Friday, November 29, 2013

Quiz Answers!

Thanks so much for taking our history quiz. As promised, here are the answers. They are in bold. Happy Anniversary, Lake Norman!

  1. What is the official name of Davidson College’s crowdsourcing project focused on the history of Lake Norman?

    1. Beneath the Lake
    2. Lake Norman Now and Then
    3. Under Lake Norman
    4. Lake Norman Legends

  1. Which country music legend performed at one of the first Lake Norman Lot sales?

    1. Kenny Rogers
    2. Hank Williams
    3. George Jones
    4. Porter Wagner

  1. Which Duke Power [now Duke Energy] president was integral in making the Davidson College Lake Campus a reality?

    1. W.B. McGuire
    2. Norman Cocke
    3. Bob McKillop
    4. Samuel Spencer, Jr.

  1. The land of which two mills was flooded during the creation of Lake Norman?

    1. Cannon Mills and Springs Industries
    2. Burlington Industries and Cornelius Cotton Mill
    3. Locke Mill and Tuscarora Yarns
    4. East Monbo Mill and Long Island Mill

  1. Which bridge still resides under Lake Norman?

    1. The Beatties Ford Bridge
    2. The Old Highway 150 Bridge
    3. The Sam Furr Bridge
    4. The Peninsula Bridge

  1. Which plantation house’s ruin can be found under Lake Norman?

    1. Latta Plantation
    2. Dilworth Plantation
    3. Middleton Place
    4. Elm Wood Plantation

  1. What is the name of the oldest waterfront venue on Lake Norman?

    1. The Landing
    2. North Harbor Club
    3. Rusty Rudder
    4. Oni’s

  1. Which camp opened on the shores of the Catawba River in 1938 for the benefit of orphans housed at various orphanages in the area?

    1. Camp Dogwood
    2. Camp Catawba
    3. Camp Fellowship
    4. Camp Barnhardt

  1. What name was found on the single tombstone discovered during the land clearing for Cowan’s Ford Dam in 1958?

    1. Norman Cocke
    2. John Cowan
    3. John Abernathy
    4. William Lee Davidson


  1. Which local family had three brothers serve as mayor of Charlotte, Cornelius and Mooresville at the same time?

    1. The Washam family
    2. The Jetton family
    3. The Davidson family
    4. The Knox family

  1. What year did Duke Power [now Duke Energy] dam the Catawba River?

    1. 1970
    2. 1953
    3. 1975
    4. 1963

  1. Which anniversary did Lake Norman celebrate this year?

    1. 25th
    2. 50th
    3. 30th
    4. 75th

Friday, November 8, 2013

Might As Well Jump


A little over a year ago my husband and I went to see Van Halen perform in Charlotte. Before you even ask, it was Van Halen, not Van Hagar. Lucky for us we got to see the original band featuring "Diamond Dave" — David Lee Roth perform.

The concert was excellent, as I am a huge Eddie Van Halen fan. Like cheese, wine and a good leather satchel, Eddie just gets better with age. Anyway, we were enjoying the concert when suddenly everyone left the stage except for Roth. "These are my dogs," he says as a big screen appears behind him. And for the next 15 minutes we watched a beautiful short film about this dogs. Beautiful but quite strange as a rock concert. None of us in the audience really knew what to do with this information.

Turns out that Roth grew up on a farm in Indiana. With that nugget of knowledge it doesn't seem so strange.

What does this have to do with Lake Norman, Lori? You might be asking yourself. Well this weekend is The 2013 Rural Hill Sheepdog Trials and Dog Festival. I've never been and am happy to say that I will be attending tomorrow.

Supposedly there will be a lot of things going on such as the National Border Collie Sheepherding Championships, as well as demonstrations by the Carolina Dock Dogs and the Greater Charlotte Shetland Sheepdog Club. I can't imagine what I'm in for, but I have an idea it's going to be super cool (and cute).

Just to get me in the mood, I think I'll listen to a little of Van Halen's 1984 album on the way there. As Dave sang in the '80s, "Might as well jump."

Enjoy lake living,

Lori K. Tate
Editor, CURRENTS Magazine

Monday, November 4, 2013

Seeing the Light(s)

My life basically takes place on two roads in the Lake Norman area — Catawba Avenue and Highway 115. I'm on both of them every single day, so I immediately notice anything out of the ordinary — enter Blinkies.

When I first saw these twinkling lights on the two red trees in front of ACE Hardware in Cornelius, I thought I was imagining things. Remember, I have two 3-year-olds, so I'm always reading about princesses and magic wands. This could have easily been an extension of my Cinderella knowledge. But no, the lights were there the next day and the next.

They weren't traditional Christmas lights saturating a tree Christmas Vacation-style, not that there's anything wrong with that. These were placed far apart from each other, scattered even, so much so that I slowed down one day to see if they were clipped to the branches individually. They weren't, as I finally saw the power cord linking all the magic together.

The more I see the lights, the happier they make me. Believe me, after getting the twins ready for preschool every morning, I'm always searching for any shred of serenity I can find. These lights give me that as I drive the kids to and from school. Finally, I succumbed to my curiosity and went into the store to inquire about them. The lady at the counter said, "Oh, you mean Blinkies, they're right over there," as she pointed to a stand-alone display. She then referred to me one of the managers, Dori Rice, so I could learn more.

Turns out Blinkies are a relatively new phenomenon and were developed by Roger's Products Inc. right up the road in Kernersville. "When he [Roger] first called and told me about the Blinkies, I wasn't sure," remembers Rice, adding that the lights are placed six feet apart on the cord. "He said, 'just let me come down and hang some on your trees so you can see.' " He did, and Rice became just as captivated as me.

The trick with these lights is that they exude a glistening effect. The blink appears to be slower and completely random, so the tree subtly sparkles. In addition, the whiteness of the lights is also softer. Roger's website refers to the effect as "a touch of twinkle."

Call it whatever you want, but to me these lights represent the happiness we should all try to seek out on a daily basis. It's so easy to become down, even depressed during the holidays. And as we all know, stress seems to unfortunately be a constant in today's world.

These lights can help ease those negative thoughts for just a moment. Trust me, if I can sense their magic when my kids are screaming in the backseat of my minivan as we drive by ACE, anyone can. So when you get a chance, drive by the Blinkies and enjoy a small slice of delight.

Enjoy lake living,

Lori K. Tate
Editor, CURRENTS Magazine