Rutherford Weekly

Thursday, April 28-May 4, 2022 www.rutherfordweekly.com 828-248-1408 Rutherford Weekly - Page 15 The Congregation of Danieltown Baptist Church observed Easter on April 17 with a SONrise Service which was followed by breakfast, Sunday School and worship services. The church recognized and celebrated Pastor Creighton Lovelace's 18 year anniversary as pastor which was that following Monday. He is the longest serving pastor at Danieltown. Article Provided By: Creighton Lovelace The Catawba Falls trail on the Grandfather Ranger District of Pisgah National Forest will close on May 2, 2022, and remain closed until spring of 2023. The popular trail near Old Fort, will be closed for 9-12 months to ensure the safety of the public and construction crews building retaining walls, boardwalks, staircases, and overlooks that will greatly improve the trail and visitor safety. "The location of Catawba Falls allows a wide spectrum of visitors to have an outstanding experience at a waterfall on the National Forest, but this is also the site in McDowell County with the most emergency rescue calls," explains Nicholas Larson, Grandfather District Ranger. "This work will address critical safety needs and protect the headwaters of the Catawba River, while increasing accessibility for visitors. We recognize that Catawba Falls is one of the most loved waterfalls on the Pisgah National Forest. We ask for folks' patience as we make these critical improvements." Improvements have been planned since the U.S. Forest Service acquired the site from the Foothills Land Conservancy in 2006. Between 2010 and 2016, trailhead parking and restrooms were added, and one mile of trail was upgraded including the installation of two bridges at river crossings that increased accessibility, safety, and water quality along much of the trail. However, after crossing the second bridge visitors must travel through a boulder fi eld with no clear path to reach Lower Catawba Falls. This phase of improvements will begin at the second bridge continuing to the base of Lower Catawba Falls and along the creek to Upper Catawba Falls. Boardwalks, platforms, and overlooks will improve access to the lower falls, while still providing access to the creek for wading. Beyond the lower falls, an increasing number of visitors ignore warnings and climb to Upper Catawba Falls on a dangerous user- created route that follows the cliff edge of the falls. Many serious injuries and deaths have occurred on this route and at the upper falls. The dangerous trail will be replaced by stairs taking visitors to an overlook half- way up the falls. This will provide a safe view of the upper falls and allow visitors to experience the spray of the waterfall. In addition, a 60-ft tower will be installed at the base of the cliff as an overlook that will be part of a future path to the upper falls. This work is supported by funding from the Great American Outdoors Act, NC State Recreation Trails Program, McDowell County, National Forest Foundation, and G5 Trail Collective. Work will be completed by Tag Contracting, a local Old Fort company. The work at Catawba Falls is just one part of the larger Old Fort Trails Project that will bring a wide range of trail improvements to this area of Pisgah National Forest. More work at Catawba Falls is planned in the future that will allow visitors to climb the trail to an overlook at the base of the upper falls and loop back to the parking lot along a new trail on the south side of the Catawba River. That work has not yet been scheduled. During construction, public access will be prohibited with fi nes up to $500 for violators. For more information, contact the Grandfather Ranger District at 828-652-2144. Catawba Falls Trail to Close May 2 for Major Improvements Article Provided By: National Forests in North Carolina The Church of The Exceptional, which serves mentally and physically exceptional local people, is currently raising funds to purchase a wheelchair accessible van. Donations can be mailed to COTE, Box 46, Caroleen, NC 28019. The church celebrated its 48th anniversary Sunday, April 24. The church was founded by Mattie Lackey and a book about her work is on sale at Smith's Drugstore and Next Door Books on Thomas Street in Forest City. Church raising funds for wheelchair accessible van Article Provided By: Pat Jobe In this photo, van driver Tony Herring, is deadlifting a woman from a van into her wheelchair. FOREST CITY 74 Junction Convenience A-1 Vacuum B&D Pawn Banfield Gallery Big Dave's Seafood Big Al's Grill Bill's Auto Glass Broadway Kwik Store Carolina Chiropractic Chase Mini Mart CPA Main St. Davis Donut Dollar General Don Ramons Drop-Inn Fastway Oil Fat Tracy's BBQ Family Dollar Forest City Mowers Forest City Post Office Forest City Pet Adoption Center Friendship Chevrolet Gadget Connection Greene's Cafe Greene Real Estate Habitat Restore Harmony Hills Apts. Hardin's Drug Hardin's Rentals Hampton Inn Hamrick CPA Henson Building Material Home Trust Bank Horn's Home & Garden Ingles Impact Wellness Louie's Café Manis Convenience Store Mane Attraction Salon Mellnik Real Estate Mighty Dollar Mi Pueblito's Mt. 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Hot Spot Chesnee Gas O'Reilly Auto Parts Pizza House Space Stateline Grocery CLIFFSIDE Dollar General Wease Convenience Store MOORESBORO Haynes Library Key Largo Food Mart #2 CAROLEEN Caroleen Post Office Hardin's Drug ALEXANDER MILLS Drop Inn #7 Convenience Dollar General OHM Food Mart Spake's Grill The Parts Place Wells Jenkins Wells LAKE LURE Debs Mini Mart #1 Debs Mini Mart #4 Dollar General El Lago Restaurant Ingles Japan House Lake Lure Post Office Rotten Creek BBQ & Grill Welcome Center R S S i C t ISSUE NO. 14 • April 8, ISSUE NO. 14 • April 8, 2021 • 2021 • RutherfordWeekly.com • 828-248-1408 RutherfordWeekly.com • 828-248-1408 Our 29 th Year • Over 25,000 Weekly Readers C h e c k o u t o u r S p r i n g E d i t i o n ! C h e c k o u t o u r S p r i n g E d i t i o n ! NO CREDIT, POOR CREDIT LET US DECIDE! LET US DECIDE! WE FINANCE www.mooresautos.com www.mooresautos.com 345 South Broadway, Forest City 828-245-8067 M O O RE ' S AUTO S ALES ©Community First Media Community First Media IT'S IT'S FREE! FREE! Dreams come true on Hardin Road near the intersection with Oak Street in Forest City. "I've done many jobs, cleaned stores and banks and cooked, but here waiting on the tables and cooking, this is my life," Alba Hernandez said after the lunch crowd cleared at Mario's Italian Restaurant. "This is my dream come true." And having three daughters who are academic superstars doesn't hurt either. Alba said, "I'm happy and give God thanks." Mario is a little more subdued, but he is clearly both the proud papa and a guy who loves his daughters. "They've worked hard all their lives," he said of the three young women. He's almost always smiling. Carina, the oldest, graduates medical school in May and already has a job working at the hospital where she studied, SUNY Upstate Medical University. SUNY is the State University of New York. "I go to visit them every year at Christmas and no matter that I now have two doctor's degrees, I still bus tables. If you're gonna be here, you're gonna work," Carina said. Sure, but have their parents been an encouragement to their oldest daughter? "They never forced us to do anything," she said. "You know how some parents say their kids have to do one thing or another. They said we could do whatever makes us happy," Carina said. Her other doctorate is in chemistry. Her new job is in internal medicine. She looks to work in either gastroenterology or oncology. In 2000 she received a certifi cate for academic excellence from President Clinton and Secretary of Education Dick Riley. Mario said they have always worked hard even when they were little kids. And sometimes the help from their daughters would come in handy when things get "crazy." The popular restaurant, which the couple opened in 2005, sometimes packs out. "It's hard when things get crazy," Mario said. "Some people don't understand that we make everything fresh. You can't rush good food, so some people get frustrated." He smiled and tipped his head to one side and said, "It's okay. We deal with it." Alba is a little more animated. As she described "crazy times," she waved her hands and gestured in all directions. "Sometimes it's so crazy I can't answer the phone, so I say to Mario, 'You answer the phone. I've got customers to take care of.' " Next in birth order is daughter, Jessica. She has two nursing degrees, one from UNC-Charlotte and one from Duke. In case you're counting, we're now up to fi ve college degrees among the three daughters. She works in orthopedic neuro-surgery. Jessica said, "My dad is more the visionary. My mom is the force that moves things forward. He's the introvert and she's the extravert who loves to be around people. Both of them modeled hard work." Sixteen years serving hungry folks from Rutherford County has seen some money go to pay student loans. "We've had fi ve loans, but that was all for the four- year college. After that the girls did everything, worked hard and paid their own way," Mario said. Jessica's daughter, 12-year-old Ashley, is the couple's only grandchild. "Tell everybody that restaurant is my home. I grew up there," Ashley said. When she heard she was going to be in the newspaper, she wore a big smile. Daughter number three, and soon-to-be college degree number seven, is Giovanna. When she graduated NC State eight years ago, she went to work for the Human Vaccine Institute at Duke. As of this year, she is working on her PhD from Wake Forest. She is studying in a program that deals with molecular and cellular bioscience, but is not sure which topic will be her fi nal fi eld of study and validation. Of the three, she is the only one to fi nish high school locally. She spent her senior year at Thomas Jefferson Academy. She said of Mario and Alba, "They instilled a work ethic in all three of us. We were always working. In a way, a restaurant is confi ning because you always have to be there, but in another way it is a blessing, because you get to watch the evolution of families. We got to cater the wedding for a girl we fi rst knew when she was eight years old. We got to watch her grow up through her taste buds." She said of her dad, "He never minds fi xing special meals for customers. If someone is allergic to this or that, he changes the dish to suit the customer. That can be hard when things get crazy, but he doesn't mind." She also said, "When we hear of long-time customers passing, we cry." So much of life is about the spirit that comes into play. Grouchy and mean can ruin a day at the beach. Sweetness and kindness can soften the pain of a broken leg. Alba's love for her dream come true and her work with the public may best be summed up by her irrepressible smile and something she believes deeply. She said, "I don't cook. I wake up every morning and God cooks through me." The restaurant will be closed the last week in May for Carina's wedding. Dreams Come True Article Provided By: Pat Jobe Italian Restaurant Serves At End Of Alba's Rainbow Alba and Mario Hernandez beam with pride behind photos of their three daughters, Carina, Jessica, and Giovanna, who among them will soon have seven college degrees, all in the healthcare fi eld. Mario's Italian Restaurant near the corner of Hardin Road and Oak Street will be closed one week in late May for Carina's wedding in upstate New York. Mario's Italian Restaurant has been a frequent meeting and eating spot for 16 years near the corner of Hardin Road and Oak Street in Forest City. It is full of the spirit and faith of a couple who are very proud of their three successful daughters. 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