TABLE OF
CONTENTS

THE GRAPEVINE '03

IMPORTANT
INFORMATION

12/14/03
If you get a chance, get to the Old Colony Players production of "Miracle on 34th Street" at the Old Rock School. The person selected to play Kris Kringle is perfect for the role and reminds me of actors I've seen on television and in movies playing the role of the real Santa Claus. The play runs just under two hours but there is a short intermission in the middle. I went and took pictures at the Wednesday production for the Valdese Elementary School kids. They seemed to really enjoy it and even began singing along with the Christmas music that played between scenes. Note: the Sunday, December 14th production is tentatively postponed until Tuesday, December 16th. The time is not yet determined, but you may call the Old Rock School at 879-2129 for details.

In preparation for the triathlon scheduled here in March, there will be a "training camp" run by the Valdese Recreation Department and Sonni Dyer, who is serving as the liaison between the town and the national triathlon association. An orientation meeting is set for Thursday, December 18th, but full details are not yet available. When the time and pace is determined, I will post them here.

12/05/03
Come out tonight for a community sing-along and tree lighting in the Wachovia parking lot on Main Street. The event is sponsored by the Valdes Business Association and will help to kick off the holiday season and leads up to Saturday's Christmas Parade.

Speaking of Christmas, it seems that the annual production of the nativity at Waldensian Presbyterian Church will be much later this year than in any year I can remember. The dates for the performances are December 22 and 23. Perhaps it was a scheduling issue or the directors weren't available until later. Anyway, be sure to mark your calendars.

Laurel Street will be seeing an end to large truck traffic in the new year. Since the town assumed responsibility and ownership of the road from the state, it can dictate what vehicle types are allowed. Since Laurel is a residential road, it isn't really designed for the larger vehicles so beginning in 2004, those vehicles will be routed through Rutherford College, on Malcolm Boulevard.

Keith Ogle was sworn in as a Town Councilman Monday evening. Harold Passmore was honored for his service since the mid-70s and presented with a rocking chair with the town seal carved on the back. Mayor Hatley also read a proclamation, listing Mr. Passmore's accomplishments over the years. I had to chuckle at Mr. Ogle when he took his place around the council table as everyone had their glasses of water and he had a 16oz. Dr. Pepper. Hat's off for daring to be different. Beyond that, he did fine in his first council meeting and seems like he will make an excellent addition to the council. Susan Stevenson assumed the title of Mayor Pro-Tem which was held by Harold Passmore.

It appears that Flowers Auto Parts will be closing in the near future. I don't know if it was due to competition from AutoZone or the owners just decided to retire from the business, but it's been here as long as I can remember. The town is currently pursuing other businesses to occupy the building.

The new picnic shelter down at the Wastewater plant entrance road is the Eagle Scout project of A.J. Kamal. The table will be installed in the future.

Congratulations to Assistant Fire Chief Greg Stafford who was named the Burke County Firefighter of the Year. His involvement in making the Valdese Fire Department a permanent child safety seat inspection site was but one of many reasons he won the award.

The completion date of the Main Street Park and mural has been pushed back to the Spring since the artist fell ill for a time and now winter weather will likely cause delays.

11/25/03
The Valdese Rotary Club had a dinner/concert fund raiser at the Old Rock School over the weekend. After a barbeque dinner, attendees went upstairs for a concert by Studebaker Hawk.

The message boards now have ten members and several message threads in progress. You can post somewhat anonymously by choosing a user name other than your own name, such as "SciFiGuy" if you were a science-fiction fan. My user name is currently pflip69, but I may change it to my name since I'm not intending to post inflammatory comments that might upset people.

It looks like Valdese will play host to a triathlon next March. A pet project of Town Manager, Jeff Morse, the event is part of a plan to attract a regional training facility to the area. It is to be the first event of the season and could attract 200-400 competitors. The full course is not yet known, but the swimming will be done in stages at the community center and the running, I believe, will go up Carolina Street and cross the interstate. I'm guessing maybe the biking will also go up Carolina and then get on Leger Road, south of I-40, and follow it around Mineral Springs Mountain. I think the running stage is 3.1 miles, but I'm not sure about the other stages. More details will be coming as plans are finalized.

A belated congratulations to the East Burke football squad which had one of its best seasons in recent memory. The team finished 10-2 and advanced to the second round of the 4-AA playoffs, where they were defeated by West Forsythe. Now the attention turns to basketball which I, hopefully, will be assisting Chuck Moseley with on the WSVM broadcasts.

I've started writing some articles about Valdese for the Voice of the Foothills newspaper. The most recent article, about Chuck Moseley, unintentionally caused a little embarrassment for town manager, Jeff Morse. Jeff, as you may know, assists Chuck in the radio broadcasts of East Burke football games. In searching for an example of famous and widely-known sidekicks, I had trouble finding one that wasn't insulting or offensive. I didn't want to get into the Lone Ranger and Tonto comparison and something like Tarzan and Cheetah didn't seem appropriate, so in desperation, I went with Barney Rubble, Fred Flinstone's sidekick. Well, it seems, his co-workers thought it would be funny to taunt him (good-naturedly, of course) at every opportunity. "Yabba Dabba Doo," has been heard often today. I chose Barney because he was actually considered relatively intelligent, and aside from being vertically-challenged, he was a pretty good guy. Mr. Morse goes on vacation Thursday for several days, and hopefully, the issue will have died down by the time he returns. As for me, I'm staying clear of Town Hall for a while.

Hope you have a Happy Thanksgiving...

11/04/03
The message board is up and running and awaiting people to register. For those of you new to message boards, please note that once you've registered, you'll have to log in when you return to the board before you can post. This requires typing in your user name and password at the top right. There is a check box that (if checked) will remember this information each time you return and automatically log you in.

Would you like a shot at winning $1,000? on November 28th, the Pons Brothers will have a traditional country music concert at the Old Rock School and will give away a $1,000 door prize. Others scheduled to play include: Ronnie Robinson and the Can't Hardly Playboys and Debbie Sigmon and Parker Dilyn. The concert is at 7:30 p.m. and tickets are $8 in advance and $10 at the door. Call the Community Affairs Department at (828) 879-2129 or e-mail cmoseley@ci.valdese.nc.us for more information.

The Town Council meeting featured some budget adjustments, discussion about proposed changes in the town's sanitation and brush pickup services, work on Bobo Street, and drainage issues on the bridge at Childrens' Park. Regarding Bobo Street, the Town is meeting with Mrs. Edith Gardner about pulling down the wall of the old theater building to open up the area and allow parking. They are also hoping to encourage all the building owners to clean up the backs of the buildings and make them more attractive. With respect to the Childrens' Park bridge, this was an issue raised by Councilwoman Vickie Oxentine who noted that water can back up on the bridge, creating a dangerous situation. Apparently, this is a state-maintained bridge and the state is not eager to do something about the problem. The drainage holes on the bridge frequently get plugged up with debris and the Public Works department has to clean them out. The Town is looking at enlarging the holes, but no major corrective measures are planned.

If you've driven by the East Main Street park and wondered why the painting has stopped, look closer at the ground. Work on the park itself is taking place including grading and installing the plumbing for the waterfall. I believe the painter (Clive Haynes) is allowing some of the park to be laid out so that he can better incorporate the mural's images with the park's. A sign should be going up in the near future that identifies the project and artist to passersby and school classes are scheduling trips to watch Mr. Haynes work and ask questions.

The Train Depot still sits on the back burner but the Town isn't letting it get cold. DOT officials have been invited to visit in January and meet with local officials. What needs to be decided is if Valdese should go ahead and purchase the property and construct a multi-use facility on the site that would still be useful if the train never comes. The depot portion of the building would be added later, providing the train service begins.

In the local election results, Vickie Oxentine ran unopposed and was reelected to Town Council and Keith Ogle defeated Harold Passmore in a fairly close race for another Town Council seat.

10/29/03
I'm working on installing a message board that is much easier to use and more flexible than the Discussion Board that is currently in place. There will be several forums initially including town issues, announcements, and a "free-for-all" where pretty much anything within reason goes. It's something that I've been considering for quite some time, but finally committed to after one young character decided to use the guestbook as his personal journal. I'll let you know when it's up and running. A permanent link to the message board will appear on the right, in place of the discussion board link.

Friday is not only Halloween, but it's also the last Friday evening gathering of the Route 66 Classic car club at Myra's. Next week, it moves to Sunday afternoon since the nights are getting cooler. The event is supposedly Halloween themed but I don't know if there will be people in costume or any specific special events. Stop by on your way to Fat Friday or between trick-or-treaters.

 In what's been perhaps one of the worst-kept secrets, it looks as if we're getting another pizza restaurant here in Valdese. Pizza Hut will be opening a sit-down restaurant in the lot below Morgan Trace and across from Galaxy Food Center. I don't think it's officially within the city limits but they will likely apply for annexation. I hope it does well, but I'm surprised that a pizza place will be our newest restaurant--they're entering a pretty crowded field. The same company that owns Pizza Hut (Yum Brands--part of Pepsi) also owns Kentucky Fried Chicken and Taco Bell, neither of which would have much competition between Hildebran and Morganton.

Next week's election finds two council members up for reelection: Harold Passmore (who faces challenger Keith Ogle) and Vickie Oxentine.

10/24/03
As we head into turn-your-clock-back weekend, Valdese says goodbye to it's brief autumn coloring and begins to gear up for the holiday season. First up is Halloween and the Valdese Business Association is sponsoring trick-or-treating on Main Street at participating businesses from 3:00 until 5:00 p.m. Trick-or-Treaters can get a free ice cream cone at Myra's as they make their way through town. At 5:00 p.m. a Halloween Parade will travel from the Community Center, up Carolina Street, then down Main Street. A costume contest will be held in the Wachovia Parking Lot for contestants from 0 - 17 years of age. Age groups include: 0-2; 3-5; 6-10; 11-13; and 14-17.

Saturday is a big day in Valdese with a Halloween Carnival at the Community Center from 6:00 - 10:00 pm and a bluegrass concert, featuring "Mountain Heart" with "Roby Huffman and the Bluegrass Cut-Ups" at the Old Rock School. And to get your day off to a great start, don't miss the Valdese Rotary Club pancake breakfast Saturday morning. The annual event serves as a fund-raiser and is always a good time.

10/16/03
The house on Mineral Springs Mountain Road, adjacent to East Valdese Baptist Church was sacrificed last week to expand the Church's parking lot. As it is now, churchgoers have to park at Giovanni's and sometimes across Highway 70 so the expanded parking should help keep people from having to cross the street.

Myra's held it's second annual Burke/Caldwell County Cruise last Sunday, in conjunction with the Route 66 Classic Car Club. According to Larry Earp, the restaurant had its busiest day ever, not considering the fact that they gave away over 400 barbeque plates to participants in the cruise. Mr. Earp said that 268 cars and 80 motorcycles participated. Needless to say, downtown Valdese was packed with enthusiasts. Watch for an article in the upcoming issue of Voice of the Foothills.

Speaking of Myra's, Myra's Little Italy is undergoing an expansion, enclosing part of the porch to create additional seating for about twenty more customers. This will allow the restaurant to cater events of up to about one hundred people.

East Burke plays its final home game of the year tonight against Watauga and comes into the game with a 7-1 record. My memory may not be perfect by that's the best record I can remember for the Cavaliers in quite a while. If they should win, it would set up a big matchup with Freedom in two weeks at "Fat Friday." Perhaps it's fitting that the game should fall on Halloween this year. Listen to the game on 1490-AM WSVM.

10/07/03
Congratulations to Valdese on receiving its seventeenth straight Tree City USA award from the Arbor Day Foundation. In case you're wondering what it takes to receive the award, here's a link explaining the requirements: http://www.arborday.com/programs/TreeCityStandards.html.

On the Recreation Department side, the tennis courts at McGalliard Falls will receive their first resurfacing in twenty-two years. Also, the fitness center will be getting six new exercise machines and removing three old stationary bikes which will go to the fire department. They will also be getting some new water aerobics equipment. Membership at the JCD Center is about 569 currently, though according to Tim Rhoney, it's been as high as 700-800.

The town is going to be taking ownership and upkeep responsibility for the clock tower in exchange for the balance of funds raised by HVF for the construction of the tower. Some of this money will be used to build the East Main Street Park.

That sidewalk mailbox near the post office may be moved in the near future. The plan is to have people drive in the back entrance to the post office and put the box near where the curb blocks off the parking area on the south side of the building. The box would be on your left and you would continue on out the current parking area entrance. All that is needed is approval from the building owner.

I think I've mentioned this before, but Gardiol Street will be getting a sidewalk in the near future. It should run from the Laurel Street intersection, down to Curville Street.

Chuck Moseley, Community Affairs Director, has entered his last week as an employee of the Town. His plan is to continue many of the same duties, but as an outside "consultant." This would alleviate many of the extended-hour days and allow him more time for one of his favorite passions--golf.

10/04/03
Yesterday's Relay for Life (see front page for story) was at least as big a success as last year's. Cold weather couldn't keep the participants away, though it may have made them walk a bit faster to stay warm. Total dollars raised is not yet available, but corporate sponsors donated several thousand dollars, above the amounts raised by the walkers.

The Champions Tour golf event in Hickory was an enormous success for the Hickory area, whether Valdese sees any benefit as a results remains to be seen, but crowds of over 90,000 have been estimated over the course of the tournament. I had a great time following behind players such as Ben Crenshaw and found it pretty cool to be the only non-players allowed to walk down the fairway behind the players. They were for the most part, very friendly and of the seven players I kept score for during the tournament, only one played poorly (though he did shoot his age.)

If you've looked at the rough sketches on the mural of the East Main Street Park, you may have noticed how large and prominent McGalliard Falls is on the right side of the picture. This is likely to change since the falls, though a big attraction, are not as historically significant as other parts of the town. Its size is apparently due to the desire to have it flow into the real waterfall in the park but will likely be resized a bit. This is why a rough sketch is so important, changes are much easier to make at this stage.

Old Colony Players annual joint venture with Valdese Elementary School brings "Wind in the Willows" to the stage at the Old Rock School. I haven't seen it yet, but heard it is pretty good. It plays this weekend and next weekend. OCP will not be having a 'haunted amphitheater' this year but there's been talk of something at the Trail of Faith.

Have you heard the new WSVM? They've changed their format to 'Timeless Classics' which should be a niche market here. The music is from earlier eras and I believe includes instrumentals on occasion. For more information, you can visit www.timelessclassicsonline.com and look around. They've also moved to 24-hour broadcasts. Retained are: J.D. Baker's Early Morning Gospel Sunshine Show; the Trading Post; the Beatle Brunch; Atlanta Braves, Wake Forest Demon Deacon, and East Burke Cavaliers broadcasts, and WBTV news simulcasts. So tune them in and hear what you've been missing!

09/23/03
The sounds of fall (acorns hitting the roof and crunching under the tires on the driveway) are here soon to be followed by the turning and falling of leaves. Work on the historic mural should soon begin as it seems that the preparation work has nearly finished. I've created a new page that will chart the progress of the park and provide information upon its completion. It will appear under the Attractions section.

I've had some trouble getting the Footrace results working on the website but they should be ok now. If anyone can't view them and/or wants the Excel file with the results for all the races, let me know and I can e-mail it to you.

The talk around here has mostly been about the PGA Champions Tour event at Rock Barn Golf Course in Conover. A number of area people are involved as volunteers. Town Manager Jeff Morse and Mayor Jim Hatley are playing in the Pro-Am event. I'll post their respective teams results if I get them. I'll be volunteering as a Walking Scorer which essentially means I walk with the players and record their strokes in a handheld computer which sends the information back to the media center for The Golf Channel to use in their broadcast. Tickets are reasonable and still available and I'd encourage you to come watch some of the greatest names in golf.

Next weekend (Friday and Saturday) is the second Relay for Life at the track behind the Old Rock School. It's kind of a walk-a-thon, but laps don't count. The Relay is to benefit the American Cancer Society and a number of organizations have formed teams to try and keep someone walking for the length of the event. Cancer survivors are encouraged to attend and take part in the Survivors' Walk at the beginning of the Relay. Luminaries honoring or in memory of someone are also available for a ten dollar donation. The easiest way to get involved is to stop by Town Hall and speak with Debbie Jones for more information.

09/05/03
The final Friday Night Concert was held last night and attendance seemed down slightly despite cooler weather. Though the concerts are ending, the cruise-ins will continue on Friday evenings at Myra's until daylight savings time at the end of October. Then the cruise-ins will be held on Sunday afternoons.

Monday's Town Council meeting was relatively uneventful. Mayor Hatley did, however, note that he would like to make Exit #111 off I-40 the official exit (entrance) for the town from the interstate. He felt that it was the more attractive and, when the redesign is complete, the quickest and easiest way to downtown. All this really means is that whenever someone with the town gives directions to a community event (the Festival, Old Rock School concerts, etc...) they will tell people to use that exit.

The "bubble" went up over the swimming pool this week, representing the symbolic end of summer in Valdese.

I've received one correction to the race results from the 2003 Waldensian Festival. If you competed and I spelled your name wrong please let me know. The sheet I had to use to get the times was fax quality and difficult to read.