Friday's Internet Edition, July 04, 2008.
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January
Six area teens were charged with a string of fires and mailbox explosions which occurred in the Clemmons area between January and November 2005.
Thirty cars in the Cameron Village and Cameron Point subdivisions off Peace Haven Road were vandalized. The damage included lots of slashed tires, some spray painting and broken glass. Two teenagers were later arrested for the crimes.
N.C. Rep. William C. “Bill” McGee announced he would seek re-election to the state House of Representatives, District 75.
February
The Village Council approved a new subdivision by Fair Oaks Associates on the former Blumenthal Jewish property. Some 21.68 acres was rezoned from RS-30 to RS-15 to allow for more single family housing.
West Forsyth High School officials announced plans to build a new auditorium for the 2007-2008 school year. The old auditorium, which had been built in 1964, was to be converted into a performing arts classroom.
River Oaks Community Church held its first services in its new, 53,000 square foot facility at 1855 Lewisville-Clemmons Road. The church previously met at Forsyth Country Day School.
Marble Slab Creamery opened for business in the Clemmons Village West Shopping Center.
Members of the American Independent Wrestling Federation participated in a fundraiser for OK West, the athletic booster club of West Forsyth High.
March
Sgt. J.B. Davis, head of the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Department’s Clemmons Community Policing force, announced he would resign his position to train police forces in Iraq. He left in April for a one-year assignment as a nonmilitary contractor.
Residents of several Clemmons neighborhood asked the Village Council to lower the speed limit in residential areas from 35 miles per hour to 25 miles per hour. Later that month, the council approved a policy which would allow individual neighborhoods to petition the council for reduced speed limits.
Mary Ann Sonntag, principal of Ward Elementary School, announced she would retire at the end of the school year in order to enter the Episcopal Church ministry. She had served as principal since Ward opened in 2000.
Clemmons Elementary School held a ribbon cutting ceremony for its “Global Garden.” The garden will serve as both a teaching tool for students and a community pocket garden. It will be divided into five zones representing Australia, Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas.
Golding Farms received the U.S. Department of Defense’s prestigious Seven Seals Award for the company’s dedication to National Guardsmen and Reservists.
The North Carolina State Beekeepers Convention was held at the Village Inn & Conference Center. About 300 beekeepers attended the event.
Lucy Rossi attended the Academy Awards ceremony in Hollywood with her daughter Kristen, an assistant director and writer for the television show “Entertainment Tonight.”
April
West Forsyth High history teacher Rick McVicker left for duty in Iraq. A 16-year member of the Army Reserve, McVicker was called to active duty and received an emotional send-off from his students during an assembly in the Simpson Gym.
A woman robbed Wachovia Bank on April Fool’s Day. She presented the teller with a note demanding money and threatened use of a firearm, but none was displayed. The suspect fled the bank with an undisclosed amount of money.
The Village Council approved reduced speed limits in the Waterford and Glen Haven subdivisions. The reductions came after at least 75 percent of the dwelling units in each subdivisions signed petitions requesting the lower limits.
The second annual Prom Dress Drive sponsored by Twin City Cleaners provided about 300 girls with gowns and accessories for their proms. The drive was started in 2005 by Twin City owners Dan and Bailey Dempsey.
The Clemmons Civic Club held its annual Spring Pancake Breakfast fundraiser.
May
Residents of the Wyngrove townhomes community on Kinnamon Road objected the proposed opening of their dead-end street, Terrence Drive, as part of a rezoning request of the adjoining five acres for a bank, retail shops and restaurant. Council approved the project’s site plan but stipulated that Terrence Drive remained closed.
Southwest Elementary School established a scholarship in memory of Alyssa Jordan Thomas. Thomas, a kindergarten student at the school, died in an apartment fire in November 2005. The scholarship will allow two Southwest kindergartners and two first-graders to attend a week-long summer camp at the Sawtooth Center in Winston-Salem.
Nancy Smoot, a kindergarten teacher at Clemmons Elementary, received a $2,400 grant from the Karla Bolen Memorial Fund. Smoot said she would use the money to purchase an ACTIVboard for her class.
After five years and one frustrating computer crash, Robert Beroth published a 541-page book detailing the 100-year history of Clemmons Moravian Church. Proceeds from the sale of the book went towards the church’s building fund.
June
A second robbery occurred at Wachovia Bank, and again the suspect was a woman. The woman presented the teller with a note demanding money but did not threaten the use of a weapon.
Sgt. Greg Walters was named head of the Clemmons Community Policing force, replacing J.B. Davis.
The Village Council approved a budget of $4,531,880 for fiscal year 2006-2007.
NBA Rookie of the Year Chris Paul visited Clemmons Elementary School and the Clemmons Rotary Club.
Rita P. Mundy celebrated her 100th birthday with a party at the home of son and daughter-in-law, John and Louise Mundy.
July
The high school orchestra Wachovia Winds of Clemmons commissioned New Orleans composer Erik Morales to write a musical number honoring the heritage of the original Wachovia tract settlement. The work is slated to premiere in the spring of 2007.
As part of the Pulpit Exchange Program, Rev. Philip Poyner of Fareham, England spent six weeks at Clemmons United Methodist Church. Rev. Phillip Cole of Clemmons UMC traveled to Poyner’s church, Fareham Methodist.
K&W Cafeterias announced plans to build a K&W Cafe at the site of the old Carolina Car Wash on Amp Drive. The restaurant will seat about 70 people and will offer drive-through service.
The Village Council approved an ordinance reducing the speed limit on North Lakeshore Drive to 25 miles per hour.
Joyce Hardister of Old Meadowbrook adopted and raised a baby bird found in her neighbor’s backyard.
Bill and Mona Hunter were profiled for their vegetable garden, one of the largest in Forsyth County.
August
An armed man attempted to rob Beth’s Hallmark store. He demanded money from the register but fled before the cashier could give him any money.
The Montessori School, formerly located in Winston-Salem, opened its new $4 million facility on Holder Road. The school, which bases its curriculum on the philosophy and teaching method of Dr. Maria Montessori, welcomed 165 students for the 2006-2007 year.
J.B. Davis, serving in Iraq, suffered a concussion and some ear damage when a bomb exploded under the vehicle in which he was traveling.
Siblings Shirley and David Lung received rare piano awards for mastering 15 piano pieces by Johann Sebastian Bach. The awards were given by the American College of Musicians.
The Village Council approved a new 75-lot subdivision, Barrington Oaks, on Hampton Road. Council also voted to purchase a pre-fabricated 5,400 square-foot building expansion for the Public Works Department at a cost of $249,415 and reduced the speed limit on Knob Hill Drive to 25 miles per hour.
September
The Clemmons Planning Board recommended approval of the rezoning for Clemmons Town Center. The 60-acre site is located on Lewisville-Clemmons Road and is bordered by Interstate 40, Peace Haven Road and Harper Road.
The Clemmons High School Class of 1956 held its 50-year reunion at its old building, now home to Broyhill Office Suites. All former students and staff were invited to tour the refurbished facility. Among them was Anna Lena Cooper, who spent 12 years as a student and 37 years as a teacher at Clemmons School.
Clemmons television producer Larry Chance received an EMMY Award for his work on “Math and Science Gumbo,” a multipart educational series produced for Public Television of Northeast Ohio. Chance wrote the script for the show, which was aimed at middle school students.
Business partners Betty Ashby and John Edwards opened Big Shotz Tavern opened at 1480 River Ridge Drive. Ashby and Edwards said they hoped the restaurant and sports bar, would serve as a community tavern where people could gather, hang out and enjoy a good dining experience.
Applebee’s restaurant opened on Lewisville-Clemmons Road at Allegacy Way.
October
The community mourned the loss of former West Forsyth pitching star Erik Walker, who died in a tragic drowning accident. Walker and his girlfriend were canoeing along the New River in Virginia when their canoe became lodged on some rocks. They freed the canoe and attempted to wade it downstream, but Walker was stepped into an eight-foot trough and was pulled under the 40-degree water by a strong current.
The Village Council approved the rezoning and site plan for Clemmons Town Center. The site includes 541,000 square feet for retail and office space and a theatre complex. A main street will be built, and some 18 acres of green space will be set aside in the plan. Hill Partners Inc. of Charlotte is the developer for the project.
Lena Minor, a resident of Woodland Place Assisted Living, was reunited with her son, Joe Felts of King, after 61 years. Felts was taken by social services at age three after his father left him home alone while Lena was at work. Felts was adopted by a caring family but always wanted to find his birth mother.
Jay Banasiak was ordained at the first ever Associate Pastor at Clemmons Presbyterian Church. He was also called to maintain and enhance the church’s youth ministry.
Corie Beck and Christian Dial were named Homecoming Queen and King at West Forsyth High.
November
A Maryland fugitive was charged with murdering a woman who was found badly burned in a car on Holder Road. Scott Robert Speakman, 28, was charged with murdering Loyola Manalo Strader, 63. Preliminary autopsy reports indicated that Strader died from blunt force trauma and strangulation.
The Dock Davis House, one of the prominent old houses in Clemmons history, went on the auction block. The house was built in 1895 by Andrew Wharton “Dock” Davis and was home to Davis, his wife, Jennie Cornish Davis, and their eight children.
Historic preservations called for the pending destruction of the Idols Dam and Power Station to be halted. Finished in 1898, the station powered the industrialization of Winston-Salem and served as a model for America’s growing appetite for electricity. The City-County Utilities Commission has announced plans to demolish the site but issued a 30-day stay on November 13.
Fifteen new stained glass windows were installed in the sanctuary of Clemmons Presbyterian Church.
December
The Idols Dam hydroelectric station won a 90-day reprieve from demolition. The Utilities Commission wants to clear debris and silt behind the dam that threatens to clog its vital water intake pump just upstream. Engineers began devising a way to do that without destroying the building.
The Village Council voted to rezone over 13 acres behind Food Lion at River Ridge Shopping center on the south side of Utility Drive, for the development of almost 70,000 square feet of business and retail space.