Weekends in the fall
are filled with activities. As you read this, I will be in Cleveland where my son Dayne and his partner Sveta are getting married Saturday on the shores of Lake Erie. Meanwhile there’s plenty going on in Cabarrus County.
No. 1
The replacement for Stein Mart at Afton Ridge. We’ve known for weeks that a business had committed to the space left by Stein Mart. The word is out — it’s Homesense, a home furnishings store. It is owned by the same folks who operate TJMaxx, Marshall’s and HomeGoods.
It will be the first Homesense in the Carolinas. The nearest store appears to be in northern Virginia. Another Homesense is planning to open soon in Richmond.
No. 2
Expensive townhomes coming to Harrisburg. Taylor Morrison, one of the country’s largest homebuilders and developers, announced sales are underway for Terraces at Farmington, a townhome community within the larger Farmington master-planned development. Located off Interstate 485, about 30 minutes northeast of Charlotte, Terraces of Farmington features approximately 130 two-story townhomes priced from the $400s.
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“Terraces at Farmington offers a unique and exciting opportunity for walkability and convenience in Harrisburg,” said Andrew Bodary, Taylor Morrison’s Charlotte Division president. “Residents will have access to a variety of planned amenities as well as over 500,000 square feet of commercial retail space, including restaurants, shops, extensive greenway walking and bike trails, and a planned Village Green with a community garden, yoga classes, farmers markets, holiday events, concerts and more.”
Wow, I still can’t get over home prices now — starting at $400,000 — somebody is making some money somewhere.
Here is more information from the Taylor Morrison news release:
The townhomes feature floor plans ranging in size from 1,850 to 2,400 square feet, with the option of an owner’s suite upstairs or downstairs as well as rear-facing two-car garages. All homes also include TM LiveWell, a suite of home features and products that focus on clean air, clean water, and a reduction of harmful chemicals in your home.
Taylor Morrison has completed several projects in the Charlotte metro area, including in Cabarrus County. This project is in the Cabarrus portion of Farmington, which is also in Mecklenburg County.
No. 3
Things are hopping in Mount Pleasant. The Mount Pleasant Fall Festival is Saturday, Oct. 15, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on North Main Street (between Highway 73 & MPCI Street).
More than 60 vendors will be set up on this section of street, which will be closed from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. for the festival.
Live music includes The Pleasant Mountain String Band.
The Eastern Cabarrus Historical Society (ECHS) yard sale will also be Saturday beginning at 8 a.m.
No. 4
Heritage Baking Competition. ECHS is planning the baking competition for Saturday, Nov. 5. The pies, cakes and bread shown in their promotional poster really make me hungry. I wonder if we can pick up any tips ahead of the holidays.
It’s hard to beat a good pie for Thanksgiving or Christmas.
Speaking of baking — our friend David Goforth, a retired extension agent, recently shared his family recipe for persimmon pudding. A persimmon pudding is hard to beat, too. Here is what David posted on Facebook:
“This recipe is adapted from a family recipe first recorded by my grandmother Stella Kelly Poole born 1914 in Montgomery County.
2 cups persimmon pulp
2 eggs
1 cup flour
1 cup milk
1 cup sugar
½ stick butter
Mix butter, sugar, then add flour, then add the rest of the ingredients. Make sure it is an inch deep for best results. Bake for 1 hour, 15 minutes, at 325 degrees in a glass dish. The proper color is a deep brown. It looks done before you get to this point. If you decide to triple the recipe, only use 4 eggs. A lot of people add cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice or vanilla. They are not wrong, it just not the way momma fixed it. There was one lady at church who added coconut flakes to her persimmon pudding. I have a slight preference for persimmon pudding without coconut flakes, but I sure wouldn’t discourage anybody bringing persimmon pudding to church dinners.”
By the way, it looks like there is a bumper crop of persimmons hanging in the trees. If you want to see something funny, watch somebody eat a persimmon before it is ripe.
I always heard you have to wait until it frosts, but David said you can eat persimmons when they are ripe, and it doesn’t have to be after a frost.
No. 5
Dangerous parking lots. I came close to being hit by a speeding SUV in the parking lot of Walmart at Concord Commons (off Concord Parkway).
I walked out of the store with a Walmart employee, checked the traffic, and it was clear. We both stepped from the sidewalk and were more than halfway across to the parking area when I heard the roar of an engine.
I looked back to see a SUV bearing down on us. There was no way I could cross without getting hit. I jumped back, and the vehicle missed me by a couple feet.
I yelled at the driver and she yelled back and was shaking her arms as she sped away.
There always seems to be somebody in a hurry with little regard to the people they could hurt. A slower person than me might have been killed.
This is not just a Walmart problem. Customers and employees at other stores face the same threats from careless drivers who think they are at a racetrack.
Slow down. If you need to go that fast, you should have left earlier. Those few extra saved seconds are not worth the risk.
If you have a Friday, story suggestion or something I can rant about, email mplemmons@independenttribune.com or call or text 704-786-0001.
Mark Plemmons
