#ThrowbackThursday: June 26, 2006

With permission, The Beacon is archiving past issues of Matthews Record (also called Matthews News and Record and The Matthews Record) articles online. Throwback Thursday articles will include relevant content still facing Matthews today.  This story was originally published June 26, 2006.

---

Labor of Love

Garden oasis a familiar and refreshing sight in Matthews

View fullsize

Anyone who has driven by James Grier’s home on Sardis Road, just before Highway 51, is familiar with the precise rows and varying shades of green growing in his garden. Grier refers to the well-tended earth as a ‘hobby out of control.’ But, to say he’s being modest would be an understatement.

What drivers don’t see as they speed by, are the five or six other finely manicured fields of vegetables behind his home. Also the pond, the fig and apple trees, the grape vines, the mounds of mulch, the greenhouse - where he begins the process in early January - or just the tranquility of it all.

It started in 1992 after Grier’s retirement and three major surgeries. Something worthwhile to fill the time. “It’s been a lot of fun,” said Grier.

He sells his home grown produce under a shady tree off a cart in front of his property. He uses the honor system and expects folks to share the goods.

“If the cart’s not on the road, we’re not open,” Grier said. The cart is out on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

“I don’t like greedy people,” the gentleman farmer said. He’s referring to those who take more than a fair share of the early pickings. “This old man is trying the best he can.”

Not much goes to waste in Grier’s hands, whether it’s the PVC pipe mounted on his truck for fishing poles, scraps for his mulch pile supplied by landscapers in the fall, or leftovers off his truck.

“We just gave 100 pounds of squash and potatoes to a local church who passed them on to the needy,” said son-in-law Andy Ollis. Both men work the land daily, with Ollis doing most of the heavier labor.

“We still enjoy it,” he mused, “and the people who come by sure appreciate it.” The include people from all around - Pineville, Waxhaw, Huntersville.

When asked how long the farmer would keep the place going, Ollis replied, “I don’t know how many times he’s been asked to sell,” he said about his father-in-law, “But eventually he will.”
And Matthews will be poorer because of it.

View fullsize

Morning Minute: Thursday, February 21, 2019

News About Town: The Board of Commissioners Agenda for the Monday, February 25 meeting was posted yesterday. The Board will revisit the Streetscape Conceptual Design contract.  The Board will also hear what State Senate Bill 469 means for stormwater control on property to be redeveloped.

News Around Town:  Have a high school junior but feel unsure about the college application process? The Matthews Library will host a one-hour workshop on February 27 to demystify the process. They’ll cover the everything from searching for a school and filling out the application, to finding scholarships and funding. Matthews Library, 230 Matthews Station St., Wednesday, February 27, 2019, 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

One Fun Thing: There are lots of interesting holidays to celebrate today, so pick one (or all): National Mother Language Day, National Sticky Bun Day, Read a Card Day, Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day, Grain-Free Day, and Singletasking Day. If you participate in Singletasking Day you cannot participate in other national day celebrations. 

Holiday Traditions at Windsor Run

Last Thursday, December 6, Windsor Run hosted a one-day event called Sharing Holiday Traditions Festival. Sponsored by the Diversity and Inclusion Committee, the event was designed to highlight some of the resident’s experiences during the holiday season.

Among the nine displays were Sandy Schneiderman’s images of Chanukah; Judy Schaffer’s collection of Hershey ornaments; Margaret Corsier’s ornaments from the White House Historical Society, and Sharon Nank’s embroidery and appliqué work. Joy Rieves displayed the Santa’s sleigh she received as a one-year-old next to the photo taken of her, then, with this item.

This was an opportunity for people to get to know their fellow residents better and to see what memories and handed-down traditions they’ve kept during their lives.

“This is a way to share our tradition,” said Sandy, pressing the button on her dancing Chanukah/menorah dog, to the delight of passersby.

Windsor Run Retirement Community officially opened in May 2018. The two residence buildings, Dogwood Place and Sycamore Square, are now home to more than 230 residents. To meet the demand for its services and amenities, a third independent living residence, Beech Hollow, will open in 2019.

The menorahs were fully lit

Photo by Cyma Shapiro

Last night was the final night of Chanukah. In homes and synagogues all over the world, menorahs were fully lit.

Fun fact: next Chanukah starts on Dec 22, 2019.

Side Hustlers and Master Makers: We Want You!

Are you a crafter, baker, candlestick maker?

Small business owner? Manicurist or masseuse?

The sign-up page is here or email Norah about advertising in our Hyperlocal Holiday Gift Guide! Rates start at $15, deadline to sign up is November 20, 2018 and the page will launch November 23.

Morning Minute: November 15, 2018

News About Town: The Town Council has approved an LED Conversion for increasing energy efficiency in facility lighting around Matthews. The original estimate, $51,733.86, did not anticipate needs for improvement to certain areas of the Community Center in poor condition and Hood Room upgrades in town hall. With the additions to the the scope of the project total cost is approximately $60,000, but with increased efficiency will have an anticipated return-on-investment (ROI) in under 2 years.

News Around Town: There’s no shame in dreading a day in the kitchen preparing for a Thanksgiving meal, especially when you know you’ll spend the next day doing all the dishes. This year you have two downtown Matthews restaurants ready to smoke a bird for you. Moe’s BBQ (111 Matthews Station St, 704-814-6637) is offering whole smoked turkeys for $50 and trays of sides for $30, orders have to be in by Monday, November 19. Mac’s Speed Shop (142 E. John Street, 704-444-0332) is offering 2 sizes of birds: the smaller is $55 for turkeys between 12-14 pounds and $110 for a 20-22 pound bird.

One Good Thing: Tonight is the 10th Annual Festival of Trees in the lobby of Novant Health Matthews (for old timers Presbyterian Hospital Matthews). Festivities include the lighting of themed holiday trees decorated by area businesses and nonprofits. Check out the cheery, modern, dog themed tree decorated by Barks and Blooms (sneak peek in their lovely photos above). There will also be holiday classic treats to eat, live music, and a visit from Santa Claus. Want to take something home? Raffles and a silent auction to benefit local area nonprofits can fill that desire. If you’re staring longingly at your holiday decor (ahem Norah, it’s too early for reindeer earrings) tonight is your night. Novant Matthews Festival of Trees, November 15, 5:30 - 7:30 PM, 1500 Matthews Township Parkway, Matthews.

#ThrowbackThursday: October 25, 2007

With permission, The Beacon is archiving past issues of Matthews Record (also called Matthews News and Record and The Matthews Record) articles online. Throwback Thursday articles will include relevant content still facing Matthews today. The Matthews Record asked kids, grades K-12, to complete a story to be published just in time for Halloween 2007. Below are a couple of the winning stories. These stories were originally published October 25, 2007. Illustrations by James Denk.

The Prompt: The townspeople of Matthews didn’t know where the train had come from or how it had arrived. They only knew that the train, the Seaboard 5217, was empty. Except for the caboose where strange noises awakened the on that cool, full-moon night…

Story number one written by Joey Schachner:

…The mayor called a city council meeting in order to determine what to do with the train.

“Why don’t we just wait a few days to see if goes away?” suggested Mrs. Thompson.

“The next train scheduled to stop here isn’t supposed to arrive ‘till Sunday,” stated Mr. Harton, consulting an enormous ledger.

“I say we BURN it!” cried Mr. Barns. As usual, no one paid very much attention to Barns’ outrageous exclamations.

In the end, it was decided that a group of five would go in and investigate the mysterious train. Once they reported back to the council, the final decision on what was to be done would be made.

Among the five men selected to investigate the train was sixteen-year-old Charles Harvey. Harvey was not afraid of anything, and wasn’t one to pass up on an adventure. Exploring a ghost train was an opportunity too good to refuse. Besides, what harm could some dumb old train do to him?

As soon as the exploration party entered the train Charles immediately branched off from the group and headed for the caboose. He had to admit, though, the deserted train was quite spooky; the dust on the seats and the cobweb in the corners gave the train a ghostly, haunted aura. He shuddered. Perfect.

Finally he came to the door that led to the caboose. Drawing in a deep breath to steady his nerves, he reached out, grasped the doorknob, turned, and pushed. The door swung open, revealing utter blackness within.

Charles Harvey, his hand shaking in fear, lifted his flashlight and swept it across the length and breadth of the room and saw — nothing. With a noticeable sigh of relief, he turned around and was about to shut the door when he became aware of a steady dripping sound. Slowly pivoting back towards the caboose, Charles lifted his flashlight up to the ceiling — and froze.

A bloodcurdling scream split the night air, sending chills down each and everyone’s spines.

The four other men investigating the train raced back along the length of the train, nearly colliding with Charles about three-quarters of the way back. Charles looked absolutely petrified: his face was white with horror and a nasty looking gash ran down the length of his forearm, gushing blood onto the dusty floor. They rushed him off the train and into the arms of Meridel, the town healer.

No one was very enthusiastic about board the train after that incident. In fact, the mayor even decreed the area a danger zone and warned anyone against going anywhere within a hundred yards of the train. But after a little while, none of that even mattered to anyone. Because later that night, when most of the townsfolk had retreated into their homes for the night, the mayor turned to look one last time at the train, but it was gone. Without a sound, flash, or disturbance of any kind, the train had seemingly disappeared. The Seaboard 5317 had vanished.

Charles Harvey never entirely recovered from that one fateful night. His arm healed fine, sure, but it was his mind that suffered most. From that evening on, Charles seemed less of an enthusiast, more withdrawn. And he never, ever discussed what he had seen in the caboose that night. If you asked him, he would dodge the question or mumble something like, “I…don’t really want to talk about it.” No one has ever solved the mystery of the Seaboard 5317, and probably no one every will. But if you stand near the train tracks on Halloween night, you may just hear a scream…

Story number two written by Mrs. Sutton’s 3rd Grade Greenway Park Class:

The townspeople of Matthews didn’t know where the train had come from or how it had arrived. They only knew the train, the Seaboard 5317, was empty. Except for the caboose where strange noises awakened them on that cool, full-moon night. The Seaboard 5317 normally traveled from Wilmington to Tennessee but this particular night the train seemed to appear from nowhere. Several brave farmers quickly scrambled for their rakes and shovels and crept toward the rear of the train. Suddenly, a screech owl startled the men as it swooped out from behind the livery stable and nestled in the old oak tree. With hearts pounding and eyes bulging, the frightened group huddled together and continued past the empty side cars. The light of the moon guided them as they signaled to one another to be prepared. Several other townspeople soon joined them and you could hear the frantic whispers of nervous town folk as they planned their next move. After all, it was 1901, the turn of a new century and no one had seen such a mysterious train pull into Stumptown before.

Just as they approached the caboose, a wild cackle could be hard from inside. Everyone covered the head and ducked down just in time as a party of phantoms, ghosts, and ghouls flew out the back door of the caboose and into the woods. Were they dreaming? No one really knows, but if you’re really quiet on a full-moon night, you can still hear the cackling sounds today, of those ghoulish spirits hiding in the woods near the train depot.

Matthews Beacon's First Annual Halloween Parade

If you were stuck at home waiting to hand out candy to kids who never came, we have gathered some sights from our own trick or treating so you don’t have to miss the fun. Want to add your kids to the parade? Send a pic or tag us on Instagram (@matthewsbeacon) and we’ll make you internet famous!

Morning Minute: October 22, 2018

News About Town:  News About Town: The Matthews Board of Commissioners meets tonight at 7 PM for their second session this month. Topics to be covered include the design of the North Trade and Matthews Station Street intersection, the plans for the I-485 interchange at Weddington Road, and the formation of the Matthews Committee on Education. Sign up for Public Comment outside the Hood Room prior to the meeting if you wish to speak on any town issue

Photo by Norah Burke

News Around Town: Looks like things are getting spooky in Matthews! There are lots of events to get you in the Halloween spirit this week, including a Costume and Candy Crawl on Thursday at the Matthews Township Shopping Center (formerly Matthews Festival, 1811 Matthews Township Parkway). The event is free for children 12 and under. There will be face painting, balloon artists, a costume contest, and – of course – candy. The event runs from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM.

Image courtesy Matthews Township Shopping Center

One Fun Thing: Weird holiday alert! October 22 is National Eat a Pretzel Day, International Caps Lock Day, National Color Day, and National Nut Day! CELEBRATE THEM ALL BY EATING A MULTICOLORED PEANUT BUTTER PRETZEL.

Christmas Made in the South Shows Start in Matthews

“We have more than 300 artists and craftsmen, many of them will be demonstrating their work. (Our) show is rated in the top 100 fine art and craft shows by Sunshine Artists, which rates more than 100,000 shows in the country.”

— Janice Hunt

Image courtesy Carolina Shows

Bob and Janice Hunt started Carolina Shows Inc. in Matthews 40 years ago, but you may not recognize the business name. More likely you’ll recognize their holiday-dressed mouse (Curtis) or the name of their annual craft shows: Christmas Made in the South. Every October artists and crafters from all over the US kick off their holiday sales season by setting up booths for three days in Cabarrus Arena. Over the long weekend, they’ll see about 15,000 shoppers. Those shoppers trek from all over the Carolinas and beyond to the Cabarrus Arena for the Charlotte-area Christmas Made in the South Show.

About 20 years ago the Hunts’ son Russ joined the office crew. Despite growing up involved in the show production, Russ wasn’t initially interested in continuing the legacy. After graduating college with a theater degree the younger Hunt tried it out for a season and was hooked. Russ remembers, “That first year was insane, scary and fun so here I am 20 years later and still having a good time with the shows. It's nice to provide this experience to communities and wonderful to see what a tradition it's become to so many people.”

Image courtesy Carolina Shows

It’s no easy feat organizing a craft show where each vendor is responsible for making their own unique wares for sale. Nothing commercially made or manufactured is allowed, a standard that keeps the business operating full-time year round. Carolina Shows employs five people in their Matthews office and hires an additional 5 part-time employees to help operate the show itself.

While holiday ornaments in retail stores seem out of place in September, Carolina Shows begins even earlier. Their holiday season during the summer, when vendor applications begin arriving in the daily mail. The applications are processed and then judged based on the quality of artists’ work. “There has to be creativity with their work as we do not allow any commercial products in our shows,” Russ explains. “A good rule is that it has to be at least 50% altered to be considered a craft.”

“We have more than 300 artists and craftsmen,” says Janice, the show director. “Many of them will be demonstrating their work. (Our) show is rated in the top 100 fine art and craft shows by Sunshine Artists, which rates more than 100,000 shows in the country.” Each show is carefully curated to include a diverse group of vendors, from blown and stained glass to handmade clothing, and jewelry. Only a few crafters of each genre are accepted, including the fanciful polymer clay work of Matthews Artist Karen Elizondo.

Every October artists and crafters from all over the US kick off their holiday sales season by setting up booths for three days in Cabarrus Arena. Over the long weekend, they’ll see about 15,000 shoppers.

From their Matthews office near the Brace YMCA, Carolina Shows produces six Christmas Made in the South shows starting with Charlotte. After that the full tour includes Columbus, GA, Macon, GA, Savannah, GA, Jacksonville, FL and the season ends in Charleston, SC. Carolina Shows also organizes one spring show in Savannah, GA.

Brainstorming for the future, Russ hopes to one day create an "Outside Division" of shows and have more outdoor arts and crafts fairs. He laments, “It's tricky though to find the correct location and economically it's a bit tough.” In the meantime, they’ll continue to produce incredible arts and crafts shows, and it all starts in Matthews.

---

Christmas Made in the South

October 19 through 21, 2018

Cabarrus Arena * Free parking!

GPS: 4551 Old Airport Rd., Concord, NC 28025

10 AM. – 6 PM Friday * 10 AM – 6 PM Saturday * 11 AM – 5 PM Sunday