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(Lower Tennis Courts at Davis Park) 

Last night, well, late last night, we were sitting on The Front Porch, and some of kid’s friends were talking about the Belmont Skatepark that was discussed more than a couple of years ago. Yes, in the 77 degree, 11:30 PM nighttime heat.

Anyway, the teens were asking about what happened. We explained to them that the city council had approved a bond referendum to designate funds for the skatepark construction. One young man, said, “in my lifetime?”, “yes” was the response. The original location was supposed to be the lower tennis courts at Davis Park, who knows now what the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee will do…

$115,000 of the proposed $12 million dollar Parks and Recreation Bond package will be directed to this project. Not in time for one of the best skaters in Belmont though, Phillip Nguyen.

The space is a great place to put a park such as this. We hope that it will be dedicated to Phillip.

The following article is from the Gaston Gazette which also publishes a weekly tabloid called the, “Gateway Gaston”.

Vince Hill, one of our Belmont neighbors, owns the Caravan Coffee Shop in downtown Belmont across from Stowe Park. As part of the annual “Summer Celebration”, Vince piggybacked an amateur cookoff on Airline Avenue for the second year.

 Story by Daniel Jackson           Pictures by Mike Hensdill

  (George Hall)

A dozen local grill masters put their butts to the test — along with their ribs, chicken and pulled pork — at an amateur barbecue cookoff in downtown Belmont Saturday, July 28.
    The second annual Caravan Summer Sizzlin’ Cookoff withstood heavy rains Friday night and served up free samples of barbecue and sometimes beans, slaw and hushpuppies to more than 300 festival-goers Saturday afternoon.
    Belmont’s own Scott Abernathy and his team, Bustin’ Butts, was the crowd’s favorite for the second year in a row. Out of a dozen cooks, Abernathy received more than one-third of the votes cast for the People’s Choice Award Saturday. But official judges did not put him in the top three of any category.
    “He won the people’s choice last year, too,” said organizer Vince Hill, who owns the Caravan Coffee and Desert Bar. “Some of the contestants said they’d rather win the People’s Choice Award because at least you know people are enjoying your food. He had baked beans and coleslaw — a lot of good stuff.”
    A team called A Butt and a Half from Alexis won first place for their chicken and placed in the top three of the ribs and pulled pork categories, as well. And neither of the cooks — 10-year-old Jeremy Burgin and his 14-year-old cousin Hannon Kennedy — are old enough to drive a car, Hill said.
    “The little guy, his father cooked professionally,” Hill said. “He did all his own rubs and sauces.”
    Hill said some the local barbecue might be good enough for professional competition, but the Belmont event is a “backyard competition for local people.”
    “My hats off to all the contestants,” he said. “Last night we had a monsoon come through and blow everybody’s stuff all over the place. When it was over, they got their stuff together and kept cookin’.”

And the Winner’s are:

Chicken: A Butt and a Half — 1st Place, Pig N’ Chicken — 2nd Place, Mother Cluckers — 3rd Place

Ribs: Kickin’ Chicken — 1st Place, A Butt and a Half — 2nd Place, Hog-a-holics — 3rd Place

Pulled pork: Kickin’ Chicken — 1st Place, Mother Cluckers — 2nd Place, A Butt and a Half — 3rd Place

People’s Choice: Bustin’ Butts

We can tell you alright, the times we can get Airline Avenue blocked off for events like this and the “Beer Garden” for the “Friday Nights Alive!”, we make downtown Belmont R-O-C-K !

Interesting community magazine published by the folks over at the Gaston Gazette. Current copy:  http://www.gastonboomersmonthly.com/

The online edition is completely different than the free version found at area racks. You can find the magazine at the Bi-Lo on Wilkinson, and at Jerry’s on South Central Avenue.