Trinity High School student wins statewide pageant
THOMASVILLE – Katherine Puryear may be a relative newcomer to the pageant world, but the 15-year-old Thomasville girl seems to have gotten the hang of it pretty quickly. “This was only my third pageant, so I’m still kind of new to it all,” says Katherine, who was crowned Miss North Carolina’s Outstanding Teen during last week’s Miss North Carolina Pageant festivities in Raleigh.

Architects of the sea
“It is perhaps a more fortunate destiny to have a taste for collecting shells than to be born a millionaire.” – Robert Louis Stevenson, “Lay Morale”

Call of the wet and wild: Great Wolf Lodge soaks a pack of visitors
CONCORD – If you’ve ever wondered what it feels like to be a spider being flushed down the toilet, here’s your chance. At the Great Wolf Lodge, Concord’s popular new resort that boasts an 80,000-square-foot indoor water park, stands a six-story water slide called the Howlin’ Tornado. Great Wolf literature describes the Tornado as “an extreme 65-foot funnel ride that drops thrill-seekers a heart-pounding 30 feet every second ... swirling riders back and forth before dropping into the mouth of the funnel and splashing into the pool below.”

26 gallons: Richard Crigger donates blood every chance he gets
THOMASVILLE – Richard Crigger isn’t afraid to lose a little blood. In fact, the 67-year-old gives his blood away as often as possible – all to the High Point-Thomasville chapter of the American Red Cross.

Architects of the sea
“Ever since God created the world His power and deity, however invisible, have been there for the mind to see in the things He has made.” – Romans 1:21 (JB).

Comedians hope to have every soul laughing in the aisle
HIGH POINT – Rich Praytor doesn’t necessarily see himself as a Christian comedian, preferring to think of himself as a comedian who happens to be a Christian. “I don’t even tell people I’m a Christian comedian – I just tell them I’m a comedian,” says Praytor, of Colorado Springs, Colo. “If I say I’m a Christian comedian, that might turn them off if they’re not a churchgoer.”

Called to duty: Ed Spivey doesn't mind sitting with Hospice patients as they die
HIGH POINT – Volunteer work is one thing, but it takes a special calling to do what Ed Spivey is called upon to do sometimes. The 73-year-old High Point man, who says he is “semi-retired” from Beeson Hardware, volunteers at Hospice Home at High Point – the 14-bed facility operated by Hospice of the Piedmont – and serves on the agency’s board of directors.

Theatre Art Galleries emphasizes culture during workshop
HIGH POINT – Paint, glue and other supplies smeared on hands, faces and clothes may serve as the universal language of children in art classes throughout the world. The actual languages spoken, however, are more the point of an arts camp under way at Theatre Art Galleries this week.

Architects of the sea
“It is perhaps a more fortunate destiny to have a taste for collecting shells than to be born a millionaire.” – Robert Louis Stevenson, Lay Morale

Exhibit focuses on stained-glass artists
HIGH POINT – Some High Pointers likely are more familiar than they realize with the works of artists named Klemme. Albert William Klemme Sr. and Albert William Klemme Jr. are responsible for some of the most colorful and inspiring elements of High Point’s history.

Give blood: Leukemia patient Kate Thornton earns Red Cross volunteer medal
As much as anyone, Kate Thornton and her family understand the importance of donating blood – because they’ve been on the receiving end so often during the past nine months.

Foundation prepares germ-free environment
What began as an effort to help a little girl battling leukemia has mushroomed into a foundation that will benefit other local children diagnosed with the blood disorder.

LIFESTYLES: CPR and AED’s (automated external defibrillators) make a BIG difference
This month, as the American Red Cross touts the importance of CPR and AED’s – automated external defibrillators – John McCloskey’s story bears repeating.

Friends nurse business to make it 'Better & Best'
When Loretta Groome’s longtime friend, Betsy Payne, suggested they go into business together, Groome thought her friend was off her rocker.

Quaker oaths: When it comes to weddings, there's more than one way to say, 'I do'
HIGH POINT – You haven’t seen a true no-frills wedding until you’ve seen a traditional Quaker wedding. No minister. No bridesmaids or groomsmen. No fancy decorations or wedding props. Not even a reception.

Hospice singer believes he's found his calling
HIGH POINT – A few months ago, as an elderly man named Bill lay dying in a hospice room, Thom Gill sat on a stool across from the nurses’ station, quietly playing his guitar and singing. The peaceful music – most likely an old, familiar hymn in the vein of “Amazing Grace” or “The Old Rugged Cross” – found its way down the hall and into Bill’s room, enveloping him with a sense of calm he hadn’t known for some time. The restlessness in Bill’s 79-year-old body subsided, and he gently squeezed his wife’s hand to indicate he was listening to Gill’s soothing music.

Bicycle ministry helps bring kids together at Ward Street Mission
HIGH POINT – When little boys are riding their bikes to church on Sunday morning – even in the pouring rain – Bonnie Horney figures the bicycle ministry at Ward Street Mission must be doing something right. “Not many kids would do that,” says Horney, recounting the rainy morning when several young boys rode their bikes to church. “But I think these kids know they’re loved when they come to our church.”

Architects of the sea
“It is perhaps a more fortunate destiny to have a taste for collecting shells than to be born a millionaire.” – Robert Louis Stevenson, Lay Morale

Climbers prepare to take on Washington's Mount Rainier
HIGH POINT – Eric Hill considers himself an experienced hiker, but the 42-year-old High Point man will be scaling new heights – or attempting to scale new heights – come August. Hill plans to join a team that will try to climb to the 14,410-foot summit of Mount Rainier in Washington.

At High Point Museum, furniture rules
HIGH POINT – Two years in the making, the High Point Museum’s ambitious new exhibit, “High Point’s Furniture Heritage,” looks to be as well-crafted as the furniture whose story the exhibit showcases. “Everybody seems real excited about it,” says Furniture Heritage Project Director Ellen Denker, who oversaw the creation of the exhibit.

Ruth Groome always knew she wanted to paint, and at 92, she still loves it
HIGH POINT – Even at 92, Ruth Groome well remembers her artist father’s words to her whenever she entered his office as a little girl. “Hands off,” he would say, “and eyes on.”

Annual arts ball to focus on supporters, volunteers
HIGH POINT – “The Luminary Gala” just seemed like an appropriate name for the High Point Area Arts Council’s annual arts ball, according to Blyss Allonier, co-chairwoman of the event. “If you look up ‘luminary,’ it can mean an object, such as a celestial body, that gives light, a person who is an inspiration to others, or a person who has achieved eminence in a specific field,” Allonier says.

After car accident, woman turns e-mails into a book of inspiration
HIGH POINT – Five months ago, with all four of Tricia Cliff’s children lying in a pediatric intensive care unit some 500 miles from home, the High Point woman grabbed the simplest, most readily available lifeline she could find – e-mail. Day after day, she updated friends and family on the children’s progress in the wake of the family’s horrific wreck on an Ohio interstate; in turn, they replied with messages of hope, encouragement and prayer support.

Local actor to portray greats of the silent screen
JAMESTOWN – Actor Michael Huie just wanted to tip his hat – er, um, his hats – to the kings of silent film comedy. The result is “3 Hats,” Huie’s one-man tribute show that re-creates the lovable characters of silent film stars Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd, whom the actor says he has admired for years.

Fundraiser has plenty of bargains on quality items
GREENSBORO – If you’re wondering what you’ll find at this weekend’s Designers Care Tag Sale, Kimberley Wray has the answer. “Deals,” she says, “with a capital D.”

A cure for Adeja: Stem-cell transplant expected to rid girl of sickle cell anemia
DURHAM – Adeja Johnson lies in a hospital bed, 65 miles from home, waiting for her life to change. Hospital beds are nothing new for this normally rambunctious 10-year-old High Point girl – she’s been hospitalized more than most senior citizens – but this time, it’s different.

Sister act: Any way you cut it, they're two-of-a-kind hairdressers
HIGH POINT – No, you’re not seeing double – those really are twins at the new Hair-Kutts Salon on N. Main Street. That’s Darlene on the left and Charlene on the right – they’re the owners. No, wait, that’s not correct. That’s Charlene on the left.

Architects of the sea
“It is perhaps a more fortunate destiny to have a taste for collecting shells than to be born a millionaire.” – Robert Louis Stevenson, “Lay Morale”

Museum exhibit chronicles HPU's 85 years
HIGH POINT – It’s been hard to miss all of the changes taking place at High Point University over the past few years. But HPU’s 85-year history is much richer and deeper than what people are seeing today. That’s why school officials created “High Point University’s Extraordinary Transformation,” an exhibit currently on display at the High Point Museum.

View from the ER: Book gives honest look behind the scenes
In a sense, Paul Austin finally has come full circle. Born and raised in High Point, Austin is the son of longtime, now-retired public library director Neal Austin – for whom the city’s library is named – but he never really seemed destined to follow in his bookish father’s footsteps. He’s been a firefighter (in High Point), a nursing assistant, a carpenter, a university instructor and emergency-room physician, but now he’s added another occupation to his resumé that likely has put an extra glint in his father’s eye – author.

Paranormal investigators to explore famous Kernersville mansion
KERNERSVILLE – As if the self-proclaimed “Strangest House in the World” needed any more strangeness, now comes word that Körners Folly may be haunted. Tales of lights mysteriously turning on by themselves during the night and visitors’ reports of odd, unexplained noises have prompted Körners Folly officials to allow a team of paranormal investigators into the house to see what spirits, if any, may lurk there.

Greensboro Storyfest has distinct High Point flavor
As a little girl growing up in Tokyo, Yaeko Katsuki fell in love with the tradition of Japanese storytelling. Now 59 and living in High Point, Katsuki continues to enjoy the tradition, with one exception – these days, she’s the storyteller, sharing the tradition with American children.

Architects of the sea
“Ever since God created the world His power and deity, however invisible, have been there for the mind to see in the things He has made.” – Romans 1:21 (JB).

Veteran director David Pegg to lead local community chorus for first time
HIGH POINT – David Pegg fit so well as interim director of High Point Community Chorus that he was asked to stay on as director before he even conducted his first concert, which will be performed Sunday. The 80-member chorus, in its 11th year, has had only one director, Anne Carroll, who stepped aside last year because of demands on her time. Pegg was named interim director to see if he and the chorus were a fit, and it quickly became apparent that the match was a good one.

To be cool, try Asheville
ASHEVILLE – It’s a great thing to take your family to Biltmore House, no question, but if you think that’s all Asheville has to offer for the fun-seeking family, think again. Families looking for a mini-vacation this summer will find plenty to do – and a cool place to do it, both literally and figuratively – in Asheville, where our family spent a recent weekend taking in as many family-friendly activities as we could.

Running like crazy: Gary Aramini maps out a challenge during Relay for Life
HIGH POINT – You can call Gary Aramini crazy if you want to. You can question his harebrained plan to run 40 miles in 12 hours, which is what he aims to do during next weekend’s High Point Relay For Life fundraiser for the American Cancer Society.

Environmental center plans one 'shell' of a celebration for turtles
HIGH POINT – Turtles will have their day in the sun Saturday at the Piedmont Environmental Center. “Celebrating Turtles!” will be the theme of the day, which will include storytelling, Native American dancing, and a turtle-tracking demonstration by John Rucker and his “turtle dogs.”

Architects of the sea
“It is perhaps a more fortunate destiny to have a taste for collecting shells than to be born a millionaire.” – Robert Louis Stevenson, “Lay Morale”

Special delivery: At 90, Myrtle Wells still brings Mobile Meals
HIGH POINT – Forgive Myrtle Wells if she can’t remember exactly how long she’s been delivering hot meals for Mobile Meals. When you’re 90 years old, the years tend to run together a little bit. But know this: The High Point woman, who turned 90 last week, has no intentions of ending her volunteerism anytime soon.

The Art of The Arc: Annual auction fundraiser is all about ability
HIGH POINT – The Arc of High Point’s fourth annual Silent Art Auction does more than simply raise money. It raises self-esteem and hope.