First Baptist Church is standing on the promises of years to come

 

By Hugh Fisher

hfisher@kannapoliscitizen.com

Like the shadow of the sundial at Veterans Park next door, time has turned around First Baptist Church of Kannapolis. Read more

Kannapolis Calendar

Thursday

• Cannon Memorial YMCA Walking Timeline,  open to the public at the Y through Jan. 31, celebrating organization’s 100th anniversary. For full details about the centennial celebration, visit www.cannonymca.org or phone 704-939-9622.

• Kannapolis Planning and Zoning Commission, 6 p.m., Meeting Room, Kannapolis Train Station. Contact Planning & Zoning Department, 704-933-5999.

• Concord Area Subgroup of the Metrolina Real Estate Investors Association, meeting at 6 p.m., McCabe’s Steakhouse, 316 Brookdale St. 

 Monday

• Kannapolis City Council meeting, 6 p.m., Meeting Room, Kannapolis Train Station. Contact Bridgette Bell,  704-920-4303, bbell@ci.kannapolis.nc.us.

•  Kannapolis History Associates, quarterly general meeting, 7 p.m., Kimball Lutheran Church; guest speaker on K-town history, small talk. Public welcome.

 

Nov. 15

• Teen author Amanda Burris, free presentation, Kannapolis Train Station, 2 p.m. For more information, call Parks and Recreation at 704-920-4346.

 

Nov. 22

• Barbecue Fundraiser, First Wesleyan Church, 301 Bethpage Road, 10 a.m. until the food runs out. Whole Boston butts, $30; order by calling Kathy Chester, 704-932-0248. Sandwiches ($3.50) and sides also for sale. 

 

Nov. 24

• Kannapolis City Council meeting, 6 p.m., Meeting Room, Kannapolis Train Station. Contact Bridgette Bell,  704-920-4303, bbell@ci.kannapolis.nc.us.

Charlotte Antique Show moving to Cabarrus

The Cabarrus Arena and Events Center has announced that the Greater Charlotte Antique and Collectibles Show will move from Charlotte earlier than expected and open at the end of January.

“If you wished you didn’t have to wait until April to go to the Antique Show in Concord, your wish was just granted!” Cabarrus Arena officials said in a press release.

The Charlotte Antique and Collectibles Show will hold its last “November Spectacular” at the Metro-lina Expo in Charlotte.

In their e-mailed announcement, Cabarrus Arena officials are including a coupon for free admission to the November show in Charlotte.

“Experience first-hand the show that will soon be right in your backyard here at the Cabarrus Arena,” the Concord officials say. “Meet the dealers and vendors, and tell them that you look forward to seeing them in January in Concord.”

The Greater Charlotte Antique & Collectibles Show Gates will in Concord on Jan. 30, 2009.

Living Green Expo coming Nov. 21-23

The Cabarrus Arena & Events Center will host the first Carolina Living Green Expo showcasing more sustainable lifestyles, Nov. 21– 23.  

The expo is aimed at families, individuals and businesses, and it features educational seminars on topics such as biodiesel fuels, biopower for electricity, public policy and legislation and incentives to green companies..

“Our goal is to teach people the full meaning of ‘Living Green,’ ” said W. C. Lanier of Wilmington, owner of the expo.

The expo should be a tremendous asset to local tourism, according to  DeSales Wagster, head of the Cabarrus County Convention & Visitors Bureau. 

“The concept of going green has reached full force in the tourism industry, with focus on sustaining our natural assets,” Wagster said. 

Admission and parking  are free. The seminars include a small fee for participation, and pre-registration is encouraged. 

Individuals can register online at www.carolinalivinggreenexpo.com. 

The show will run 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Nov. 21 and 22 and 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Nov. 23. 

The show includes a career day for high school students on Friday, Nov. 21,  featuring information on careers in many fields and how green initiatives impact those fields. For more information about the expo, visit www.carolinalivinggreenexpo.com.

Mallory Honeycutt is Miss Cabarrus

By Shavonne Potts

news@kannapoliscitizen.com

CONCORD — A former East Rowan High School student now reigns as Miss Cabarrus County.

Salisbury’s Mallory Honeycutt, daughter of Stan and Rita Honeycutt, participated in the pageant Saturday at Mount Pleasant High School.

Judges also named Honeycutt Miss Congeniality and awarded her the top spot in the talent portion of the scholarship competition.

During the talent portion, Honeycutt sang “My Heart Will Go On,” a song featured in the movie Titanic.

Honeycutt, 20, is a student studying nursing at the University of North Carolina at  Greensboro and will receive a $1,000 scholarship as the winner of the pageant.

Mallory will go on to compete in the Miss North Carolina pageant in 2009. 

“I don’t do any other pageants until that time, but I will be working in the community talking about my platform,” Honeycutt said.

During her reign as Miss Cabarrus County, Honeycutt will speak to groups about Project STEP, which stands for Supplementing and Teaching Exercise and Promoting Good Nutrition.

“A lot of my studies consist of promoting health and wellness. I hope I can encourage my area and state in fighting the obesity epidemic,” she said.

As a nursing student, Honeycutt has routine rotations in different areas of the hospital. She just completed a rotation in pediatrics at Brenner Children’s Hospital, which is part of Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.

Honeycutt is now working at the maternity ward at the Women’s Hospital of  Greensboro.

“I’ve enjoyed labor and delivery,” she said.

Honeycutt said her parents are proud of her and have encouraged her to continue her dream of singing and “advocate for what I believe in.”

Honeycutt has only been participating in pageants for a couple of years.

She first competed in the Miss Junior Civitan at East Rowan High and was selected first runnerup.

She later placed in the top 20 out of 100 young women in the National American Miss and was runnerup in the Miss Spencer/Rowan pageant in 2006.

In 2007, Honeycutt was named Miss Rowan County Veteran.

Honeycutt will participate in two upcoming parades — the Nov. 22 Concord Christmas parade and Dec. 13 Kannapolis Christmas parade.

Murdock receiving Martha Stewart’s Living Award

By Emily Ford

eford@salisburypost.com

KANNAPOLIS — N.C. Research Campus founder David Murdock, 85, will appear on TV today with Martha Stewart to talk about healthy aging with his longtime friend.

The Martha Stewart Show airs at 10 a.m. on ABC. Murdock will also cook on the show with Stewart, making a sweet, roasted pineapple seasoned with rosemary.

“He will talk about nutrition and how he stays healthy by eating well,” said Lynne Scott Safrit, president of campus developer Castle & Cooke North Carolina. “He will also mention the Research Campus, and what the scientists will study.”

Later tonight, Murdock, the billionaire owner of Dole Food Co., will accept Stewart’s inaugural Living Award for his work in the areas of nutrition and wellness.

Stewart created the award in memory of her mother to honor people who promote healthy aging, said Phyllis Beaver, marketing director for the Research Campus.

Stewart will present the award at the Martha Stewart Center for Living Gala in New York. Stewart’s center at the Mount Sinai Medical Center offers primary care for older adults and tries to enhance the public perception of aging.

Last summer, Murdock gave Stewart a personal tour of the $1.5 billion biotechnology complex in downtown Kannapolis. She told the Post she was there to learn about nutrition, one of the focuses of the campus.

At the time, preparations for the arrival of Murdock’s mystery guest angered NASCAR fans when Research Campus developer Castle & Cooke asked the city to remove the Dale Trail banners from Dale Earnhardt Boulevard.

The city later reassured Earnhardt fans that Kannapolis will continue to honor the memory of its native son in other ways.

Research Campus art show draws 244 entries from 4 school systems

As part of the recent grand opening of the N.C. Research Campus, the Nutrition Research Institute sponsored an art contest that drew 244 entries from students from the Rowan-Salisbury, Kannapolis, Cabarrus and Mecklenburg school systems.

A.L. Brown student Katherine Kombol took the grand prize, valued at $250, and a number of other Kannapolis students also took prizes.

The judges named 10 specific winners and handed out 39 honorable mentions. 

Kannapolis native and Nutrition Research Institute employee Ryan G. Dayvault managed the contest, and several institute faculty and staff members judged the artwork.

The Nutrition Research Institute, which is part of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, displayed all the artwork during the grand opening ceremonies, and the winning art will be permanently displayed in the UNC building.

All entrants received a gift bag, which included a ribbon, a gift certificate from the Afton Ridge/Concord Mills’ Chick-Fil-A and several other items.The winners are:

Grand Prize

• Katherine Kombol, A.L. Brown.

 

Grades preK-3

• Madeline McDonough, Jackson Park Elementary, first place.

• Kena Hackett, W.M. Irvin Elementary, second place.

• Rebekah Gresser, Gresser Grace & Truth Emporium  Home School, third place.

 

Grades 4-8

• Andrew Mullis, Corriher-Lipe Middle School, first place.

• Daverian Williams, C.C. Griffin Middle School, second place.

• Tyler Greene, Corriher-Lipe Middle School, third place.

 

Grades 9-12

• Cinthia Silva, A.L. Brown. first place. 

• Jessica Medina, A.L. Brown, second place.

• Katie Sawyer, A.L. Brown, third place.

Sponsors included Afton Ridge/Concord Mills Chick-Fil-A, Skateland USA, NASCAR SpeedPark, Depompa’s Comfortable Foods, Gem Theatre, Northcross Lanes, Shoe Show and Concord Mills.

Northwest Cabarrus has turned it around

By Bill Kiser

Kannapolis Citizen

Just three weeks ago, Northwest Cabarrus was sliding down the North Piedmont Conference standings, and its coaches and players were looking for a way to turn things around.

Now, the Trojans find themselves riding high entering Friday night’s regular-season finale against Lake Norman, and looking at a potential state playoff berth.

Game time is 7:30 p.m. at Trojan Stadium in Kannapolis.

Northwest (5-5, 3-5) has won its last two games — including a 34-7 victory over East Rowan last week — after losing three straight and five of its last six games.

A win over the Wildcats (6-4, 4-4) would not only give the Trojans their first three-game winning streak, it would solidify their position to earn a berth in the state 3A playoffs.

“It’s a really good feeling — our kids have played well the last two weeks, and we’ve gotten out of there with a pair of wins,” Northwest Cabarrus head coach Rich Williams said.

“We’ve got five wins now, but we need to win this week just to really make sure we’re in the playoffs. Since they only use 10 games to determine playoff seeds … we want to go in at 5-5, not 

4-6. Hopefully we’ll get the win Friday, and that’ll assure us of a playoff spot for sure.”

Last week, it was the play of quarterback Jonathon Wallace, who had been benched just three games earlier because of poor performance and replaced by Aarick Hincher.

Against East, Wallace had season bests in completions (13 in 18 attempts), percentage and touchdown passes (three, two going to Graham Wright).

And as long as Wallace keeps putting up numbers like that — and not turning the ball over — he’ll remain the Trojans’ starting QB, according to Williams.

“We went with the hot hand, and it happened to be Jonathon,” Williams said. “I told him the same thing this week — he’ll be in until he doesn’t perform. That doesn’t mean not throwing interceptions or anything like that; it means we want him to perform well. If he does that, he’ll be in there the entire game.”

Yet Northwest could face a challenge from Lake Norman, which has been an up-and-down team this season.

The Wildcats have played above themselves against the league’s best teams, beating Mooresville and taking NPC frontrunner West Rowan into overtime. But they have also struggled against weaker teams, as in losses to Carson and South Rowan.

“They’ve been kinda up and down,” Williams said. “They’ve competed well and beat the league’s best teams, but they’ve had problems with some of the lower-ranked teams.

“They’re kinda like us — one of the middle of the pack teams — and they’re trying to find an identity and put together a winning streak. Their defense is extremely good, so we’re going to have to play well this Friday in order to win.”

Battle for the Bell is Friday

By Bill Kiser

Kannapolis Citizen

A.L. Brown’s players have had just two goals this season — winning games and making a long run through the upcoming state playoffs.

Oh yeah, the Wonders have a third goal as well — beating cross-town Concord in the annual “Battle for the Bell” game.

However, even though the two teams have headed in different directions this season, won-loss records will mean little in Friday night’s 78th-annual Bell game.

“It’s like the Cowboys-Redskins or Carolina and Duke in basketball,” offensive line coach Todd Hagler said. “It’s that type of rivalry.  Records don’t matter.”

Game time is 7:30 p.m. at Concord’s Robert C. Bailey Stadium.

Brown (8-2, 6-1 South Piedmont Conference) goes into its regular-season finale riding a five-game winning streak, including a dominating 52-0 victory over Porter Ridge last week.

And the Spiders (2-7, 1-6), who have won state 3A titles in 2004 and 2006, have been heading the opposite direction — riding at the bottom of the conference standings after losing its last six games, including last week’s 14-0 defeat at the hands of Parkwood.

Yet the Wonders’ coaches and players aren’t ready to put Friday’s game in the win column just yet.

“Nobody cares about what the records are,” defensive coordinator Noah Lyon said. “Nobody cares right now what Concord’s record is and nobody cares what our record is. That’s why you’ve got to play the game.

“We’re going to expect Concord’s best shot. We’re going to expect them to play the best they’ve played all year Friday night. … I hope our kids are going to be ready for the challenge.”

If last week’s game is any indication, the Wonders may just keep the bell for another year, and be a contender for a state title.

Brown’s running game, expected to struggle against Porter Ridge’s defense, piled up 253 yards — the third-highest game this season — with three players (Lott, Travis Riley and Antwoine Jordan) running for 50 or more yards and scoring a touchdown.

That made life a little easier for Lott, who completed 6-of-11 passes for two touchdowns — a 66-yarder to Colby Reid and a 9-yarder to T.J. Johnson — while leading an offense that did not have a turnover for the first time this season.

“We’ve been speaking to them a bunch all year about penalties and turnovers, and that’s what we didn’t do Friday,” Hagler said. “We weren’t getting penalties, especially on first down … and we didn’t turn the ball over.

“For the most part, our offensive line did their jobs well, our guys ran the ball well, our receivers ran their routes well … but the biggest thing was that we took care of the ball.”

Defensively, the Wonders had one of their best games of the season, holding Porter Ridge to 26 rushing yards and forcing four fumbles — two of them going for touchdowns, a 28-yard return by Chris Moore and a 

70-yarder by lineman Dwayne Stroud.

“We knew what Porter Ridge was going to try to do,” Lyon said. “We were pleased overall. It was a team thing Friday — the offense moved the ball well, and we played pretty good and kept them from getting good field position.”

However, there’s more at stake Friday than just the Bell — while Concord holds a 38-35-4 advantage, the Wonders have won nine of the last 11, including last year’s game — there’s also playoff implications on the line.

Brown is currently tied with Anson County atop the SPC standings, but could wind up with the title outright — and more important, the league’s No. 1 seeding in the state playoffs — should the Wonders win Friday and the Bearcats fall to Marvin Ridge.

Yet Brown’s players are looking at Friday night’s game as just the first step towards bigger and better things this season.

“We’re ready for (Concord),” quarterback Jamill Lott said after last week’s game. “We want to keep the bell. We want to win that game, get the first seed from winning the conference championship, play at home throughout the state playoffs and go all the way to the state (finals). That’s our goal.”

Barbara Ballard

KANNAPOLIS — Barbara Azalee Courtney Ballard, 91,  V-8 Street, died Thursday, Oct. 30, 2008, at Hospice House of Cabarrus County. 

Born Feb. 28, 1917, she was a daughter of the late Orin Butler and Kizzie Bell Mills Courtney. She was a homemaker.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Henry F. Ballard Jr.

Survivors include daughters Betty Riddle-Marlow, Kannapolis, and Shirley Adams, Charlotte; son Tommie Ballard, Charlotte; sister Geneva Moore, Monroe; seven grandsons; one great-grandson; and three great-granddaughters; and one great-great grandchild.  

A service was held Saturday, Nov. 1, 2008, at Lady’s Funeral Home, conducted by the Rev. Tommy Young.

Memorials: Big Elm Retirement Center, 1310 Glenn Avenue, Kannapolis, NC 28081 or Coltrane Life Center, 321 Corban Ave. S.E., Concord, NC 28025.

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