Coach Bob McKillop talked to fans after the team bus arrived Tuesday just before 1 p.m. (David Boraks/DavidsonNews.net)

By DAVID BORAKS
DavidsonNews.net

A cheer went up outside Baker Sports Complex just before 1 p.m. Tuesday as a bus carrying Coach Bob McKillop and the Davidson College men’s basketball team arrived from Asheville. Twelve hours earlier, the Wildcats had survived a double-overtime scare against Western Carolina to win the Southern Conference tournament.

Davidson students are on spring break, but about 50 college employees, residents and other Wildcat fans showed up to welcome back their team. Someone even found a banner in the Baker attic, left over from the Cats’ 2008 NCAA tournament run, that read: “Welcome Back Cats – Thank You!” Read the full story

A lone child ran across the Village Green last Friday, Feb. 17, the first day a new rule kept local elementary school students from gathering there. (David Boraks/DavidsonNews.net)

By DAVID BORAKS
DavidsonNews.net

Concerns about unsupervised children roaming downtown streets and shops have brought an end to the longtime Davidson tradition of Fridays on the Green. Davidson Elementary School officials told parents last week they no longer may give their fifth-grade-aged children permission to walk downtown on Friday afternoons. But some local business owners see no major problems and are lamenting the change, saying it will hurt their businesses.

The school’s interim principal said the ban was prompted by complaints from parents and businesses and concerns about safety and unruly behavior. She also told DavidsonNews.net the students are too young to be out without an adult. Read the full story

Ty Burns

A letter from Davidson resident and bike shop owner Ty Burns

To the Editor:

I have given serious thought to the article that was recently published with regards to cycling in Davidson. (Feb. 17, 2012, Photo commentary: Is Davidson really bike friendly?”)

I am not sure any one person is truly an expert on whether Davidson is a bike friendly town.” But given that I live in Davidson, I own bike shops in Davidson, Huntersville and Mooresville, and I ride four to six days a week, I just might be in a position to offer a few thoughts. Read the full story

There’s a new initiative afoot to plan community service opportunities for local middle and high school students in Davidson. Davidson College students are organizing a Davidson Service Board, and will host an orientation day this Saturday, Feb. 11.
Read the full story

Guinness World Record certificate for the Davidson group paddle ball record of Sept. 3, 2011.

Were you one of the 356 people who bounced paddle balls on the Davidson Green last September shooting for a world record? Pat yourself on the back. It’s now official: You are a Guinness World Record holder. Organizer Steve Langley of Hutnersville, who calls himself the Paddle Ball King, got the word Monday.

“It’s a relief,” Mr. Langley said Monday afternoon. “Although it was success by any measure of the fun … To get the official Guinness certificate is very satisfying. It was a pretty monumental effort and we had to jump through a lot of hoops.”

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Morning sun streams in to Raeford's Barber Shop on Main Street Davidson Friday. (Jay Wilson/DavidsonNews.net)

We’re always looking for good photos of Davidson, people and events. Send us your photos for consideration at editor@davidsonnews.net. Read the full story

Dione Goyette taught the Guys Night Out painting class Sunday at Sanctuary of Davidson. (David Boraks/DavidsonNews.net)

Guys, beer, and … a painting class? That was the special Sunday night at Sanctuary of Davidsonon Main Street, which hosted the first of a planned series of Guys’ Night Out events built around a painting class.

Eight adventuresome Davidson guys showed up to get in touch with their inner artists, or maybe the lure was the chance to hoist a few microbrews. Sanctuary owner Kristen Feighery modeled the event after the “Girls’ Night Out” art classes she has been hosting for the past couple of years. Read the full story

Josh Peklo (left) takes over from Jeff Almond, whose three-year term is up. (David Boraks/DavidsonNews.net)

Josh Peklo began volunteering with the Davidson Fire Department while a Davidson College student in the mid-1990s. This month, he became the department’s chief, taking the reins from outgoing chief Jeff Almond on Jan. 1. Read the full story