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Startex
"Star" Becoming Centerpiece For Village Residents
By Glenn D.
Bridges
Startex residents will celebrate a Christmas tree
lighting ceremony on Saturday, December 8, at the “Village
Star” located at the corner of Spartanburg and Tucapau roads.
While a local organization hopes to make the ceremony an
annual event, there’s a lot more in store for the aging star,
which dates back to the days when textile magnate Walter
Montgomery purchased the town’s mill and changed the name from
Tucapau to Startex Mills to reflect the product’s brand name.
The Startex Tucapau Community Action Association (STCAA)
plans to turn the star into a memorial using bricks from the now
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The
Village star, located at the corner of Tucapau and
Spartanburg roads, is fast becoming a centerpiece for
the town of Startex. In addition to serving as the
site of the annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony,
plans are in the works to turn it into a memorial for
the former mill workers and current and former
residents.
Photo
by Glenn D. Bridges |
defunct mill interspersed with engraved ones paying tribute to
former mill workers as well as current and former residents.
“When Satpal ‘Paul’ Rathie (current owner of
Startex Mills property) donated the star to the community
association, we did some painting and cleaned it up,” said
STCAA President David Gregg. “We came up with the memorial
bricks as a way of honoring anybody who has lived or worked here
in the past.”
The plan calls for paving a circular walkway around the
five points of the star by selling the commemorative bricks at
$20 each to cover the cost. Although Gregg said the number to be
sold is “infinite,” it’ll take approximately 700 bricks to
make one complete circle.
“Thousands and thousands of people have worked and
lived here,” he explained. “We know we won’t be able to
contact everybody, but if we can contact 25 percent of them,
that would be incredible.”
Gregg said at least 130 bricks have been sold thus far.
He credits STCAA Treasurer Ed Thomason for spearheading the
project and making it successful through a person-to-person
approach, knocking on doors and even contacting people all
across the country who have been gone from Startex many years.
“I’m
having a ball with it,” Thomason admits. “I’ve been
talking to people I haven’t spoken to in years. I’m getting
a lot of interest in the project. So far we’ve ordered 117
bricks, and I have approximately 35-40 of the forms out
circulating that I need to go back and collect. I’m well
pleased with what we’ve done so far.”
In addition to the inscription “In Memory of,”
participants have three lines and 14 characters per line to work
with on each brick.
“It’ll
probably take a year or more to even look like we’re starting
to accomplish something,” Gregg cautions. “But we hope to
get started right after Christmas. We need a few more dedicated
people to help us, and they don’t have to be a resident.”
Likewise,
anyone who wants to participate in the December 8 tree lighting
ceremony – or help decorate the tree for that matter – is
more than welcome to volunteer.
“I
extend an open invitation to anybody who wants to come out,”
Gregg emphasized. “We will be decorating the tree on December
1, and we hope to serve up some hot chocolate at the tree
lighting ceremony.”
Area
church choirs have been invited to sing carols at the special
event, which is set for 5:30 p.m.
For more information, please contact Gregg at 439-0007,
or log onto STCAA’s website at www.startex.org.
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