Hundreds pack board meeting to support coaches, protest firing
By REBECCA TRIPLETT-JOHNSON

Record Sports Editor

The recent removal of North Wilkes Vikings boys basketball coach Tommy Johnson, volleyball coach Haily Shumate, softball and girls basketball coach Randy Joines and boys soccer coach Mike Holleman from their respective posts in the athletic department continues to stir controversy.

The reasons behind former North Wilkes Principal Helen Johnson's firing spree remain unknown.  She immediately resigned as principal after the fired the coaches and was not available for comment. Reportedly, she did not contact the coaches about her plans to terminate their positions and some say they learned of their dismissals through friends, family members or the media.

A rapid response by players, students, parents and others to show support for the coaches, as well as gain answers and urge reinstatements, was done via Facebook, texts, phone calls and emails in organizing a peaceful protest at the already scheduled Monday night meeting of the Wilkes County Board of Education offices in North Wilkesboro.

Supporters from all four county school districts began to gather in the parking lots and lobby of the board's central offices located on Cherry Street at 4 p.m.  By 5:15 p.m., hundreds had assembled to carry out the rally and attend the meeting.

No disruptive behavior was reported, but due to the large crowd, members of the North Wilkesboro Police Department and the Wilkes County Sheriff’s Department were called to the scene for crowd control. 

The usual meeting room quickly became filled.  Officials were concerned that the fire code was being breached and began turning people away at the door.  Most questioned why the board did not move the large and growing meeting down the hall to the 8,000 square foot Stone Center which seats up to 560 people.  It was later explained that a smaller group was already set up there for a dinner meeting.

All seats in the board room were filled while many stood inside and out as the meeting came to order.  Specific supporters were added to the agenda and were allowed five minutes to speak.   

Supporters of the coaches asked the board for answers why they were fired and spoke highly of Coach Johnson while requesting he be reinstated as a coach at North Wilkes High School.  At no time did the board respond to any questions.  Board superintendent, Dr. Steve Laws, gave no comment pending investigation.

Coach Johnson declined to attend the meeting after signing a formal grievance on Friday, which mandates he remain silent on the issue until a decision is made as to his possible reinstatement as basketball coach at North Wilkes High School. 

 Laws must meet with Johnson within five business days of the filing and has up to 10 business days to make a decision.  Coach Johnson does have the right to appeal any decision.

Colleagues, parents, students, past and present players, church friends and family members echoed the same sentiments about Coach Johnson's pride in his work and the integrity and respect he shows his players, on and off the courts, while teaching them to do the same. 

 "Coach Johnson always expects us to treat others as we expect to be treated," said North Wilkes athlete, Garth Baily, in attendance with his mother, Debra, who also spoke.
   "The team is just devastated at losing Coach Johnson," said Viking player, Storm Clonch.  "Making it worse is that we don't even know why he was forced to leave."
   Dr. Alexander Erwin, first to hire Johnson in Wilkes as basketball coach at Wilkes Central High School, expressed admiration for Johnson while addressing the board with statements of support, impeccable references of his coaching abilities and concern for his sudden and unexplained removal from North Wilkes athletics.

 "Members of the board, rarely will you see such a large gathering of parents and their children standing together in support of a cause," said Erwin. "Here you see such a group supporting a man who puts Wilkes County first."
   Others gave made similar comments.

North Wilkes High School parent, Cassandra Ward, said she was impressed by the large turnout.

"This was a coming together of community to defend and show support for Coach Johnson after his sudden dismissal," Ward said. "There seems to be too much politics and favoritism amidst our board of education, neither of which should be allowed or condoned in any area where our children's best interests are concerned."

Although Coach Johnson could not speak about his firing, he told The Record, "I appreciate all of the support that is coming from so many in and around Wilkes. I want to thank everyone who has done so much to show their kindness during this matter."

 One of Johnson's most popular programs is Tommy Tots.  In this program, young and elementary age athletes are able to be part of the high school basketball seasons with activities, camps and team events.  Many parents are worried that the loss of Coach Johnson will also be the loss of Tommy Tots. 
    Coach Johnson led his varsity team to a 39-12 two year record.
    The position of North Wilkes principal has been filled by Eric Barker, who has served as principal at East Wilkes High School. Kim Stone will be the new assistant principal at North Wilkes High School. She will replace Tim Payne, who will be assistant principal at East Wilkes Middle School.

Hal Gatewood will be the new principal at East Wilkes High School.

 

The way things used to be

Ruby Moore recalls life in North Wilkesboro in bygone days

By JERRY LANKFORD

Record Editor

Ruby Moore remembers North Wilkesboro the way it was.

The spry 91-year-old recalls growing up helping her father running a café in a busy downtown area and a more simple way of life when everyone knew and trusted their neighbors.

 “I’d love to go back to the old days,” Moore said. “We didn’t even lock our doors at night. That’s a big difference. Everyone was friendly. We helped our neighbors and they helped us. It was a different life than now. We didn’t know what poor was because everyone was the same.”

Moore was born Oct. 18, 1918 in Iredell County, just across the Wilkes County line to Mansfield and Cordia Prevette. Her sisters were Hazel Pardue, who married Hubert Pardue; Ever Pardue, who married Hubert’s brother, Eugene; and Electa Shoemaker, 95, who lives in Dobson. She also had a brother, the late Mansfield Prevette, Jr.

The family had moved to Greensboro, but moved to Wilkes when Ruby was 9 – following her mother’s death. One of many examples of her sharp memory from her childhood was her recollection of the solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean of Charles Lindberg. She even sang a song she heard at the time about the famed aviator in a clear, beautiful voice. She said she also felt like Bruno Richard Hauptmann was framed for the kidnapping and death of Lindberg’s son.

The older sisters, Hazel and Ever, who were already married by then, moved here as well to help take care of their younger siblings.

Ruby said that her father bought the Boone Trail Café around 1930.

The restaurant was located near the corner of 10^th and A streets (now part of the CBD Loop). The family lived in a home at the top of 10^th Street Hill and, like most other folks, they walked most places.

When she was about 10, Ruby started helping out at the restaurant. She recalls the prices of some of the menu items – hamburgers were a dime and hotdogs were a nickel – as were Cokes and ice cream cones.

The steady stream of workers from the nearby Oak Furniture Company helped keep the business brisk.

Ruby said that she used to feel sorry for some of the other children in town. “I’d fix myself a hotdog or some ice cream and take it and give to them,” she said. “I did that a lot.”

It was while working at the café as a girl that Ruby met her future husband, Vestal Moore.

“I really liked him,” she said. “He had the prettiest blue eyes that I’d ever seen.”

As a child, Ruby also recalls her father teaching music – especially shape-note singing. He helped with music at several churches and schools and also performed spiritual music with the Mountain Quartet.

Ruby and Vestal became even more acquainted through her father’s singing school. “We used to love to sing together,” she said. “We would sing at different churches and at fairs and places like that.”

The two were married when Ruby was 19. She worked at the Wilkes Hosiery Mill and Vestal drove a lumber truck.

Vestal was called to preach when he was in his 30s and also worked at American Drew Furniture where he later retired.

The couple went on to have four children – Darryl Moore of Wilkes, Charles Moore of Glendale Springs; Helen Mallard of Kind, who died a couple of years ago; and Archie “Eddie” Moore of Elkin, who is the youngest.

Vestal went to become a popular and busy preacher. He was pastor at Cherry Grove Baptist Church for 37 years. He also preached at Maple Spring Baptist Church in Elkin and Lewis Fork Baptist Church in western Wilkes. Along with leading churches, Vestal also ran numerous revivals in the area.

Vestal Moore died when he was 76, after suffering from a stroke and a heart attack.

Sitting in the offices of The Record with her son, Darryl, they reminisced about the old days.

Darryl said he recalls going to the Liberty Theater and watching a double feature for 12 cents.

“Downtown was so thick with people back then that you couldn’t hardly walk,” he said.

Ruby said she remembers making $5 per week. Then, she and Vestal’s rents was $5 a month and their power bill was usually around 40 cents a month. “I was even able to save money then” she said.

As for changes she’s seen in her lifetime, Ruby said, “The main thing is how people are. People used to be more loving. Everyone was just kind to everyone and looked out for one another. I wish it was still like that, I really do.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ballot causing confusion

By JERRY LANKFORD

Record Editor

There has been some confusion about who can vote and where they can cast ballots regarding the upcoming June 22, Wilkes County sales/use tax referendum and second Democrat primary in the U.S. Senate race.

According to Deputy Director of Elections Joan Caudill, there will be three ballots available to voters. On June 22, voters will go to their regular polling places to make their decisions.

Caudill said there has been some confusion as to where the voting will occur. Some voters are apparently under the impression that they can only vote at the Board of Elections Office in the County Office Building in Wilkesboro. Caudill said, however, all precincts will be open on Tuesday, June 22, from 6:30 a.m. until 7:30 p.m.

A second Democrat primary has been called in the U.S. Senate race between Elaine Marshall and Cal Cunningham.

Also on the ballot is a referendum for a .25-cent per dollar county wide sales/use tax.

According to Wilkes County Manager John Yates, if the referendum is approved, the extra tax would generate around $300,000 for the remainder of the year and then $1.1 million the first full year it is in place.

Ballot items include a Democratic Runoff for US Senate and a Sales Tax Referendum. All voters are eligible to vote on the Sales Tax Referendum with the exception of the 17 year old voters. Persons who are 17 years old could have registered to vote in the primary if they will be 18 years old by the November Election.

Registered Democrats and along with those Unaffiliated voters who chose the Democratic ballot will be eligible to vote in the Democratic Runoff and the Sales Tax Referendum. Republican, Libertarian and Unaffiliated voters who voted the non-partisan or Republican ballot will be eligible to vote on the Sales Tax Referendum only. Any Unaffiliated voters who did not vote in the first primary have the choice of the Non-Partisan or Democratic ballot.

Seventeen year old voters who are registered democratic or unaffiliated and voted a democratic ballot are eligible to vote in the democratic runoff. Those 17 year old voters who are registered as Unaffiliated may request to vote a Democratic ballot in the 2^nd Primary. This ballot does not include the Sales Tax Referendum.

One-Stop voting for the second primary started on June 3. One-Stop is located in the Wilkes County Board of Elections office in the Wilkes County Office Building room 315. The hours of one-stop are 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. June 3 to June 18,  Monday through Friday and Saturday, June 19 8:30 a.m.  to 1 p.m.. There is no “Register and Vote” option available for the seconded primary.

All polling places will be open on Tuesday, June 22^nd for the 2^nd Primary. The hours for voting on June 22^nd are 6:30 am to 7:30 pm. 

 

 

Blue Ridge Music Hall of Fame induction is Saturday

The Wilkes Heritage Museum will host the Third Annual Blue Ridge Music Hall of Fame Dinner and Induction Ceremony on Saturday, June 12, at the John A. Walker Center on the campus of Wilkes Community College.

Mike Cross, nationally known singer, songwriter and storyteller will serve as emcee for the event.  Cross has written a special song for the Blue Ridge Music Hall of Fame and will perform it during the ceremony.  Born in Tennessee, Mike Cross moved to Lenoir, at an early age and is the perfect emcee for this event.  Now living in Chapel Hill, he is a product of the musical heritage and tradition that the Blue Ridge Music Hall of Fame and the Wilkes Heritage Museum is honoring and preserving.

There are six inductees this year to the Blue Ridge Music Hall of Fame and they include:  Don Reno – Nationally Known Artist; Clarence “Tom” Ashley – Pioneer Artist; Bobby Hicks – Sideman and Regional Musician; Albert Hash – Luthier; “B” Townes – Special Contributor/Organizer/Promoter; and Etta Baker – Master Musician and Tradition Bearer.

Artists scheduled to perform during the event this year include Doc Watson (2008 inductee to the Blue Ridge Music Hall of Fame), David Johnson (2008 inductee to the Blue Ridge Music Hall of Fame), Eric Ellis (2009 inductee to the Blue Ridge Music Hall of Fame), Dale Reno (son of the late Don Reno), Bobby Hicks (2010 inductee to the Blue Ridge Music Hall of Fame), Scott Gentry, The Kilby Spencer Band, and The Snyder Family Band (performing during the dinner portion of the evening).

The Blue Ridge Music Hall of Fame exists to showcase and preserve the rich musical heritage of the greater Blue Ridge Mountains area from northern Georgia to northern Virginia. The Hall of Fame will educate, define, and interpret the history of music in the Blue Ridge area and musicians in all genres from the region with exhibits and an annual celebration of inductees. The Blue Ridge Music Hall of Fame is centrally located at the Wilkes Heritage Museum in Wilkesboro, North Carolina.

Tickets for the June 12 Dinner and Induction Ceremony may be purchased online at www.blueridgemusichalloffame.com or by calling the Wilkes Heritage Museum at 336-667-3171.  Early bird specials are available at a rate of $50 per person for the dinner and ceremony or $15 per person for the ceremony only. 

Master fiddle maker Bob Kogut from Lenoir, has handcrafted a fiddle for the Blue Ridge Music Hall of Fame to raffle off at the 2010 Induction Ceremony.  The fiddle is on display at the Wilkes Heritage Museum gift shop and tickets are $5 each, three for $10 or eight for $20.  You do not have to be present to win. 

The Blue Ridge Music Hall of Fame is under the auspices of the Wilkes Heritage Museum where it is housed.  The Wilkes Heritage Museum strives to collect and preserve historic structures, artifacts, and documents of Wilkes County and serves as a resource center for every Wilkes County citizen and visitor.  Through exhibits, educational programs, performances, and research, the Wilkes Heritage Museum interprets the history of Wilkes County and western North Carolina.  Wilkes Heritage Museum, Inc. is a private, non-profit (501(c ) 3) organization located at 100 East Main Street in downtown Wilkesboro.  The museum is open Tuesday-Saturday from 10 a.m. -4 p.m.  Admission is charged to view exhibits and tour the Old Wilkes Jail and Captain Robert Cleveland Log Home. 

Sponsors for the Third Annual Blue Ridge Music Hall of Fame Dinner and Induction Ceremony include: Town of Wilkesboro, Bob Kogut, Nancy Watson, Dwight and Anne Pardue, Kulynych Foundation, Community One Bank, Marilyn and Eric Payne, Wilkes Income Tax Services, Town of North Wilkesboro, Knee-Deep in Bluegrass, Isaac G. Forester, CPA, Tom and Ann Graves, Hampton Inn, MerleFest, Wilkes Playmakers, Jared Vice, Brame Huie Pharmacy, Wood Haven Restaurant, Jim and Rose Andrews, Wilkes Steel, Inc., R.G. Absher Music, and King Sash and Door, Larry and Diane Stone, Pete and Wilma Lovette, Cooks, Inc. and WBRF Radio.

For additional information, contact the Wilkes Heritage Museum at 336-667-3171 or visit www.blueridgemusichalloffame.com or www.wilkesheritagemuseum.com .

 

 

 

 

Matt Cashion Wins Fiction Award

Wilkes County native Matt Cashion, son of John Cashion, of North Wilkesboro, recently won the “Larry and Eleanor Sternig Short Fiction Award” for his short story “Last Words of the Holy Ghost.”

The award is sponsored by the Council for Wisconsin Writers. A banquet honoring Cashion’s achievement took place May 15 in Milwaukee.

Cashion received a monetary prize and a week-long stay at a Madison, Wisconsin retreat center, “Edenfred,” where artists spend their days working on private projects and their evenings socializing and sharing ideas.

The award-winning story, originally published in the literary magazine Willow Springs,  revolves around a 14-year-old boy named Harold who falls in love with a girl who takes advantage of him only after he agrees to get baptized in her church.  Simultaneously, Harold’s mother and step-father are divorcing, and his father and step-mother are divorcing. 

The contest judge was an out-of-state writer, Tatyana Mishel, who said Cashion’s story was, “Funny and heartbreaking and filled with little surprises along the way. This story was immediately engaging, tightly written, unsentimental and full of feeling. The characters are delightfully eccentric, yet real, and the vividness of the scenes feels like you’re watching a movie in your mind.  ‘Holy Ghost’ could be called a coming-of-age story, yet it strikes numerous chords of being human and dealing with the cycles of love and loss.”

Cashion has turned the story into a chapter of a novel he’s working on by the same title.  In addition, the story attracted the interest of a New York filmmaker who is currently developing a short film based on the story. 

Cashion’s first novel, How the Sun Shines on Noise, was published in 2004. The novel’s protagonist quits his reporting job at a small-town newspaper, then takes a job as a third-shift convenience store worker, where he befriends a wide range of working class characters who teach him things he could never learn in college. The novel was a finalist in the William Faulkner-William Wisdom creative writing competition.

Born in North Wilkesboro, Cashion attended Wilkes Community College and graduated from UNC Charlotte.  He received a Master of Fine Arts degree in Creative Writing from the University of Oregon, and he is currently an Associate Professor of English at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, where he teaches Creative Writing and Literature. 

 

 

 

 

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Community Happenings

Wilkes Toastmasters is an interactive workshop to improve your communication and leadership skills.  Meetings are held every Thursday 6:30 pm – 7:45 pm at the Addison Inn on Hwy 421 N in Wilkesboro.  For additional information, email wilkestoastmasters@gmail.com or visit Toastmasters.org.

 

Vacation Bible School will be held at Congo Pentecostal Holiness Church, located off West Hwy 421 N on South Holinesses Church Road, and the theme will be Son Harvest, Growing the Fruit of the Spirit. The dates are June 6, 13, and 27 (Sunday evenings only.)  The times will be from 5:30-7:30 each night.

Classes for all ages.

 

Mayo's Baseball School: Dream Bat Baseball Camp Fundamental Baseball Clinic. June 29-July 2 9:00 a.m.-12:00 noon, ages 6-14, Memorial Park, North Wilkesboro $150.00 membership fee. Free T-shirt for every camper. Registration deadline June 4, after which a $15.00 late fee will be charged. Spaces are limited. For more information contact Jeff Mayo at 336-684-4861 E-mail: mayosbaseballschool@charter.net.

 

The Humane Society of Wilkes offers registration for the low cost spay/neuter clinic every Tuesday night, from 6:00 - 7:00 p.m. at the Wilkes County Public Library.  Registered pets are transported to the clinic on the second Monday of each month. For more information please call 336-984-0227.

You are invited to a Vacation Bible School at Oak Grove Baptist Church in Millers Creek on June 7-11. Supper will be provided at 6:15 p.m. and classes for all ages begin at 7:00.

 

The Hamby family reunion will be held at Mount Pleasant Baptist Church on U.S. 421 West on Sunday, June 13 at 1 p.m. Bring a well-filled picnic basket and enjoy. For more information call 336-828-3078.

 

The Wilkes Senior Citizens Council, Inc has fans to give to persons 60 years and older.  The eligibility requirements are as follows: Must be 60 years or older, and must be a resident of Wilkes County and have a home situation where a threat to the person’s health and well-being exists.

 

A large five -family yard sale will be held this Friday and Saturday from 8 a.m. until. Located on Stone Brewer Road in the Rock Creek Community.  Call 336-452-9277 for directions or more information.

 

St John’s Catholic Church Youth Group will hold a chicken-que on Friday, June 11 at Memorial Park in North Wilkesboro beginning at 10 a.m.  Dinners are $6.00 each and all proceeds benefit the Youth Group Mission Trip.

 

The Wiley C. and Amanda Church Lovette Family Reunion will be at 1 p.m., Sunday, June 13 at Calvary Baptist Church Life Center on Pads Road.  Those attending are asked to bring a covered dish.  For more information, call 667-7859.

 

On Saturday June 12, 2010 there will be an "Open House" at the Black Cat Station Railroad Club, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and everyone is invited to attend.  We are a large "HO" Scale Model railroad, operating many trains at the same time. As we are a non-profit organization, there is no admission charge, and lots of good times to be had by all. The Club is located at: 800 Elizabeth Street, North Wilkesboro, NC 28659 (The Old Wilkes Art Gallery). You can find us on the net at www.blackcatstation.com.

 

The Wilkes County Library Sci-Fi Convention has a website at http://www.wilkeslibrarycon.com.

Please visit the website to learn more about the upcoming Convention on Saturday, July 31, 2010 at the Wilkes County Public Library.