Mr. and Mrs. Claus made a surprise visit to the DCPC preschool program this week, and were relieved to find all the children on their "nice" list. (Photo by Gail Woods)

Just over a week and we will be looking for that jolly man in his wonderful red suit to wish us a Merry Christmas  – unless we happened to see him and Mrs. Claus doing a little pre-Christmas visiting in Davidson this week!

This weekend is supposed to be  bedlam at area shopping malls, with patience required during your search  for a scarce parking space – especially if you have to navigate through snow flurries as the forecasters suggest.  Maybe a better idea is to relax at home and check DavidsonNews.net for all our area holiday programs, their times and locations.

Some items that  caught our attention today in Around Davidson include news from Tom Cotter about his recent trip to Cuba and word of a new arrival, Nolan Ross Elkins, with presidential connections.  We also have congratulations for Jonathan Lopez who recently became Boy Scout Troop’s 67th Eagle scout.  Lastly there is a wonderful report on Project Hug and its founder, Linda Harrison.

CRADLE ROLL

Congratulations to Tom and Susan Ross who are proud grandparents for the first time.  Grandson Nolan Ross Elkins was born in Charlotte on Nov. 11 to excited parents Chris and Mary Kathryn Ross Elkins of Charlotte. Baby Nolan weighed 6 lbs. and was 19 inches long.  The baby’s uncle  Tommy Ross and his wife, Lindsay Daschle, came from Washington, D.C., over the Thanksgiving holiday to see the newest member of the family.

Baby Nolan's first Thanksgiving included: (front row, from left) Lindsay Daschle, Mary Kathryn Elkins with baby Nolan, and Susan Ross with Chelsea (sporting a Davidson College cap!) Back row: Tommy Ross, Chris Elkins and Tom Ross.

Nolan’s other aunt and uncle are John and Lisa Morris of Brentwood, Tenn. (Lisa is Chris’ sister.) Paternal grandparents are David and Pat Elkins of Nashville, Tenn., who have already spent time in Charlotte helping out.   Baby Nolan also has a great grandfather, Daniel Elkins of Paige, Texas, and a great grandmother, Helen Priest of Columbus, Texas.

Just ask Tom and Susan Ross about grand-parenthood and they beam.  Susan gets to Charlotte as often as she can to check on their handsome grandson and Tom is a doting grandfather – as often as his Davidson College presidential duties allow.  What a Merry Christmas the Ross family will enjoy as they gather around their traditional fresh cedar tree!

CUBA CALLING

Mention cars – old cars, sports cars, muscle cars, antique cars – and you have Tom Cotter’s attention!  Tom writes for Road and Track magazine, has authored books on cars, serves on the Board of Directors of the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance (www.ameliaconcours.org) and now can add Cuban car travel to his resume.

From the left: Scott George, Curator or the Collier Collection in Naples, Florida; Eduardo Masejo Maestre, Director of the Deposito del Automovil; Bill Warner, Founder and Co-Chair of the Amelia Island Concours d' Elegance in Florida and me. We are standing next to a 1915 Mack Senior truck, which was in constant use on the Island from 1915 to 1970s.

Tom, who lives in Westmoreland Farm, has just returned from a week in Cuba. It was a fascinating trip and is best explained in Tom’s own words:

I visited the country on a State Department-approved cultural exchange trip.  Joined by Amelia Island Founder Bill Warner, I flew directly from Miami to Havana.  Once we exited the airport terminal, it was obvious that we weren’t in the United States anymore; there were guards standing without smiles but with machine guns.  There were lots of old American cars in the taxi stand.  We met with the director of the Cuban car museum, which is located in the Old Town section of Havana.

Cubans are poor; it matters not whether you are a street sweeper or a doctor, you make $20/month.  Because of this financial hardship, residents use creative methods to keep their vintage cars operating: because brake fluid is in constant short supply, many motorists use shampoo in the braking system; cars are painted with sponges and often contain Soviet-era tractor motors to keep them on the road.

It was an incredible eye-opener and I hope to return sometime in the spring to pursue more research.  I have been asked by the NY Times to write one or two stories and my publisher, Motorbooks International, wants me to write a book about the country’s car culture.

Tom certainly has a wealth of knowledge about cars and tells us that a 1954 Jaguar located in Davidson is currently in the last stages of restoration and will very soon be ready for unveiling.  Stay tuned!

But in the meantime if you want to talk to Tom about his travels or his three most recent books, stop by Main Street Books this Saturday, December 20, from 12-2.  He will be signing copies of  “The Cobra in the Barn,” “The Hemi in the Barn,” and “The Vincent in the Barn.”  Main Street Books gift wraps all your purchases free of charge – how nice – and weather permitting, Tom will have his Cobra (no, it not a snake!)  parked outside the store.

JONATHAN LOPEZ IS AN EAGLE SCOUT

Congratulations to Jonathan Lopez of Davidson who achieved the rank of Eagle in a Court of Honor held Dec. 6 in the Congregation House of Davidson College Presbyterian Church.  This ceremony also honored new Eagle Scout Benjamin Pluer (see the Dec. 15 Around Davidson). Jonathan is the younger son of Julie and Mike Lopez of Davidson.  The Lopez family has lived in our area since 1994 and purchased their Concord Road home in Davidson in 2001.

New Eagle Scout Jonathan Lopez stands with his proud parents, Julie and Mike Lopez, and older brother, Michael.

Jonathan has been a member of Davidson’s Boy Scout Troop 58 since crossing over from the troop’s cub scout program in April 2004.  He earned 22 merit badges over the past five years.  For his Eagle project he landscaped the area around the restrooms at Beaver Dam Park.  This project not only helps beautify our town but also creates a habitat for bluebirds with the nesting boxes he built and installed there.

Jonathan is 17 and a junior at North Mecklenburg High School in the IB program.  He is a tight end for North’s varsity football team, plays saxophone and drums in the band and even finds time to work one day a week at Campania Restaurant on South Main in Davidson.

Catching up on Jonathan’s older brother, Michael, we learned that he is a sophomore in engineering at NCSU and also a rower on State’s 4- and 8-man crews.  This is his first year rowing and is thrilled at their recent regatta successes.

Glad to have news of the Lopez family and again, congratulations to Jonathan and his family!

PROJECT HUG – A HUG(E) SUCCESS

We love hearing about projects and programs in our area which bring holiday joy to needy children.  Angel trees in our Town Hall and area churches have individual “wish lists” for area families and the Spokes Group is donating bicycles to the Salvation Army Christmas Bureau – just two of many which come to mind.

And then there is Project Hug!  Ever thought about having 1,000 stuffed animals in your living room?  Just ask Linda Harrison and her husband, Loren.  Linda has been collecting stuffed animals for more than a dozen years and seven years ago suggested to Nancy Cork, Preschool Director at the Davidson United Methodist Church (DUMC) that the collection become a Christmas Project.  Nancy agreed.  The school newsletter was about to go to print and with minutes to identify the project with a name, Linda coined “Project Hug” thinking how the young children are always giving their “little friends” hugs!

Practicing hugging all those stuffed animals is the Harrison's granddaughter, Etta Bea Harrison.

Linda collects and donates stuffed animals throughout the year, but December’s collection is always the largest. She continues to be amazed at the generosity of people for Project Hug. New stuffed animals go directly to children’s hospitals. Those coming to her with a little grime visible, are carefully scrubbed and, with new ribbons attached, are soon ready for distribution.  Some, who have endured most too many hugs already, have to be excused from service.  Linda’s largest surprise was an enormous Elmo, about the size of the two year olds she has been teaching for the past ten years at DUMC.  The smallest:  a small animal just a few inches tall!

Past years have seen the holiday collection of stuffed animals number between 600-800.  This year a new record with over 1,100 donated.  Linda’s hubby, Loren, is a big help with the sorting and distribution and a good sport as well with stuffed “Christmas joy” in every corner of their home.  Happy children receiving a new stuffed toy to hug include those hospitalized at Hemby Children’s Hospital in Charlotte as well as those identified by our local police.  Other agencies  benefiting from Project Hug include  the Mooresville Soup Kitchen, Barium Springs Home for Children, Charlotte Youth Homes, My Sister’s House, The Oaks in Huntersville, Genesis in Mooresville, Mooresville Crisis Center, Pregnancy Center In Mooresville and Lydia’s Loft.  Linda summed up her feelings about the project by saying, “I wish that all the people who donate could see the happy faces of those that I bring the toys to.  It is just a wonderful thing and I am so proud to be a part of it.” Thanks Linda (and Loren) for spreading so much joy!

Send us your news

Have news for Brenda? Write to her at hbarger@bellsouth.net.