Gold Hill Founders Day: ‘Probably one of the biggest festivals to date’
Published 12:10 am Tuesday, October 1, 2024
Crowds line both sides to watch as the Founders Day Parade makes it way down the road. — Karen Kistler
Eva and Danny Casstevens performed at the amphitheater for the attendees. — Karen Kistler
Roman Lee Lozano, left, and Sawyer Davis with Pack 324 were selling meat sticks to help with scouting items and upcoming trips. — Karen Kistler
Todd Coleman gives
Jay Culp, right, shared about rocks from the Gold Hill area to Brian and Tina Murphy. — Karen Kistler
Ginia Gilmore with Bead Happy works on a ring she was making at her booth. — Karen Kistler
Iredell County Sheriff’s Department K-9 officer Sandy rides in the parade with her handler. — Karen Kistler
Multiple fire engines were lined up at the start of the parade. — Karen Kistler
Fox Barringer and his mom Jessica Barringer, watch as the parade makes it way past them. — Karen Kistler
Reestyn Poplin, Royalty USA Southeast and Preteen Queen gives a wave. — Karen Kistler
This wagon of Austrailian Shepherds greeted thw crowd as they passed by. — Karen Kistler
Trexler Farms participted in the annual Founders Day Parade. — Karen Kistler
Vivian Hopkins and Rob Kepley welcomed everyone during the kickoff. — Karen Kistler
GOLD HILL — A large crowd gathered on Sept. 28 for Gold Hill’s Founders Day, which featured fun for the entire family to enjoy.
This was the 200th anniversary celebration of the first gold discovery at Gold Hill, which was in 1824, and therefore, the entire year of events have been to commemorate this, said Vivian Hopkins, vice-president of Historic Gold Hill and Mines Foundation, Inc. They began organizing events to celebrate the town’s history in 1989, she added.
Serving as host for the day was The Historic Gold Hill and Mines Foundation and sponsors were Carolina Stalite, Compass Woodworks Company, Donny’s Western Store, Fisher-Greene Walker-Hill Insurance, Hammill Construction, Rowan Tourism Development Authority, Shulenburger Surveying Company and Vulcan Materials Company.
During the kickoff, Hopkins pointed out how beautiful the day was for this milestone event, but expressed concern for those who have been affected by Hurricane Helene. Some of the vendors that were scheduled to attend were from the mountain counties of North Carolina and were therefore unable to be there.
“We keep our prayers going for everybody in the face of this storm and what it brought,” Hopkins said.
The event was opened with prayer by Rob Kepley, who likewise remembered those whose lives have been impacted by the hurricane and who are suffering.
“There’s a lot of people today that don’t even have a community to live in,” he said, stressing “how blessed we are.”
Gold Hill Mines Historic Park and several surrounding locations were home to the Founders Day activities. There were 116 vendors in the park selling a wide variety of handmade goods ranging from jewelry and wreaths to candles, honey and more.
Hopkins said to commemorate this 200th celebration she had designed a gold coin, which along with T-shirts made for the occasion, were both being sold at the event.
Members of Pack 324 were on hand selling meat sticks to raise money for various scouting needs such as trips, uniforms and badges, said Sawyer Davis, who along with Roman Lee Lozano were manning the booth. Lozano said the money would go for “anything we do in scouts.”
Davis also pointed out an upcoming tractor pull, scheduled for Oct. 19 in Gold Hill, that would also help with scouting expenses.
Ginia Gilmore with Bead Happy returned this year selling her handmade jewelry.
Gilmore said she wanted to come back because she “loved interacting with different customers and just seeing what different things they like to wear. This is fun for me and I want to make other people happy by making them stuff.”
Dee Connor and Marty Martin had neighboring booths selling wreaths, bows, macrame, wooden card holders and wood-burned items. They both shared how much they enjoyed this event.
Connor said this was her second time to be there and she enjoyed “all the excitement of everyone here making their wares and showing them off. It’s great.”
Echoing that she loved the excitement of the day, Martin said, “everyone’s happy.”
Martin said she had been making these items for 15 years and Connor began during COVID.
In addition to craft vendors, eight to 10 food vendors, along with the Gold Hill Fire Department, provided an assortment of food for purchase.
The celebration also offered attendees the opportunity to watch demonstrations and learn some history at some exhibits that were set up near the park.
Todd Coleman with Banshee Metal Works, who is a full time blacksmith and metal fabricator from Statesville, conducted some blacksmith demonstrations of some simple things that are made in a blacksmith shop.
Coleman said he learned the trade from the late Phillip Gaddy, who taught at UNC-Charlotte in their school of architecture. The two became best friends, he said, and Gaddy “spent three years teaching me blacksmithing before he passed away and I carried on the tradition, and started doing it full time about six years after he passed.”
When asked what he makes, he said they do architectural items, cooking set up, gates, rails and added that “if it’s made of metal, we can usually make it.”
Others on site included hit-and-miss engines who had multiple engines on display and Jay Culp who shared information about some of his prize rocks of the Gold Hill area.
One of these was his pyrite and limonite cubes, which, he said, are formed naturally, and have the common name of Indian money.
“When they started finding them here in America, they thought the Indians had sat down and carved them out into these little cubes as money. But it is actually a naturally occurring mineral.”
Culp said that in addition to gold being found in the area, they have also had copper ore, silver and galena.
“Gold Hill is really a geologic wonder,” he said.
Brian and Tina Murphy were among those listening to him speak and said this was their first time to come for Founders Day. They had been to the park for other events, and learned this was taking place and decided to come.
They enjoy the history of everything in the town. “It’s just amazing,” Tina said.
Another big draw to the event was the parade, which Tina Peterson of Concord said was her favorite.
The crowd lined both sides of the road to watch the law enforcement vehicles, fire trucks, classic cars, horses and others go by and the children were excited as they were treated to candy from those passing by.
Trish Smith stood waiting for the parade noting that she was there to support her husband who is a sheriff’s deputy and was in the parade.
Spending time with family and friends brought others out for the day. That was the case with Brenda Taylor who said she was looking forward to seeing some people she knows, plus she was glad her daughter was able to come with her.
Marisa Snider said they returned this year and that family time was also what brought them out as members came from Mt. Pleasant, Albemarle and Richfield to enjoy the day. Pointing to a little one in their group, Lisa Chapman said it was “mainly for him.”
Jessica Barringer and son Fox were watching the parade and she said they come every year and that they “just love Gold Hill.”
Music, hosted by Montgomery General Store, was available throughout the day at the amphitheater beginning at 11 a.m. Jim Burris, coordinator of the Grass Strings Bluegrass Band, served as emcee.
Groups performing included Danny and Eva Casstevens, The Blue Ridge Mtn. Heirs, The Dusty River Band and Catawba Bluegrass Band.
The Edenfield Family performed at a second venue, the Methodist Church, which was also hosted by the general store.
Prior to the first musical performance, Regina Poplin introduced the winners of the Little Miss and Mister Gold Hill pageant. This event, by Elite American Miss, was held the previous evening, Sept. 27, at the amphitheater.
Poplin is CEO and founder of Elite American Miss, and Graci Hudson serves as Elite American’s COO.
Winners for the pageant were Little Miss Gold Hill, Olivia Glisson; Little Mister Gold Hill, Eli Parsons; Miss Gold Hill, Lilah Adams; and Mister Gold Hill, Owen Nail.
Three national queens were there for the event and were introduced during the kickoff and also rode in the parade. These were Lilly Wells, Elite American Preteen; Zoei Anderson, Elite American Teen; and Kelly Lowthian, Elite American Ms.
An additional queen who made an appearance in the parade was Reestyn Poplin, who is the regional winner of Royalty USA. She is the Southeast Junior Preteen and will be competing in November for the national title.
“This was a great day,” said Hopkins, “well attended and probably one of the biggest festivals we’ve had to date and a record number of vendors, and my hat’s off to all of our events’ team members who helped make this possible.”
