Cleveland County EMS

Paramedics responded to about 115 calls throughout the county today between midnight and 7:30 p.m., according to Paramedic David Salter.

Left: Salter

The most serious call to that point was of a man hit by a moped. His condition was unknown.

Salter and David Clary, watching the closing moments of the Dallas / Tampa Bay game, were the only two paramedics at the new EMS base in Kings Mountain when I stopped by this evening.

Clary, a part-time employee who worked today so a full-time paramedic could have the holiday off, said it's hard to say whether holidays change the volume of calls that come in. He's worked many holidays in his 16 years as a county paramedic and there have been both good Christmases and bad. (Bad in this case meaning fatalities)

Salter, who has seven years experience as an EMT for Cleveland and Gaston counties, agreed and said their's is a job where it's impossible to predict what each day will bring.

"Every day's going to be something new," he said. "You have to be prepared for everything."

As paramedics, they work 24-hour shifts. And while they are allowed to see their families at work until 11 p.m., it's only for short periods of time.

To celebrate Thanksgiving, Salter, Clary, and several other county paramedics met at the main station on Grover Street in Shelby earlier today for a potluck meal.

Left to right: Salter, Clary

Salter said paramedics wanting the holiday off can usually schedule for it and a part-timer, such as Clary, will fill in.

But Salter himself has only been with Cleveland County a year and said it didn't seem right for him to ask for the day off so soon.

Shelby Fire

It was 15 years ago when Kenneth Crews interviewed to become a Shelby firefighter.

He vividly remembers being asked by the interviewer, Jerry Snyder, if he was prepared to work holidays.

Left: Crews

Fast-forward to today and Crews, Battalion Chief Snyder, Brian Cobb, and Don Allen of Shelby Station #1 were just four of the dozen Shelby firefighters that spent Thanksgiving evening away from home.

According to Snyder, if a firefighter isn't prepared to sacrifice holidays away from his or her family then they shouldn't be a firefighter.

"That's the nature of the job," he said.

While it's sometimes not possible to have the traditional holiday at home surrounded by friends and family, firefighters - and other first-responders - learn to adapt.

Snyder said each of Shelby's three stations had something going on today to celebrate Thanksgiving: several family members had planned to visit Station #2, Station #3 spent some of the day cooking turkeys, and Station #1 ate earlier in the day at the EMS station next door to the Grover Street fire house.

Cobb was just finishing up Thanksgiving leftovers when I spoke to him in the kitchen. He said, because of his schedule, he celebrated yesterday with his parents who also live in Shelby. Chicken Pie, green beans, but no turkey.

"It's too dry for me," he smiled.

Left: Cobb

Don Allen, who also works as a part-time Shelby Police Officer, was one of the several who enjoyed a Thanksgiving meal, with "everything," at the EMS station earlier in the day.

He said he stopped by Ingles earlier to pick up some food to go with what was being served at the EMS station. That wouldn't have been possible if it was Christmas; everything would have been closed.

So is it more difficult to work Christmas?

"Yeah," he said. "Oh yeah."

Allen, who spent some of the evening watching the Dallas Cowboys game, said he felt obligated to work out after eating so much. If he didn't exercise, he feared it would come back to haunt him.

The Magnolia Center

Just got back from Shelby's Magnolia Center on Lineberger Street where Agape Ministries held its third annual free Thanksgiving Day Meal.

What was on the menu? Among the many items were turkey, ham, macaroni & cheese, broccoli casserole, and what several on hand referred to as "world famous" collard greens. I'm not a collard greens connoisseur but - after being force-fed a mouthful - I have to say they were pretty good.

And don't forget the deserts either.

Jeannette Banner has helped organize the event each year. How important does she think it is to the impoverished or homeless in the area?

"On a scale of 1 to 10? Ten."

She said events like today's help remind those less fortunate that God loves them. She said it also helps build their self-confidence to know others in the community care for them.

Mrs. Banner said she's thankful this Thanksgiving for salvation and her personal relationship with the Lord.

Several volunteers helped serve the food.

Brian & Emily Robertson heard about the event through a notice in The Star. Mrs. Robertson said the couple doesn't have any local family so this was an opportunity for them to serve the Lord and share his love with others.









This was Denise McDonald's first time helping out with the free meal. She said she's thankful to be able to serve those in need and she said, God willing, she'll be back to volunteer next year.











Gail Banner has volunteered each of the three years the free meal has been given. "It's been a blessing," she said.











Robyn Jameson, Rosa Byers, and Sharon Wilson. "I'm thankful for being alive," Mrs. Byers said.












The cooks: Deon, Zeni, Chucky, Jeanette, and Robin Banner. "I'm thankful for family," Robin said.











Zarria Banner, 10, and Tot Alison, 5.
What are they thankful for? "Family," said Zarria. "My sisters," said Tot.











Billy McDonald, 11. "Having God in my life."














Zantazius Hopper, 12. "Having a family that cares about me."

Shelby Police

It's been a slow day so far for Shelby Police, according to Lt. Lisa Green.

A wreck, a few alarm calls, damage to property. Relatively quiet.

But that doesn't mean officers can skip out early on their 12-hour shifts and go home to be with their families.

Mrs. Green said both officers and their families make sacrifices for the job, like having to work holidays, but everyone just learns to work around it. This winter her rotation has her working Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Years.

Mrs. Green said her family would be celebrating Thanksgiving tomorrow at her sister's house. Her sister, a nurse, is also working today.

Does working holidays bother the younger officers?

She said it usually doesn't, simply because most Shelby officers have family in the area. But for those who don't, the department will try to work with them to allow time off.

Officer Mike Bailey said he and his family knew before he started with Shelby PD that he would be working holidays, so it doesn't bother him.

Bailey said he would be celebrating Thanksgiving with his family on Saturday.

With the Detroit / Miami game playing in the background, Terry Grayson and Richard Thomas quickly field 911 calls from across the city and dispatch officers where they need to go.

Left to right: Grayson, Thomas

Grayson, SPD's service division manager, has had one Thanksgiving off since he joined the department in 1997. It was last year, when his son was only a month old.

"It's just something you get used to over the years," he said.

He said while he can't spend the day with his real family at home, he's instead spending it with his second family at work.

Thomas joined Shelby PD full-time in March. Last Thanksgiving he worked dispatch for Gaston County.

He said while the calls have been uneventful so far today, that could change at any moment.

"I don't know if it's tough (working holidays), it's just part of the job," he said.

Thomas said he's thankful this year for his family and for the fact he has a job while Grayson said he's thankful for his family and that he can provide the community with such a valuable service through his work.

Uptown Shelby

I bumped into Karma Edwards in uptown Shelby fresh from competing in this morning's 9th Annual Boiling Springs YMCA 5K Turkey Trot.

Ms. Edwards is the "Fit Together" Project Coordinator for the Cleveland County Health Department.

I had hoped to make it to Boiling Springs to catch the tail end of the run but it finished faster than I expected.

"I feel like I've been beat up," she joked about the race.

When asked what she's thankful for this year, she said she's thankful for every day she has, the opportunity to get together with family, her faith in God, and her health and well being.

Ms. Edwards said she has two Thanksgiving meals planned for the day. A veteran of Black Friday shopping, she plans to drive to Concord Mills in time for tonight's midnight sale and hopefully be back home by 10 a.m. to sleep the rest of the day.

Shanghai Fire Department

On a whim, I decided to stop by the Shanghai Volunteer Fire Department to see if anyone was in.

I was in luck. I caught Capt. Mike Bridges and Treasurer Floyd Queen just as they were getting ready to leave.

Left to right: Bridges, Queen

As volunteers, Queen said the firemen are allowed to go home to their families on holidays and they're paged to come back to the station if needed.

He said the station assisted a bad fire last night in Rutherford County but there hadn't been any calls as of noon today.

The fire station sold over 120 turkeys and shoulders this week to raise money for the department.

Queen said $1,000 was raised. "Maybe a little more."

Bridges said everyone from the department helped cook the food.

"Without everyone, it wouldn't get done," he said.

Bridges said he was looking forward to his two Thanksgiving meals this afternoon - one with his wife's family and the other with his own.

Queen said his family would be celebrating Thanksgiving Saturday night because of the busy schedule of his three sons, all of whom work as firemen. He said his son Jeff, who works for the Gastonia Fire Department, is working today.

The Snack Shop

First stop: Boiling Springs

Despite many Gardner-Webb students going home for the holiday, the Snack Shop - located across the street from campus - was packed.

Kim Francis, one of the waitresses, said the quick-order restaurant is open every Thanksgiving for breakfast but closes at 11 a.m. There had been a steady stream of college students and families throughout the busy morning, she said.

As far as her own Thanksgiving plans, she said she sometimes cooks but this year would be visiting family and eating at their home later in the day.

John Kohler, of Lattimore, Tony Disanti, of Blowing Rock, and their family were just some of the Snack Shop's many customers.

Kohler said he was thankful this year for good health.

"... And my beautiful wife," he added as his wife Dyna approached.

Disanti said he was also thankful for his own beautiful wife and that the Democrats did so well in the recent election. The rest of the family seconded that.

Left to right: Jackie Hunt Kohler, Angelica Marsic, Hause Kohler, Dyna Kohler, Sam Milner (age 9), John Kohlner, and Tony Disanti

What were the family's plans for the day?

"Turkey, and lots of it," said Hause Kohler.

After touring the GWU campus today, the family said they would also be visiting a cabin and skeet shooting.