News About Town: Early last year the Board of Commissioners approved a staff request to apply for a grant that would cover the cost of an automatic gate at Squirrel Lake Park, eliminating the need for police to unlock and lock the gate daily. The automatic gate was installed in the latter half of 2021 but has been without a power source. This Thursday, February 10, Squirrel Lake Park will close temporarily while Duke Energy installs the power line; the greenway will remain open to the public during the installation.
Black History in Matthews: Dr. Selma Burke, a Mooresville native, found her love of art by modeling NC clay into figures. Even after moving out of state, Dr. Burke remained active in the arts in NC throughout her career. Her work is held in the collections of the Smithsonian, Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. According to one account, “she credits the ‘good Matthews mud’ as the beginning of her artistic endeavors.” Selma Burke Ln was added to the town street system in 1992; as a thank you, Dr. Burke gave the Greater Matthews Habitat for Humanity Family, a bronze sculpture that resides in Town Hall.
One Fun Thing: February 1st was National Unclaimed Property Day, an initiative to reunite Americans with their missing dollars from overpayments and uncashed checks. One in ten Americans has unclaimed cash sitting and waiting to be found by its rightful owner. Find out more here.