By THOMAS LARK
BELMONT—Forty is the new 30.
Or so some say these days. And if you ask Darryl Warren of Belmont, life definitely begins at 40—and then some.
Warren, 48, is the author of How to Live to 48. He is a co-owner of Rocks magazine, formerly Belmont Rocks, and his humor column, “Rocks in My Head” regularly appears in the publication.
The book is, he says, “the ultimate self-help book for people who don’t believe in self-help books.” Read more…
Kris Byus announces the opening of Kris Byus Nationwide Insurance. Located at 2020 E Franklin Blvd Gastonia, NC 28054. Make plans to attend the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony on September 9th.
Byus & Associates, Inc. is committed to providing professional insurance services and expertise to their clients. We will seek out the best need based solution while delivering outstanding personal service, promptness, and accuracy with comprehensive and competitive insurance products Read more…
In a world of fast food, email and text….quicker, less personal and without the human touch has become more common and very accepted. But as we all know what is quicker, cheaper and popular isn’t always better. When is the last time you got a hand written note, birthday or thank you card in the mail?
Exactly….
Alicia Demeny a photographer at the Image Gallery in downtown Gastonia, was shown Send Out Cards three years ago by a fellow photographer friend in Florida, and was an instantly thrilled with the concept and creative aspects of the product. Send Out Cards, a Utah based company is an online greeting-card system founded by Kody Bateman. Send Out Cards allows subscribers to send everything from a thank-you note to a get-well card and brownies in just moments. Read more…
There are currently three ways to “vote” for your favorite “Carolina Girl” in the ROCKS MAGAZINE CAROLINA GIRL CELEBRATION. Listed below are instruction on how to vote online at www.rocksmagazine.com and on FACEBOOK. Read more…
If you had told me 6 months ago that I would be spending a whole day with the person who signed Pink Floyd to their first record contract, I would have said you were crazy. And , the same man got the legendary song “It Will Stand” by General Johnson and the Showmen first played on the radio. He also produced hits for Ricky Nelson along with hundreds of other music legends. Yea, I would have said you were crazy. Well, not only did I meet Eddie Ray, I became his friend.
That special day was also spent with NC Music Hall of Fame inductees Ken Knox from “Chairmen of the Board” and Mr. Billy Scott. We sat around Eddie’s office at the Hall of Fame and swapped stories about subjects ranging from Andy Griffith to NASCAR, Sun-Drop and the Little Rascals. Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined a boy from Belmont NC in the presence of such music royalty. August 5th, 2010 was a special day for a music fan like me. Forgive me if I remove any level of objectivity, this story is written as a fan, not as a journalist. Thanks Eddie, Ken, and Billy for a lifetime of music. Read more…
Million Dollar Dog’s Self-Service Dog Wash offers you a place to wash and groom your dog, while keeping the price down and the mess to a minimum!!
A Convenient, Low-Cost Alternative to Bathing at Home or Going to the Groomer
Many pet owners would agree that keeping the family dog clean can be a chore in itself, not to mention the messy clean-up afterwards. When the four-legged family member looks like something the cat dragged in or is trailing an odor reminiscent of yesterday’s garbage, what do you do? Read more…
Walking up to Sims Park, I was reminded of the 60 years of baseball that has been played here. Major league players like Andy Van Slyke, Sammy Sosa, Juan Gonzales, Ivan Rodriguez, and Tug McGraw have given fans here in Gastonia top level baseball for so many years, I wondered how the new kids would measure up to that elite company.
After walking into the beautifully manicured, classic style park, I caught a sweet smell that could only be one thing, the Grizzlies world famous doughnut burger. The sticky, sweet, greasy piece of heaven called a Krispy Kreme doughnut burger is Gastonia’s answer to the health nut crowd. I didn’t care if it was bad for me, I wanted one. Thank the good Lord for people who understand that it’s OK to mix good stuff together every now and then.
That person for the Grizzlies is their GM, Jesse Cole. I could give you his Bio, but that would not do him justice. Jesse is that unique guy who just flat “gets it.” He understands that good baseball is not the only reason people come to Sims Park. The ball game is only a part of the “Grizzlies experience.” When I first met Jesse, his eyes were darting around until he focused just off my left shoulder as he was distracted. “Excuse me” Jesse said, “I have to go make sure the players are dancing between innings.” “I’ll be back in a minute.” I turned around to see Jesse and 25 or so ball-players singing the “YMCA” dance song along with a couple thousand rabid Grizzlies fans, all singing in perfect harmony.
“People are looking to have fun, and that’s what we are trying to provide. I encourage creativity, focus, and caring among all my employees,” Cole said when I asked how the Grizzlies continue to set attendance records. “I learned that from Bill Veeck, the major league owner best known for having a midget on his baseball team.” As I watched the sun set from the deck in left field, I suddenly thought of the baseball movie classic, “Field of Dreams.” “Was this Heaven?” I thought to myself. Then I looked over my shoulder and saw Jesse Cole splashing around in the giant dunk tank, hundreds of kids and adults smiling and laughing as he dared them to throw a strike. Yep, the Gastonia Grizzlies are in good hands.
Rock on Grizzlies!
For the Belmont based catering company, Ranucci’s Big Butt BBQ has scored big time in the 2010 World championship Barbecue cooking contest.
Ranucci’s Big Butt BBQ, a catering company that also cooks the wonderful BBQ for Center Street Tavern in downtown Cramerton, won ninth place in the Memphis (Tenn.) in May 2010 World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest. The top 10 finish automatically qualifies them for the competition in 2011.
For the Memphis competition, Ranucci said he fed judges just like he would a special event or private party in Gaston County.
“When I cater, I try to do what I do for competitions,” Ranucci said. “I always bring the smoker with me. The barbecue we do is hot and fresh, pulled on site.”
A native of upstate New York, Ranucci moved to Boiling Springs in 1991 to attend Gardner-Webb University, where he fell in love with the Carolinas and the regional cuisine. After college, he moved back to New York for a few years, but eventually returned to the area. Two years ago, Ranucci and his family moved to Belmont.
Ranucci previously worked in medical sales, but three or four years ago, he quit his job and started catering full time. After visiting the Carolinas, his father, Ed Ranucci caught the barbecue bug and started a second catering company in New York.
The Ranuccis have won multiple prizes at more than a dozen events, including a first place pork butt in the 2008 Summer Sizzlin’ BBQ Cook-off in Belmont.
“You’ve got to hit it right on the head,” Ranucci said of the Memphis competition. “The judges down there have been doing this for 25years. If you put out barbecue, it better be good.”
Alex Ranucci said he prepares his pork with a homemade injection and dry rub then smokes it for 13 to 15 hours. He offers Ranucci-brand sauces and rubs online at www.ranuccis.com. At competitions, Ranucci said family is always a key ingredient.
Ranucchi’s Big Butt BBQ grilling sauce is also available at the gift shop “Charlotte’s Landing” at the Charlotte Airport, and has quickly become their best seller. “It’s mostly northern travelers who buy it. They love the southern style BBQ and Alex has done a great job bottling his different sauces.
We can’t keep it on the shelves!” says Shirley Warren of Charlotte’s Landing.”
I think one of the most important responsibilities is teaching young people how to grow up. However, I don’t like the idea of grooming them to one day take my job. So, it’s a very fine line that must be walked.
That’s why I decided to write a book called “How to live to 48.” It’s a collection of lessons designed to provide young people with just enough information to stay alive and out of jail.
The most important lesson that I can tell young folks is that “If it starts to hurt, you are doing it too much.” That is the other “golden rule” when it comes to basic survival. Young people will test that theory all the time, but will find the logic very sound.
Another lesson is “Go to bed when the street lights come on and get up when they go off.” If teen-agers would just do that one simple thing they would pretty much be guaranteed to live to at least 48.
Here are a few other gems from my book. I hope they help you reach the minimum level of existence.
The worst way to get somebody to shut up is to tell them to shut up. I don’t know the best way, but that’s the worst way.
Most people are lazy. You can outlast them by just showing up for work and breathing. I call this the “fog up a mirror” strategy. If you can fog up a mirror with your breath, then you are winning.
“Walking it off” is the best medical advice I ever had. It came from my little league baseball coach. I tried “shaking it off” but it doesn’t work as well.
If you don’t understand something, get rid of it. Unless it’s cute and makes you smile.
Never interrupt someone when they are yelling at somebody other than you. This is especially true if they have a gun.
The main thing is to be nice to anything that bites. Don’t look too many crazy people in the eye, and hug your mama every day. Do that stuff and you should make it to 48.
Darryl’s latest book is available online at:
http://www.howtoliveto47.com $12.95
Belmont’s Friday Night Live has quickly become THE place for beach music bands to perform. According to the Belmont Merchant Association President, Vince Hill, the Belmont Friday Night Live is now “the second largest summer beach festival in North and South Carolina.” Routinely drawing 6 to over 9 thousand fans, it features such legendary bands such as The Embers, The Tams, Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs, and the NC Music Hall of Fame inductees “General Johnson and the Chairmen of the Board.”
What is “Shag music”, you ask? Well, the basic dance step is most suited to Rhythm & Blues music, but “Shag” is really a style of swing dancing. It’s become a way of life for people all along the east coast. Some even refer to it as a “religion.” Say amen brother and grab your partner for some true southern fun!
Shag dancing seems to transcend age and brings together all kinds of enthusiasts seeking to perfect its laid-back, seemingly effortless moves. In fact, it’s become so much a part of the culture; it’s been declared the official dance of the Carolinas! A close cousin of the 1930s craze called the Big Apple, the shag has been the subject of a movie, books, and countless magazine and newspapers articles.
The laid back Carolina “Southerners” slowed it down and smoothed it out a bit. Much more than a dance, the shag is also a feeling of friendship, and of sand, salt, and surf combined with smoothly worn hardwood floors. It’s become a way of life set to rhythm and blues and an opportunity to re-live youth, lost or not!
Most agree that the modern form of the “Shag” was first danced in the Myrtle Beach area. (Some say from the old Pavilion.) It gained popularity in the mid 1940s, when the R&B bands were playing the beaches and the clubs. The music slowed down considerably and the dancers, the music and the times changed the dance up to reflect its current look and feel. Dancing on the beach (literally) helped change the dance too, and that’s where the nickname, “Beach Music” originated.
Today, the “Shag” consists mainly of fancy footwork by the leader, with the follower matching the leader’s foot work occasionally. Choreography usually is not done socially or competitively but that seems to be changing. There are a few patterns of the Carolina Shag; however an immense amount of “footwork” can be seen in each move. True seasoned “Shaggers” take pride in adopting their own versions of the dance, each being distinctive and effortless. Using the balls of their feet and small steps, “Shaggers” manage to perform this very “cool” style of dance to individual perfection.
“Shag” has become such a way of life to so many people, it’s hard to imagine a time before “Beach Music.” Be sure to plan a trip to downtown Belmont to see some expert “shaggers” at work during the Belmont Merchants Friday Night Live!
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Brian Anderson: Great article! It puts everything in perspective....
darrylrocks: Susan, Please call me @ 704-685-7011 or email me @ darryl@rocksmagazi...
Brian Anderson: GREAT team and vision! Happy Dog Cafe is proud to be a charter adverti...
Hollie Hendricks: The date is not shown here....the performance will be this Thursday, J...
Shari Miller: hi Darryl. good luck with your book. It is very funny...