The Chronicle-based veterans charity LOV Thrift Store will host a car, truck, and motorcycle show on November 7th, with a rain date of November 14th.

A free breakfast for veterans will also be provided.

The event will begin at 9:00 AM and continue until 1:00 PM.

It will take place in the parking lot of LOV Thrift Store, located at the intersection of NC-16 and NC-150 (Killian Crossroads).

The event, called Stars, Stripes, & Horsepower, is being held in collaboration with the Exchange Club of Denver/Lake Norman.

Cars, trucks, and motorcycles of all makes, models, and years are eligible to register in the car show.

Cars and trucks can register for $20 and motorcycles for $15. A registration link is available through a QR code on the Exchange Club of Denver’s Facebook page.

The event will feature an award ceremony for cars, trucks, and motorcycles, as well as a 50/50 raffle to raise more funds for the veteran charity.

All proceeds from the event benefit LOV Thrift Store, a charity dedicated to helping veterans in need.

“Come honor some of our local veterans,” said Kevin Popko, President and co-founder of LOV. “It doesn’t get much better than looking at hot rods, eating pizza, then scoring a deal at the LOV store.”

The Exchange Club is a national organization with chapters across the country dedicated to “Americanism, community service, youth programs, prevention of child abuse,” and other “passions” that can “make a change” for the community, according to the organization’s website.

Nominations opened on November 1st for the 2026 Chrony Awards.

The Chrony Awards, an annual contest organized by The Chronicle Chronicle, will honor one non-profit and one for-profit business in the Chronicle area. Readers will have the opportunity to nominate and vote on eligible businesses that have had a positive impact on the local community.

Nominations will remain open until the 20th of November. Members of the community are encouraged to nominate their favorite stores, restaurants, charities, or any other eligible organizations. The online forums for nominations and voting can be found on the Chronicle’s website, under the Awards tab, or by clicking here.

Nominees must have a brick-and-mortar location within a three mile radius of Killian Crossroads (the intersection of NC-150 and NC-16) and be in good standing with the local population. The eligible area includes the majority of Old Town Denver.

Voting will begin on November 21st and end on December 10th. The recipients of the most votes in their respective categories will be awarded with trophies by The Chronicle Chronicle on behalf of the Chronicle community. Winners will be announced on New Year’s Day 2027.

Virginia Annable, a resident of Morganton, has been hired as Catawba County’s Communications and Marketing Director starting on October 19th.

The director will “lead countywide public information and education efforts [and] help connect residents with information about county services, programs and priorities,” according to an announcement from Catawba County..

The position exists within the county manager’s office.

Annable previously worked for Lee Enterprises, an Iowa-based newspaper conglomerate, where she served simultaneously as the editor of five local newspapers, including the Hickory Daily Record, Morganton News Herald, McDowell News, Statesville Record & Landmark, and the Mooresville Tribune.

The Chronicle Chronicle is an independent newspaper and has no affiliation with Lee Enterprises.

Prior to her work with Lee Enterprises, she worked in media at various local news outlets. Her career in journalism has spanned over a decade.

“Through my work in local news, I have learned the important role local government plays in our lives,” Annable said. “I look forward to being a part of it in my next role. I care deeply about this community and look forward to serving the public by helping people stay informed about and connected to their local government.”

County officials say her experience as a journalist will aid her in her new government role.

“Virginia has built her career by sharing information with the public in a way that consistently builds connection and gets the message across,” said County Manager Mary Furtado. “We are excited to welcome her to the Catawba County team.”

Catawba Valley News & Weather reported that the county began advertising the job opening in June with a posted yearly pay range of $87,849 to $144,951. The county has not announced Annable’s salary.

Public response to the appointment has been largely congratulatory and positive.

Some negative responses focused on the job’s salary.

“That pay range is excessive for the skill required,” one citizen wrote. “Not sure this position is necessary.”

Others discussed what some say is a track record of “biased” reporting from the Hickory Daily Record and Annable’s residence outside of Catawba County.

One citizen wrote, “If someone is going to represent an area, shouldn’t they at least live there?”

Annable earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Florida and a master’s in digital communication from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

A Zaxby’s location is under construction in Chronicle.

The new fast casual restaurant will be located off of NC-16 Business, in the formerly vacant lot between AutoZone and Advance Auto Parts, across from the Taco Bell.

The property has been cleared and graded and work has started on framing, plumbing, and fire suppression systems.

Efforts to build the Zaxby’s are being led by Sam Mahalingham, an owner of several other Zaxby’s franchises across North Carolina.

“We are looking forward to bringing Zaxby’s ‘encore experiences’ to this area of Catawba County,” Mahalingham told the Chronicle. “[To] enrich lives one person at a time.”

The Chronicle reported in August 2025 that the project was expected to cost approximately $1.5 million, according to the permits issued at the time. The latest permits estimate the total cost at $1.9 million.

The Zaxby’s was originally planned for the vacant lot at the intersection of NC-150 and NC-16, currently a frequent location of a Goodwill donation truck. The location was changed due to the planned 2029 widening of NC-150, which current widening plans say will pave over the corner lot.

Reactions to the project have been mixed. Some expressed support for the Zaxby’s, applauding the increased number of food options in the Chronicle area.

Others suggested the property should have been used for more community-oriented purposes.

“It’d be nice if they build a library, or a community learning center,” one citizen said.

“[How about] places for kids to play,” another citizen wrote. “Indoor playground for the little ones. Something to keep the teenagers occupied. Keep them safe and happy.”

Others expressed disappointment that the Chronicle area has not been developed as a “Gateway to Catawba County,” as suggested by the Catawba County Comprehensive Plan.

Gateways are areas that “help foster a unique sense of place and make a lasting first impression on visitors,” according to the plan.

“Fast food seems to be all that is interested in 150,” a citizen said. “Just look at the junk food corridor at 150 and Slanting Bridge. Very frustrating. Certainly not the Birkdale-like center promised.”

Zaxby’s is a privately-owned Georgia-based fast casual restaurant that specializes in chicken-related dishes and salads. The company has over 970 locations across the United States, the majority of which are franchised.

For as long as mankind has existed, we have crafted and told stories.

Some stories are born out of truth, others are invented for a narrative purpose.

The stories that persist become folklore and legend, outliving their authors, sometimes by centuries or even millennia.

These stories are rarely told the same way twice. Most are disseminated through oral tradition, each storyteller adding or subtracting details as he sees fit.

In this edition of the Chronicle, in the spirit of Halloween, we will put a spotlight on four of the more spooky stories to have come from our local area.

The tales that you are about to read are apocryphal in nature. No evidence has been found to prove or disprove their veracity. Nonetheless, they persist as urban legends, entries in the great American storytelling tradition.

The Lake Norman Monster

The Lake Norman Monster (also known as the Lake Norman Mud Monster or simply “Normie”) is the area’s most widely known local legend. Hundreds of people claim to have seen this creature in the depths of Lake Norman.

Descriptions of Normie vary, but the general consensus is that the creature resembles a giant serpent or a large alligator. Some say the monster is made entirely of mud or clay.

A common theory is that the creature was created by repeated radioactive spills from Duke Energy’s power plants, causing a mutation in local wildlife.

Many believe that the sightings are too numerous to be entirely fictitious, but claim that Normie is nothing more than a 200-pound fish or an alligator that was illegally dumped in the lake.

Believers report sightings of the creature to LakeNormanMonster.com, a locally-run website that also sells Normy-themed merchandise.

In July, a Denver resident reported the following sighting: “My wife’s aunt saw something that terrified her. She lived on Lake Norman and saw something huge swim under her pier. It wasn’t like the regular Normie sightings. She thought it was a man in scuba gear at first, but then she realized it was a creature. She said it had wings, almost like a cape. Anyway, it really scared her, and she often talked about it when we were on her pier. … She was a very honest person. I believe she saw something.”

In most cases, Normie is said to be harmless. The creature is not commonly known to attack boats or people.

While a cynic may dismiss Normie as nothing more than a modern advertising ploy, the existence of such a creature is not without precedent.

Native Americans from the Catawba and Cherokee tribes described enormous creatures that were said to inhabit the Catawba River prior to the arrival of European colonists.

One such creature, the Uktena, was described as a nearly unkillable beast that made its home in mountain passes and in the depths of the rivers of western North Carolina, including the Catawba.

A description from the Native History Association reads, “[Utenka was] a great snake, as large around as a tree trunk, with horns on his head, and a bright, blazing crest like a diamond upon its forehead, and scales glittering like sparks of fire. It has rings or spots of color along its whole length.”

Is Normie a shameless cash grab, a radioactive monster created by pollution, or a confirmation of an ancient Native American legend? We will leave that up to you.

The Long Island Man

Between 1959 and 1964, Duke Energy, with cooperation from state and local authorities, built a dam to flood a section of the Catawba River valley. The result was the creation of Lake Norman.

Today, the Cowans Ford hydroelectric dam still provides electricity to over 200,000 homes. The lake that it created and maintains has become a hub for recreation and a boon for Duke Energy’s other projects.

Unfortunately, the area that was flooded was home to hundreds of individuals in the towns of East Monbo and Long Island. Those people were forced out of their homes and jobs as the overflowing banks of the Catawba River began to encroach.

Homes, businesses, and cemeteries were abandoned and left to be submerged under the water, where they remain to this day.

The Long Island Man is said to have originated from this tragedy.

In one version of the story, the man was Edgar Reinhardt. Edgar had lived a tumultuous and restless life and was finally laid to rest in a Long Island cemetery in 1956.

Efforts were made to relocate some of the cemeteries, but ultimately, many were left to eternally lie in the depths of Lake Norman. Edgar, being a black man with no surviving family, was one of them.

It is said that Edgar - it is not clear whether in spirit or in flesh - rose after his grave was disturbed to terrorize the people of Lake Norman.

In another version of the story, an old man (sometimes referred to as Old Man Schronce) refused to move out of his Long Island home as Lake Norman slowly flooded. Eventually, the water rose high enough to drown him in his home.

His body was never found, but his spirit is said to remain.

Legends say that the Long Island Man now roams the shore of Lake Norman at night, searching for vulnerable victims.

His motivation varies depending on who is telling the story. Some say he kills in response to pollution caused by Duke Energy, local governments, and private citizens. Others say he kills in an attempt to prevent any further development along the lake shore. Others yet say he kills at random, taking brutal revenge on any still living.

But the stories all agree on one thing: he kills. When he chooses his victims, he pulls them down below the surface of the viscous waters of Lake Norman until their lungs fill with the very same waters that once took his peace.

The Tell-Tale Heart of Gold

Many people do not know that the first gold rush in the United States occurred in western North Carolina.

Even fewer know that gold was plentiful in the area surrounding Anderson Mountain, and could be found readily in Chronicle and Denver (see our article on the Carolina Gold Rush).

In the 1840s, a Denver man was visiting his friend’s farm in Chronicle, near Anderson Mountain. The name of the men vary depending on who tells the story, but we will call the visitor Killian and the farmer Wilkinson.

Killian had agreed to help Wilkinson plow his field in exchange for a small sum of money. The two set to work one day with a positive attitude.

When Killian, in the midst of his plowing, discovered a ten-pound gold nugget, the two were initially ecstatic. Things went sour quickly, however, when Wilkinson attempted to claim the entire nugget for himself. After all, he said, it was found on his property.

This, Killian said, was not fair, as he had been the one to discover the nugget.

The two argued for nearly an hour, until in a moment of heated passion, Killian took the nugget and used it to bash Wilkinson’s head in, killing him.

Killian fled the scene with the gold. Since no one else knew Killian had been at the Wilkinson farm, no one suspected him of the murder. He believed he had gotten away with it.

However, within a week, Killian had gone mad. He began to hear voices. He claimed to have seen visions of Wilkinson, condemning him for his crimes.

His madness drove him to hang himself, leaving a note with one simple instruction: “keep not the gold, for it is the root of much evil.”

Killian’s heirs did not respect his wishes. It is said a long chain of tragedy and death followed the family until the gold was finally sold.

Eventually, the nugget was sent to the Charlotte Mint, where it was forged into gold coins.

According to the legend, the curse persisted. Those who held the coins continued to see misfortune and death. Today, few coins from the Charlotte Mint exist outside of the collections of experts.

If you happen to come across such a coin, you would do well to sell it quickly. If you hang on to it too long, you may face the same fate as Killian.

The Ghost of Tower Road

For centuries, hikers have traveled to the top of Anderson Mountain for the secluded peace and panoramic views. In the modern day, one can drive to the end of Tower Road and see Lake Norman and Charlotte’s skyline in the east, and the Appalachian Mountains in the west.

Visitors to the mountain have long reported sightings of a strange apparition visible at dusk and dawn: a pale, gaunt young man in old, worn clothing.

Locals have been quick to link the ghost sightings to the story of Tom Little. Tom was a deserter during the Civil War, choosing not to join the Confederate Army on moral grounds.

He hid in the woods of Anderson Mountain for months, surviving on food and other supplies brought by local women sympathetic to his views.

One day - no one knows why - the food deliveries stopped. Tom continued to hide atop the mountain into the winter months, until he slowly starved and froze to death. Some say his desperate pleas can be heard on Anderson Mountain on particularly breezy nights.

Today, Tom roams the mountainside, searching for a meal. If you see him atop Anderson Mountain, you have no reason to fear. He is far more focused on your sandwich than you.

The League of Women Voters of Catawba Valley will host two forums for local election candidates in October.

The first forum will take place at the Newton Public Library between 6:00 PM and 7:30 PM on Thursday, October 1st, and will feature candidates for Catawba County Board of Commission. All candidates for County Commissioner have been invited to the forum, according to the League.

The Commissioner forum will be moderated by Jeff Cline, former mayor of the City of Hickory and current board chair of the Catawba County Economic Development Corporation.

The second forum will take place at the Newton Public Library between 6:00 PM and 7:30 PM on Thursday, October 8th, and will feature candidates for the Catawba County School Board. All candidates for the School Board have been invited to the forum, according to the league.

Both forums will have a “question-and-answer” format. Questions were submitted by the public online prior to the forums and audience members will have the opportunity to submit questions at each forum.

Each forum will be livestreamed on the League of Women Voters’ website and on the organization’s Facebook page.

The League of Women Voters of Catawba Valley describes itself as, “a local nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering voters.”

The League is active in Alexander, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, and Lincoln counties.

Patriot Motors opened in August on NC-16 in Chronicle, near the Lincoln/Catawba county line.

The business opened in the former location of the now defunct The Turn Sports Lounge.

Patriot is a local business owned and operated by husband-and-wife duo Davey and Lindsey Black. The truck dealership specializes in light commercial vehicles.

The company has been in operation for years but recently moved their operations to the location in the past few months.

“Our inventory includes everything from utility trucks, dump trucks, cargo vans, bucket trucks, forklifts, and tractors to the occasional pickup or family vehicle that catches our eye,” a statement on their website reads. “Whether you’re growing your business or replacing a dependable work truck, our goal is simple: offer quality vehicles at fair prices while providing exceptional customer service.”

Davey Black, a 20-year veteran of the North Carolina Air National Guard, takes inspiration from his time in the service, according to the organization’s website.

“His commitment to service, integrity, accountability, and excellence has become part of the foundation of Patriot Motors and influences how we operate our business every day.”

The Patriot Motors location opened amid public disappointment regarding the closure of The Turn.

Tim Schoenig, owner of The Turn, had originally expressed his intent to reopen the bar in a new location after the lease was not renewed in May. No new information has arisen regarding plans to reopen.

Several staff members from The Turn found new employment at the recently reopened Horsefeathers, renamed Bourbons and Bobbers by the new owners, including Keisha Gantt, The Turn’s former manager.

To learn more about Patriot, visit their website at pattriotmotorsnc.com. To learn more about The Turn, visit their Facebook page, which still receives updates.

In August of 2025, a group of local volunteers launched The Chronicle Chronicle, the only news source covering northern Denver and the southeastern corner of Catawba County.

The paper’s goal was to foster a sense of local community, preserve the forgotten history of our long-established area, and let residents of Chronicle know what’s happening in their neighborhoods.

When the first edition was printed, volunteers distributed over a thousand copies of the Chronicle to local homes and businesses. The process was conducted by hand and took several days. Two newspaper boxes were placed at Killian Crossroads, and more were acquired for future expansion. Numerous individuals signed up for the Chronicle’s free home delivery.

The response was immediate and, for the most part, positive. Many citizens reached out to express their support for the newspaper and relationships were quickly forged with some local businesses and non-profits.

Some were suspicious of the paper, believing it to be a vehicle for a political agenda or for the incorporation of the Chronicle/Denver area. Others expressed dismay at some of the stories.

Residents of Shannon Woods, a recently constructed residential community located near the intersection of NC-16 and NC-150, were initially displeased with the Chronicle. The article on the front page of the first edition of the Chronicle expressed the concerns of some residents regarding the quality of the housing. Some Shannon Woods residents feared that the article could decrease their property values.

The Chronicle has received some recognition from other local news outlets. Articles written by the Chronicle were cited in the Lake Norman Citizen, and the Chronicle achieved some notoriety this year in April when Editor James Kmosko was invited as a guest to Chuck Boozer’s radio program on WHKY, a talk radio station based in Hickory.

The Chronicle has covered dozens of stories, from breaking news, to opinion pieces, to business showcases, to historical research pieces.

The Chronicle published the first and most detailed reports when organizer Linda Brooks was accused and eventually convicted of embezzling thousands of dollars from the Vocals for Veterans Music Festival, an event held at the now-defunct bar The Turn Sports Bar in Chronicle.

The proceeds, which were meant to benefit Chronicle-based veterans’ charity L.O.V. Thrift Store, were instead used to purchase a new vehicle and pay for restaurant dinners, according to several individuals involved. Reporters from the Chronicle were in contact with all relevant parties during the entire several-month ordeal.

The paper also covered news stories such as the erosion at Molly’s Backbone, allegedly caused by the nearby Laurelbrook development, the Catawba County school merger, and numerous stories on local building and development.

To date, the Chronicle has distributed thousands of print papers and has acquired tens of thousands of views on the publication’s website.

The Chronicle also hosted the Chrony awards, which each year will give an award to one business and one non-profit based in Chronicle. Winners are decided by popular vote.

The publication was modeled after existing hyper-local papers across the United States and the local papers that, a century ago, covered small towns in Lincoln and Catawba Counties.

One such inspiration was the Carolina Eagle, a weekly paper founded in 1871 in the small town of Hickory Tavern, which was organized the year before. Hickory Tavern’s population at the time was roughly one thousand.

Early editions of the Carolina Eagle were printed on irregular paper, close in size to modern day letter paper, on which the Chronicle is printed. The town of Hickory Tavern removed the word “Tavern” from its name in 1873 and has since been known simply as “Hickory.”

The Eagle allows us to look into a unique time period in Hickory’s history, after its organization but before the change in its name. The everyday happenings in Hickory Tavern, which would otherwise be lost to history, are recorded in detail. Today, over 150 years later, we are able to study and understand what Hickory was and how it became what it is today.

Another inspiration was David Calvin King Wilkinson, a well-respected resident of Chronicle who, around the turn of the twentieth century, wrote dozens of articles over the course of a decade in the Lincoln Times News and the Observer in Newton. He headed each of the articles with “Chronicle,” and signed them as “Alpha” or “Omega,” or on rare occasions with his real name.

Wilkinson was so prolific in his writing that his articles provide a comprehensive tapestry of life in Chronicle at the time, much like the Carolina Eagle did for Hickory Tavern.

Most of the historical articles written for this publication will cite Wilkinson’s work as a reliable primary source.

Today, other than articles from this publication and some work by the Lake Norman Citizen, there is very little lasting documentation of the Chronicle and Denver areas.

A century from now, journalists, historians, and curious citizens may look to this newspaper as the only source to provide them with a small glimpse into the world of Chronicle in the 2020s.

Chronicle has never been the largest or most populated town in Catawba and Lincoln counties, but the people who lived in this area historically published papers anyway.

Chroniclites of the past did not see the small size of a town as a reason to cast aside its history and community, and this publication does not either.

To all of the individuals who have donated time or resources to the Chronicle, anyone who has sent us an idea for an article, anyone who has agreed to sit for an interview, the businesses and non-profits that have shown us so much support, to all of our many readers, and everyone else who has helped make this endeavor possible, we at the Chronicle send our truest thanks.

With the support of readers like you, the Chronicle will keep our unbiased agenda-free journalism in print for years to come.

If you want to learn more about how to support the Chronicle, have an idea for an article, or want to send in an article to be published (under your name or an alias), email editor@chroniclechronicle.com or contact the Chronicle on Facebook or Instagram.

The Chronicle-based charity LOV (Love Our Veterans) Thrift Store celebrated providing assistance to 200 veterans on August 28th.

The 501c3 non-profit, based at the intersection of NC-16 and NC-150 in Chronicle, is dedicated to providing various types of assistance to veterans in need.

“Although having helped over 200 veterans in 4 years of operation thanks to this community is a major milestone, at our current pace we’ll double that in a year,” said Gini Popko, co-founder and store manager of LOV.

When LOV was founded in July of 2022, the organization’s original goal was to help only one veteran per month. Had they continued at that rate, the organization would have helped roughly fifty veterans at the time of publication.

LOV’s primary source of funding is their thrift store, a 8,500 square foot building that sells everything from clothes and shoes to books and nicknacks to tools and electronic devices.

The store’s inventory is made up almost entirely of items donated by locals. Direct monetary donations are also accepted.

“Many of our local sister veterans charities are experiencing a funding freeze and referring their veterans-in-need to us,” Gini Popko said. “In order to keep up, monetary donations would be helpful, and 100% of monetary donations go directly to assisting our local veterans.”

LOV has assisted veterans in finding housing, acquiring vehicles, paying for mortgage and rent expenses, paying for funeral expenses, finding other veterans resources, and more.

The gas station being constructed at the intersection of NC-150 and E Maiden Road received approval in August to construct additional restaurant and retail buildings on the property.

The Catawba County Board of Commissioners approved the request at their regularly scheduled meeting on August 20th.

The property is owned and is being developed by Home Run Markets, a gas station and convenience store chain based in Statesville.

The original plans for the property included only a four-pump gas station and future plans for an affiliated car wash.

The preliminary plans approved on August 20th, which are subject to change, call for a strip of six businesses and the appropriate parking to be constructed on the opposite side of the gas station’s existing driveway.

The proposal stated that the new retail space would conform with the county’s existing plans for the area “by continuing efforts to develop a retail commercial center near the intersection of NC Hwy 150 and NC Hwy 16.”

The county’s current comprehensive plan, published in 2024, calls for “a ‘regional commercial center’ that may include a diversity of uses such as medical, business park, Class A industrial park, commercial and retail at the intersection of the existing Hwy. 150/16 and the new Hwy. 150/16 interchange.”

The approved plans also show a future realignment of E Maiden Rd where it intersects with NC-150.

Though the plans label the realignment as part of an NCDOT project, the NCDOT previously informed the Chronicle that Home Run Markets would be responsible for the realignment as a condition of their driveway permit.

Home Run Markets began construction on the gas station in February after receiving permit approval the same month.

The gas station chain has approximately twenty locations across North Carolina’s Piedmont with more locations in the works.

Chronicle did not exist as a town during the American Revolution. The area, while populated by some early American colonists and traversed by Cherokee and Catawba natives, was largely devoid of large-scale settlements when the founding fathers drafted the Declaration of Independence in the metropolitan city of Philadelphia.

Indeed, in the late 1700s, most of western North Carolina (also known as the “backcountry”), was a sparsely populated frontier. The majority of North Carolina’s colonists lived on the coastline, where the British had initially settled, including the capital town of New Bern.

Despite this, the area that is today known as Chronicle, and Lincoln and Catawba counties as a whole, played an important role in the events of the revolution.

The Regulator War

Backcountry colonists were not wealthy in the mid 1760s. The land of the piedmont and mountain regions of North Carolina was less suitable for growing crops, and with so few settlers and towns, there was little other industry. Despite this, the colonists were subjected to the same taxes as wealthy coastal elites but afforded almost none of the benefits.

Local county officials were unelected, appointed instead by the Royal Governor. These officials were often corrupt, falsely convicting innocent individuals of crimes and extorting false taxes from colonists.

British imperial measures like the Stamp Act of 1765 led to increased dissatisfaction with colonial rule across the American colonies. Local expenses, such as the construction of Royal Governor William Tryon’s palace in New Bern, increased the tax burden even more dramatically.

In the mid 1760s, backcountry colonists began printing pamphlets and organizing protests to demand lower taxes and fair treatment, which they claimed to be their right as British citizens. Early leaders of the movement, including quaker Herman Husband, were staunchly opposed to violence as a method of change. Husband wrote that the movement’s goal was “to be Governed by Law, and not by the Will of officers.”

Members of the movement became known as the “Regulators,” because the movement aimed to regulate the abuses of government. The colonists filed suit with the government, sent petitions to the colonial assembly, and attempted to garner meetings with government officials. Some Regulators were even elected to the colonial assembly, including Herman Husband.

When the assembly and the greater colonial government still did not address any of the colonists’ concerns, they began to use extralegal means to protest the government. They pledged to not pay taxes, repossessed property that had been taken by the colonial authorities, and disrupted court proceedings.

Tryon said of the Regulators that “the Grievances complained of by no means Warrant” their actions, which “tended to the subversion of the Constitution of this Government.”

In 1768, Tryon ordered the creation of a new county west of the Catawba River, to be named “Tryon County” in his honor. Many citizens of the area were outraged by the change, which they saw as an insult amid the increasing tensions. William Chronicle Sr. became a vocal proponent of the Regulator Movement and opponent of the new county’s creation. His son, William Chronicle Jr., would later learn to share his revolutionary beliefs.

In 1770, tensions finally boiled over when a mob of Regulators attacked several members of the political elite in Hillsborough, including the sheriff. Several officials were forced to flee the town. Herman Husband was expelled from the assembly and the Johnson Riot Act was passed, allowing the colonial government to take violent action against anyone who assembled “unlawfully, tumultuously and riotously.”

As violent acts continued, Tryon raised a militia of roughly 1100 men from eastern North Carolina. Many of the militiamen sympathized with the Regulators and would later become patriots in the Revolution.

The militia marched west and met against a large force of Regulators at Hillsborough in May of 1771. The American Battlefield Trust estimates “between two and three thousand” regulators were camped at Hillsborough. The Encyclopedia Britannica claims that the number was 3,700.

Tryon offered to leave peacefully if the Regulators surrendered their arms and swore allegiance to the government, but the Regulators refused. After a skirmish that led to nearly 200 casualties including 19 dead on both sides, the Regulators began to run out of ammunition and were forced to surrender.

Tryon issued a proclamation, promising a pardon to all Regulators who surrendered their weapons and swore an oath of allegiance to obey the law and pay taxes. According to the American Battlefield Trust, “eventually around three-quarters of all free men in the Piedmont region would take the oath.”

Though the Regulator movement ultimately failed, it paved the way for the greater American Revolution just five years later, and instilled in a young William Chronicle Jr. the ideals that would lead him to become a hero.

Ramsour’s Mill

Lord Charles Cornwallis, a British Major General, was assigned command of the southern theatre during the war. The British, who believed there were still many loyalists in the south, devised a plan to garner support with loyalists and form British militia units across the south. This “southern strategy” saw success, especially in South Carolina.

Lt. Col. John Moore, a local loyalist, was sent home by Cornwallis in 1780 after helping achieve the southern victories. He called upon residents of Lincoln County (which then encompassed Catawba and parts of other counties) to form a militia that would fight for the British side.

With help from another local loyalist Major Nicholas Welch, Moore raised a force of 1,300 men, most of whom were unarmed, and set up camp near Ramsour’s Mill, in modern-day Lincolnton.

A small contingent of patriots from across the North Carolina backcountry were dispatched by General Griffith Rutherford to break up the loyalist camp. Led by Colonel Francis Locke, the disparate militia units came together in modern-day Chronicle, camping on the banks of Mountain Creek. In total, the patriot forces amounted to about four hundred men.

The patriots marched over Anderson Mountain, stopping at the Anderson Mountain Spring to plan the confrontation. Some of the officers argued for a retreat across the Catawba at Sherrills Ford, hoping the much-larger force of loyalists could be held at the river. However, others worried that such a plan would embolden the loyalists, and feared that British reinforcements would be far greater than American reinforcements.

The loyalists had already learned of the existence of the patriot forces and attempted an ambush, but had seen little success.

On the morning of June 20th, 1780, the patriots launched a surprise attack against the loyalist forces at Ramsour’s Mill. Since both sides were militia composed of untrained backcountry farmers, the fighting quickly became chaotic.

“As there was no organization of either part nor regular returns made after the action, the loss could not be ascertained with correctness,” one account of the battle reads. “Fifty-six lay dead on the side of the ridge where the heat of the action prevailed. Many lay scattered on the flanks and over the ridge toward the mill. It is believed that seventy were killed and that the loss on each side was equal. About one hundred men on each side were wounded and fifty Tories were taken prisoners. The men had no uniforms and it could not be told to which party many of the dead belonged.”

Among the combatants was the young Major William Chronicle. The battle lasted only two hours and was a resounding victory for the patriots, scattering the loyalist forces and bringing an end to the long string of defeats that had characterised the southern theater of the war.

Kings Mountain

Disturbed by reports of patriot militias in western North Carolina, Lord Cornwallis dispatched Major Patrick Ferguson to the mountains in an attempt to garner loyalist support and put down the rebellion. The major claimed that he would, “march his army over the mountains, hang their leaders, and lay their country waste with fire and sword.” Ferguson’s tactics were seen as brutal, but proved effective as he drew over a thousand men to his side.

In response, militias from North Carolina and modern-day Tennessee began to pursue Ferguson and his men. Major William Chronicle’s regiment, led by Colonel William Graham, was among them. They amassed a force that included between 60 and 80 men from Lincoln County (which at the time also encompassed Catawba County). Along with the other militia regiments, they surrounded Ferguson at King’s Mountain in October of 1780. Ferguson deployed only the most basic of defenses, believing that American resistance would crumble.

William Graham was sick and was called away before the battle, leaving the young Major Chronicle in command of his Lincoln County militiamen. He personally led the charge up the mountain, advancing on the British position in front of his men. He called out, “Face to the mountain, boys!” Moments later, he was struck in the chest by a bullet and mortally wounded. He was only twenty-five feet from the British position at the moment of his death.

The battle concluded in a resounding American victory. Major Ferguson was killed, the loyalists were routed, and the victory set in motion a chain of events that led to the successful conclusion of the Revolution. Without Ferguson and his men, Cornwallis’ southern strategy was doomed to fail. Thomas Jefferson called the battle “the turn of the tide of success.”

William Chronicle was only 25 at the time of his death. He had no wife and no children. His horse was brought to his father’s stable, who, upon seeing it, knew that his son had been killed. His pistols, sword, and spurs were given to his half brother James McKee, who eventually inherited all else that he owned.

After the battle, most of the Lincoln County militiamen returned to their homes, including several who lived in the area around the Little Mountain. It is likely that the area was first called Chronicle then, in honor of their fallen commander.

Major William Chronicle, namesake of the community, was honored with a mural in Belmont in June.

The mural was commissioned by the Major William Chronicle chapter of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution (NSDAR) as part of Gastonia’s America 250 celebration.

Chronicle, a Belmont native, commanded troops at the battle of King’s Mountain. According to a DAR press release, “Major Chronicle, who gave his life at just 25 years old, is remembered as the first officer killed in that pivotal battle.”

The mural was unveiled to a midsized crowd of Belmont residents at a ceremony on June 4th. The ceremony included performers in period attire and period music, as well as “participation from local and state dignitaries,” according to the press release.

The mural features William Chronicle and four members of the South Fork Boys, a group of militiamen who primarily hailed from the south fork of the Catawba River.

It was created by Boyce McKinney, a self-taught Charlotte-based artist.

The NSDAR is an organization of women descended from patriots of the American Revolution.

According to the NSDAR press release, the mural and the unveiling event were designed to “celebrate local history, honor the legacy of Patriot service, and highlight the ongoing commitment of the Daughters of the American Revolution to historic preservation, education, and patriotism as part of the America250 commemoration.”

The Chronicle-based non-profit LOV Thrift Store has provided a new place to live for a veteran and her family.

The US Navy veteran, Nhatisha Sturgis, had been living in a travel trailer with her children and several pets at Cross Country Campground, located on NC-150 in Chronicle.

The trailer had been battered over the years by the elements, eventually facing severe damage.

According to Gini Popko, co-founder and store manager at LOV, the trailer had become unsafe for the veteran and her family to live in.

“It was seriously dangerous,” Gini said. “The roof was caving in, there was water everywhere … an outlet caught on fire.”

Images of the trailer show exposed wire and rotting wood.

Gini said that when she learned of the condition of the trailer, she immediately began searching for a solution.

“I said we’ve gotta find something,” Gini said. “For me, being a mom, safety was the first issue.”

LOV initially looked into renovating the trailer, but quickly decided that it was more trouble than it was worth.

Instead, LOV began to search for a new trailer to replace the old one. The charity spent approximately fifteen thousand dollars to buy a like-new Cherokee travel trailer.

The Chronicle rode along with LOV when they delivered and installed the trailer.

Several volunteers from LOV’s team delivered and installed the trailer before signing the title over to Sturgis, who repeatedly expressed her excitement and gratitude.

“It was the easiest process,” Sturgis said. “They were welcoming, [Gini] was right on it. It wasn’t a bunch of ‘let me get this together, let me verify this, let me do that.’ It was, ‘we’ve gotta help you now.’ It was a breath of fresh air not to have to worry about [it]. She got right back to me, and we started talking, there were no problems. They’re just amazing people.”

The majority of LOV’s funding comes from purchases at the thrift store location on the corner of NC-150 and NC-16.

“We’re able to do all of this because of the support of the community,” Gini said. “Shopping at the store is fabulous. Donations are our bread and butter. Any businesses that are looking to write off a donation, please consider us. Cash donations go directly to a veteran.”

As for Sturgis, she says she is looking forward to making the new place her home.

“I love it, and I’m so happy that there’s places out there that will help veterans without looking at them funny, or whatever they have in their history or background,” Sturgis said. “They’re just there to help, and we need more people like that. I’m amazed, and I’m so excited.”

5th Quarter Food Truck Park hosted its grand opening ceremony on June 19th.

The food truck park, located on NC-16 Business where it crosses the border of Catawba and Lincoln Counties, has been operating on a trial basis since November of 2025. The grand opening marks the beginning of full operation.

“It was a huge success, we were here for the grand opening,” said Angel Schoenhardt, owner of The Saucy Buffalo, a food truck that serves barbeque in the style of Buffalo, New York. “We’ve been here for the month, and I think traffic is definitely starting to pick up. [The food truck park] is definitely needed in this area, and it’s going to be a huge asset to folks who just want a variety.”

Other food trucks at the park on opening day included The Fry House, Soco Chicken, JT’s Brunch BBQ & Blues, Happy Icee, Kabuto on Wheels, Pour Me Dirty Sodas, and several more.

“This has been a great experience,” said Kristin Hasen, co-owner of Jacob’s Dairy Bar, an ice cream and coffee shop based in Maiden with food trucks at various locations. “Everyone seemed to have a super great time. A lot of fun, a lot of new customers and a lot of repeat customers came by.”

The event featured music, cornhole, face painting, and other games in addition to the food truck options.

Jacob’s Dairy Bar has been a fixture at the food truck park since before the grand opening. Kristen says it has so far been a positive experience.

“We’ve been here already for a few months selling our ice cream,” Kristin said. “So [the grand opening] was just a fun event. [The park] is a super great concept and it seems to bring in a lot of the community, which is really great as well. We get to just chat with the community, which we really enjoy. [Staying here a long time] is our plan.”

The park is now expected to be open with a rotating schedule of food trucks on a daily basis.

“We’re excited to announce that the park is now open daily, so you can stop by anytime to enjoy great food with your family and friends,” a post from 5th Quarter reads. “We will also be posting a weekly schedule of the food vendors that will be on-site, so you’ll always know which trucks are coming and when. That way, you won’t have to worry about showing up and finding that your favorite food truck isn’t here.”

The opening event will not be the last. A live concert was held at the park on the 27th, and Damon Lusk, the park’s owner, told the Chronicle in November, “We’re gonna do a lot of events there … It’s gonna be a quick in-and-out event center.”

Horsefeathers Roadhouse is scheduled to reopen in June as Bourbon & Bobbers Saloon, a new bar and restaurant located on Mt Pleasant Road.

The project is headed by Mooresville-based husband-wife duo Ginger and Bernie Bennett. The building and property are undergoing renovations to accommodate the new business. The duo also owns the Village Square Taphouse in Clemmons.

The Chronicle visited Bourbon & Bobbers and spoke to Ginger Bennett to learn what lies ahead for the bar. Ginger took a break from painting trim and wrangling her children to speak to our reporter.

“It was a regular at our other bar that told us about this being available,” Ginger told the Chronicle. “They knew we were looking for something, so we came here to look at it, and it very much feels like Village Square Taphouse does. To me, that feels like home.”

Bourbon & Bobbers will feature two floors of bars, dining, and entertainment. Originally, the Bennetts planned for the bar to only serve alcohol.

“This [building] is 8,000 square feet,” Ginger said. “When we first stopped [by], I’m like, ‘I don’t know, it looks really small.’ And then we went downstairs. It’s huge. We fell in love with it. We weren’t planning on doing food. We just wanted a bar. And then we went down and saw the kitchen and I was like, ‘We could do food.’”

The building is equipped with two bars, one on each floor.

The downstairs section will have three pool tables, arcade machines, and “enough dart boards for a league to come in,” along with an atmosphere Ginger described as “a lake vibe.” The downstairs back porch will have seating and a small stage for an “acoustic to three-piece band” to play during fairweather months.

“We went with a vintage look, like an old bourbon bar for the upstairs,” Ginger said. “Upstairs is like a sit-down restaurant. [The kitchen] is going to be open from 11 to 9. And if we need to have food later, if there’s demand for it, then we’ll open a fryer. We’ll have a late night menu or something. But after 9, the plan is to close [the kitchen].”

The bar itself is expected to remain open late, something which Ginger said is relatively rare with local bars and restaurants in the Lake Norman area.

“When we moved to Mooreville, we went out one night and we were surprised,” Ginger said. “Most every place was closed at 11. There was nothing to do, and it was during the summer. [I was] confused. I didn’t know where to go or what to do. And we left. We went home early. If [Bourbon & Bobbers] is still packed, we’re going to stay open up until two, up until we can. As long as people are here, we’ll be open.”

The first floor also features a stage large enough to accommodate full bands. Several Charlotte-based acts have already been booked to play.

“Live music will start at 9.30 on Fridays and Saturdays,” Ginger said. “And that’s mostly to get the young people under 21 out because then it’s a full bar. We had to make [the stage] bigger because we have big bands. Band nights, we’re going to push the table back so we have a dance floor.”

Other planned events include karaoke, trivia, and movie nights.

The property adjoins a small section of Lake Norman. Future plans for Bourbon & Bobbers include refurbishment of the dock and a possible acquisition of more land to increase the bar’s lake access.

“That’s stage two,” Ginger said. “First it’s getting open, then we’re going to try to dredge as soon as we can. We’re going to try to get boats in here. Before, they could only get like one in. We were told that people used to come with their jet skis.”

Ginger said that she intends Bourbons & Bobbers to fill a niche that is otherwise largely neglected on the west side of Lake Norman, a situation exacerbated since the May closure of local sports bar The Turn.

“[The people] need it, we want it, so we’ll just build something that has everything,” Ginger said. “That’s one of the reasons we did food. There was a high demand for it, and after driving [on 150] I understand. In fact, we’re moving four minutes away because we started driving and it’s supposed to be 15 minutes away to Mooresville, but it took me 33 minutes to get home.”

Several staff members who formerly worked for The Turn have secured jobs at the new bar.

Bourbon & Bobbers will take the place of Horsefeathers Roadhouse, which closed in 2023 after almost seventy years of on-and-off business amid allegations of refusal to pay employees, talent, and vendors.

The final post on Horsefeathers’ Facebook page reads, “Again, please note the HFR is only temporarily closed. This FB page is the only source for additional information as it arises. We promise our patrons and neighbors to keep all of you posted.” Comments on the post have been restricted.

The bar has since changed owners. The current owners are silent partners in the new venture with the Bennetts.

“We weren’t attached to [the name],” Ginger said. “Some [people in the community] have good memories, some have bad. And when we did our research, it was mixed. I love the good memories, they had a lot of fun here, but there were some bad ones … I think we made the right choice about changing the name.”

Despite changing the name, the Bennetts retained some of the items from the old Horsefeathers.

“We went to tear the bar tops off, and we found out that they were doors.They just used doors for their bar,” Ginger said. “In each panel, they put things and put epoxy over them. Some are very sentimental. You’ve got medals, you’ve got things like actual pictures, and then some are like knives and bottle tops, but it still meant something to them. … So this will probably go on these walls. And we have an artist, he’s a regular at our other bar. And I want him to do artwork; around that and kind of camouflage it in. I think that’d be really cool looking down here.”

Horsefeathers Roadhouse was known for catering specifically to bikers, something Ginger says Bourbon & Bobbers will not do. The move has drawn some criticism from members of the community.

“My dad was a biker,” Ginger said. “I have people in my family that are bikers. I don’t hate bikers, but everybody’s welcome. It has nothing to do with not liking anything. It’s just everybody’s welcome. I’m not targeting one group of people to come here, and that’s how I like it.”

The bar is scheduled to soft open on Saturday, June 13th. The exact date of the grand opening is subject to change. For the most up-to-date information, visit the Bourbon & Bobbers Facebook page.

The Historical Associations of Catawba and Lincoln counties will host the Liberty Ball to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States.

The ball will take place on June 27th at the Crowe Mansion, an event and wedding venue located on NC-150 in Lincoln County, and will benefit the two historical associations.

Doors will open at 7 PM for general admission ticket holders. The event will end at 11 PM.

Sponsors and donors will have a separate reception at 6 PM with a “special signature cocktail to commemorate the 250th.“

The ball will feature costumed reenactors and several events and showcases, including live historical music and dancing.

“We’re going to have piccolo players that will be doing some patriotic music at the beginning,” said Susan Holbrook, Executive Director of the Historical Association of Catawba County. “Then, of course, we’ll have dancing. We are going to have a DJ for later on in the evening.”

The ball will also provide a dinner featuring historical food options and a cash bar.

“We’ll have a wonderful amount of food,” Susan said. “The menu is incredible. [We’ll have historic] hors d’oeuvres and kind of a modern twist on colonial style foods, [on] what they would have had [in 1776].”

Other events at the ball include a silent auction, educational programming, display of historical items including an authentic red coat, and a wine pool.

“We’re accepting donations of bottles of wine that are of a $20 value or more because we’re doing a wine pool,” said Alyssa Miller, Director of Education for the Historical Association of Catawba County. “If they just have a bottle of wine that is at least $20 sitting on top of their fridge, they just are not going to drink it. We’ll take it. [If] they want to donate it, we’ll take it. So there’s lots of ways to support these two organizations.”

In the tradition of colonial era public proclamations, Robert Ryals, a Charlotte-based historian, will read aloud from the Halifax Resolves. The Halifax Resolves were passed unanimously in April 1776 by the North Carolina Provincial Congress. The North Carolina Sons of the American Revolution describe the resolution as, “the first official act by any of the thirteen colonies calling for independence from Great Britain.”

“He is just incredible,” Alyssa said. “He’s very theatrical. He does a good job. It’s going to be exciting.”

The event will double as an award ceremony for historical preservation.

“We’re gonna do some historical preservation awards for both Lincoln County and Catawba County,” Susan said. “Either organizations or individuals. That’s going to be a lot of fun for me. That’s the most important part of the night, because we love those folks who work with us to preserve our history and then share it, because without it we have nothing to learn from.”

There is no specific dress code for the ball, but historical dress is encouraged.

“We’re encouraging everyone to come dressed in colonial costumes,” Susan said. “We’d love to have the women come in their colonial ball gowns and the gentlemen come in their patriotic military uniforms, but it’s anything really. There’ll be folks in black tie and there’ll be folks in costume, or cocktail dresses and things like that. Church clothes are fine, but we just want people to come and celebrate with us to enjoy the evening.”

The event venue, the Crowe Mansion, was constructed over four years starting in 1970. The mansion was commissioned by fashion designer Alda Crow and her husband, to be used as an event venue. Architect Richard Gillespie designed the house “to unique specifications of an old looking new home, patterned after The Carter’s Grove Plantation near Williamsburg,” according to the venue’s website.

“The Crowe Mansion is beautiful and it is styled after the Williamsburg palaces and homes and so it’s very fitting for this type of celebration,” Susan said. “It’ll be beautifully decorated and the outside has that gorgeous staircase, so we’ll be able to offer photo opportunities. It’s a fairly good replica of what they had in the late 1700s. They’ve just been wonderful to work with and we’re excited to partner with that organization as well.”

Few historic mansions exist from the revolutionary era in Catawba and Lincoln counties. Historians refer to western North Carolina in this era as the “Backcounty,” a sparsely populated and underrepresented area. A “Liberty Ball” in this area would have been unlikely during the revolution.

“There was not wealth in this area because it was mostly the frontier still,” Alyssa said. “The people that were in this area were farmers, fur trappers, and traders, very agricultural people. [This type of ball would be more likely near] Wilmington or New Bern. Around here, they definitely would have had gatherings, but it would have been probably pretty informal. Most people wouldn’t have owned clothing nice enough to go to something like [this] at the time.”

General admission tickets for the event cost $125, or $85 for teachers and “young professionals.” Sponsorship options range from $1,000 to $10,000. All proceeds from the event will benefit the two historical associations, both of which are 501(c)(3) charitable organizations.

“It is a fundraising event so that both counties can continue to bring the programming at no charge or very little charge,” Susan said. “All of the proceeds and all of the donations that we have received go to allowing us to continue our programming.”

Susan says she expects the event to be a success.

“I think we’ve had a great response as far as folks buying tables,” Susan said. “We’ve sold several of those that we have a lot of individual tickets that are going. Our goal is to have 240 folks there and so I think we’re going to get pretty close to that. Tickets are limited, so get your tickets now.”

Catawba and Lincoln counties have been planning the Liberty Ball and other America 250 events since 2023.

“Our organization, as well as Lincolnton, we’ve been planning for America 250 for years,” Susan said. “Each county had to get a declaration from their counties to become designated as an America 250 county and [become] part of the program. Of course, the revolution didn’t end [in] one day. July 4th [is] not the only part of the American Revolution. And in this area, it wasn’t until the late 1770s, 1780 that we actually took part in the skirmishes.”

Other Catawba County America 250 programming includes historical presentations, opportunities to throw tea into a recreation of Boston Harbor, and American history trivia at 3 Little Birds wineshop in Newton.

To learn more about Catawba or Lincoln County America 250 programming, visit their websites at catawbahistory.org and lincolncountyhistory.com.

Local charity LOV Thrift Store awarded $25,000 in scholarship money to local high schoolers in May.

The 501(3)(c) charity, based at the intersection of NC-150 and NC-16 (Killian Crossroads), awarded three $5000 scholarships and one $10,000 scholarship to high school seniors in eastern Catawba and Lincoln counties.

“It was LOV’s honor and pleasure to present four scholarships to local students that are children of honorably discharged veterans, to assist them with their next step in life,” said LOV President and Co-founder Kevin Popko. “LOV is simply the facilitator. The ones that make this happen are the shoppers, donators, and volunteers from this wonderful, caring community.”

The scholarship will assist the recipients in paying for tuition and housing at the university of their choice. The scholarship, Kevin told the Chronicle in April, could significantly reduce the financial hardship of college for the students who receive it.

One student was selected from each of the four eligible high schools nearest to LOV’s location (North Lincoln, East Lincoln, Lincoln Charter, and Bandys).

This was the second year that LOV’s scholarship program paid out tens of thousands of dollars.

In 2025, LOV’s board did not choose the scholarship recipients, instead taking the recommendation of the schools.

This year, Kevin said that the board decided to take a “hands on” approach. Students were selected from the school’s “top three” choices by LOV’s board based on submitted essays, merit, and need. All selected students are children of an honorably discharged veteran.

“We look forward to doing our third annual LOV scholarship program next year,” Kevin said.

Construction of the gas station at the corner of E Maiden Road and NC-150 is proceeding according to plans.

The gas station is being constructed by Home Run Market Properties LLC. The project has been in the works since 2022, when the property was purchased by the Statesville-based gas station chain for $1.2 million.

Catawba County approved several permits in April, including permits for plumbing, electrical, zoning, and sewer.

Permits stipulate that the concrete slab cannot be poured until approval is received from the City of Hickory for water and sewer utilities.

Work has continued on the foundation, plumbing, grading, and electrical.

The gas station will have eight pumps, according to the site plan and permits.

A 5,286 square foot convenience store will be constructed on the site.

The convenience store will also have a built-in food service known as “Metro Bistro,” a Home Run affiliated delicatessen also located in several of the company’s other gas stations.

“Metro Bistro at Home Run Markets has you covered with healthy and hearty options for any time of day,” a company statement reads. “Don’t drive hungry, our Metro Bistro Delis serve a wonderful menu with something for everyone.”

Food options will include “Fresh salads, flavor-packed wraps. grilled panini sandwiches. hot & crispy pizza. breakfast favorites. sides & extras,” according to the post.

The original site plans included a car wash, but no car wash has been mentioned in any of the approved permits.

As a condition of approval for their permits, Home Run Markets will realign E Maiden Road.

Local sports lounge “The Turn” is closing after eleven years of serving the Chronicle-Denver area.

The bar, located on NC-16 Business just north of the Lincoln County line, will close after May 2nd.

The owners of the property will not renew the bar’s lease in favor of pursuing other options, Keisha Ann Gantt, manager at The Turn, told the Chronicle.

“This is definitely not the news we wanted. So we will celebrate every day while we can,” The Turn said in a statement on the bar’s official Facebook page. “Stop by, see your favorite bartender, tell your favorite stories. Let’s make our last week something to remember. I will be reaching out to all the bands to let them know as well. Thanks to all of our customers who have become more like family than friends.”

The Turn is known for its live music, events, and community atmosphere, according to patrons of the establishment.

The location has operated as a bar under several different names and owners. It was originally founded in 1975 by Larry Sherrill and his wife Patsy as Larry’s Famous Bar.

“At the time, Catawba County was not dry,” Gantt said. “Everywhere else was a dry county. You couldn’t get alcohol anywhere from Mecklenburg to here. So they started the bar. She was actually the brains behind the operation. It was her idea to buy the property.”

The bar saw success with events such as turkey shoots, parties, and other events.

“There’s a mound, a hill over here with trees,” Keisha said. “Those are memorial trees for people who passed away. The mound is there because they used to have turkey shoots out back, and that was to absorb bullets, and they used to play horseshoes and all kinds of stuff.”

The location first closed in 1985 after a fire destroyed the original building, according to Keisha. Several theories exist to explain the cause of the fire.

“It’s kind of lore around here that Larry burned the bar down,” Keisha said. “[Patsy] said he didn’t, but that the insurance thought he did. They sat across the street from [their] house watching him because they thought he did.”

The bar was purchased from the Sherills in 1997, but continued to operate under the name “First Turn,” named after the location of the owners’ box at Charlotte Motor Speedway, according to Keisha. Patsy continued working for the new owners into the 21st century.

The bar changed hands several more times and closed again in 2015. It reopened over a year later, but the year-long hiatus did not dissuade the patrons.

“When this place was shut down, for two years, they would bring their own beer, and they would come and sit in the back and drink,” Keisha said.

Some patrons have been visiting The Turn and its various iterations for generations. One patron who overheard the interview being conducted between Keisha and the Chronicle mentioned that he had been coming to the bar since 1989.

“I remember coming here when I was little,” Keisha said. “It’s more than a bar. It’s a whole community of people that are not going to have anywhere to go.”

The Turn will continue to operate as normal until the day it closes. There will be a “send off party” featuring a band and food on Sunday, May 3rd, the final day in operation.

The bar’s management plans to reopen in another location in the near future.

“He’s looking for a building, but they need a place [with] a license; you can’t have alcohol just anywhere,” Keisha said. “It’s rapidly changing around here.”

“We will miss our little dive bar, but this isn’t a goodbye. It’s a see you later,” the bar’s closing statement reads. Tim Schoenig, the bar’s leaseholder, added in Facebook comments, “We will be back,” and “I promise you that better is coming.”

Despite the possibility of moving the bar to a new location, Keisha and other patrons expressed regret at losing the current site.

“This view - where the sun sets right here - this is the most incredible view in all of Denver,” Keisha said. “If you’ve never seen the sunset from here, you should come here in person before you can’t. You can stand in here and watch the storms come over [Anderson] Mountain, or when it snows. It’s beautiful.”

At their regularly scheduled meeting on April 20th, the Catawba County Board of Commissioners approved a measure to merge the three school systems in Catawba County.

The measure, which will merge Hickory City Schools, Newton-Conover City Schools, and Catawba County Schools into a single school system, was passed 3-2. Chairman Isenhower and Commissioners Abernethy and Setzer voted in favor, while Commissioners Allran and Beatty dissented. All commissioners were in attendance and voted on the measure.

The move was made to address budgetary shortfalls and capacity issues within the three systems, according to the commissioners. The plan will not take effect unless approved by the NC State Board of Education. If approved, the merger will take effect on July 1st, 2028, creating a combined system known as the Catawba Valley School District.

It is estimated that hundreds of citizens attended the meeting. The primary meeting room was filled, with additional citizens directed to overflow rooms where they listened to the proceedings on speakers. Representatives of seven news organizations were present, including Channel 9 and Spectrum News, both based in Charlotte.

About seventy-five individuals spoke during the public hearing, seventy-four of whom were opposed to the merger and one of whom was in favor. Each individual had three uninterrupted minutes to speak in front of the commissioners and the public.

Among the individuals against the merger were superintendents, school administrators, school board members, teachers, pastors, parents, students, and former students from the two city systems. North Carolina State Senator Dean Proctor also voiced his opposition.

Nearly all of the critics said that the primary supporting document used in favor of the merger, a fifteen-page capacity study conducted by McKissick Associates (a Pennsylvania-based architectural firm), does not provide sufficient data to make an informed decision on the merger.

“Right now this entire proposal has been built on limited analysis: a short presentation by an architect, when other counties have taken the time to conduct comprehensive independent feasibility studies that look beyond buildings and enrollment,” said Robbie Gonzalez, Vice Chair of the Newton-Conover Board of Education. “[It is] a study that would cost $14 per student. So let me ask a simple question: are our students not worth $14?”

Many who opposed the merger said that they would be in favor of it if the proposed “comprehensive study” found it to be positive for the community.

Dissenters also said that school programs, such as free school lunches and disability programs, may be affected by the merger.

“We do not know the impact on our federal funding,” said Dr. Jennifer Griffin, superintendent of Hickory City Schools. “We have a community eligibility program that feeds free breakfast and lunch to all of our students. Grocery prices are high. People are struggling with gas prices. … Our children need these [meals]. They cannot learn when they are hungry, and I would ask that you pause for a study so we can ensure that we are not inadvertently taking food out of the mouths of our children.”

Opponents of the merger expressed fear that schools like Discovery High School, a competitive magnet school located in Newton, could be affected detrimentally or closed entirely as a result of the merger.

“My niece is currently in seventh grade, and has already talked about wanting to attend Discovery,” said Aliah Escamilla, a senior at Discovery and former president of the Catawba County Youth Council. “She has watched what this school has done for me, and she hopes to have that same experience one day. But with this proposed merger, Discovery’s existence is only guaranteed until 2030 … Right now, students across our county are asking for something simple: to protect a school that is already working.”

Some students focused on the emotional, mental, and social impacts of the school merger, which will result in some students being assigned to new schools.

“Do not take us from our schools and friends and teachers,” an elementary-aged girl told the board. “Our friends and teachers don’t want us to leave and we don’t want to leave. … I have been best friends with my best friend for seven years. We are planning to go to middle school and high school together, and I don’t want there to be a possibility of being separated from them.”

Opponents of the merger also expressed apprehension at what they called a lack of transparency from the commissioners. Several speakers said that the process was “undemocratic” or “socialist.”

“We have turned not into a democracy, as I would teach my students in social studies, you have become the Red Scare of Catawba County,” said a teacher of social studies at Grandview Middle School, in the Hickory City Schools system. “Because this is not a democracy, this is a dictatorship, and I will choose to dictate how I feel about this: it’s wrong, it’s immoral, and it’s deplorable.”

Upon state approval of the merger plan, the board will not have elections until 2030. The Board of Commissioners will appoint the new Catawba Valley Board of Education from each of the current school boards and three additional residents of Catawba County.

Some dissenters were concerned that the racial makeup of the new combined school board may be less diverse than the individual city boards.

“My concern also is that Hickory is the most diverse district of all. We have three African-Americans on the school board,” said Dr. Anthony Freeman, a pastor and Hickory city councilman. “Sooner or later, after the interim period where you appoint [the school board], then it goes [to a] partisan election in the county. Because of the demographics, what do you see? We’re not going to see minorities. We’re not going to see any blacks. Leadership should reflect what the people look like and who they serve.”

Only one individual spoke in favor of the school merger.

“You all came here tonight asking for the county commissioners to do a study. Why didn’t you pay for it?” said Larry Barger, a leader in the Catawba County Tea Party. “City of Hickory, do the rules say that you can’t pay for it? I don’t think so. If that study was that important, you would’ve brought that study forward and showed these guys why they shouldn’t do the merger.”

Barger also said that the commissioners had been more transparent than the dissenters had claimed.

“I hosted three town halls over here at the bowling alley,” Barger said. “Where was this crowd at? Why did you not come ask [the commissioners] questions? They were there, they showed up. Y’all didn’t show up. … There are citizens that didn’t show up tonight that thank you, and we vote, we appreciate it. Do the job that we elected you to do. Vote yes, and merge the schools.”

When the public comment session ended, Commissioner Allran made a motion to postpone the merger, pending a further study. The motion was met with applause and cheers from the citizen attendees.

“I think it is reasonable to commission an independent third-party comprehensive study,” Allran said. “I don’t see how it could possibly hurt, and I think it would help for the reasons that have been expressed, and have been expressed very well.”

The commissioners discussed the issue, with Chair Isenhower leading discussion. He described his reading of supplemental materials, including similar studies, which he said only gave “common sense” information.

“My point is, when I read it the second time I thought, is there something here that I can glean, that we can commission a study to tell us about?” Isenhower said. “What this study really did is say, ‘This is what you need to look at.’ I appreciate people wanting a study, but … I think a study - and it’s not just the money in it - I just don’t think it’s going to resolve the issue.”

The motion to commission an independent study failed, with only commissioners Allran and Beatty voting in favor.

After the vote, Isenhower spoke on his experience with the school system, stating that the merger would not have the negative effects that the citizens had suggested.

“In addition to being a contractor, I served twelve years on the school board,” Isenhower said. “I was on that board when it started Discovery High School. [We] got a Bill Gates grant and we started a high school. It was a reach and we didn’t know how that was going to go. I appreciate everyone’s passion, consideration, and concerns, [but] if we have good programs they’re going to stay.”

The final vote on the merger, which passed 3-2, drew mixed reactions from the crowd.

The plan will be submitted to the State Board of Education and will be reviewed at their next scheduled meeting in early June. If the state board approves the plan, the Catawba Valley Board of Education would be appointed the following Tuesday.

Opponents of the merger have turned their efforts to the State Board of Elections, encouraging citizens to contact the board and express their opposition.

“While this outcome is not what we had hoped for, we want to be clear: our work is not finished,” Hickory City Schools Superintendent Jennifer Griffin said in a statement. “As this process moves to the next phase, we will continue to advocate on behalf of our students, staff, and community at the state level. In order to be final, the plan will need to be approved by the State Board of Education. We encourage our community to remain engaged.”

To read the full text of the adopted merger plan, visit Catawba County’s website.

A full recording of the Board of Commissioners meeting can be found on the WHKY Facebook page.

GALLERY