Madison Currence shows off her fashion sense at a Fancy Nancy-themed party for girls in kindergarten through fourth grades, held at the Shanklin Branch Library on May 5. Thirty guests shopped in the Fancy Nancy boutique and displayed their fashionista style on the walkway. This is an annual event that is based on a children’s story from the Fancy Nancy collection available at Lincoln County Public Libraries. The library hopes to have more programs like this as it gains more control after the split from Gaston County. (Courtesy of Jackie Shaw)

LINCOLNTON – Patrons might experience delays or inconveniences with libraries in Lincoln County over the next month, but Director Jennifer Sackett said it’s just part of the transition to a better system.

Sackett and other county leaders decided last year to split the three Lincoln County libraries from the Gaston-Lincoln Regional Library System after they determined it would be more expensive to keep the current system.

Now that process is nearing its end, and the libraries should be separated by July.

“We’re getting ready to split the catalogue on Wednesday, May 30, so we’ll only be left with the Lincoln County collection and Lincoln County patrons,” she said. The catalogue will not be accessible beginning June 1, but Sackett hopes to have it back up by June 6.

At that point, Sackett said she also hopes to have a new Lincoln County Library website to access the new catalogue.

She described a false sense of dependency on Gaston County. Almost all of the books she purchased last year belong to Lincoln County.

Splitting the catalogue is one of the biggest steps in the change, but Sackett said the inconvenience will be worth it.

“It’s now (Lincoln County’s) library. So the decision-making will all be done locally,” she said.

That freedom will give local librarians opportunities to explore new services and programs.

“We’ll be able to apply for grant funding from the state,” Sackett said. “We just put in an application for a grant for funding from the (Library Services and Technology Act) program.”

If the library wins the grant, Lincoln County libraries could see self-checkout stations and security gates to scan for items not properly checked out.

She’s also looking at enhancing Lincoln County’s access to the N.C. Digital Library, which could help shorten the waiting list for some digital books.

“Say there’s a James Patterson title with a waiting list of 150 statewide,” Sackett said. “With the advantage account, we get a digital copy that only Lincoln County patrons can put a hold on.”

The switch will eventually require new library cards for Lincoln County branches, but old cards will work until the card system is switched over.

“Those will still be valid,” Sackett said. “When you access a lot of the databases online, you have to put in the number on your library card.”

Libraries are no longer sending holds across county lines. As of May 7, the only holds that can been picked up in Lincoln County are books that belong to Lincoln County branches.

Lincoln County residents will be able to get an out-of-county library card for free in Gaston County.

“There may be a book out there that they own and we don’t, and if you really have to have it you can still go across the county line to get it,” Sackett said.

While she’s working to iron out all the details ahead of time, Sackett said the switch might cause some unexpected problems.

“We may have a down time or things we didn’t think about ahead of time, but we’re going to try to keep it as short a period as possible. I really hope that things for Lincoln County are going to move forward,” she said. “We’re going to look at what this community needs for the future.”

The sheriff’s office reported Wesley Joe Fore, 42, invited the teenager and another girl to his home and provided them with alcohol on April 13.

Fore and the 15-year-old girl left to go to the store, but he stopped the vehicle near Hill’s Chapel Methodist Church where the girl said he assaulted her. The girl is a Stanley resident who knew Fore.

Larry Seagle, public information officer for the sheriff’s office, said the incident was reported by a family member several days later.

Detective Seth Bailey arrested Fore, of 6782 Glover Lane, Stanley, and charged him with one felony count of statutory rape/sex offense of a 13-, 14- or 15-year-old by a defendant six years older. Fore was taken to the Harven A. Crouse Detention Center and placed on a $100,000 secured bond.

When John Sears returned to his home in Crouse around 10 a.m. April 18, he understood why his wife, Doris, had called him crying.

“I’d raced as fast as I could to get there, but it was just full ablaze,” he said.

Doris and John Sears and their six children – Elizabeth, 15; Emma, 14; Seth, 8; Jackson, 5; and 3-year-old twins Abbie and Jessa – lost their home in the fire.

Fire Marshall Mike Futrell said it appears the fire started at some electrical point in the home, but they’re still looking at the case.

After spending two weeks in a hotel they found a house to stay in, but had to evacuate this week. The upstairs plumbing leaked, causing dangerous mold to grow, and the house is infested with mice.

“It’s really stressful now,” Doris Sears said. “At first it was fine, then the next day there’s mice everywhere.”

It could be six to eight months before their insurance company replaces their home.

“It’s just a nightmare that does not have an end,” John Sears said.

But John Sears also said the community has given him a reason to hope. Days after the fire, local churches, schools and complete strangers began an outpouring of support. He gets choked up when he talks about it.

“People from other states would send us a letter with a check – to someone they’ll never meet and have never known,” John Sears said.

But he saw some of the greatest support from Lincoln Charter School, where Seth and Jackson are students.

“The charter school, you can’t out-give them. They just keep on and on,” he said. “Lee Ann Arrowood over there called us over and over again. ‘John, we have gift cards.’ ‘John, we have more donations.’ ‘Do you want me to take these donations to the bank?’ My wife and I would just look at each other and couldn’t stop crying.

“I’m told the best is yet to come. I hope I can be half the person she was, to reach out and help someone like that,” he said.

But Arrowood, a counselor at Lincoln Charter, said it was a total group effort, and she just helped coordinate it.

“It was amazing how quickly things came in, from people connected to our school or to people connected to people at our school,” she said. “It was just really nice to see.”

But she said the school’s response was just what she’d expect.

“We are such a family-oriented school and community,” Arrowood said. “People come out to help those in need.”

Jeff Zink, owner of Denver Mini Storage, was one of the many Lincoln Charter family members who helped. Zink donated two storage units and a moving truck for the Sears family to use, even though he’d never met them.

East Lincoln Christian Ministry filled the truck with furniture, and local churches flooded them with clothes.

The truck could have cost the family $80 a day, and the units usually cost $60 each a month.

“But we don’t really look at it like that. Since we have it available, it just makes sense to do it,” Zink said. “They’re a nice family and we were just glad we were in a situation where we could help them.”

And while replacing things like clothes and furniture was important, Sears said some people really put some love and care into gifts.

His son Seth’s birthday was April 15, just three days before the fire, and he lost all his gifts in the blaze.

“His class got together and got him a bike,” Arrowood said.

Sears said the gift was a huge sigh of relief for Seth.

“But nobody would take credit. We couldn’t get a straight answer, so we don’t know who to thank. We’re just so grateful,” Sears said. “His little brother, Jackson, jokingly asked if we could move up his birthday. I don’t think anything could get the boys down.”

But the fire wasn’t so easy for his girls.

“Elizabeth and Emma are very reserved. They won’t accept any donations from the schools and they’d rather avoid attention,” he said. “They’re not peppy young teenagers like they were before.”

Even 3-year-old twins Abbie and Jessa understand that they’ve lost something.

“They’ll go up to a complete stranger and say, ‘Our house burned down. Our Dora blanket is gone,’” he said.

“The teenagers had their own space and their own things in their rooms, and they have nothing now,” Doris Sears said. “We ride by the house now, and see our whole life in the trash bin. Pictures, everything.”

But the Searses are starting to rebuild their lives.

“We’re good on clothes, and we’re still getting in donations of furniture,” Doris Sears said. “I do know I need two twin beds and mattresses for the boys.”

John Sears said it took him some time to realize that the things he lost weren’t the important things in his life.

“All those are material possessions – here today, gone tomorrow,” he said. “You can’t replace these little ones.”

Want to help?

Send donations to the Sears family to their post office box, PO Box 122, Crouse, NC 28033. For more information or to arrange for larger donations, call Doris Sears at 704-253-3419.

HUNTERSVILLE – Connoisseurs gathered Saturday, May 12, at Rural Hill to get a taste of North Carolina’s next big thing – craft beer.

“North Carolina is the fastest-growing microbrew state in the nation,” said Madison Smith, communications manager for Greensboro-based Natty Greene’s Brewery.

The brewery is one of many that participated in the daylong North Carolina Brewers and Music Festival at the historic nature preserve.

More than 50 microbrewers in the state have North Carolina poised to be an industry leader, she said.

Natty Greene’s produces beers ranging from 3.8 percent alcohol by volume to more than 10 percent, compared to the 3.2 percent found in most domestic beers.

But it’s taste more than alcohol content that attracts microbrew drinkers.

“This is a beer of flavor, to enjoy and nurse,” Mike Pauza said, hoisting a two-ounce serving of brew from Ass Clown Brewing Company, a craft beer producer located on Bailey Road in Cornelius.

Standing alongside the Ass Clown tent on Saturday, Pauza pondered the brewmaster’s creativity.

“Where does he get these flavors?” he said. “It must have been through a dream somehow.”

After swishing another swallow, Pauza tasted apples, butter, vanilla beans and chocolate.

“I know what I like,” said Matt Glidden, creator of Ass Clown’s specialty brews. “I go after something that compliments foods and beers which are not out there right now.”

Nontraditional flavors and organic ingredients form the foundation of his beers. He works with local merchants and mountain farmers to find just the right components for his recipes.

Glidden began making craft beers in his garage eight years ago, then turned the hobby into a business in 2010. He’ll move into a bigger facility this summer, hoping to boost production from 120 gallons a week to nearly 900.

“The whole goal is to bring everybody into craft and away from the large corporations,” Glidden said.

And Saturday’s crowd indicated a growing segment of the population is making that shift. Roughly 3,500 guests came out to sample craft beers from around the region this year, tripling the inaugural festival in 2011.

Howard’s show will feature music from the so-called golden age of folk music with songs by Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan and Pete Seeger. His “Blowing in the Wind” program also includes a narrative which provides historical perspective to Americana music of the past 175 years.

Howard, of Lincolnton, is noted for his classical guitar style, smooth vocals and solid harmonica fills.

“I also play enough banjo and 12 string so some people think I can do that too,” Howard said. He often adds his own compositions to the shows, including some funny songs about ax murderers, hippies, cowboy folksingers and motorcycle-riding ladies.

Last April he performed as Mark Twain at Unity Presbyterian Church in Denver. He also performed the “Blowing in the Wind” program at the Shanklin Library.

Howard will have copies of his self-produced album, “Vagabond,” available at the show.

Admission to the show is free. For more information, contact Jackie Shaw at the Charles R. Jonas Library at 704-735-8044. The library is located at 306 W. Main St., Lincolnton.

Robin Salzman, right, hands over the keys to a Dodge Grand Caravan to Vicky Lingerfelt, executive director of Amy’s House in Lincolnton. Salzman, owner and marketing director for Lake Norman Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram, donated the van to help Amy’s House provide transportation for victims of domestic violence. (Courtney Price/DW photo)

CORNELIUS – Those who work with Amy’s House in Lincolnton can tell you: Sometimes providing something as simple as a ride can make all the difference.

The organization provides assistance to victims of domestic violence and abuse, as well as a safe place to stay. Part of that assistance includes providing transportation to and from appointments, court appearances and job interviews.

Amy’s House used to have a van, but it was in an accident a few years ago, and since then volunteers have been driving victims to appointments in their personal cars, Executive Director Vicky Lingerfelt said.

“It’s a little scary when you think about what could happen if you get in an accident, and it also gets a little tedious,” she said.

But Robin Salzman, owner and marketing director of Lake Norman Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram, solved that problem. She handed over the keys to a Dodge Grand Caravan, courtesy of the Cornelius dealership.

“Oh, this is just an answer to our prayers,” Amy’s House board member Pam Robinette told Salzman when the van drove up.

In addition to transportation for victims, the van will be able to haul donations, which will cut at least $4,000 from the Amy’s House budget.

A few Lincoln County volunteers, including Lingerfelt, organized Amy’s House in 1993 to help women and children escape dangerous homes. Initially the program sent women to shelters in other counties, but grants helped establish the Lincoln County shelter in 1995. The shelter can now house up to 23 victims.

Victims participate in the program at Amy’s House for 90 days. During that time, Lingerfelt said, the women set goals for themselves, participate in meal and budget planning classes, do chores, apply for jobs or job training and look for housing.

“They’re working their way back to a domestic violence-free life,” Lingerfelt said. “We also have resources available to help educate victims on programs like food stamps and Medicaid.”

Robinette said the program gets no county funding, and is instead supported through donations and grants.

Amy’s House also partners with several other organizations, like the Second Harvest Food Bank and East Lincoln Christian Ministry, to secure food and home furnishings.

And women who want to escape their abusers don’t have to stay at Amy’s House to get help, Lingerfelt said. “It’s open to everyone, and there’s no charge for any of our services,” she said.

“People sometime wonder why it’s so hard. ‘Why doesn’t she just leave?’” Lingerfelt said. “But in most cases she doesn’t think she can make it without him. Most don’t realize there are resources out there.”

Salzman said she had been looking for a local group to support.

“These ladies have given their lives to this organization, and I wanted to help,” Salzman said. “We do a lot, but this year I was looking for a smaller organization that doesn’t get as much support.”

She’s also donated a dishwasher for the kitchen and plans to provide backpacks full of school supplies for the children who stay at Amy’s House.

“I’ve been blessed and have never been in a situation like what these women go through,” Salzman said. “But when you hear about the numbers – one in four women will be abused – it’s incredible. And if my children or grandchildren ever ran into a situation like this, I’d hope there’d be a place like Amy’s House to help them.”

• Arby’s, 7410 N.C. 73, Denver. Inspected: April 10. Score: 100.

• Bojangles, 134 N.C. 16 S., Denver. Inspected: May 9. Score: 100.5.

• Brooklyn Bros, 7925 Natalie Commons Drive, Denver. Inspected: May 1. Score: 96.5.

• Burger King, 7158 N.C. 73, Denver. Inspected: May 1. Score: 101.5.

• Cookout, 7569 N.C. 73, Denver. Inspected: May 1. Score: 98.5.

• Dragon Buffet, 7260 N.C. 73 – Suite 112, Denver. Inspected: April 30. Score: 101.

• Everest Grill, 122 N.C. 16 N., Denver. Inspected: April 4. Score: 101.5.

• Joey’s, 7913 Natalie Commons, Denver. Inspected: April 4. Score: 100.5.

• Showmars of Denver, 7260 N.C. 73 – Suite 119, Denver. Inspected: April 11. Score: 101.5.

• Sports Page, 179 Cross Center Drive, Denver. Inspected: April 13. Score: 101.

• Stacy’s Restaurant, 3790 N.C. 16 N., Denver. Inspected: May 4. Score: 98.

• Subway, in Walmart, 7131 N.C. 73, Denver. Inspected: May 1. Score: 98.

• Yaki, 7932 Natalie Commons Drive, Denver. Inspected: May 1. Score: 96.5.

Mooresville

• Big Bite’z Grill, 843 Williamson Road: 97.5

• China Express, 123 Trade Court:  95.5

• Dockside Deli and Catering, 123 Trade Court: 98

• East Coast Wings, 120 Marketplace Ave.: 97

• Hickory Tavern, 115 Morrison Plantation Pkwy.: 97

• Iron Grill, 125 Trade Court:99

• La Patisserie Bakery Café, 627 N. Main St.: 95.5

• Panera Bread, 109 Williamson Road: 99.5

• Pueblo Grande, 241 S. Broad St.: 96.5

• Quizno’s Sub, 235 Medical Park Road: 102

• Ted’s Famous Chicken, 215 S. Broad St.: 100

About the grades

Restaurants are given grades of A for scoring at least 90 percent, B for 80 to 89 percent and C for 70 to 79 percent. The state revokes permits for restaurants that score below 70 percent.

Restaurants are eligible for two bonus points if an employee has completed a food service sanitation program within three years.

– Compiled by staff

It is impossible to watch the Olympics and not start to wonder if, just maybe, you might have missed out on your own Olympic dream. Or might, just maybe, still have a shot. How deep can the field be trying to make the team for, say, archery? And how hard can curling be?

It’s fanciful to think this way – the Jamaican bobsled team and former British ski jumper Eddie “the Eagle” Edwards notwithstanding – but it’s the Olympics! How cool would it be to be there?

Come August, Huntersville chiropractor Lonnie Bagwell will find out. His road to London comes not from chasing his own Olympic dream, but from helping others realize theirs. Bagwell will be there supporting weightlifters Sarah Robles and Holly Mangold, who will both be competing in the women’s super-heavyweight division, and possibly Kendrick Farris, who finished eighth at the 2008 Olympics in the 85 KG weight class.

“We’re developing a treatment plan right now for the athletes when they’re in London to make sure they’re primed and ready for competition,” Bagwell said.

Bagwell takes a non-traditional approach to chiropractics and implements treatment plans even when athletes aren’t injured.

Bagwell is affiliated with Maximized Living, an international organization that takes a holistic, chiropractic-based approach to health and training. This approach includes improving nutrition, detoxifying the body and improving mindset. It has turned out to be a good fit for athletes.

Robles and Mangold both compete in the women’s 75+ kilogram weightlifting class. The women each lifted more than a quarter-ton overhead to secure their tickets to London, according to TeamUSA.org.

“Weightlifting is a total-body movement that requires everything from head to toe, perfect sequence, perfect sequence firing of the muscles, and what we do in our brand of health and wellness was a perfect fit for the performance for them,” Bagwell said.

Bagwell will focus primarily on helping Robles, Mangold, Ferris and the rest of the weightlifting team at the Olympics. The trip to London will be a working vacation for Bagwell and his wife, Molly. Molly Bagwell has a master’s degree in women’s health and handles nutrition and detoxification for the practice. Sons Colin, 6, and Liam, 2, will also come along to experience the Olympics.

“We actually will have more than 100 doctors from Maximized Living and their families over in London, so we will have plenty of coverage, and I will take care of whoever I have to take care of in USA weightlifting,” Bagwell said.

The Bagwells will spend the rest of their time supporting the U.S. athletes – and partying with them.

“We will be at different events supporting our teams and just being the biggest fans of the USA that we can possibly be. And then we’ll be at USA House at night. That’s going to be really exciting, to be able to celebrate with the athletes. Every athlete that wins (a medal) comes back to USA House to celebrate every one of the medals that are won, and we’re going to be a part of that.”

Talk about an Olympic dream.

The bigger boat syndrome is a disease that’s hard to get rid of.

Symptoms include urges for bigger boats, faster boats, finer boats. Periods of remission can be forced on you when your budget can’t support your habit, but you’ll never be completely cured.

Look back to this line from Steven Spielberg’s 1975 movie “JAWS:” “I think we’re going to need a bigger boat.” The main characters are about to become appetizers for a monster shark, and what do they call for? A bigger boat, of course!

Our first boat was a 15-foot aluminum canoe purchased just before our wedding. This was to be transportation for our 80-mile honeymoon canoe trip.

The following year we purchased a used 1.l-horsepower outboard. This drove the canoe along at a fairly respectable 6 miles per hour.

Our first excursion took us down the Erie Barge Canal, which we traveled in less than complete comfort. Sleeping with our heads under the canoe may keep off the dew, but it doesn’t do a thing to discourage mosquitoes. But comfort wasn’t an issue – until the next day.

We were locking through the canal with a half-dozen yachts, convincing ourselves how much better off we were than they. Besides being more economical and easier to store and transport, our canoe had it all over the others in maneuverability. And just then we had a chance to prove it.

A woman sitting on the deck of a 52-foot yacht had her hat blown off. The hat barely touched the water before we lifted it to her on the end of a paddle.

“Well, whatever are you doing down there?” she asked, taking the hat.

My husband replied with a smile, “Locking through, ma’am, just like you.”

“Come aboard,” she invited. “You’re liable to get wet down there.”

So we climbed to the deck of the Bateau Cinq to see how the other half lived – very well indeed. What else can be said about folks whose boat boasts staterooms, wall-to-wall carpeting, TV, an electric organ and the remains of a turkey dinner?

Wide-eyed, we inspected the floating hotel while carrying drinks in silver goblets thrust upon us by our grateful friend in the damp hat. After the tour, we stood looking way down at our canoe. One of the passengers asked us when we were going to get a bigger boat.

“A bigger boat?” we said. “Why? We have plenty of room.”

“Room?” he said, giving our craft a look that caused it to shrink before our eyes. “Room for what?”

Was it coincidence that within a month my husband proposed a bigger boat?

Nobly, he said, when the used 16-foot runabout with its 40-horsepower outboard was safely in our driveway, “That will be all the boat we’ll ever need.”

“Or want,” I added confidently.

But we didn’t realize devoted water skiers need more and more power. Within a year, we traded to a 70-horsepower.

And then there were babies. Before long, more freeboard seemed a necessary safety measure for a toddler.

We needed a longer boating season to make good use of our nautical investment. Moving to Lake Norman seemed the logical answer.

One boat followed another in a nautical blur. There was always a good reason. Our son learned to ski barefoot, the boat show was having a sale, Hurricane Hugo’s destruction, and on it went.

Our budget prohibits a boat with a galley. You have to vacuum carpeting, don’t you? And we don’t go to sea to watch TV.

I think we have this bigger boat syndrome licked.

My husband says the floating hotel is for the older generation. Unfortunately, we don’t seem to be getting younger.

Come to think of it, a cruising vacation might be fun.

And if we spend a week or two on the water, it might be nice to have a head aboard …

Diana and Bill Gleasner have lived in Denver for more than 30 years. In addition to travel journalism, they have written and published two books on the Lake Norman area.

Hopefully, this year will not be as warm as 2011, when every summer day seemed hotter than the day before. Regardless of the temperature, fishing on Lake Norman should be great again. And to help jump- start the season, here are a few reminders that might help you catch a limit or two.

During the day, bream, perch and catfish are easy targets. Bream, (sunfish) love warm weather and can be found swimming along most shorelines that have a combination of shade and sunlight. Catfish cruise a little deeper but are extremely active in June, July and August. White perch, the mainstay for family vacation fishing trips, gather in large schools and bite feverishly throughout the day.

Those fishing at night can try their luck for bass, stripers and crappie. All three are attracted to lights that shine directly into the water after dark. Bass and striper fishermen seek out lighted boat docks. Those targeting crappie hang lanterns and other bright lights over the sides of their boats at night.

The best baits to use for lake favorites are:

• Bream – bread/dough balls, worms, crickets and popping bugs;

• Catfish – prepared stink baits, chicken parts, fresh-cut fish and live bream;

• White perch – small minnows, jigs, spoons and Sabiki rigs;

• Bass – large minnows, top-water lures, soft plastics and swim and crank baits;

• Stripers – live shad, herring, shiners, roadrunners and bucktails; and

• Crappie – crappie minnows.

When fishing for bream, perch, channel catfish and crappie, a light action six-to-seven-foot spinning outfit loaded with six- to 10-pound test line is perfect. Bass, stripers, blue and flathead catfish are larger and require stronger tackle and line.

The best places to find various species are:

• Bridge pilings – crappie, bass and stripers;

• Submerged brush/deepwater attractors – bass and crappie;

• Piers and boat houses – all species;

• Channel markers – bass;

• Boat basins – bass, catfish and bream;

• Shorelines, fallen trees or overhanging limbs – bass and bream; and

• Deep coves and pockets – white perch and spotted bass.

Upcoming events

• The Lake Norman Sail & Power Squadron will offer a boater safety class at 8 a.m. June 2 at the Mount Mourne Volunteer Fire Department, 1577 Mecklenburg Hwy. The class costs $45 and includes a student manual and lunch. Register at www.usps.org/lake
norman or call Bob Yannacci at 704-660-5568.

Hot spots of the week

White perch and spotted bass are suspending in water to 40 feet. Catfishing is improving with water temperatures topping 80 degrees. Stink baits fished from docks and anchored boats are tempting channel cats, while a variety of fresh cut and live baits are luring blue and flatheads. Deep docks, river points and humps are the places to catch larger bass throughout the day.

The surface water temperature varies by locations, but is mainly in the 80s in open waters not affected by power generation. The water level is about 2.4 feet below full pond on Lake Norman.

Capt. Gus Gustafson of Lake Norman Ventures is a full-time professional fishing guide on Lake Norman. Visit his web site, www.Fishingwithgus.com.