Kinston Downtown Development Gaining Ground

Kinston's downtown business district continues to grow with the recent announcement of three new establishments in the central business district.

And the word is that there are two more retail businesses for Queen Street in the wings poised to make announcements in the near future. A photo panorama tells the story of happy news for the downtown. The highlighted new businesses catering to Kinston customers are:

Chairman of the Board Stephen Hill explains the Mother Earth Brewing Company's beer-making process to A.C. Edwards of Snow Hill who came to Kinston to help Hill celebrate the grand opening of the microbrewery.

Grand Opening Attracts Enthusiastic Crowd

The Mother Earth Brewing Company held its grand opening October 24, 2009 drawing a huge crowd who listened to the tunes of The Connells and toured the micro-brewery's impressive facilities.

Chairman of the Board Stephen Hill, President Trent Mooring and Brewer Josh Brewer greeted their fans and thanked the crowd for sharing the exciting moment.

Expanded Parking Lot Nears Completion

An expanded parking lot connecting Queen Street with Herritage Street, and providing additional parking for the Community Health Center and a host of new businesses along North Street, is nearing completion of Stage 1.

Employees of West Masonry begin installation of brickwork Oct. 29, 2009 to enhance the pedestrian entryway off Queen Street. The new parking facilities being constructed by Pride of Kinston with help from West Masonry, Gary Whaley & E&R, Inc. City of Kinston and the Tourism Development Authority. The new lot between Community Health Center and the Realo Drug complex off Queen Street, extends behind businesses along North Street to Herritage. A task force composed of representatives of Pride, Community Council for the Arts, the Appearance Commission, the Kinston Chamber of Commerce, and City of Kinston designed the new faciities being built to ease parking needs for the health center and adjacent buildings.

A genuine partnership project, the lot's design and construction have been overseen by the a special task force composed of members of Pride's Property Development and Design committees, the Appearance Commission, Community Council for the Arts, Kinston Chamber of Commerce and the city of Kinston.

Materials and services for the project have been donated by Realo Discount Drugs, E&R, Inc., West Masonry and Sutton Brick Company.

E&R's John Hardison and Willy Norris inspect the site in which a new lighting fixture, with a directional sign, to illuminate the new parking facility being constructed adjacent to Realo Discount Drugs, Community Health Center and other area businesses.

Civil War Museum Design

Designs and plans for the coming-soon Civil War Museum to be located in downtown Kinston continue apace under the auspices of the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources with assistance by local architecture firm of Dunn and Dalton.

Shown here is a proposed design for the Queen Street side of the building which will hold the artifacts from the original CSS Neuse now housed at the Richard Caswell State Historic Site on Vernon Avenue.

Historic Cemetery Day

Historic Cemeteries' task force members Carol Southerland and Edwin Jones pose with Arendell Parrott Academy students participating in the Oct. 17, 2009 "A Day in the Cemetery" project collecting information from tombstones to document those for whom Maplewood-Cedar Grove-Hebrew cemeteries are their final resting places.