(Gazette Photo- courtesy of Belmont Historical Society)
Anybody who grew up in Belmont has a favorite memory of Stowe Park. Who can’t remember riding the Ferris wheel and being stopped at the very top? Or the big colored lights that hung over the walkways from Main Street down into the park? Watching movies at the amphitheater or dancing on the dance floor? Or being so small and looking up at the big sliding board?
But perhaps your most vivid recollection is the train that circled the upper part of the park and went through the tunnel.
The Belmont historical Society has recently been given the train and has formed a Stowe Park Train restoration committee. The members of the committee plan to paint the train its original colors and store it at its home on Catawba Street. Plans also include restoring one of the passenger cars.
The storage building is on the back of the property of the Cultural and Heritage Learning Center. Citizens are asked to bring any old pictures of Stowe Park to the center to have copies made. The train was recently on exhibit at the Summer Fest at Stowe Park.
Donations are being accepted for the restoration and are tax deductible. For more information, call (704) 825-4848.
The Belmont Front Porch 