Author: Beth

As construction costs remain elevated, the Town of Hildebran is seeking donations and sponsors to close the gap in funding for its downtown park. Royal Park will include a covered stage, splash pad, 1/4 mile walking track, new concession building with restrooms, and inclusive playground equipment. In partnership with Burke River Trail Association, the Town is kicking off a Fundraising Campaign that offers unique contribution and legacy opportunities to businesses and individuals while also ensuring the park is completed with all the special touches without having to scale back.

DDI of Hickory has seized this opportunity and stepped up to the plate with a $15,000 donation for the amphitheater made in memory of Wayne Davis. Dustin Davis could not keep the smile off his face as he talked about the impact his father, Wayne Davis, had on sports in Hildebran. The older Davis played briefly for the Charlotte Twins (Southern League-AA affiliate of the Minnesota Twins) and enlisted with the Marine Corps so that he could finish the season before leaving for basic training. Though drafted by the Minnesota Twins he instead chose to go to Vietnam to serve his country. Upon his return to Hildebran, factory baseball teams were popular, and Davis was hired by a local manufacturer more for his baseball skills than other qualifications.

The younger Davis wants to give back to the community where his family settled in the late 1700s. His grandparents, parents, he and his siblings all attended Hildebran schools. Very involved in town sports, Wayne Davis and Dustin Davis coached the Hildebran Storm. Four generations of the Davis family have spent many hours playing baseball in the field that joins Royal Park.

After his time playing baseball for the manufacturers, Wayne Davis enjoyed a successful career in insurance before retiring. He passed away in 2018 after being diagnosed with Stage Four cancer in 2000 and told he only had a year to live. The younger Davis said his father was a “special person, who had never met a stranger” and was not going to let the diagnosis slow him down.

When Dustin Davis found out about the Royal Park project, he knew immediately it was something he wanted to be a part of. Davis’ company, DDI of Hickory, is the general contractor overseeing the downtown revitalization, and he says, “In a town where I had so many great memories of baseball, cruise ins, Friday morning breakfasts at Chicken in the Basket, and all that comes with living in a small town, it has been an honor to lead this project.”

Another family well known in the Hildebran area is equally excited about the downtown park. Two years ago, for their 50th Anniversary Celebration, Tex’s Fish Camp chose to support Royal Park before details were finalized.

Tom & Bernese Burns built the restaurant with the help of their son Tex in 1972 for several reasons. High on the list were employing family and community as well as providing a place for them to come and eat. “Being a third-generation family member who has worked there for almost 30 years, I knew our 50th anniversary celebration needed to reflect dedication to the community. Having had a father who was totally disabled at the time, my family understood the importance of having accessible equipment installed to include everyone,” shared Tamika Garrison.

The community came together in September 2022 to support local food trucks and vendors and participate in a silent auction during the Fish Camp’s celebration to raise money to encourage progress on a new playground in Hildebran. Seeing an inclusive playground as a need in the Hildebran, the family wanted to bridge that gap just a little and hoped to be able to fund one piece of equipment. With the help of the community, they raised $3600 which is enough to sponsor the entire playground at Royal Park. The new equipment will allow children of all abilities to play together.

Another sponsorship approved by the Town of Hildebran Council was the Burke River Trail Association’s $5,000 donation for the Walking Trail. With Royal Park being the eastern terminus town of the Burke River Trail and a key trailhead, it made perfect sense for the organization to support the town’s efforts. The developing 40-mile Burke River Trail will run along Center St as it connects Long View to Henry River Mill Village through the Hildebran town center. In addition to trail on the ground, BRTA works to create stronger communities through economic development and civic engagement. Executive Director Beth Heile shared, “Supporting Royal Park is in line with our mission as a downtown gathering space will continue to foster a sense of community that has been important to the families that donated to the park, and all the families with ties to Hilderbran. It will also bring more people into downtown to eat and shop before or after spending time at the park.”

For information on donating to Royal Park, go to https://rivertrail.betterburke.com/royal-park/ There are amenity sponsorship and general donation opportunities. Burke River Trail Association as a 501(c)3 nonprofit will accept the donations on behalf of the town.

It takes about 3 days for a spacecraft to reach the Moon, traveling around 240,000 miles depending on the route.

It took about 40 years and around 400 miles for a famous moon picture to return home to Rhodhiss.

John Allen was the Burlington Mills Plant Manager in Rhodhiss from 1981-1983, just before the company closed its doors in Rhodhiss in 1984. Upon leaving, he carried the memories of the town’s dedicated workforce through several moves, along with a physical reminder. Allen asked permission and purchased a special memento from Burlington Industries housed at the mill. That physical token is what Rhodhiss Town Manager Rick Justice had been searching for over the last 20 years. What was this souvenir? A picture of lunar module pilot Buzz Aldrin standing on the moon gazing at Old Glory, the flag of the United States. But more important than the picture, was the engraved plaque on the picture frame that reads:

First Flag on the Moon
Fabric Woven by:
Burlington Industrial Fabrics Co.
Rhodhiss Weaving Plant
Rhodhiss, North Carolina

Burke River Trail Association hosted a Ribbon Cutting for the first section of that specially build to be Burke River Trail. The new 0.6 mile trail is on Burke County Public Schools property and the trail easement is being held by Town of Valdese.

In January 2023, Beth Heile submitted a Feasibility Study Grant application to NCDOT for assistance in clarifying the route between Long View and Hildebran. The direct path of using Hwy 70A was uncertain due to the 100-foot railroad right of way. In February 2023, the NCDOT Integrated Mobility Division announced the Long View and Hildebran project was awarded a $ 62825 Multimodal Feasibility Study grant, as approved by the Board of Transportation.

BRTA is about connecting communities — and we have been in contact with NCDOT for two years about making the bridge that connects the two sides of Rhodhiss (Burke and Caldwell) safe for walkers and bikers. We are thrilled to announce that NCDOT has determined the bridge is wide enough to repaint the stripes to have a wider section for pedestrians. In addition, warning signs will be added.

Wildcat Way was one of the first targeted sections of Burke River Trail during initial discussion back in 2020 when work started in earnest on Rep Blackwell’s vision for a trail along the river. As Beth Heile was exploring potential routes for the trail, she reached out to the developer on the east side of DHS and upon sharing the vision, the developer saw the benefit of having the trail in his development. When completed, McGalliard Falls to the eastern side of the development will be about a 4 mile section. At that time, the “Valdese Greenway” was still grass and there was no McGalliard Creek Bridge.

Opportunity Appalachia announced the selection of 29 projects to participate in its program aimed at increasing job growth,
business support, and investment in Central Appalachia. The Old Glory Mill project in Rhodhiss, submitted by Burke River Trail, one of 94 applicants, was awarded a technical assistance grant valued at $70,000. Services include a market study for the envisioned uses, including housing, restaurant, outdoor recreation retail/outfitter, event space, warehousing, and retail. Specifically that includes

Following the Burke Chamber Litter Sweep, BRTA decided to continue monthly Trail Town Trash Pickups. May was rained out and even though it was raining on June 3, we went ahead with our cleanup. 11 volunteers got soggy as we started at McGalliard Falls Park in Valdese and covered some of Church Street and all of Meytre. On July 7, we will be in Rhodhiss. Meet at Horseshoe Park at 3pm.

Around 125 people took part in the Glen Alpine in the Street Committee’s first event – Pickin’ in the Streets including Senator Warren Daniel and wife Lydia. Aldermen Reid Scott and Luke Boone continue to be supportive of advancements in the town and work with the volunteers to make things happen.

Burke River Trail Association has three Focus Areas:

• Connections – Physically get trail on the ground to connect communities
• Communities – Build stronger communities through economic development and civic engagement
• Conservation – Educate communities about the environment, wildlife and recreating responsibility

A tree along the railroad tracks that looked like a turkey tail, gave the Town of Glen Alpine its original name in 1868 – Turkey Tail. Now residents wanting to revitalize downtown and strengthen community pride, are leaning into that history to plan events for the community.

The Glen Alpine Downtown Park Public Input meeting was held Thursday, April 11 at 6pm – with a horrible rainstorm 5:50-6:10pm – we still had 24 in attendance for the 50-minute meeting.

There was a 24×36 inch poster of the illustrative park plan for discussion as people were arriving. At 6pm, the meeting started with a 20-minute power point presentation about the park site, park amenities, NC PARTF grant and process, matching funds, budget, and trails coming through the park. Then questions and comments were addressed.

Burke River Trail Association submitted an Opportunity Appalachia Grant application for technical assistance in creating a financial pro forma development analysis for Old Glory Mill. The report will show how much income will be generated by mixed use development that includes the Burke River Trail along with expenses to show profitability to potential developers. What is the Old Glory Mill Project all about?

While much has come and gone in Drexel over the years, the Drexel Barber Shop has remained a constant. Lawrence Anthony started it across the railroad tracks in 1949. Most of us older folks can remember sitting in that tiny smoke-filled shop listening to our dads as we patiently—or not—waited for a buzz. If I’m not mistaken, there was a shower back in a backroom somewhere for guys needing to clean up after a day in the factory. Anyway, it seems like the wait for a haircut was hours, as the room was usually packed with men and boys (and maybe women) and one or two barbers who all had a lot to say.

As part of the Burke County Chamber Litter Sweep, Burke River Trail Association held trash pickups in all the towns along the Burke River Trail route during the week of March 20-27. 65 bags of trash were collected in 9 towns over the 8 day event.

Burke River Trail Association was granted $2500 from Mountain BizWorks for pre-development work to show how the Burke River Trail will flow between the Old Glory Mill and the Catawba River.

David Harmon Architecture was selected to create four renderings of how a two-story restaurant with outside dining space, the trail and access from inside the building to outside could be combined. The brick section in the renderings already exists as part of the mill building.

Though Catawba River is prominent in the nonprofit’s name, Catawba Riverkeeper advocates for all waters of the Catawba River Basin

Because of their involvement with our waterways and our work of making connections along the river and creeks, we meet from time to time to keep each other updated on projects. During a recent outdoor meeting at Valdese Lakeside Park (a trailhead for Burke River Trail), Ryan Carter, Policy Manager and Grant Buckner, Northern Basin Director for Catawba Riverkeeper, reviewed area conservation efforts for water, land and wildlife with Rep Blackwell and Burke River Trail Executive Director, Beth Heile.

Our Trail Towns could also be Rail Towns! In December 2023, the Federal Railroad Administration selected the Salisbury to Asheville rail route as part of the Corridor Identification and Development Program. The route is one of seven NC corridors receiving a $500,000 grant from the Department of Transportation to pay for the feasibility studies to decide the viability of the routes.

There is the potential for our Burke County towns to host a train station or be a whistle stop. BRTA will be working closely with the Waiting for the Train nonprofit to make sure our Trail Towns do not miss out. All towns have Norfolk Southern running through town limits – except Rhodhiss and it is on a private spur — so potential there.