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TRENTON CREATIVE ENTERPRISES
Where Old Gastonia Lives!
On Gastonia, On Gastonia. We Are All For You!
"To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven." ***** Much depends upon our ability to become masters and mistresses (Forgive the gender-specific nouns. That is part of the solution.) of time.
--Ecclesiastes III:1
"Time and tide wait for no man." --English proverb
"Do not squander time, for that is the stuff life is made of." --Benjamin Franklin
Time is the enemy of man; time is the friend of man.
From the day we are born into this world of joy and sorrow, we are both thrilled and perplexed by the universal sense of movement that is all around us and the continual and mounting evidence that each of us and indeed all things are traveling from a beginning to an ending.
We mark days and years with milestones, benchmarks, and red letters. We anticipate ages at which we can do things and then, in what seems to be the wink of an eye, ages after which we are relieved from doing things.
Life is sweet, but, as the years fly past and change and decay ravage dear people, places, and things, bitterness can take hold of us. How do we, then, step boldly into the future without losing our way and ourselves?
As the years pass, we are threatened more and more with the possibility of personal irrelevancy and ineffectiveness as we wrestle with the conflict between past and present. How do we remain useful to the world and to our fellow man?
Time travel has been perfected. It has been so for a long, long time. It is as simple as remembering the wonderful things of the past that still strengthen and encourage us while we march boldly into the eternity that awaits us out there.
Here at this place we will share with you many resources to get you started on your personal journey of time travel. We cannot tell you exactly what to do or how to do it, but we can give you the tools to begin this wonderful adventure.
Good luck, bon voyage, and Godspeed! TCE
"Make yourselves nests of pleasant thoughts, bright fancies, faithful sayings; treasure-houses of precious and restful thoughts, which care cannot disturb nor poverty take away from you--houses built without hands for your souls to live in." --John Ruskin
"To discover and share treasure begotten in the past and forgotten by time is to breathe new life into that creation so old souls might remember and the future might know." --Jeff Parker, "Jazz Joint Jump," KFSR, Fresno, California.
MUSIC
Whether it was the soothing and reassuring tones of your parents' nightstand clock radio as you drifted off to sleep each night, the driving beat issuing forth from an automobile dashboard AM, the mellow tones of a big band ballad just before that special person shipped off to military service in the early 40's, or the tune that became "our song," music has framed the days of our lives. Although vinyl has given way to digital and broadcast radio is largely a wasteland, we can still find the music that was the backdrop of happy and memorable times past. WGNC ("AM and FM, Gastonia"), WLTC, Big WAYS, WBT, WIST, WNOX (Knoxville, Tennessee), WABC (New York City), WLS and WCFL (Chicago) no longer exist as Top 40 and Standards stations, but, if we look hard enough, we can still find remnants of our musical past, such as:
wwwTHATWASRADIO.com (a website that includes a tribute to Big WAYS, Charlotte;
www.tragic96.com (a tribute to the recently lost oldies station, Magic 96, WWMG);
www.swing-sked.wikispaces.com (a listing of swing-era radio shows on the internet);
www.wsge.org (For 27 years, Roger Burt has played "the good stuff" from a time when "music was really music" on Gaston College Radio, WSGE, Dallas, N.C. Now, with the station streaming on the internet, it is possible to listen to his wonderful programs and learn much about history regardless of whether a listener is in "Charlotte, Chicago, or Shanghai." The station features other good programs 24/7, especially beach, blues, boogie and an "eclectic mix." "The Good Stuff" can be heard Sundays 2-6 PM. We highly recommend.)
www.theboss.us (The old Gastonia call letters WGNC are still around as part of The Boss Radio Network. It still features some of its predecessor's programs, such as The Swap Shop and local sports, but it now plays mostly beach music. It is an interesting diversion.)
www.wkhr.org (A wonderful array of big band arrangements, standards, and "The Great American Songbook." It broadcasts on the air at 91.7, Cleveland Ohio--real, legitimate radio straight from the old days! Its streaming webcast makes great background music in the early morning hours.)
www.beachshag.com (Web-only broadcasts from beach music icon "Fessa" John Hook, once known as "Dr. Hook." There is more on this site than one can absorb in a week of listening and reading. It is indeed a "Baby Boomer" paradise.)
www.massachusettsinternetradio.com
("The Big Band Blast" from Massachusetts Internet Radio will fill your Sunday nights with memories from 3:00PM until midnight. It really swings!)
www.swingmusic.net (This site is a veritable encyclopedia of jazz and swing. It is also the home of "Jazz Joint Jump," a live weekly program that airs 4-6PM Pacific Time--that's 7-9PM Gastonia Time--from "90.7 KFSR, Fresno, Ca., USA, World, Milky Way, Universe." Listen once, and it will be, as it is ours, an anticipated highlight of your Tuesday evenings.)
Build your personal compact disc collection, and surround yourself with the music you love. Request a free subscription to the following catalogues and enjoy almost endless choices:
www.heartlandmusic.com,
Collectors' Choice Music,
www.yestermusic.com.
Stay tuned. More to come.
TRAVEL
(Put adventure back into your journeys.)
An entertaining and painlessly-educational way to immerse oneself into pre-Interstate Highway System automobile travel and to pass several enjoyable hours is to visit the U.S. Highways website. (See us at the "Cloverleaf Links" under "Places/ Points of Interest.")
MOVIES
(Set the mood for your life.)
Turner Classic Movies, "uncut and commercial free." See them the way they were meant to be seen.
Build your own collection of classic movies:
www.MoviesUnlimited.com, and
Critics' Choice Video & DVD.
More coming soon to this website!
CLOTHING
(Classic Fashion for Any Time)
Once upon a time not so long ago, men and women dressed for the activities, events, and occasions of each day. There existed appropriate attire for these, and few were the adults who were not aware of the written and unwritten codes that were rigidly followed regardless of the socioeconomic class one happened to reside in. Today most are quick to respond that they are free to dress any way they wish, and that way is usually as casually as the decency laws will allow. True, we are no longer bound by the strict rules of the past, but one who makes at least a half-serious study of why parts of our society once functioned well where they do not today must consider the role that proper dress and the self-discipline required to wear it once played. Space does not allow a discussion of this subject here, but we have included several publications that will get the interested reader started.
Dressing the Man by Alan Flusser
A Guide to Elegance: For Every Woman Who Wants to Be Well and Properly Dressed On All Occasions by Genevieve Antoine Dariaux
Gentleman: A Timeless Fashion by Bernhard Roetzel
Classic clothing is timeless. A well-dressed man or woman in 2008 looks shockingly similar to a well-dressed man or woman in the 1940's. It takes a certain degree of courage to dress well, especially when your social circle does not. But to be a true time-traveler, one must be a daring adventurer, a pathfinder. You might be surprised that a few other hearty souls follow you.
Buy and wear the best quality clothing you can afford. It is an investment, and it proves the oft-quoted adage, "You get what you pay for."
Request the following catalogues, and you will at least get some ideas for your own classic wardrobe:
www.BrooksBrothers.com
www.BENSILVER.com
MEN'S HATS
("It's gotta be old. Look, the men are wearing hats!")
Nothing imparts the look of vintage Gastonia (or vintage anywhere, for that matter) than men wearing hats. Not just any old hat, mind you. Definitely not a baseball cap (even worn with brim forward), a safari hat from an upscale outdoor clothing catalogue or
Wal Mart, or a straw golf hat, but a snap brim, c-crown (also known as a teardrop crown) fedora. That is the classic hat of the movies and of the black and white photographs of street scenes that capture our imaginations.
Like any other time travel exercises (making the past the present and even the future), wearing a classic fur felt fedora (or a similar panama straw in warm weather) requires a bit of courage and a good measure of self-confidence. You will draw attention to yourself. Prepare for a few giggles and an occasional smirk, but, for the most part, you will draw respect and admiration. People will come up to you and say, "I like your hat," or "Where did you get your hat?" Many men secretly want to wear sharp looking hats, and many women would like to see their men attired in a more dapper manner. A proper hat sets off well-chosen clothing and gives the wearer a more complete and finished look. Step out into your world with your "lid" in place. Neither you nor it will ever be the same!
Good hats are difficult but not impossible to find.
Here are four of the best purveyors of fine headgear we have discovered:
Charleston Hat Man
188 Meeting Street
The City Market
Charleston, S.C. 29401
843-723-9819
Ask to see the "Downs" or
a similarly-styled panama by Stetson.
The Village Hat Shop
This San Diego, California company has one of the best selection of fedoras to be found anywhere. See the "Chatham" by Stetson and many excellent panama hats for warm weather wear.
www.dadshats.com/fedoras.html.
A great selection!
www.millerhats.com.
Fedoras and panama hats galore!
READING Atkins,Jim, ed. Black, C. J. A History of Bolick, R. L. A History of Brengle, Kim Withers. The Architectural Heritage of Gastonia county, North Carolina. Cash, W. J. The Mind of the South. Cope, Robert F. and Wellman, Manly Wade. The Daniel, Charles F. The First Presbyterian Church of Earle, John R., Knudsen, Dean R., and Shriver, Donald W., Jr. Spindles and Fetters, Thomas T. and Swanson, Peter W., Jr. Piedmont and Northern: The Great Electric System of the South. Gelernter, David. 1939: The Lost World of the Fair. Griffin, Sally. Gaston Remembers: Weaving a Tapestry in Time. Hill’s Gastonia City Directory. Hine, Thomas. Populuxe. History of First Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, Lefler, Hugh Talmage and Newsome, Albert Ray. Lief, Alfred. The Firestone Story: A History of the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company. New, Mrs. May T. “ Pope, Liston. Millhands and Preachers: A Study Population and Economy: Ragan, Robert Allison. The Pioneer Cotton Mills of Ragan, Robert Allison. The Textile Heritage of Rhyne, Separk, Joseph H. Gastonia and Separk, Joseph H., ed. Seventy-Fifth Anniversary of Williams, Dameron H., ed. Shiloh and Beyond: A History of the First United Methodist Church, Gastonia, North Carolina, 1870-1970.
(Here you will find books, magazines, pamphlets, and other publications that will increase your understanding of and appreciation for the past. With that heightened knowledge, your view of the present and possible courses of the future will become clearer. Don't be afraid. It's fun!)
Let's start with the basics. The freedom we have to make personal choices as citizens was bequeathed to us by the foundation document of our republic, The Constitution of the United States of America. Widespread ignorance of the Constitution's contents places us at risk of losing liberties that are our birthright as Americans. Read it and become as familiar with it as with an old friend before you do anything else! You don't have a copy? You can get one here for a $3.00 shipping charge.
An Essential Reading List
[The basics that every Gastonian or Gastonian-at-heart should be familiar with. Most of these books are available for on-site reference in the North Carolina Room of the Gaston-Lincoln Regional Library main branch at 1555 East Garrison Boulevard, Gastonia, N.C. 28054 (www.glrl.lib.nc.us) . (Ignore the genealogists who constantly inhabit the room. Time travel is not about discovering who your ancestors were but who you are.) Some of these resources are available at used book stores and online. Make your personal list and be alert at yard sales and flea markets.]
of
(Much more coming!)
FOOD
There are few things more pleasant in life than a good meal or a special sweet treat. When that food is partaken at an establishment that is successful in the present and, at the same time, strongly reminiscent of the past, the diner receives an added bonus. In the restaurant business, atmosphere is a must. If that ambiance reminds a customer of a shared past, the customer often becomes a regular. Whether you are a native Gastonian or a newcomer, here are some places you can remember pleasant experiences of the past or at least feel as if you could:
Tony's Ice Cream (It is as "Gastonia" as you can get!),
R.O.'s Barbecue (Working class chic--the essence of Gastonia.),
Dairy Queen ("The cone with the curl on top!" A timeless celebration of memory!) ,
Firestone Grill. (Everyone is family here. "The Grill" sits on hallowed ground: Curt's Radiator Shop was located here and, even earlier, the site was home to Sammy's Pizza.),
more coming soon!
(Please contribute your favorite eating place here.)
AUTOMOBILES
(Vintage autos: Where to see; where to buy.)
You can see vintage automobiles at cruise-ins at R.O.'s Barbecue, Downtown, and sometimes at the "Cruisers' Turn Around" hosted Friday nights on the East Side by the founders of the program, First Wesleyan Church, and on the West Side (on alternating Friday nights) at Bradley Memorial Methodist Church, and Loray Baptist Church.
Check out the marketplace for vintage autos at www.lakesideclassics.com and www.classiccarmall.com.
SHOPPING
(Old time "legitimate" stores)
It has been 32 years since Uptown/Downtown Gastonia was discarded for the asphalt acres of Eastside shopping centers.
Sprawl, gridlock, and spiraling gas prices are now causing a new generation to rethink the disdainful attitudes of the majority of Gastonians who grew, over these three decades, to sneer at anything that was not new and shiny. The onslaught of the years has driven most of the old businesses either out of Downtown or out of existence. Old photographs reveal the remarkable number of small establishments that once flourished up and down Main Avenue and its adjoining network of connecting thoroughfares.
A few businesses remained through the dark years when most critics said the area would never return to prominence.
They will now bask in the glory of Downtown as it prepares to go "Up" again. Please patronize these heroic business institutions:
BB&T (Originally Citizens National Bank and Independence National Bank)
265 West Franklin Boulevard
Gastonia, North Carolina, 28052
704-866-6500
Citizens South Bank (Originally Gastonia Mutual Building and Loan, Gaston Federal Savings and Loan, and Gaston Federal Savings Bank
245 West Main Avenue
Gastonia, North Carolina, 28052
704-884-3200
Clark Tire and Auto
335 W. Franklin Blvd.
Gastonia, North Carolina, 28052
704-864-5446
Duren's Jewel Shop
194 S. South Street
Gastonia, North Carolina, 28052
704-865-1651
Ford's Seed and Plants
221 East Main Avenue
Gastonia, North Carolina, 28052
704-866-7058
Gaston Music, Inc.
101 East Franklin Boulevard
Gastonia, North Carolina, 28052
704-866-9064
One Hour Martinizing
143 East Franklin Boulevard
Gastonia, North Carolina, 28052
704-864-9625
Roosevelt Tire Service
191 East Franklin Boulevard
Gastonia, North Carolina, 28052
704-864-5464
Smith Drugs
121 West Main Avenue
Gastonia, North Carolina, 28052
704-865-2354
The Sports Center
212 East Main Avenue
Gastonia, North Carolina, 28052
704-865-2642
Tony's Ice Cream Company
604 East Franklin Boulevard
Gastonia, North Carolina, 28054
704-867-7085
Wachovia Bank and Trust (Originally First National Bank, National Bank of Commerce, First Union National Bank of North Carolina, and First Union National Bank.)
110 East Franklin Boulevard
Gastonia, North Carolina, 28052
(Please let us know of any we have omitted.)
For an armchair shopping experience that will transport you to the past as effectively as H.G. Wells' famed invention, we would like to recommend The Vermont Country Store. The Orton Family has operated this establishment since 1946, when it became the first restored rural country store in the nation. Their goal is still, "What we sell must be useful, work, and make sense." Request a free catalogue, and you will be thrilled. From "Evening in Paris" parfum to chenille bedspreads to foods, labor-saving devices, soaps, accessories, furnishings, clothing with labels you thought had vanished years ago, and many, many other hard-to-find items, you will be overwhelmed by more than one wave of nostalgia. Browse and you will buy for yourself and for those special people in your life who would appreciate gifts from memorable times in their past. Every item sold by The Vermont Country Store is guaranteed 100%
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
(You are not the only one who wants to travel back in time!)
There are places in this present time where you can stand and view the past as surely as actually having been there. You just have to know where to look.
One of the best is just twenty-some miles to the east of good old Gastonia at the old Charlotte Fairgrounds off the Sunset Road exit of Interstate 77 North. For more than three decades, the Charlotte Antiques and Collectibles Show has allowed visitors to walk blissfully and ecstatically through the past. If you wish to be a true time-traveler, you must go as soon as possible. The admission fee is much cheaper and probably more apt to produce success than years of working on a time machine in your basement. Make your plans and follow through by visiting their website www.metrolinaexpotradeshow.com.
To say that a day (or a weekend) at the show is a religious experience is not blasphemous, but, for the connoisseur of time-travel, is close to being a statement of truth . It is almost blasphemy to call a visit there only a shopping trip. You will be blessed by walking through an almost endless collection of treasures that once belonged to those who have traveled on beyond the sunset horizon. Once you have made the trip, you will understand.
There is no big band music like live big band music. Gastonians have the privilege of hearing and dancing to (if so inclined) our own organization, the Stardusters. The group consists of musicians mostly from the Gastonia area, and they perform one Saturday night every three months at the old National Guard Armory, now called the Adult Recreation Center, located at 519 West Franklin Boulevard (US 29/74). Roger Burt of WSGE's Sunday afternoon big band program ("The Good Stuff") is usually in attendance, and that makes an evening there a double treat. For more information, visit their website, www.thestardusters.com.
ACCESSORIES
(Things with which to surround oneself in order to make the time travel experience most enjoyable)
A truly satisfying life consists of small things done well. When the routine chores of each day are transformed into exquisitely-savoured rituals, the larger things will usually occur in like manner. Even if events outside our control go awry, we remain in possession of ourselves, and that is really all we can ever permanently own.
Fountain Pens
Although old ones are enjoyable to collect, avoid using advertising ballpoint pens and other similar cheap writing instruments. Words we place on paper form a permanent record of our thoughts and provide insight into who we are. Writing often outlives us and makes statements about the time we spent in our earthly travels.
Using a well-made fountain pen is a true joy (even for left-handers), and it will last a lifetime. It does require care and attention that many claim they have not time to give. A fountain pen, then, will enjoyably apply just a tap on the brakes of lives that are possibly moving a bit too fast.
Following are three of many websites that will teach you about these wonderful writing instruments and provide opportunities for you to purchase one for your very own.
www.Levenger.com
This Delray Beach, Florida company offers, among many other items for serious readers and writers, very affordable fountain pens. This is a good place to start. Be sure to request a catalogue.
www.nibs.com
The website of Classic Fountain Pens, Inc.
www.richardspens.com
The website of Richard Binder Fountain Pens.
There is an extensive list of other fountain pen-related links on this site.
Fly a 48-star United States Flag.
(This flag flew over the United States of America from 1912 until 1959, a total of 47 years, longer than any other flag. It witnessed World Wars I and II, the Korean War, and remained the Nation's standard until the addition of Alaska as the 49th state in 1959. Hawaii was added in 1960 to produce our current flag. The 48-star version served through eight presidencies, from William H.Taft to Dwight D. Eisenhower. As with all previous National Flags, it is still official and may be flown as a proper representation of the nation and its ideals. Make a statement for decency, common sense, traditional American values, love of country, and a united national purpose! To learn more about the history of The Flag of the United States of America, visit www.usflag.org. You may purchase a 48-star United States Flag through many sources. Any store that sells flags can probably obtain one for you. Because they are not mass-produced yet, they generally run around $100.00 for a US Flag with sewn or embroidered stars and sewn stripes. Be careful if the price is significantly lower. It is probably for a foreign-made flag. No one wants that! We discovered a real bargain, manufactured by the Valley Forge Flag Company and sold by American Flag and Gift in Grover Beach, California. It measures a full 3X5 feet and features sewn stripes and screen printed stars. It is made of nylon, has held up well over almost two years of daily service, and currently sells for $45.00. Contact them at www.anyflag.com or at American Flag and Gift, 1101 Highland way, Grover Beach, CA 93433.)
THERE IS MORE, MUCH MORE TO COME! VISIT THIS PAGE OFTEN!
