Johnson not giving up on N.W.
Speedway buy
By JERRY LANKFORD
Record Editor
The
owners of the North Wilkesboro Speedway say they haven’t talked to Junior
Johnson about a potential sale.
Johnson, however, says he’s talked to both Bob Bahre and Bruton Smith
“time and time again” about buying the defunct track. These talks began two or three years ago, Johnson said during a
Tuesday morning interview with The Record. “I talked to Bruton (Smith) about it in October,” Johnson told The
Record during a Tuesday morning interview.
He
added, “Bahre, at one time, was really gung ho to sell it. I had three
different meetings with him. Then he reported that I was trying to buy it for
Bruton.” “The last time I talked to Junior was a year ago in March,” Bahre told
The Record on Monday. “I haven’t talked to him since.” When asked about
a potential sale, Bahre said, “I haven’t thought about it. If it did happen, I
would want to make sure it was a clean deal.” Despite the frustration, Johnson
vows to continue negotiations to try to buy the track. Johnson says that he and
a group of investors, whom he declined to name, want to buy the speedway and
bring some sort of racing back to Wilkes. The track has potential for both
Busch Grand National and Craftsman Truck Series racing, he said. The out-of-town owners seem to be preventing
that or anything else from happening at the speedway.
Bahre
and Smith each own half of the North Wilkesboro Speedway. They bought it after
the 1995 death of longtime owner Enoch Staley.
The two made the reported $14 million purchase for one reason. “When we
bought it, it was for the (race) dates,” Bahre said. For decades NASCAR Winston Cup races had been held at the
speedway each spring and fall. The last NASCAR Winston Cup event was held at
the track in September 1996. After that Bahre got one of the dates for his New
Hampshire International Speedway. Smith got the other for Texas Motor Speedway,
which he owns. Smith told The Record
during an interview last week that he “couldn’t speculate” on any sell to
Johnson. Smith seems to be the hard
sell. “I think Bruton is the one you have to move,” Johnson said. Despite the previous soured negotiations,
Johnson said that Bahre appears to be more open to the idea of a sale. And, Johnson said that he’s more familiar
with the New Hampshire track owner. “I used to do a lot of business with Bahre.
Him and his brother used to have a race shop in Statesville. I sold him a lot
of cars and parts and stuff,” he said. Bahre
said he would like to see the North Wilkesboro Speedway used “for
something.” “I only own half of it,”
Bahre said. “I’m not faulting Bruton. If he wanted to take it and run some
races there, I’d go along with it. I’d like to see the thing going.”
A
return of racing would be good for Wilkes County’s economy, Bahre said, but
added, “Bruton is more interested in all his tracks. I’m more interested in
what I have here.” The North Wilkesboro
Speedway would be good for Winston Cup testing along with Busch and truck
racing, Bahre said, but repairs are needed.
“I don’t think it would take a lot. I’ve only seen it (the track)
twice,” Bahre said. “It would probably need to be repaved and it would need
some paint. You’d want to freshen it up some. It would need a little cleaning
up just from sitting.” It would take
more than that, Smith said, including a sewer system, to allow the track to be
reopened. Smith, who also owns NASCAR
tracks in Charlotte, Atlanta, Bristol, Las Vega and Michigan, expressed little interest
in operating the track with Bahre. He said he didn’t want to risk money or
manpower on something of which he was only half owner. As far as negotiating a sale, Johnson said
each of the owners seem to refer to the other for reasons for not selling. Regardless, Johnson says he’ll keep
trying. “I’m going to keep up with it,”
he said. “I’m not going to let it drop by the wayside.”
Kmart closing Wilkesboro store
By JERRY LANKFORD
Record Editor
Wilkesboro’s
Kmart is closing. The store, located on
U.S. 421, is among 326 “under-performing” stores that the nationwide retailer
plans to shut down. It’s unclear when
the Wilkesboro store will be closed for good. Kmart officials were not
available for comment at press time.
Staff and management at the Wilkesboro store were tightlipped when
contacted by The Record on Tuesday. A manager referred questions to
corporate offices in Troy, Mich. “There’s nothing I can say,” the man
said. Officials at the Wilkesboro office
of the Employment Security Commissioner estimate the store employees around
80. County and town leaders were in the
dark about the closing at mid-afternoon Tuesday. County Manager Gary Page, Wilkesboro Town Manager Ken Noland and
Wilkes Economic Development Director Kelly Pipes had received no notification
from Kmart.
“I’ve
not had any conversation with any Kmart officials,” Noland said. Word about the closure of the Wilkesboro
store, however, began circulating earlier in the day. Official news from the
company was released around 3 p.m. The
store closures are part of the company’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy financial
objectives, according to information released from Kmart.
According
to a company news release, the store closures are pending approval in bankruptcy
court. A court date is scheduled for Jan. 28.
If the plan is approved, inventory clearance sales would start a short
time later, according the news release.
Kmart stores in Elkin and Lenoir will also be among 18 stores in North
Carolina that will be closed. Others
include stores in Hickory, Albermarle, Charlotte, Clinton, Durham, Elizabeth
City, Greensboro, Laurinburg, Lexington, Mooresville, Raleigh, Southern Pines,
Spindale, Whiteville and Wilson.
New super picked
Wilkes lands Elkin City’s school
By JERRY LANKFORD
Record Editor
A
new superintendent was named for Wilkes County Schools on Monday. Stephen C. Laws will begin work here on
March 1. His salary will be around $100,000 including benefits, said Wilkes
School Board Chairman Betsy Welborn.
Laws, who has been superintendent for Elkin City Schools since 1998, was
hired by a unanimous vote of the board during a special called meeting Monday
afternoon at the Learning Resource Center in Wilkesboro. Laws will replace Superintendent Joe Johnson,
who announced in May that he wished to retire after nearly 32 years in
education. Johnson, who has been Wilkes
Schools’ superintendent for almost seven years, has an annual salary of
$99,900. Laws, a native of Gastonia,
said the first order of business would be to meet with Johnson on Friday “so we
can hit the ground running.” The
contract the board has offered to Laws extends from March 1 until June 30,
2007. The school board met to take its
vote in front of a packed house.
Welborn told the audience how the selection process was held.
School
Attorney Fred Johnson placed notices, advertising the position, locally, across
the state and nationwide, Welborn said.
There were a total of 62 applications requested with 28 being returned. The board narrowed its search to 10
candidates. During interviews held in November, the field was downsized to two,
Welborn said. Vice Chairman Ila Baugham
made a motion to hire Laws. Several board members simultaneously seconded the
motion. Laws, his wife, Debra Leonhardt
(a teacher at Gentry Middle School in Mount Airy), and their daughter, Ellen,
9, stood and smiled.
Walking
to the front of the room, Laws said, “I can’t wait to start.” He also said he
was anxious to tell officials at Elkin City Schools. “It’s hard to hide my
happiness.” Laws is qualified for the
post, Welborn said. He earned a bachelors degree from Wake Forest University, a
masters degree from Winthorp University and a doctorate from Vanderbilt
University. He has worked as a teacher, coach, assistant principal, principal
and personnel director for public schools.
Laws is involved in various community and civic organizations, including
serving as vice president for Community Betterment through the Elkin/Jonesville
Chamber of Commerce. He is also a member of Rotary International, is a director
of the Tri-County United Way and is a director for Big Brothers/Big Sisters of
Yadkin Valley.
While
superintendent for Elkin City Schools, Laws helped implement a high school
program for on-line advanced placement courses, a partnership with Surry
Community College for offering college-level courses at Elkin High School. Laws is also credited with leading the Elkin
school system in attaining top scores on state mandated tests. As a line of well wishers shook Laws’ hand,
Welborn said, “I’m excited about it. He came to us with impeccable
references.” But that’s not all Laws
will bring, Welborn added. “We wanted to try to get someone with good
credentials, but someone who would fit into the community. I think he will.”
Tiffany’s opens with big turnout
By JERRY LANKFORD
Record Editor
Tiffany’s
Place opened with a bang this weekend as more than 100 students came to check
out the new teen center. About 40
students from West Wilkes High School came on Saturday night as a first part of
a “slow opening,” said Tiffany’s Place Coordinator Rebekah Ingle. Sunday afternoon saw a larger crowd with
about 70 students coming from West Wilkes Middle School. “We felt good, very positive about it,”
Ingle said. Tiffany’s Place, which was
built by retired Lowe’s executive Pete Kulynych, offers teens a safe place to
hang out. The center has a computer lab, reading and music rooms, a movie
theater and games. What students
attended the inaugural weekend gravitated toward, however, was the kareokee
machine and pool table.
On
Sunday afternoon, several students vied for spots on the stage to hold the
microphone and sing. And what are
students saying about the center?
“They’re saying, ‘It’s awesome,’” Ingle said. “They love it.” West Middle School students have already
asked for more days to spend at the center. So far, the schedule is set for Saturday nights for high school
students and Sunday afternoon for middle school students. “It’s kind of up in the air who gets Friday
nights,” Ingle said. “Whoever uses it (the center) more will likely get
it.” This weekend’s high school turnout
was about what Tiffany’s Place staffers expected, Ingle said. They were,
however, surprised by the number of middle schoolers. “We did ID non-stop on Sunday,” Ingle said. “We got about 60 of
them done, but still, there were students who didn’t get them.”
Kim
Beshears, who was among more than a dozen volunteers, sat behind a desk, keying
information for the IDs into a computer for the entire three-hour opening on
Sunday. The IDs will also be used to
keep track of youths visiting the center. A bar code will be swiped through the
device and will enter the time the youth arrived. It will be swiped again as
they exit to show what time they leave.
Other safety and security measures will be taken. One door - which
enters from the patio on the D Street-side of the building - will be used for
coming and going. An alarm will sound if any other door is opened. Each student is required to have a picture
identification card made before visiting the center.
Ingle
and fellow coordinator Ellen Cline are visiting Wilkes high schools and middle
schools to give students covenants, which include the rules for Tiffany’s
Place. Students are asked to bring
their signed covenants to the center prior to the schools’ assigned day to
avoid long lines like there were this weekend.
Other schools’ assigned dates to visit Tiffany’s Place are:
Jan.
18 East Wilkes High School from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m.;
Jan.
19 East Wilkes Middle School from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.;
Jan.
25 North Wilkes High School from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m.;
Jan.
26 North Wilkes Middle School from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.;
Feb.
1 Wilkes Central High School from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m.;
Feb.
2 Wilkes Central Middle School from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
A
grand opening will be held for all high schools on Feb. 8 from 8 p.m. to 11
p.m. and on Feb 9 for all middle schools from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Slow Andy, a
local teen rock band, will perform on both dates. Ingle said she and Cline expect continued good turnouts. “We went to East High (on Monday) and gave
out a lot of covenants to those students,” Ingle said. “We expect a lot to come
from that school.” Ingle and Cline will
visit each of the schools to distribute copies of the covenant. Students
wishing to visit the center, and their parents, must sign the list of rules
before they can attend.
The
center, with the exception of the music room, reading room and computer room,
may be rented for birthday parties and other special occasions for $75 per hour
(with a two-hour minimum). A security deposit of $75 is also required. The
kitchen can be rented for an additional $50, with $25 of that being returned
after satisfactory inspection. For
more information about Tiffany’s Place, call the center at 838-1332.
Much Ado rehearsal underway, tickets on
sale
By JERRY LANKFORD
Record Editor
Director
Chad Reeves sat in a seat in the center of Critz Auditorium watching. The actors on stage, Carlos Garcia and
William Davidson, were in the midst of a dramatic dialogue from Shakespeare’s Much
Ado About Nothing - Wilkes Playmakers’ next production, which opens Jan.
23. Reeves said he picked the play
because it resonates continual themes, “mainly of people coming together,”
which could fit in any era. He picked the 1960s as the setting for this
production. There’s not enough Shakespeare done in Wilkes County,” Reeves said
during an evening rehearsal last week. “I though if they (the actors) weren’t
wearing togas, people would be scared of it.”
And
the cast is a unique mixture. “Some of them, this is the first time they’ve
been on the Benton Hall stage,” Reeves said. Others are veteran Playmakers. “I
think it will be a really good mix,” he added.
The set will be fairly simple, Reeves said, with a platform and a
10-feet high wall. Rehearsals have been underway since before Christmas - just
after the end of Miracle on 34th Street. The actors returned last
week after a two-week break for the holidays.
Despite the hiatus, Reeves said he’s pleased with the play’s
progress. “They’ve really surprised me
that they’re getting it done as fast as they are,” he said.
Tickets
for Wilkes Playmakers’ production of Much Ado About Nothing are $10 for
adults and $8 for students and seniors.
Group rates for students are available on request. The cast includes: Don Pedro - Carlos Garcia,
Benedick - Adam Younce, Caudio - Chad Walker, Don John - Heather Dean, Borachio
- Matt Minton, Conrade - Shayna Lawson, Leonato - Will Davidson, Antonio -
Stacey Rhodes, Balthasar - Marissa Stanly, Friar Francis - John Kolbow, Hero -
Ashley Craig, Margaret - Ashley Jones, Ursula - Tina Roten, Beatrice - Brandi
Brown, Dogberry - Jim Horne, Verges - B. J. Younce, Musician/Messenger - Anna
Lankford.
Much
Ado About Nothing will be performed
January 23, 24, 25, 30, 31, and February 1 at 7:30 p.m. with two Sunday
matinees on January 26 and February 2 at 2 p.m. Tickets can be purchased by calling 336-838-7529 or stopping by
the box office in Benton Hall, 300 D Street, North Wilkesboro between the hours
of 9:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. They can also be purchased
online at www.wilkesplaymakers.com
<http://www.wilkesplaymakers.com>
West Wilkes Marching Band soars
at Peach Bowl
By JESSICA BALDWIN
Record Correspondent
West
Wilkes High School’s Marching Band performed at the Peach Bowl inside Atlanta’s
Georgia Dome on New Years Eve - and they performed well. Blackhawk band members
arrived in Atlanta, Ga., on Saturday Dec. 28. They returned to Wilkes County on
New Year’s Day with three trophies and an honorable mention. West Wilkes competed in the Class I Division
of high schools with 600 or fewer students in 10th through 12th
grades. There were two other divisions: Class II high schools with 601 to 900
students in 10th through 12th grades and Class III with
901 or more students in 10th through 12th grades. The West Wilkes Drum Line was honored by
being selected to perform the cadence for fans leaving the football field at
the pre-game show.
The
Blackhawks received first place in the marching band field show, which was
performed during the pre-game show. The marching percussion also placed first
in competition on Sunday Dec. 29. West
Wilkes received third place in the marching band parade, which was about a mile
through the streets of Atlanta, ending at the Georgia Dome on Dec 31. “Winning third place in the parade was a
total surprise,” said West Wilkes Band Director Mac Bryant. “We spent the
majority of time working on the field show and drum line.” There were 27 West Wilkes band members who
traveled to Atlanta. “We were the smallest band to participate in the Peach
Bowl activities,” Bryant said. Bryant
and the West Wilkes Band participated in the Peach Bowl in 1995 and 1999. “We were glad to return this year,” Bryant
said. There was not a lot of down time
for the West Wilkes students. Peach
Bowl activities and long practice sessions kept them on the move. Bryant did make time to take his students
to a museum - The World of Coca-Cola Atlanta.
“We were able to try Coca-Cola drinks from all over the world,” Marissa
Stanley, a West Wilkes Marching Band senior, said. The Blackhawks also visited shops in Underground Atlanta. “We were in Underground Atlanta for about an
hour and a half,” Jessica Roark, West Wilkes Marching Band senior, said. Stanley and Roark also said they enjoyed
going to Cumberland Mall, which is beside the hotel where they stayed.
Some
students went to Fan Fest - games and activities for football fans - prior to
the Peach Bowl. The day before the
Blackhawks left to go to Atlanta, they wanted to modify their performance a little by adding a duet at
the beginning of the show. “Students’
ideas are always welcome and help contribute to the show,” Bryant said. It was this performance that brought home a
first-place trophy. “I had fun - it
was a blast,” Roark said. She added,
“This event was something you can remember you senior year by.” “You’re always nervous when you perform,
especially in front of about 70,000 people,” Stanley said. “It was fun and a good experience,” Daniel
Bumgarner, West Wilkes Marching Band senior, said. The trophies won in Atlanta and all of the Blackhawks’ fall
semester performances were dedicated to Brittany Austin, who was fatally injured
in a Sept. 9 automobile accident. Austin played the flute, piccolo and bass
drum in the band.
