Charlotte, NC

Now, if you’re a true Crown Towner, you’ve gotta be a fan of the mighty Carolina Panthers football frenzy! (Geez … do I really need to explain ‘em to ya?!?)

And these NFL giants (little “g”, please … though they could run through them Yankees any day!) are givin’ back to their fans this Saturday, AUGUST 4, at 11 AM with the humongous Panther FanFest at the Bank of America Stadium located at 800 S. Mint St.

And, man, if this doesn’t getcha pumped up for the coming football season, nothing will! It’s an all-day famfest (meaning, family fun, folks!) with music, games, the great Panther mascot, Sir Purr, Panther-themed camo and other goodies, and … yes, even the cheerleading Top Cats will be there (EAGLE NOTE: The two “TCs” who fouled have been evicted from the squad … so don’t judge the rest of the dynamic group by the actions of those two losers!)

So grab the kids and come on down to the BoA Stadium this Saturday for some great fun, and show your support for the Best Team In The NFL!! Oh … and remember to wear the colors, too!

THE CATCH OF THE CENTURY

Twice weekly, I’m gonna throw in a couple of memories from the Eagle’s vault. Sometimes funny, occasionally a tear-jerker, but always true:

It was 1962, and my Uncles Cull and Conley Vick (on mama’s side) went down to Windy Hill Pier on Ocean Drive Beach in S. C. for a bit of fishing. They both cast their lines out, and, soon, Conley was reeling in a humongous rascal that actually broke his rod and snapped the line! Flabbergasted, they soon packed it up and headed back for Pineville with one heck of a fish story!
But … the “story” was far from over …
Two years later, Conley died of prostate cancer at the age of 62. Seven years later — in 1971 — Cull returned to their old spot on the pier, remembering the incident with a chuckle. He cast out … and, with a lot of pulling and reeling and tugging, caught a huge fish that certainly could’ve fed the entire family, and then some, with one exception:
In its mouth …
was a hook … with the line, and part of a rod, bobbing behind it!
It was Uncle Conley’s near-catch from years before!
Uncle Cull laughed and cried hysterically, not believing what he’d just caught! The newspapers (especially the old Charlotte News) carried an article on the miracle, which was considered a one-in-a-million occurrence!
Now, Cull died a few years ago at the ripe old age of 95 … but never did he, nor his family, ever forget that incident!
Miracles do happen, and when ya least expect ‘em!