This feature mines our archives for what was going on this week in local history.
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Thirty-four years ago this week, the McDowell Chamber of Commerce held its 30th annual banquet at McDowell High School. In this photo are 15 of the 30 past McDowell Chamber of Commerce presidents. They were Mike Little, Jerry VanDyke, Howard Baker, Wade Bowman, Bill Griffith, Gene Cross III, Brady Brooks, Everette Carnes, Ed Rankin, C.D. Blanton, Angus Stronach, Jack Walker, Dr. F.J. Ragaz, Pat Davis and Jim McGarr. Other past Chamber presidents who were recognized were Harry Hasskamp, Ernest House Jr., Walter Williams, Franklin Yarbrough, Willard Haithcock, Roger White, John Decker, Marshall Dark Jr., Jerry Dodson, Ed Palmer, Ed Ghent, H. Fred Williams, Ben Eller Jr. and Ron Sinclair.
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Foothills Community Theatre was planning to move numerous sets and props used in previous theatrical productions from the Etta warehouse on Logan Street in Marion to a storage area in Old Fort. Some of the items that needed to be moved are shown in this photo. They include the villagers’ cart from “Brigadoon,” a statue from “A Company of Wayward Saints,” an oversized chair from “Snoopy!!!” and the footbridge from “The Music Man.” Volunteers, especially those with trucks, were needed for this big move.
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McDowell Twin Cinemas in Marion was showing these hit movies.
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This message was added above the main sign at Valley Chapel Baptist Church in Old Fort. It made it clear that members were not only wanted and needed to come to church, they were also expected to come.
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During the week of Jan. 17, 1987, approximately 300 people gathered for the McDowell Chamber of Commerce’s 30th annual banquet. Kays Gary (far left), columnist with The Charlotte Observer, was the guest speaker at the event. He stood with (from left) Sharon Smith, who won the Chamber’s Volunteer of the Year Award; Jerry VanDyke, the Chamber’s 1987 president; and Mike Little, who won the Chamber’s Citizenship Award, and who completed his two terms as the Chamber’s president at the banquet.
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During the week of Jan. 17, 1987, up to 8 inches of snow fell on McDowell County one night and the next morning. It covered this sign on Interstate 40. Officials with the N.C. Highway Patrol said it was wise to not even bother driving that day and home was the best place to be.
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The annual Mothers March for the March of Dimes was a success despite the bad weather. Approximately $924 was raised to be used for research to prevent birth defects and for educational programs. From left were Karen Baltzley, area director for the March of Dimes, Sylvia Parnell, McDowell chairman of the Mothers March, congratulate volunteers Margaret Wilson and Margaret Ballew, both of whom volunteered their time to the Mothers March for the previous three years.
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This was the marquee of the Garden City Drive-In in the Pleasant Gardens community. The headline in The McDowell News read “From Walt Disney to adult films, the Garden City Drive-In prepares for a new kind of future after 40 years of movies.”
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Titanette guard Amy McEntire fired one up over a Lady Tornado defender. McEntire played a big role in helping the McDowell varsity girls win their fourth straight game to go 9-5 overall, 3-1 in league games.
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Charlotte Observer columnist Kays Gary had a way with words and he used those words to charm a crowd of approximately 300 at the McDowell Chamber of Commerce’s 30th annual banquet. The 66-year-old journalist and weekly columnist for The Charlotte Observer told stories about the people he wrote about and reminisced when he wrote for The Marion Progress more than 40 years ago and told the crowd that he changes he’s seen in Marion over the years reminded him of what happened to Charlotte. “You’re doing the Charlotte thing all over again,” he said, adding that the county was beginning to prosper, and joking that “You’re on your way to becoming miserable.”
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West McDowell Junior High’s Tammy McEntire drives to the basket against Kings Mountain. McEntire poured in 12 points to help the West girls’ varsity to a 57-30 basketball victory.
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Up to 8 inches of snow fell on McDowell County one night and the next morning in January 1987. A worker piled snow along the side of Main Street in Marion, clearing the way for traffic.
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A lone man walked down South Garden Street, taking care to stay in the paths in the snow that had been left by automobile tires. Beyond him, a freight train passed slowly and the remainder of the street was deserted.
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Trojan Wendy Lancaster drove to the hoop to score two of 12 points during East McDowell’s season-opening basketball victory over Crest.
