stokes Crime Information Center. He also managed crime analytics and records division staff.

Salisbury City Manager Jim Greene said that Smith was selected following a nationwide search that saw 26 applicants throw their names into the hat. The decision was made after numerous meetings with community organizations and stakeholders that were “utilized to develop the qualifications and priorities that (were) stated in (the) recruitment brochure” for the position.

Through the rounds of interviews and questioning, Greene said that Smith rose to the top as the “clear choice.”

“The selection process was thorough and involved members of the community,” Greene said. “We met and interviewed many strong candidates with various backgrounds but ultimately, Captain Smith stood out above the rest. For over 18 years, he has shown his dedication and commitment to Salisbury and our police department. He has built trusting, open relationships as an effective leader. Throughout the selection process, Captain Smith demonstrated his knowledge and qualifications for leading and managing police services. He has a vision to help address and prevent crime, in addition to a desire to increase engagement with community members, businesses, nonprofits and state and local law enforcement partners. I know Captain Smith will make an excellent chief for our city.”

Smith was formally sworn in at the Salisbury City Council meeting on July 18.

 

Beacon of light: First United Methodist Church staying strong in times of unrest (July 15)

By Brad Dountz

SALISBURY — Rev. Mark Conforti never once thought about leaving. But as senior pastor for First United Methodist Church, he and the church’s council were recently faced with some important decisions that will shape their congregation’s identity.

In the past few years, the United Methodist Church has experienced unrest within. In 2019, during a conference, some of the church delegates voted to enforce stricter bans on LGBTQ practices. This caused a idealogical split within the church that eventually lead to a real split happening. Not everyone agreed on the bans, so an avenue was created for congregations who agreed with them to disaffiliate in what is described as “a protocol for a graceful separation.” It wasn’t until 2022, that those who actually approved of the bans officially disaffiliated to form the Global Methodist Church.

This has caused people all over the country and the world to have to choose between their church and their faith. When first confronted with the idea to disaffiliate, Conforti and the church didn’t think twice about staying with the UMC.

“We’re dedicated to not even having the conversation about the possibility of disaffiliation. Along with that comes, we hope, the assurance if somebody comes from a disaffiliated congregation they can be here with the confidence that’s not going to happen,” Conforti said. “In many ways, it’s the natural consequence of living in a culture where people have choices. There is no state church in the United States of America. People are not forced to participate or show up, it’s always by personal choice.”

First UMC will not only be staying with the UMC, but they will be what is called a “lighthouse congregation” where they welcome anyone whose church disaffiliated, but who personally want to stay in the UMC.

“The doctrine of the church has not changed. We continue to believe in the same God, we read the same Bible, we profess the same creeds. Right now, being a lighthouse congregation means we’re especially hospitable and sensitive and caring to people who may come our way from one of these disaffiliated congregations,” Conforti said.

When congregations go through the disaffiliation process, some church members are naturally for it or against it. When it’s all said and done, it can leave people emotionally damaged. “The people who are not in favor often times experience hurt and pain and sadness and even grief because in their hearts they’re losing their congregation,” Conforti said.

Conforti explains that disaffiliation isn’t done by a single vote, but through several meetings where people work through their decision on it. The lead-up to the final vote can get messy.

“It’s led by either the pastor or one or two very vocal lay members. It usually starts with sending emails. A lot of it is fear driven and a lot of it has to do with property and money and there’s a lot of misinformation that has been emailed. That’s been very upsetting to someone like me,” Conforti said.

Brenda Loflin is the lay leader at First UMC where she has been a member her whole life. “I was born into this church,” Loflin said. Loflin was sad to hear about the separation and what it means for those members who are without a church.

Still, her attitude is optimistic. She is proud that First UMC is a lighthouse congregation and will be a welcoming haven for those who seek a new house of worship. She speaks of the teachings of John Winthrop and John Wesley to demonstrate where the heart of their faith originates. Even though the past is formative, it can’t be considered when deciding on what to do next.

“We can’t look back on what has happened. When I came here in the ’40s, things have certainly changed. We’ve got to move forward to see what we can do to take our mission forward. Which is to make and nurture Christian disciples through the presence and power of God,” Loflin said.

 

Basketball: South legend Lentz gets Hall call from L-R (July 20)

By Mike London

CHINA GROVE — Larry Lentz scored the last of his college buckets 30 years ago in Kansas City, so he’d stopped thinking about the Lenoir-Rhyne Sports Hall of Fame.

But the call to the Hall finally came from Hickory a few weeks ago for a South Rowan graduate who has a number of claims to fame, including being the only male in South’s hoops history to score 1,000 career points.

“The call from L-R definitely was a shock,” Lentz said. “I’d heard rumors that something might happen a few times, but it’s been 30 years now, so I didn’t think it ever would. But I’m humbled to be elected. I’m honored. I’m grateful.”

Lentz was a 6-foot-8 post man who combined a physical presence with finesse. He shot terrific percentages.

He is second in Lenoir-Rhyne history in career shooting percentage. He made 57.7 percent of his shots. In his senior season in Hickory, he and the Bears went out with a bang with championships. That was the season Lentz torched the nets for 61.4 percent from the field.

Only five men in the history of Lenoir-Rhyne men’s basketball can say they were All-Americans. Lentz, who scored 1,035 points for the Bears, is one of those five. He is regarded as one of the finest low-post players in program history.

“Larry had huge hands and a soft touch,” said Shane Valley, a South Rowan teammate who is still friends with Lentz. “Nothing about Larry was goofy or uncoordinated. He was a smooth big man.”

Lentz wasn’t one of those guys who had a miraculous late growth spurt. He grew up big and tall in China Grove.

“Every school picture, I’m standing head and shoulders above my classmates,” Lentz said with a laugh.

Junior high was seventh through ninth grade when Lentz was coming along, so he didn’t arrive at South until his sophomore year.

South was a big school then and had just transitioned to the 4A Central Piedmont Conference, taking on the Winston-Salem and Greensboro schools. Lentz’s sophomore season at South was 1986-87.

“We played our league games in the CPC with Parkland, RJR, Mount Tabor, schools like that, and our non-conference games were against the Charlotte schools like North Meck and South Meck,” Lentz said. “Going from junior high ball to playing against those city guys was a big jump.”

Lentz joined a South team led by senior John Davis. Lentz averaged 10.6 points as a sophomore and the Raiders went 9-5 in the CPC for a third-place finish.

Lentz became South’s go-to scorer as a junior, averaging 18.9 points per game. He scored 34 points in a Christmas tourney game against A.L. Brown and had 37 against Davie County. South, coached by Bob Parker, went 14-13 and repeated its third-place finish in the CPC.

Lentz also played football for South. He was a towering tight end, but the Raiders didn’t throw it to him much. Lentz was mostly a blocker in the running game, an extra tackle for head coach Larry Deal.

“We were run first, run second and run third,” Lentz said. “I actually was on some big Watch Lists in football because of my size, but basketball was always where my heart was.”

Teens always think big. Lentz had such a successful junior basketball season that he was still dreaming about being recruited by his favorite school — UNC.

When the early signing period arrived in the fall of his senior year, Lentz had offers from Navy and Coastal Carolina but didn’t take either. He wanted to see how his senior season would play out.

 

August

‘A Christian who played football:’ Family, friends remember Dalton Gay (Aug. 1)

By Chandler Inions

CHINA GROVE — Dalton Gay, a rising senior at Carson High School, died at the age of 17.

Family and friends remember a young man who was hard-nosed on the gridiron, dependable on the diamond, but even more steadfast in his faith.

“He was a football player that played baseball,” said Michelle Payne, Dalton’s mother. “I think that accurately describes him.”

Friend Carson Furr added, “He was a football player that played baseball, but more than that, he was a Christian who played football.”

According to his mother, faith meant everything to Dalton, who was a summer intern at Charity Baptist Church in Kannapolis.

“He was preaching their mid-week services,” Michelle said. “He was very much a leader of the youth in the church.”

Dalton’s family shared a video testimonial that he recorded a little while back.

“Before I met Christ, I was always living a life of how could I be popular and how could I fit in,” Dalton said in the video. “It left me feeling empty like I wanted more out of life. That’s when a friend invited me to DNOW.”

DNOW is a ministries event at Charity Baptist Church.

“It’s where I met Christ,” Dalton said. “It’s where I got to see and feel the body of Christ and how amazing that is and how he can change your life.”

Dalton said he felt like his life was off track from where it needed to be.

“I have all these problems caused because I was not following Christ,” Dalton said. “I decided to take the step and follow the Lord and Savior and pursue that relationship with Him.”

His blossoming relationship with Christ strengthened Dalton’s resolve to always strain to be a better Christian and person.

“I realized that through Christ I can do these things and that he gives me the power to overcome these trials in my life, and I was able to rise above and keep the Lord on the mantle of my life, keep pursuing him every day and it made me better because of it,” Dalton said. “Through the Lord, my life has been transformed to be something better, to live for something more than just myself, that the Lord has given me the ability to have eternal life with him.”

Through grief-stricken tears, Dalton’s family found solace in the faith that he was home with his Heavenly Father.

 

Hall of Fame: Ten inducted into Salisbury-Rowan Sports HOF (Aug. 15)

By Mike London

SALISBURY — The Salisbury-Rowan Sports Hall of Fame grew a bit larger and more distinguished in August with the addition of 10 new members.

Inducted were Ronnie Gallagher, Wilson Cherry, Fred Campbell, Eric Saunders, Mark Sturgis Jr., Chris Smith, Allen Simmons, Howard Barnhardt, Maggie Rich Hatch and Janetta Heggins-Andrews.

Ceremonies were conducted at the Salisbury Civic Center.

Memories were shared with the audience, everything from Rich’s late father, Curtis, tutoring her in driveway basketball, to Cherry’s mother dishing out scriptures and fried chicken and occasionally wielding a shotgun as long as she was.

Besides speeches which brought just the right mixture of laughter and applause, there was food and fellowship.

This was the second-largest class to be inducted, as the Hall of Fame committee, which began its task in 2001, continues to chip away at the long list of deserving nominees. Two years — 2020 and 2021 — were lost to the pandemic.

Several of the inductees could have been welcomed into the Hall of Fame decades ago, but all agreed, better late than never.

 

Granite Quarry resident honored for upcoming 100th birthday (Aug. 17)

By Robert Sullivan

GRANITE QUARRY — Louise Crowther was recognized by the Granite Quarry Board of Aldermen during their August meetings in honor of her 100th birthday. Crowther’s centennial birthday was on Aug. 25.

Crowther is the seventh generation of the Brown family that built the Michael Braun House, also known as the Old Stone House. The historical building is located just outside of Granite Quarry on Old Stone House Road.

“Mrs. Crowther has been described as an amazing woman whose vitality, energy and positive attitude belie her advanced age,” read the proclamation given to Crowther by Mayor Brittany Barnhardt.

She was born in Granite Quarry in 1923 but moved away to the Ellis Crossroads community later in life when she got married, said Crowther. After her husband passed away, Crowther moved back to Granite Quarry to be close to her son and his family.

Crowther’s daughter-in-law Charisse Peeler said that Crowther was having a birthday bash at Christiana Lutheran Church on U.S. Hwy. 52 on Aug. 26. Peeler said that the party was open to anyone who wanted to attend, and that the Hot Dog Shack owner Jason Smith would be there to serve food for the event.

Peeler said that the family plans to have a large birthday dinner on Aug. 25 with family flying in from all over the county, such as Seattle and Massachusetts. Crowther’s son was also traveling from Africa to come celebrate his mother’s centennial birthday.

Crowther also plans to attend her own birthday bash in a clown outfit. Originally, Peeler and Crowther only planned for her to wear the clown outfit for pictures for the invitations, but Crowther said she wanted to wear the outfit for her party as well.

After the proclamation, everyone in attendance at the meeting sang “Happy Birthday” to Crowther, including both her son, Michael Peeler and his wife Charisse.

John Linker, mayor pro-tem, said afterwards that he brought up that his mother went to school with Crowther. Over 80 years later, Linker said she remembered his mother by name and remembered who she married after school.

“Now, therefore be it proclaimed, that I, Brittany H. Barnhardt, by virtue of the authority vested in me as Mayor of the Town of Granite Quarry, North Carolina, do hereby proclaim and celebrate the life of distinguished citizen, Mrs. Louise Crowther,” ended the proclamation.

 

College Night Out lets loose before storm shuts things down (Aug. 27)

By Brad Dountz

SALISBURY — Before rain and lightning washed away everyone’s good time at Bell Tower Green, people were waving fans and sipping cold drinks in the sweltering heat for College Night Out, an event put on by the city of Salisbury as a way for local students to get acclimated to the place they call home during the school year at least.

“College Night Out is an event where we welcome our local colleges, they’re freshman, sophomores, just welcome them to the city of Salisbury, welcoming them to downtown Salisbury,” Events Coordinator Latoya Price said. “The purpose is to give them a night out and let them see what we offer that includes our downtown business and non-profits.”

Catawba College, Livingstone College, and Rowan-Cabarrus Community College were just some of the schools on hand to guide their students to the many resources that are available. Community Care Clinic, Rowan Young Professionals, North Carolina Transportation Museum and The Pedal Factory talked with students about who they are and what they do for their members and others.

Dr. Reginald Boyd Jr. represented Hood Theological Seminary for anyone interested in the ministry. They already gathered a few signatures before the weather turned ugly and will be reaching back out to them in the near future. The seminary wanted to be at College Night Out in order to let the right people know that they are around.

“Because we are part of the community, we want to make sure that everybody knows who we are and why we exist. So, we come to let our students know that if you are desiring to go into ministry, we are here and available for you,” Boyd said.

People got off their feet to move and root for some wildly entertaining performances from both high schools and colleges. The Catawba College band and cheer team, Livingstone College band and cheer team and East Rowan High School cheer team each showed off their talents with synchronized dance moves and backflips. The bands brought out their instruments to play some tunes to a jubilant crowd.

Annie Barnhill, a history major at Catawba, came to College Night Out to hang with her friends, check out the organizations and take advantage of as much of the “free stuff” as possible. For her, this gathering opened her eyes to what Salisbury and the rest of Rowan County is all about.

“I think there’s a lot of good variety. Being on a college campus, it can kind of feel a little bit isolating from the rest of the community, so it’s good to get out and see what’s around,” Barnhill said.