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What’s Up in Local Sports

By: Calvin Hastings

I’ve only been the fair manager at the Cleveland County Fair for about a year and a half.   Of course, I attended the fair all my life and I don’t think I’ve ever seen people more excited about a quarter mile of flat race track in front of a grandstand.  Of course, we’re talking about the re-opening of the Historic Cleveland County Fairgrounds Speedway.   The track is expected to open April 21st, but the way the work has been going, I believe I could take a lap now!   The track is looking great and this week they’re planting grass around the area.   Track Manager Michael W. Smith along with Randall Hendricks and Carson’s Grading have all done a great job.  Of course, I’ve got to include our fair staff of workers as well.   I don’t even think the old days of “Hoochie Koochie” girls could even compete with the excitement this track is bringing to the area.   The track will feature vintage racing on Friday nights with other options for Saturday nights.   It’s going to be a SUMMER OF THUNDER at the new Historic Cleveland County Fairgrounds Speedway.   Stay tuned, we’ll be back with more updates!

Former South Point Red Raider and major leaguer Devon Lowery has been named new head basketball coach at Belmont Middle School.   Lowery played baseball in the Kansas City Royals’ minor league system.

Former Gaston Day basketball player Nisha Long was named the SAC co-player of the week for Catawba after averaging 15.5 points per game.   Long is averaging 16.7 points per game for the Indians.

Gaston County recently honored several athletes for bouncing back from key injuries that had left them sidelined.   The 18 students were recognized by the Gaston Athletics Mark of Excellence in Recovery.   They included Damian Smith and Kristen Cheek of Ashbrook.   Jesse Croft and Kelsie Broome of Bessemer City.  Wes Friday and Sara Grace Allen of Cherryville.  Colt Crane and Carly Kluttz of East Gaston.  Cody Bridges and Rachel Fort of Forestview.  Ti Alexander and Jessica McBee of Highland Tech.  Razhede Highsmith and Christina Melton of Hunter Huss.  Nick Haskin and Ashley Underwood of North Gaston and Jordan Forney and Lindsay Malcom of South Point.

Crest has relieved the girls head basketball coach Tracy Beaver.  Jeff Melton will serve as interim coach for the rest of the season.   Melton had previously coached the Lady Chargers.  The action came after an incident in the Crest/Forestview game in which two Forestview players were ejected.

Gaston Day’s Keyshawn Woods scored  his 1,000 career point last week in the Spartans 94-69 win over Covenant Classical.   Woods is currently averaging 26.3 points per game.  Also Gaston Day’s Sydney Stephens scored her 1,000 career point in the Lady Spartans win over Covenant Classical.

Hats off to North Lincoln’s Travis Cannon.  Cannon broke the Knights’ school assist record with his 163rd career assist last week.

Congratulations to Cherryville head basketball Scott Harrill.  Harrill notched his 250th career win last week as Cherryville downed West Lincoln 88-55.   In 12 seasons at Cherryville, Harrill has a career record of 250 wins against only 75 losses.   Harrill is only 10 wins behind David Watkins who holds the school record with 260 wins.

Former Crest high athlete Manteo Mitchell has qualified for a spot to compete in the U.S. Indoor Nationals next month in Albuquerque, New Mexico.   Mitchell runs for Western Carolina.  His speciality is the 400 meters.   Mitchell hopes to qualify for the U.S. Olympic team.

Cleveland County’s Calvin Padgett finished second at the Liberty Open this past weekend.  He finished second on both the 60 and 200 meters.   Padgett has been added to Team USA for the World Masters Athletics Indoor Championships April 3-8 in Finland.

Jan Kendrick aced the number five 155 yard hole number 11 last week at the Cleveland Country Club.  Also Walt Puckett aced the number seventeen 157 yard hole at the Club.

West Lincoln’s Ashley Rhyne has signed to play softball at Gardner Webb.   Rhyne will be transferring from Walters State Community College in Morristown, Tennessee to Gardner Webb.  Last year Rhyne posted 22 wins including a perfect game with a 1.18 earned run average in 173 innings.

National signing day is set for next Wedneday.   Many local athletes will be signing letters of intent to the college of their choice.  We’ll keep you posted on those in the weeks to come.

Good Old Days Series Opens April 27th at

Historic Cleveland County Fairground Speedway

The Good Old Days Racing Series is scheduled to open April 27 at the Historic Cleveland County Fairground Speedway.   Cleveland County Fair Manager, Calvin Hastings, and Speedway Director, Michael W. Smith, are excited about the attention the construction of the new ¼ mile track has brought to the community.   Hastings feels the series will serve as family recreation for area residents as well as an economic boost for Shelby and Cleveland County.   The series will run every Friday night with the track opening at 5:00 p.m., qualifying at 6:30 p.m. and racing starting at 8:00 p.m.   The Mid-Season Championship is set for July 6, and the Season Championship is set for November 3 during the annual Hog Happenin’ Event.

The first race at the new track is set for April 21 with the First Annual North Carolina Vintage Championship Exhibition and Racers Reunion.  The event will feature vintage racing exhibitions, vendors, racing celebrity autograph sessions, food, family fun and plenty of excitement.   Former drivers who actually raced on the Historic Fairgrounds track are planning to be here.   Did you  know drivers like Ned Jarrett, David Pearson, Richard Petty, Neil “Soapy” Castles, Buck Baker, Speedy Thompson, Fireball Roberts, Marvin Panch, Cotton Owens, Lee Petty, Tiny Lund, Brownie King, Paul Goldsmith, Johnny Allen, Billy Myers, Jimmy Helms, Henley Gray,  and Stick Elliott all competed at the famed ole’ track?

Cars competing in the Good Old Days Racing Series must be American Brand bodies from 1937-1989.  Any chassis or gas powered engines will be allowed.   The cars must meet safety standards and pass inspection.   There will be seven brand classes including Chevrolet, Ford, Mercury, Pontiac, Buick, Oldsmobile, Cadillac, Chrysler, Dodge, Plymouth, American Motors, Studebaker and more.  There will be ten lap heat races by brand class.  The top three from each brand heat transfer to the 30 lap feature race.  All cars that fail to transfer from the heat races, will race combined, regardless of brand, in a last chance qualifier.  The top three finishers transfer to the feature event.   In addition, each week, there will be a featured racing legend from the Racers Reunion family of legends signing autographs and meeting fans, as well as a Cruise-In and car show kicking off the evening’s festivities.  All show cars are welcome at the Cruise-In.

For information, questions, a rule book or media interviews please contact Speedway Director Michael W. Smith at 704-418-0546 or visit the website www.goodolddaysseries.com or email twopluscool@yahoo.com.

There are also plenty of sponsorship opportunities that will be available including weekly night and feature race sponsorships, weekly heat race and weekly fast qualifier sponsorships; also, the weekly legend sponsorship.   Signage opportunities are also available for area businesses.  For sponsorship information contact Carol Smith at 704-418-5518.

What’s Up in Hollywood Sports

By Kevin “Hollywood” Hastings - Twitter@KevinHastings

Since August we’ve waited on this day.  Super Sunday is this weekend and there are plenty of things to do to get ready.  You have to organize the food, beer, games, guests and more.  Super Bowl Sunday is one of my favorite days of the year.  In college, many students take the Monday after the Super Bowl off, to recover from the day before.  Sorry parents, they do. Really, the fact that it’s held on Sunday instead of Saturday is the only downside to the game.  In fact, all we really ask for is a good game, so we can enjoy football, commercials and the company of close friends and family.  Ever since the league changed it’s salary cap rules in the 90’s to keep teams like Dallas from dominating, we’ve had a succession of pretty good if not great Super Bowls.

This season’s game involves one team who we thought could be here (Patriots) versus another who is one Dallas Cowboys first down in 4 of their losses, from not even making the freakin’ playoffs!

We can talk about how Dallas blew this thing at another time, but they basically handed Eli a chance to beat possibly the 2nd best QB ever (see side bars) for the second time.  This Super Bowl will be historic with various ramifications to different legacies involved.  I love talking QB’s and this game will be all about the quarterbacks.  Let’s take a closer look at how this game will change football history for a select few.

TOM BRADY:  If Brady wins, he’s now 4-1 in the Super Bowl with his only loss after an 18-0 season to the Giants.  If Brady can get his revenge, he’s #2 all-time in my book behind Cool Joe.  Brady would have won 3 Super Bowls by 3 points and get revenge from Eli.   If Brady loses?  He’d have won 3 Super Bowls by 3 points, his head coach was caught cheating in one of them video taping practices of the other team, AND he lost TWICE to Peyton’s little brother!  Suddenly Cool Tom’s resume doesn’t look so steller.  Sunday will change Tom’s football life and legacy win or lose.

ELI MANNING:  Eli’s got plenty of years ahead of him, so this isn’t  his last go round.  Who would have thought 5 years ago, we’d be talking about “If Eli beats Brady for the 2nd time, does that rank him higher than Brady AND Peyton?”  Uh, not me!  Geez, we’re a few Brady sacks away from considering Eli in the Top 5 of all-time!  Forget 5 years ago, what about 5 weeks ago?  They were 7-7 at one point and needed Dallas to lose 3 out of 4 to get into the dance.  Now Eli’s staring down history and warming his Hall of Fame seat.  If he wins, he’s got 2 Super Bowl wins over Tom Brady and Bill Belichick (one was against an 18-0 team).  That’s 1 more than Peyton, Favre, Unitas, Young, Brees, Warner, and Rodgers.  He’ll have 2 more than Dan Marino, Jim Kelly, Warren Moon and Fran Tarkenton.  He’ll be tied with Elway, Star, Staubach and Roethlisberger!  Be careful America, because if you blink, you may miss Eli’s rise.  If he loses, this game, he wasn’t suppose to be there anyway.  He has nothing to lose!

PEYTON MANNING:  He’s in a lose-lose situation.  No matter which team wins, someone’s going to be better than him.  If Eli wins, both of them may be ranked ahead of him.  Not to mention, the game is in Indianapolis, where the team owner can’t get rid of Peyton and his neck quick enough.  Poor Peyton.  It was just never meant to be.  He’s almost LeBron like.

So who’s going to win the game?  Well the Pats went 13-3 without beating a winning team until the playoffs.  The G-Men started 7-7 and snuck in thanks to a Dallas collapse.  The Patriots have revenge on their minds and the Giants have more confidence than The Most Interesting Man in the World.  I’m with Peyton on this one, I hope both teams lose, but they won’t and I have to pick one.  So here goes America…. Giants win 34-31 in a wonderfully entertaining game.

Weddings are very important events and can take months, often years to plan and execute.  The key to a flawless wedding is planning.  Ladies, it is never too early to start planning.  My recommendation is that you purchase a good wedding planner – the kind with compartments for keeping swatches, samples etc. and sections for every aspect of the wedding.  Take it with you everyday.  You will be amazed at the information you find and will be glad to have a place to store and organize it.

Make a list.  Put down on paper everything you will need from the dress to the honeymoon plans.  As you start to make this list you will realize that there is a lot to be done… many vendors to meet with and plans to be made.  Comparison shop – do not feel obligated to buy the first dress you try on or sign a contract with the first caterer or florist you meet with.  Rather take notes and business cards and compare everything available before you make your final decision.

Set a budget.  I promise you in over 25 years in this industry I have never witnessed a wedding coming in under budget.  Be realistic and upfront with your vendors.  Tell them what you want and more importantly how much you are willing to spend.  Shop around and find the best deal for your money.  In the bridal industry you are more often than not dealing with local small businesses, many of whom are more than willing to work with you – but you must let them know your budget.

Get referrals.  Talk to everyone that has recently gotten married and learn from their experiences.  They know first hand what to expect and will assist you with choosing the right vendors for your event.

Go to a bridal show. This is the single best way you can meet with many vendors in one day and come away with a wealth of information.  Vendors are excited to meet with their potential customers and can answer your questions and give you lots of good information.

Here in Cleveland County we are about to have a two day bridal show the likes of which we have never seen before!  Mark your calendars today for Saturday, March 3rd and Sunday, March 4th to attend the Bridal Show at the Cleveland County Fairgrounds.  Many businesses will be represented and this is your chance to meet local vendors to assist in planning your wedding.  Go online to www.clevelandcountyfair.com and click on upcoming 2012 events.  Find the Bridal Show link and register as a bride.  There will be hundreds of dollars in door prizes as well so do not miss this opportunity.

Vendors, we still have a few booths available, so call us today to utilize this unique opportunity to reach your potential clients!

Cheryl Young is a professional bridal gown consultant and seamstress with over 25 years experience in all facets of the industry. She is available for complimentary consultations and has access to designer gowns at wholesale prices.  Please visit her website: www.carolinaweddinggown.com.  She can be reached by email: cheryl@carolinaweddinggown.com or by phone: 704-692-0730.

Darin and Brooke Aldridge have been nominated for five bluegrass music awards!  Brooke Aldridge is a finalist for the “Female Vocalist of the Year,” and Darin is a finalist for “Guitar Performer of the Year.”  Both are up for the “Album of the Year,” “Vocal Group of the Year” and “Gospel Group of the Year.”   Their self-titled CD was the most played bluegrass album on satellite radio for several months.  The Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music Awards Show is set for February 5th.  Darin and Brooke resides in Cherryville. Their new album entitled “So Much in Between” is already at number 15 on the charts and climbing.  The couple also has recorded two television projects that will be aired later this year and are preparing for the third annual Darin and Brooke Aldridge Music Festival April 13th and 14th at the Coot Williams Road Festival Grounds in Cherryville.

What’s Up with Thinkin’ Bout It

With Vince Hefner, Pastor

First Baptist Church, Cherryville

I have always loved the Old Testament. Maybe it is the stories of how God constantly reaches out to mankind, or the great miracles to prove to the world that God is who He says He is, that inspire and encourage me. I also like the stories about the men and women who were faithful to God when it would have been easier to go along with the crowd. One such story is found in 2 Kings when the young king Hezekiah decides to put his nation back on the straight and narrow path. He knew that before his nation could experience revival, certain things needed to be removed from their lives.  2 King 18: 4 says, “He removed the high places and broke down the sacred pillars and cut down the Asherah. He also broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the sons of Israel burned incense to it; and it was called Nehushtan.”

The bronze serpent that is mentioned in this Scripture goes all the way back to the time of Moses as recorded in Numbers 21. The Bible tells us the people were complaining about everything, even the food. God sent snakes that bit the people and people repented of their sin. God instructed Moses to make a bronze serpent, place it on a pole and to tell the people to look up to it to be spared. It worked. To say the least, the bronze serpent was a good thing, and the people were grateful to God for His forgiveness. When the crisis was over, the people took down the serpent and kept it as a reminder of looking up to God for forgiveness.

Approximately 700 years had passed from the time of Moses to Hezekiah and the bronze serpent was still around. As a matter of fact, it had been placed in front of the temple in Jerusalem for people to see and remember what had happened back in the wilderness. But something strange happened when the people walked by and looked at the bronze serpent. Instead of praising God for His forgiveness and seeing the serpent as a tool, people started to worship the serpent. Yes sir, a good snake had gone bad!

Something that had been intended for good for the people had been turned into something bad and misleading. A tool to help people had turned into an idol for people to worship. I believe there is a lesson in this story for us. In our lives God places tools to help us worship and know Him better. The tool can be a building, a chair, a room, a pew, a person, etc…, anything to help us in our relationship with Jesus Christ. Sometimes the tool can be a tradition, and before you know it, the tradition becomes what is important instead of honoring God. The tool starts out good and is useful to the individual, but then something happens and the tool is changed into the object of worship. This process doesn’t take place overnight; it can take years before the tool is transformed into an idol.

Have you ever seen a good snake go bad in your life? Have you ever let a tradition or a tool take priority over what the tradition or tool was supposed to honor?  If you have, do what Hezekiah did, and remove the object that has taken the place of God. Hezekiah did something else to remind the people about the actual value of the brass serpent. He called it a “Nehushtan,” meaning a “mere piece of brass.”  The people had taken a mere brass object and made it into something divine. Hezekiah destroyed the serpent and told the people to get a grip, its only brass! These are the first steps to renewal, and making sure that a good snake stays good!

Remember, Don’t Give In To Sin. Think About It!

Let’s Talk Bible  Since 1975

Evangelist  W.C. “Dub” Dellinger

The words of Jesus are spoken with a warning and oh, what a warning it is.  He wants all to repent and follow him into Heaven.  He just cannot accept sin of any kind.  On the day he got all riled up there in the temple when wrong was going on and He said you have made it a den of thieves.  And that same thing is going on right here in our American Country.  Our country as a whole will help other countries shows us that we have a good heart.  Yet, inside our own country we have others who will rob or even kill to get a little bit of money.  Even be a liar for filthy lucre.  Jesus says no liar will enter the kingdom of Heaven, yet there are some who seem to be born liars as to the way they live after they’ve become the age of accountability.  A lie is usually the first sin recognized by a child.  One will say to the other you told a lie.  That alone is showing the goodness of the Savior or it could not be recognized.  Even if we are born in sin, and we are born in sin, the holiness of the Savior does not count it against us until we know better.  Thanks to an almighty God that all can be washed clean, sanctified, justified, only with the Lord Jesus Christ as your redeemer.  The story is told about the God called preacher, an evangelist who wants to get started off right and he asks how many want to go to heaven, raise your hand.  All but one sitting over in the corner raised the right hand.  The evangelist was surprised he had driven a long way to get there and he said I see out of all the church we have one who doesn’t want to go to heaven.  At that time, the person stood up and said, you are wrong about me.  I do want to go to heaven, but not with this group of unborn sinners.  The evangelist said to himself, now I know what to preach in this church.  Yes, his Savior gave him a successful revival!

Listen To Dub Every Sunday Morning At 9am On Wohs 1390Am