GAINSWave® Treatment in Matthews, NC

MATTHEWS, N.C. — Proposed changes to an ordinance could bring more food options to Matthews.

The change would allow food trucks to park downtown on the street instead of on private property.

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A local business owner asked for the change in the town’s current ordinance.

The Carolina Beer Temple doesn’t have a parking lot where food trucks can set up and owner wants the town to allow food trucks on public streets with permission from nearby businesses.

Anndei Chasnoff likes to set up her food truck near her family’s home in Matthews.

She’s limited in where she can sell her tea in town limits.

“We have to park on private property. We park in a business parking lot,” said Chasnoff, the owner of The Boba Tea Bar.

Food truck operators must currently park on private property and can’t block public parking spaces.

That could change.

Town leaders are considering changes to Matthew’s food truck ordinance, which would allow food truck operators to park on public streets downtown.

“It would be great because then we wouldn’t just have to be in one spot,” Chasnoff said. “We can move from one place to another. Go where the people are.”

However, people in the area argue that downtown already comes with enough parking challenges.

Joanna Groothuis goes to school in Matthews and thinks the move would add more congestion to the crowded downtown area.

“Having the big old food trucks and people walking around stresses me out,” said Groothius, a student at Central Piedmont Community College -- Levine Campus. “My first thought is kids running out or adults stepping out -- or the food trucks taking up parking spots.”

The town’s planning director says food truck operators would have to follow rules, such as parking in eligible spaces during specific hours and near designated businesses.

Chasnoff thinks it’s a small sacrifice that can make a big difference in her community.

“It can help,” the food truck owner said. “It doesn’t only help us, but I think it has a positive impact on the local economy.”

The planning board will consider the proposal on April 25 then it’s up to the town commission to give it final approval.

VIDEO: Owner of stolen food truck back in business

Medic evaluated 14 people after the lightning strike with one of them receiving minor injuries. School officials said all of the people involved were staff members.

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MATTHEWS, N.C. — A school staff member received minor injuries after a lightning strike on Monday.

The lightning strike happened at Socrates Academy on Weddington Road in Matthews on Monday. Medic evaluated 14 people after the lightning strike with one of them being taken to a local hospital for minor injuries. The remaining people were unharmed, according to Medic.

Socrates Academy officials confirmed that all of the people involved were staff members and that no students were hurt. Officials have not said where at the school the lightning strike happened.

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No further information is known at this time. More details will be released when they are available.

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For the 31st year, the annual Matthews Alive Festival is back for the Labor Day weekend.

The popular event runs from Friday through Monday with entertainment, vendors, food and many activities for visitors.

Chris Melton, board chair for the nonprofit that runs the festival, called it a generational experience for the area. “There are folks who show up to Matthews Alive who came with their parents 30 years ago,” he said. “Now, they’re bringing their grandchildren.”

The festival is managed by a group of volunteers, and the nonprofit uses the revenue generated from the event to support other local non-profit organizations in the greater Matthews area. The festival has donated more than $2 million over the past three decades.

“We are putting on a Labor Day party this weekend and it embodies 125,000 of our closest friends and neighbors,” Melton said, referring to the expected attendance.

Here are some other things to know about the Matthews Alive Festival.

Carnival festivities will kickoff a little earlier, at 4 p.m. Friday with an All-You-Can-Ride Wristband Night for $25. Exhibits, inflatables and food vendors will open at 6 p.m.

Melton said changing the time was a good idea, especially with Matthews Elementary being close by and school ending a few hours before the start of the carnival. That will give families with younger children more time to enjoy the rides before more people come in the evening.

“For years, it’s been a packed area, we’re hoping to extend those hours and spread out the wealth of those huge crowds,” Melton said.

The Holiday Band, members of the Carolina Beach Music Hall of Fame, will perform on the mainstage at 6:30 p.m. Friday followed by Gary Lowder & Smokin’ Hot at 8:30 p.m. In 2021, Gary Lowder of Smokin’ Hot was the Male Vocalist of the Year by the Carolina Beach Music Awards.

“That’s the caliber of entertainment we’re bringing to Matthews Alive,” Melton said.

The Matthews Alive Parade through downtown Matthews is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Saturday. According to event officials, it is the largest Labor Day Parade in the Southeast.

More than 100 participants will start on Matthews-Mint Hill Road at McLeod Street and continue to Trade Street. Some of them include local marching bands, floats, performers, and local celebrities.

Later on Saturday, Brass Transit will perform at 8:30 p.m. The Chicago tribute band performs music honoring the musical legacy of the group. The live entertainment will continue at 8:30 p.m. Sunday, with the Classic Stones Live, a band paying tribute to the Rolling Stones.

“They never played in this area before,” Melton said. “We try to shy away from someone that you can just go see anywhere that has appeared around Charlotte and Matthews time after time.

In between the lineup of performers, festival-goers can also visit the small shops at the event. More than 130 people signed up to be vendors.

For a full list of activities, go to matthewsalive.org/festival-activities/

Matthews Alive will be held in the downtown area. According to organizers, GPS users should search for “Stumptown Park, Matthews, NC” for directions for the festival area.

Matthews will have several road closures during Labor Day weekend.

Starting at 9 a.m. Friday, South Trade Street will be closed from the intersection of East John Street to McDowell Street. Around 3:30 p.m. Friday, the closure will extend to Main Street for the remainder of the festival. The streets will reopen at 11:30 p.m. Monday. Town officials are asking the public to prepare for delays.

For the Saturday parade, be aware of these road closures and times during the event:

Streets closed for the parade route (with the exception of South Trade Street) will reopen by noon Saturday.

Free public parking is available by the train tracks at North Trade Street and Charles Street. Matthews Station will also have parking at town hall, along with many businesses and churches on John and Trade streets.

People with disabilities may use the “horseshoe” parking area by Matthews First Baptist Church off Sadie Drive, town public parking areas and nearby businesses that are closed during the festival.

This story was originally published September 1, 2023, 6:10 AM.

Matthews Social House opened this summer in an old bike shop in the heart of downtown Matthews. It’s the culmination of a three-year journey for owner Gary Murray, who modeled it after a local pub in his hometown of Limerick, Ireland.

Murray calls the Social House a “labor of love,” having done much of the renovation work himself while working part time bartending at a local country club.

“I wanted to create an Irish bar that looks like an Irish bar,” said Murray, who came to America at age 19 on an engineering scholarship. “The draft towers were imported from Ireland. The mirrors and whiskey barrels came directly from my old neighborhood bar in Ireland.”

What he couldn’t find in Ireland, he sourced through Facebook Marketplace. Lined along the back wall of the pub are refurbished church pews. The bar counter is made from 120-year-old floorboards from an Amish Mennonite Church in Ohio. The 100-year-old shelves came from a Monroe warehouse.

Murray and his business partner, Adam “Jacko” Jackson, have been planning the pub since just before the COVID-19 pandemic began. It was set to open last fall, hence the “Est. 2022” on a wooden sign that hangs by the front door, but permitting and other issues delayed the process.

It was worth the wait. Since opening in June, the pub and beer garden nestled on Charles Street just around the corner from Trade Street has taken off.

“When people come here for the first time, their eyes are just so big and their faces light up,” Murray said. “We call it a Social House because we want strangers to talk. We have the long tables because hopefully two groups will gather around and strike up a conversation.”

Inside, the 1,000-square-foot building holds about 50 people in an intimate setting with six tables and a bar. A pool table is the focal point – the only pool table in downtown Matthews, Murray said.

Outside is where all of the action is. The expansive patio area has seating for 180 people, with 10 long tables, eight six-person tables and 10 high top tables converted from old whiskey barrels designed to look like pints of Guinness – dark on the bottom with creamy white tops. There’s also a food truck, walk-up beer window, ice cream stand, cornhole and large wooden swing.

As for the food and drink options, Murray says they are “keeping it simple” with the food truck by offering a selection of three burgers— a cheeseburger, a Carolina BBQ burger and an Aloha burger with the pub’s signature crack sauce and pineapple — as well as fries.

The pub has a full bar and specializes in whiskey and bourbons from Ireland and other countries. The pints of Guinness are just like back in Ireland, Murray said, with the “perfect temperature and nitrogen blend.”

The pub is “very family-friendly,” Murray added, noting that both he and Jacko have young kids. “We wanted to create a community space where we could be proud to bring our families. It’s a little neighborhood pub in downtown Matthews, and we couldn’t be happier about bringing people together.”

Location: 105 W. Charles St., Matthews, NC 28105

Menu

Cuisine: American, burgers

Instagram: @matthews_social_house

This story was originally published August 24, 2023, 6:00 AM.

This list is curated by Charlotte on the Cheap, where you’ll find even more free and cheap things to do every day, and detailed by Denise Casalez.

Matthews Alive

Location: Stumptown Park, 120 S Trade St, Matthews, NC 28105

Time: 6-10 p.m., with the event continuing all weekend

Cost: Single tickets $2 each; all-you-can-ride wristbands $25 (Friday only)

Start off your Labor Day weekend with Matthews Alive, a four-day festival filled with family fun, games and rides. With shag dancing on the dance floor and all-you-can-ride wristbands in the carnival, there’s something for everyone. You can also check out special deals and grab dinner from over 25 food vendors. It continues throughout the weekend, with a parade on Saturday and more festivities Sunday and Monday.

Best Wurst Fest at Olde Mecklenburg Brewery

Location: 4150 Yancey Rd, Charlotte, NC 28217

Time: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and again on Sept. 3, from 11 a.m.-10 p.m.

Cost: Free admission, and free beer if you bring your dachshund

Fans of great sausages will enjoy the Olde Mecklenburg Brewery’s Best Wurst Fest. There will be a sausage lineup that includes bratwurst, chorizo and more, a fun game of sausage toss (with prizes included) and live music.

Labor Day Celebration at Whitewater Center

Location: 5000 Whitewater Center Pkwy, Charlotte, NC 28214

Time: 8 a.m.-8 p.m.

Cost: Free admission, parking $6

The Whitewater Center is hosting a Labor Day celebration this Saturday and Sunday with trail races, yoga and live music. You’ll find more than 30 activities to do plus live music.

Charlotte Labor Day Parade

Location: starts at Hal Marshall, S College St, Charlotte, NC 28202

Time: 11 a.m.

Cost: Free entry

Celebrate the 22nd annual Charlotte Labor Day Parade in uptown Charlotte this Labor Day. The parade features local labor union floats, vehicles and marchers. There will also be car clubs, bands, businesses and more at the parade, as well.

Piano Karaoke & Sing Along at Petra’s

Location: 1919 Commonwealth Ave, Charlotte, NC 28205

Time: 7 p.m.

Cost: $5

Every first Tuesday of the month, Petra’s hosts a night of fun piano karaoke and sing-alongs with Ryan Stamey. Pick a song and grab the mic — Stamey will accompany you on the piano while you take the stage. Sing your heart out, make requests or just sit back, relax and enjoy the show with a drink.

Pick up a free art kit at Mint Museum Randolph

Location: 2730 Randolph Rd, Charlotte, NC 28207

Time: 11 a.m.-9 p.m.

Cost: Free

Looking for ways to show your artistic side? Mint Museum Randolph is giving away free art kits. Learn more about symbolic animals in the art of Rosalia Torres-Weiner and use magic color-changing sheets to draw a jaguar or whatever pleases you.

SouthPark After 5: Breakfast Club (80s Tribute Band)

Location: 4400 Sharon Rd, Charlotte, NC 28211

Time: 5-9 p.m.

Cost: Free entry

Enjoy SouthPark’s free concert series, SouthPark After 5, at the Symphony Park. Every Thursday from Sept. 7 to Oct. 12, SouthPark after 5 is Charlotte’s a weekly happy hour and free entertainment event. Enjoy a cocktail, food and vendors while enjoying some tunes from Breakfast Club, an 80’s tribute band.

Visit Charlotte on the Cheap for an expanded list of things to do in Charlotte every day. You’ll find festivals, kids’ activities, date night ideas, art, trivia and much more. You can sign up for a daily email that will keep you in the loop.

This story was originally published September 1, 2023, 6:00 AM.