Mount Gilead Stars Sing Broadway Tunes

Bill Price, a local photographer, captured us during rehearsal. We wound up having terrific crowds for our event. Even though we're not in costume here, you can see the elaborate detail in our Broadway set. Oh, it just made us feel like we really were there!

Aug. 28-29 - Broadway Review

MOUNT GILEAD, N.C. – The small town of Mount Gilead, N.C. is a hub for visual and performing artists. Many grew up there while others moved into the area. They share a common love of art – in all forms. So they’ve been busy painting sets, making costumes, learning dance routines and practicing high notes for the upcoming show, “Give My Regards to Broadway.”


The show will be held on Friday, August 28 at 7:30 p.m. and on Saturday, August 29 at 2:30 p.m. at the Leah Levine Memorial Auditorium on School Street in downtown Mount Gilead.

Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for children under 12 years old. Proceeds will go to the non-profit Mount Gilead Community Concert Association.

“The show will include a lot of the old favorites,” said director Liz LaRosa. The 28-member cast will sing songs from Les Miserable, Phantom of the Opera, Oliver, Oklahoma, Porgy and Bess, My Fair Lady, Bye Bye Birdie and more. “We’ve had a lot of fun putting this show together.”

The show is produced by Johnny Almond, director of the concert association.

Summer Children's Art Program July 12-15, 2010

Looking for something for your children to do this summer? The Mount Gilead Arts Guild will be holding classes July 12-15 for rising first through sixth graders.


Classes are $5 per day per child or $15 for the week. Registration will be held July 12 from 9:30-10 a.m. at the Arts Guild located at 111 North Main Street in Historic Downtown Mount Gilead.

Children will be working with clay, paints, oil pastels, pencil drawings and multi-media. The best pieces will be on display at the July 16 Downtown Art Crawl from 6-8 p.m.

For more information, email blantonsm@gmail.com or call 704-239-1693.

Town Creek Indian Mound Saturday event - 5 minutes from Downtown Mount Gilead, NC

In a free program, Town Creek Indian Mound will highlight the art of weaving on Saturday, June 12, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. as part of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources 2nd Saturdays series. American Indians were weavers of baskets, mats, fabric and nets, and even their homes were woven together. Participating local artisans will include broom makers, basket weavers and jewelry makers.

The 2nd Saturdays program has over 100 free events that bring together artists, history and authentic North Carolina culture. The fun will take place at all 37 of the Department of Cultural Resources’ museums and Historic Sites on June 12, July 10 and Aug. 14.

One of the vendors scheduled to participate at Town Creek June 12 enjoys painting reproduction quilt patterns, which he then places on the side of old barns in the area. Another artist will create handmade paper out of recycled materials and plant fibers; this paper can be used as stationery or art. Items created by the artists will be available for purchase at their booths.

Activities will also be available to the public for free. Participants can view a hands-on demonstration of how American Indians used wattle to make the walls of the huts. Children will enjoy learning cordage (the art of making string or rope) and creating their own bracelets; and staff will make pine needle baskets in the East Lodge.

For more than a thousand years, American Indians farmed lands later known as North Carolina. Around A.D. 1000, a new cultural tradition arrived in the Pee Dee River Valley. Throughout Georgia, South Carolina, eastern Tennessee, and western and southern Piedmont North Carolina, the Mississippian tradition spawned complex societies. Inhabitants built earthen mounds for their leaders, engaged in widespread trade, supported craftspeople and celebrated a new form of religion.

In 1937, excavations began at Town Creek Indian Mound. Key features of the site were reconstructed, including the mound, two temple structures, a burial hut and surrounding stockade. Archaeologists’ excavations revealed that the mound at Town Creek was constructed over an early rectangular structure known as an "earth lodge."

The mission of Town Creek Indian Mound is to interpret the history of the American Indians who once lived here. The visitor center features interpretive exhibits, as well as audiovisual displays. A national historic landmark, Town Creek Indian Mound State Historic Site is North Carolina’s only state historic site dedicated to American Indian heritage. Tour groups are welcome. The site is open Tuesday through Saturday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., and Sunday, 1-5 p.m. It is closed to the public on Mondays and most major holidays.

The historic site is located on Town Creek Mound Road approximately five miles east of Mt. Gilead, in southern Montgomery County between NC 73 and NC 731. For more information on Town Creek, visit www.towncreek.nchistoricsites.org/ or call (910) 439-6802.

Mount Gilead 2010 Summer Park Program

Reserve your spot early! Summer vacation is almost here and the Mt. Gilead Recreation Commission is offering a summer park program at Stanback Park and Pool. Cathy Haithcock will be the director of the Park Program and has many fun and educational activities planned for the six-week program. Adults and high school/college counselors who are CPR/First Aid trained and certified by the National Red Cross supervise all activities.

The program runs June 21-Aug. 6. It is for children who have completed kindergarten through eighth grade. It is a half-day program of arts, crafts, sports, games and swimming (including lessons for non-swimmers). The day begins at 9 a.m. and ends at 12 noon.

You may pick up an application at Town Hall.

WGHP Touts Town Creek Indian Mound as Good Day Trip: Near Mount Gilead

Here is the WGHP story link ....  Indian River Heritage Trail


And check this out too... Lots of colorful fun at Town Creek Indian Mound ....

Our State Magazine

The Ford Place Restaurant, Pub & Special Events Center will be included in a list of 100 restaurants in the July issue of Our State Magazine. We're excited!

Only one restaurant per county will be listed and we're proud that one of ours in town will represent Montgomery County.

The restaurant used to be our local Ford dealership. Inside, you can see some of the old receipts, the loading dock where cars were lifted upstairs and lots of old pictures. It's truly a walk into our town's history.

Mount Gilead Shows Off Grant Projects

Billy Ray Hall, president of the North Carolina Rural Center, explains to a number of dignitaries from across North Carolina how grant monies can benefit a small, rural community. For example, the Town of Mount Gilead used $220,000 in grant funds from the N.C. Rural Center to enhance Highland Community Center and create the Piedmont Center for the Arts and The Ford Place restaurant. Members of the N.C. Legislature, representatives from the League of Municipalities, N.C. Association of County Commissioners, N.C. Department of Commerce and Golden L.E.A.F. toured those projects in Mount Gilead on Tuesday, along with other projects in Montgomery, Anson and Stanly counties. The ultimate goal of the grant funds is to stimulate local economies and help with job creation.

Wood-Turning Classes Available in Downtown Mount Gilead

Linda Burnett of New London always wanted to work with wood. The retired music teacher is assuming the role of a student while her instructor, Jack Reyome, shows her how to turn an eye piece for a maple kaleidoscope. Reyome’s studio is located in the Piedmont Center for the Arts at 113 North Main Street in downtown Mount Gilead.

Burnett is a mentor with the Montgomery County Communities in Schools program. In addition to making her own prize pieces, she wanted to find out if Reyome’s studio would be appropriate for her to bring some 10-year old students to learn how to turn wood, thus developing a possible career interest. For information about classes, call 704-904-6813.

Police Department Helps Special Needs Persons

We have created a new program to help families of persons suffering from dementia and Alzheimer’s diseases. In the event that a person should wander away from home, the police can help find and return the person to where he or she belongs.

The program is called “Safe Return” and gives officers photos and information about key persons in the area who may suddenly disappear.

“We’ve had calls from panicked family members asking for us to find a parent who has wandered off, sometimes in the middle of the night,” says Chief Shawn Walker. “If we have a photo of the individual, description and know something about his behavior patterns, then we can quickly jump to assist the family and find the person – getting him home safely.”

“So we’re asking for assistance from the community. We want to know who in our community could use our help. If a family has an elderly person living with them who may wander away, we would like a color photo, a description of the person and a little information. Just give us a call and we’ll drop by to complete the form – or persons can come to the Police Department at 107 Allenton Street across from Town Hall.”

Pictures and information regarding citizens who have been voluntarily registered in the “Safe Return” program are stored in a confidential file at the Mt. Gilead Police Department and can be accessed only by authorized person. Participation is entirely voluntary.

More than four million people in the United States are living with Alzheimer’s Disease. By the middle of the 21st Century, it may affect as many as 14 million nationwide. The disease is widespread, affecting ten percent or more of the people 65 years or older and nearly half of those over 85. For more information, call 910-439-1855.

Where there's Smoke ...

There's usually fire. And the Mount Gilead Volunteer Fire Department is comprised of some 22 dedicated individuals who really enjoy helping others. That's actually one of the top requirements for being a fireman. You like to help people.

And we're looking for more volunteers. What are some of the attributes we seek?

1) People fighting fires like the thrill of fighting fires - and the thrill of helping people. Yes, it's a rush unlike any other.
2) Some people like to be in the know. And in time of disaster or fire, firemen are among the first to know what's going on.
3) Not everyone likes leadership roles. But a fireman relishes the challenge and is willing to lend a shoulder to carry the responsibility.
4) We go through a lot of training. Few people know that the NC Dept. of Insurance mandates the type of classes we attend - each year. Some are at night. Others on weekends. We learn about all kinds of things. Ladders. Hazmat. Fire behavior. Lots more.
5) We need people who are physically strong.

And, we would really like to have some women and older teenagers join us. So if you have ever wondered what it would be like to be part of a fire department, please give Chief Byrd a call at 910-975-2165.