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Field Notes: Soccer team name, logo are snoozers
The author, John Marek, is executive director of the Anson Economic Development Partnership. On consecutive days last week, Charlotte and Seattle announced their newest professional sports franchises in MLS and the NHL, respectively. The Charlotte Major League Soccer...
Field Notes: Elevators as entertainment
The author, John Marek, is executive director of the Anson Economic Development Partnership. On a sticky July afternoon in the summer between my sophomore and junior years in college, I was reading a book under the leafy maple in my parents’ backyard when my mother...
Field Notes: No shirt. No shoes. No mask.
The author, John Marek, is executive director of the Anson Economic Development Partnership. In an iconic scene from the 1982 movie “Fast Times At Ridgemont High,” perpetually stoned surfer Jeff Spicoli and his equally addled buddies walk into a fast-food restaurant,...
Field Notes: Stick shift era coming to an end
The author, John Marek, is executive director of the Anson Economic Development Partnership. The year I got my driver's license, 1979, fully one-third of the cars on the road had manual transmissions. Most cars and trucks in those days came standard with "stick...
Field Notes: Fireworks bans are a slippery slope
The author, John Marek, is executive director of the Anson Economic Development Partnership. One of my earliest experiences with the vagaries and inconsistencies of the legal system occurred around the time I was 10. That would be 1972 for those keeping score at home....
Field Notes: Why my dermatologist is on speed-dial
The author, John Marek, is executive director of the Anson Economic Development Partnership. This past weekend, the calendar officially flipped over to summer. This summer, of course, is going to be unlike any other we have experienced. Many of the things we associate...
Montgomery County labeled a COVID-19 hot spot; masks now required, testing to be increased
Editor's note: Here's the email County Manager Matthew Woodard sent to Montgomery County's mayors, managers and clerks on June 23. To read the state of emergency declaration issued by the county on June 23, click here. Mayors/Managers/Clerks, Good afternoon. I’m...
Emergency declared; face coverings are now required
Editor's note: Here's Montgomery County's declaration of a state of emergency, issued June 23. County of Montgomery DECLARATION of a STATE OF EMERGENCY Issued June 23, 2020 STATE OF EMERGENCY ENACTED TO RESIST THE SPREAD OF COVID-19 IN MONTGOMERY COUNTY BY...
Courthouse statue has interesting history
The author, Steve Bailey, is outreach coordinator at the Anson County Historical Society. With people all over the country discussing Confederate monuments, it’s an appropriate time to consider the statue of the Civil War soldier that stands in front of the...
Field Notes: A few products that have been forgotten … for good reason
The author, John Marek, is executive director of the Anson Economic Development Partnership. There’s no shortage of articles dedicated to the fads of the ’60s and ’70s: tie-dye, pet rocks, mood rings, etc. But in order to be a "fad" those items had to be widely...
OPINION: Police doing jobs they aren’t trained to do
The author, Steven A. Campbell, who lives in Mt. Gilead, spent 32 years as a sworn police officer and 10 years as a criminal justice consultant. Becoming a police officer in a free society is one of the most challenging careers a woman or a man can enter into....
Why is it so hard for us to admit that we don’t have it all figured out?
The author, Brooke Crump, is a lawyer and mom in Mt. Gilead. She calls this column “an unvarnished look at what marriage, parenting, work and friendship really look like.” I’m no historian, but I think 2020 will be one for the history books (that is, if schools were...