10 years ago
* The annual Christmas parade was held, in spite of the chilly afternoon. It was sponsored by the Town of Robbinsville, Graham County Travel and Tourism and the Graham County Heritage Festival Committee. A first-place prize of $300 was awarded to Robbinsville First Baptist Church for their float, “Visions of the Gift.”
* The Black Knights’ were suspended for four games over a tussle at Andrews. A hard foul in an already-emotional game led to a heated skirmish between players. The real problem occurred when fans from both sides of the court swarmed the floor and ended attempts made by officials to regain order. “I never thought anything like this would happen between these two teams,” said Wildcats Athletic Director, Dane Rickett.
25 years ago
* North Carolina might have allowed you to carry a concealed had-gun, but not in Graham County. A resolution was passed by county commissioners, ordering signs to be placed on county property to inform public that it was illegal to carry concealed handguns on posted land. The law went into effect the day it was signed by commissioners, on Dec. 4, 1995.
* The Robbinsville High School Knights’ wrestling team had mixed success in some of their matches. Coach Ritchie Trammell said, “It was tough for a team to meet a school head-on, because of the weight forfeits.” Coach Trammell also stated how fortunate he felt to have had the opportunity to coach a group like this.
50 years ago
* Joe McAfee – manager of the Santeetlah Refuge – and Harley Martin caught four Robbinsville men on management area, firelighting deer and killing doe deer. The men were tried at District Court and Judge Leatherwood III fined them $350 each and confiscated their guns.
* The Black Knights’ girls basketball team came off of a road trip with two big victories over the Nantahala Hawks, 50-27 and Swain County, 46-32. Shirley Jackson was the leading scorer on the team, averaging 17 points.
– Diane West