Charu helmed the Sunday 6 p.m. infotainment cast. Here’s some of what she and WLOSers had:
Fire school in McDowell
Kassandra Pride led off with a story about firefighters training at a “fire school” in McDowell County. It was a story with literally no information beyond the obvious. But it had great video of flames.
Fire at Tweetsie Railroad
The bigger story, in my mind, was the story WLOSers came with next, the story of a building burning down at Tweetsie Railroad in Blowing Rock. The building housed historical artifacts from the old days of the railroad.
I went here to GoBlueRidge.net to get the full story:
Tweetsie Railroad Theme Park lost one of its original buildings in an early Sunday morning fire.
The building that housed the Depot Gift Shop and Museum was a total loss.
Blowing Rock Fire and Rescue was dispatched to Tweetsie Railroad at approximately 4 a.m. yesterday after several people called 911. Firefighters say the gift shop was not only visibly engaged, but that the flames were loud enough so that passersby could easily hear the blaze. The first truck arrived within four minutes and the scene was cleared by 7:15 a.m.
Blowing Rock Fire and Rescue is conducting an investigation into what caused the Tweetsie blaze. Officials say the cause is likely electrical. Foul play is not suspected. Boone firefighters assisted in its containment.
Among items lost in the blaze are railroad artifacts and a collection of Fred Kirby memorabilia. Fred Kirby, a western star and early country music performer, was a fixture on WBTV in the 60s. Kirby was arguably Tweetsie’s most famous cowboy.
Tweetsie Railroad is slated to reopen May 2. Tweetsie personnel do not expect that to change.
In other news…
Raleigh residents can’t install new, or replace, disposals in their sinks because officials are trying to limit water usage… It was a pretty, but windy, day on Sunday.
Making a movie
There was crime tape around Wick & Greene Jewelers on Patton Avenue, but it was all for show. A movie crew was shooting a robbery scene Sunday afternoon. It was the last day of shooting for a movie called “Scapegoat.” I didn’t catch the name of the production company.
March on City Hall
A group of immigrants and their supporters marched on City Hall Sunday. The Rev. Spencer Hardaway spoke. WLOSers didn’t explain at all what issues the group was trying to raise awareness of. I had to go to Charlotte Observer to get the story:
The Carolina Interfaith Taskforce on Central America, CITCA, is holding a statewide journey for Holy Week. The walk begins at 2 p.m. Monday at the Galaxy grocery store at the intersection of 33rd Street S.W. and First Avenue S.W. in Longview. Marchers will walk three miles to Rep. Patrick McHenry’s office at 87 Fourth St. N.W., Hickory.
A dinner and program on faith community response to immigration realities will be 5-7 p.m. at Morning Star First Baptist Church, 126 Fourth Ave. S.W., Hickory, followed by a worship service.
The march is the 21st annual CITCA statewide Holy Week Pilgrimage and begins in Asheville. Participants walk from Palm Sunday through Good Friday with farm workers and others to connect Jesus’ suffering and death with the struggles of workers and immigrants, praying for changes in working conditions and policies that cause poverty.
This year, walkers are walking for fair trade, reducing poverty, creating living-wage jobs and just working conditions, changing immigration policies, and changing trade policies.
The public is welcome to join the walk. For details, call Francisco Risso at 828-320-6212 or Deborah McEachran at 828-322-6343.
Let’s all celebrate Purim
Folks gathered at the Jewish Community Center in Asheville on Sunday to celebrate Purim, the “Jewish Mardi Gras,” as one participant described it. Passover arrives in about a month. The event also served as a fund-raiser for the JCC.