What’s Up with the Miss Gastonia Scholarship

By Todd Hagans

Nine girls won titles during the Miss Fourth of July Pageant held Friday, July 2 in Cherryville.  The Miss Gastonia Scholarship Association sponsored the pageant, which was the kickoff event for Cherryville’s Fourth of July celebration.

The winners were “Bitsy Miss” Dakota Lackey, “Baby Doll” Miss Gracelyn Averitt, “Miniature Miss” Mary Nicole Franklin, “Wee Miss” Zoe Hodge, “Tiny Miss” Hannah Shelton, “Little Miss” Gracie Linder, “Young Miss” Alexys Freeland, “Teen Miss” Malyn Bailey and “Majestic Miss” Olivia Swaim.

The age division runners-up were Grace Shook, Alexandria Price, Reece Williams, Kyleigh Reynolds, Abbey Lovelace, Lani Boye and Destiny Fox.  Marlowe Fisher-Callahan, Morgan Wray, Emily Otrosinka, Alexis Franklin, Chloe Scronce, Laney Linder and Emily Lancaster were the princess tiara winners.

The signatures award winners were Chloe Scronce, Gracie Linder, Destiny Fox, Hannah Shelton, Laney Linder, Lani Boye, Emily Lancaster, Abbey Lovelace, Olivia Swaim, Zoe Hodge, Kyleigh Reynolds, Reece Williams, Alexandria Price, Morgan Wray, Dakota Lackey, Alexys Freeland, Malyn Bailey and Gracelyn Averitt.  Emily Otrosinka won the overall signatures award and Olivia Swaim and Hannah Shelton won the first application awards.

The contest was a fundraiser for the Miss Gastonia scholarship fund.  The next pageant for girls ages 6-13 is the Miss Gastonia Princess Pageant on Wednesday, July 28 at Gaston College.  For more information, visit www.missgastoniapageant.com.

PHOTO: Front row, Hannah Shelton, Zoe Hodge, Mary Nicole Franklin, Olivia Swaim, Alexys Freeland and Dakota Lackey; Back row, Gracelyn Averitt, Gracie Linder and Malyn Bailey.

(Dallas, NC)—Gaston County Museum will host the performance of bluesman, Boo Hanks, as part of their 12th Annual “Blues out Back” summer concert series on Friday, July 9 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on the lawn behind the museum.

James Arthur “Boo” Hanks is an acoustic Blues guitarist, who began 75 years ago, with roots in the Piedmont string band and Blues traditions.  He saved money for his first guitar by selling packets of garden seeds and it was with this guitar that he began picking out the same old-time songs he heard his father playing after long days in the tobacco field.

As a young man in the 1940s, Hanks earned pocket change playing guitar at barn dances with his cousins accompanying him on mandolin and spoons.  His rich musical repertoire reflects his multi-ethnic heritage (his ancestors were white, African American, Ocinneechee Indian and family folklore believes they are descendants of Abraham Lincoln’s mother Mary Hanks.)

Today, Boo Hanks lives in Virgilina, Virginia, just over the North Carolina border, a stones throw from the rolling hills where he was born. Drawing from the deep musical well of his region, Boo Hanks showcases his virtuosity in the driving time and delicate finger-style guitar of the classic Piedmont Blues made famous by Blind Boy Fuller.  At the age of 79, he made his first recording and at 82 he has enjoyed performances around home as well as Lincoln Center and Belgium.

“Most people, when they hear me play, they think it’s two guitars, because I play the bass and the other strings at the same time. They say, man that’s two guitars, and I say no, me, it’s just me by myself.  They say, don’t believe you, it sounds like two guitars to me.” - Boo Hanks

The twelfth annual “Blues out Back” concert series is free and open to the public.  It’s held the second Friday of the month from May until September.  The museum encourages folks to bring along blankets, lawn chairs, and a picnic for an evening of great music with friends and family.

Opening June 29, 2010 and running until August 28, 2010 at the Gaston County Museum is Colorscapes by Katie Wall Podracky.

Katie is a North Carolina-based artist who currently resides in Greensboro.  She has studied art at Washington and Lee University, and was a graduate fellow at Savannah College of Art & Design.  Inspired by a desire to preserve memories and moments of beauty, Katie’s large-scale oil paintings proudly showcase color and light.  Her works are in the permanent collections of universities and private collectors across the county.

Artist statement – “Organic branch forms and intense seasonal tree colors have long intrigued me when it comes to painting the trees. Perhaps the intrigue stems from playing in the wooded area next to my parent’s Asheboro home, or even that summer job in the biology lab that had me collecting leaf samples from the Dogwoods of the Shenandoah Valley.  In every painting I attempt to capture extravagant color, swirling movement and elegant patterns of light and dark. I fuse my fascination with nature, background in biology and my own love of intense color to create art that surprises and delights. Each painting is an exploration of color as light and a celebration of the art of living every day to the fullest”.

Museum hours:Tuesday – Friday 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM Saturday 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM

Contact:  Jeff Pruett, Programs Coordinator, 704.922.7681 x105 or jeff.pruett@co.gaston.nc.us   Museum’s website –www.gastoncountymuseum.org