Birthday buddies born on Halloween Day are Davidsonians Russell Mase and Annette Kreider

What a week!  Halloween (with birthday celebrations for Russell Mase and Annette Kreider) followed by the San Francisco Giants winning the World Series and then all the Election Day hubbub.  Yesterday was reserved for all the experts on television to expound on politics for the next 24 months.  Today things are a little calmer as we watch the raindrops outside and enjoy a warm chair by the hearth inside.  Don’t forget to set your clocks BACK one hour this weekend and enjoy an extra hour of sleep on Sunday morning.

Today Around Davidson catches up with visitors from Kenya who spent time in Davidson last month.  There is also a report on Jim Dunlap of The Pines who enjoys flying high.  Lastly, under the category of “Inquiring Minds Want to Know,” there is an answer to a nagging baseball question from our local sports’ expert Dave Fleming.

Joseph Githenji dancing with the preschoolers at DCPC

KENYA COMES CALLING

Last month three members of the Sigona Presbyterian Church near Nairobi, Kenya, spent a week in Davidson visiting with members of the Davidson Presbyterian Church (DCP) as well as the Davidson College Presbyterian Church (DCPC).  Each had visited in our town before so Joseph Githenji, Margaret Kahena and Judy Ngugi settled in quickly at the home of Lacy Dick on Lorimer Road. Gordon and Rebecca Clark knew the Kenyans well from visiting in their country as well as helping with their previous visits in Davidson so they were involved in the daily activities for these three delightful visitors – including high school football.  For sure, they have wonderful memories to share with their fellow church members at Sigona.  Thanks to Gordon for writing the following:

“Three members of Sigona Presbyterian Church in Kikuyu, Kenya, were in Davidson to reunite with their partners at DCPC and DPC.  The partnership, now going on its eighth year, was started to address the growing number of orphans and other young children in the Sigona community who struggle with the devastating effects the AIDS epidemic has had on the east African country.  Former DCPC pastor the late Allen Brindisi helped start the partnership. His goal was to build a new Child & Youth Development Center that could house the growing number of children in the church’s preschool program.

“All three members of the Kenyan Mission Team were here two years ago but this was their first visit to Davidson during the fall season.   While here they attended the North Mecklenburg High School homecoming game against West Charlotte, spent time in classrooms and made a presentation at Davidson IB Middle School, visited the DCPC preschool children, toured the NASCAR museum in downtown Charlotte, boated on Lake Norman, traveled to the beautiful NC mountains, stopped by a Quaker store and the Billy Graham Library. They worshiped several times with both DCPC and DPC congregations.  They also helped plant a tree at the DCPC Congregation House in honor of the growing partnership and in memory of Sigona member Quincy Mathu, who passed away this past year and was one of the original visionaries of the programs at Sigona Presbyterian.

Members of DPC & Sigona Church gather outside after Revival Concert

The Kenyan team also gave an update on the progress made in the preschool program since last June when DCPC and DPC sent a group of 10 to Sigona.  The number of students in the preschool program was now up to 90 and the church was adding more classes to allow many of the children to continue their education at the Center.  The center continues to provide a daily warm meal, prepared in the grain cookers donated by DCPC’s Presbyterian Women, to the all the preschool children, which for many may be their only hot meal of the day.

The other big accomplishment achieved through the partnership was the now fully functioning well which provides a reliable source of clean water to both the church and the Child & Youth Development Center.  As a result they enjoy fully functioning bathrooms and showers which have greatly improved the sanitary conditions for the children.

As they prepared to return home to Sigona, the three missionaries were excited to learn that both DCPC and DPC hope to once again send another team to Kenya in 2011.  Asked to sum up their visit Davidson this time, the Child & Youth Development Center Chairman Joseph Githenji said, “Blessed be the ties that bind our two communities together.”  And as they say in Kenya, “Mungu Awabariki” or “God Bless you.”

A wonderful family outing for Jim Dunlap (second from right) and his family, (l-r) grandson, Blake, son, Burt, and grandson, Joel

Although he may be sight impaired, Jim Dunlap knows how to get around.  A resident of The Pines for the past 10 years, he walks to familiar destinations outside the retirement home and knows where he is inside by the variety of carpet cushioning.  Always a delight to visit with Jim, it was particularly interesting to learn of his recent flight over our Lake Norman area.

Jim’s son, Burt Dunlap and his wife, Kathy, live on Lake Norman with their sons, Blake (17) and Joel (13).  Burt is a Jet Blue pilot and loves recreational flying as well.  He keeps his Cub Warrior plane at the Statesville Airport and has passed his passion for flying to his older son, Blake who is an accomplished pilot working on his certification with the FAA.

Making good use of our beautiful fall weather, Burt recently took his dad, Jim, and his two sons flying over the area.  With Blake behind the “wheel,” Burt riding “shotgun” and Joel describing everything they flew over, Jim had a wonderful time.  His enthusiasm for the flight has him still “flying high” and eager to share photos his family took of the high flying adventure.

JUST ASK DAVE FLEMING

Just name a sport and your correspondent is probably a fan.  No, I did not fly away to London last week for the Broncos/49ers football game at Wembley Stadium, but did manage to catch a glimpse of the action.  To my dismay, the Brits care not a bit about baseball’s World Series so I had to miss all the excitement of the Rangers’ struggle against the Giants.  But there is still the nagging question of the neckwear of our professional baseball players.  What in the world are these fat, twisted cord necklaces on some players, and the cables that look like part of your bike lock on others?

For the answer, nothing would do but to go to our local sports’ expert, Davidson resident and senior writer for ESPN The Magazine, Dave Fleming.  With his permission, here is the “skinny” on the variety of neck decoration our professional ballplayers wear.

“What you are talking about are nylon coated titanium necklaces being sold by a company in Japan for around $25 because they reportedly improve circulation and reduce muscle stress. Baseball players are notoriously superstitious and temperamental (like writers) and what happens is, one guy wears some stupid looking necklace and goes 3-for-4 with two homers and the next day everyone in the clubhouse is wearing the same kinda necklace. Why? Because, somehow, these guys believe that talent worth $50 million that they have been working on and perfecting for decades can somehow be dependent or accentuated by a $25 necklace. That’s the power of ‘belief’ and/or the power of the placebo effect in sports, I guess. Something we investigated in a recent issue of ESPN The Magazine with a story on the ‘Power Balance bracelet’ craze. Here’s the link: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/news/story?id=5660039
To me, though, it all amounts to Silly Bandz for adults and little more.  Welcome to my world!”

Thanks, Dave.  Inquiring minds now have the answer!

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Have news for Around Davidson? Write to Brenda Barger at hbarger@bellsouth.net.