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Santa's Presents Overflowing
When Santa rolled into Kinston this year, he brought a bag of gifts just in time to make the 2011 downtown holiday season one of the brightest in several years. The stage was set when Miss North Carolina Hailey Best arrived November 29 to help light the community Christmas tree, joining with hundreds of local talents, entertainers and WNCT Television personality Kweilyn Murphy to kick start the annual Holly Days Celebration.
The big news:
"To coin a phrase, downtown Kinston is 'on the way,' " remarked Pride director Adrian King. He lauded downtown merchants who have enlivened the center city shopping area "with some of the most beautiful storefront windows anywhere in North Carolina." When the annual Christmas parade wound its way through downtown under brilliant skies, it was "the best Christmas parade in many years," according to organizers Martha Bishop and Lea Jeffress. Competing with Santa for "oohs" and "aahs" was Spirit AeroSystems' inflatable plane which cruised over its admirers the entire length of the parade. Some 100 groups—including 5 school bands, 20 decorated floats, 9 fire trucks and a host of local dignitaries—made up the parade, covered live by Kinston's TACC 9 cable television studio.
Harvey-Brody building conversion
Through his company Hill Realty, Mr. Hill reported that future plans for the 28,000 square foot building calls for a boutique hotel, market rate apartments and a spa. His vision for the project is being funded in part by a $200,000 Main Street Solutions Grant made possible through Pride of Kinston's participation in the network of some 62 Main Street programs in North Carolina...and a donation of the building to Pride, a non profit, by the Harvey-Brody family. The restaurant, or first phase, of the project represents a $700,000 investment, according to Mr. Hill. The application for the Main Street Solutions Grant earlier this year envisioned a $1.2 million total investment. "The contributions of private owners, a private investor, a non profit organization, and the City of Kinston illustrate a vibrant partnership that is truly exciting," commented Pride Chair Mark Herring. He noted that Pride has been a partner with other investors such as those who built the Chef and the Farmer Restaurant and the retail stores which line the Herritage Landing shopping district. "We are grateful to all our partners, but especially to Mr. Hill for his vision and for his love for our community," King added. It was noted that Mr. Hill spent at least $2 million or more to build the Mother Earth Brewing Company along Herritage and North Streets. The project, which required six storefronts along the two intersecting streets, represented the largest single renovation project in recent decades. It was stated in the Pride of Kinston-City of Kinston Main Street application that Mr. Hill’s proposed renovation of the Harvey-Brody building can “serve as an example of the potential for buildings in our downtown; hopefully this will inspire others to invest in their buildings and partner with the City and Pride to promote an improved downtown environment.” The CSS Neuse Move to DowntownBoard members for the CSS Neuse Gunboat Association heard plans Dec. 14 for moving the remains of the original CSS Neuse to its permanent home end of May, 2012.
Local historic sites manager Guy Smith said that if construction of the museum on Queen Street continues at the present pace, the ship can be moved from the Richard Caswell Historic Site to the new museum by May 30, 2012.
According to the present schedule, he said, the new museum will be transferred to the Cultural Resources agency of the State of North Carolina in July 2012. Transferring some 12,000 artifacts taken from the CSS Neuse when it was raised out of the depths of the Neuse River in 1963 will occur after that time. The objects will be used in a number of exhibitions to accompany the story of the CSS Neuse in its new climate controlled facility. The Confederate Navy vessel saw only limited service in 1865, on the Neuse River, near the end of the Civil War. It was burned to prevent its capture by Union forces and the remains lay in the bottom of the river near Kinston until it was raised 1963 by local history buffs. Currently it resides under a temporary shelter at the Richard Caswell Historic Site on West Vernon Avenue. Groundbreaking for cemetery entrance Dec. 21.
Advocates and contributors to the project are being invited to join in the celebration at 10:00 am, Wednesday Dec. 21, 2011.
Kinston's 250th Anniversary Advisory Committee, headed by Isabelle Fletcher-Perry and Ann Davis, has unveiled the special logo to represent the undertaking. Designed by Jan Barwick at the Kinston-Lenoir Chamber of Commerce, the emblem reflects the British connection to Kinston and Lenoir County's history. The committee is organizing numerous events for throughout 2012 to culminate Nov. 3, 2012, the actual anniversary of Kinston's founding by the 1762 North Carolina colonial assembly under British rule. Vision
Show your PRIDE!Order your Kinston license tag to display on the front of your automobiles. Click a plate to download a printable order form for the plate you want...
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Pride of Kinston • 327 North Queen Street • Kinston, NC 28501• (252)
522-4676
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