By Mark Scott, executive director of Market MontGOmery Chamber & Tourism • Can you imagine New York City not known as the Big Apple? Do you think of Earvin Johnson or Magic Johnson? No way you would think of a man from Wilmington, N.C., as Meadow Lemon III instead of Meadowlark Lemon. Maybe you groove to the tunes of Reginald Kenneth Dwight, better known as Elton John.
While we’re on the subject, check out this famous old beverage commercial about names.
Sometimes a name makes the person, but other times the person makes the name. Michael Jordan could have had any name and it would have become famous because of his ability, but “Magic” Johnson probably sticks out more than “Earvin” Johnson because his basketball passes did seem magical.
Here’s the point: We have a beautiful hand-blown glass pumpkin from STARworks valued at $700 and we want to give it a name before we raffle it off on Oct. 4. (We were going to have a drawing this week, but we extended the deadline to buy tickets until Oct. 3 due to the recent storm, which caused some businesses selling tickets to shut down for a few days.) Go to this Facebook page to enter your name for the pumpkin and to see what names have already been suggested. The winner gets a free specialty drink from Speckled Paw Coffee on Main Street in downtown Mt. Gilead!
The pumpkin was donated by STARworks to the Chamber of Commerce for a raffle that also includes a personally guided off-road-vehicle experience on the Uwharrie OHV trails, donated by Eldorado Outpost, plus three different pontoon boat rentals on Lake Tillery, donated by Lilly’s Bridge Marina. Raffle tickets are $5 apiece or five for $20 and can be purchased at the Speckled Paw and the Vintage in Mt. Gilead, at Lilly’s Bridge Marina, Uwharrie Mercantile, First Bank Biscoe branch, Eldorado Outpost and the MCC Small Business Center.