EXIT 27

Don Roper is a candidate running for Sheriff of Gaston County.  Currently, and for the past eight years, he has served as the Chief of Police in Mount Holly.  He's lived in Gaston County his whole life and is a graduate of Hunter Huss.  He received his bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice from Gardner-Webb University and his Masters's Degree in Public Administration from Appalachian St.  Tune in...

Ivory is a life long resident of Mt. Holly and a candidate for Mt. Holly's City Council in this November's election.  Ivory works in real estate with Ivory Craig Real Estate, Powered by Premier South.   He has also worked as a policeman for the city of Mt. Holly, and currently works part time for the Belmont police department.  In this episode we discuss Ivory's campaign for election, as well as s...

Lauren is an incumbent member of Mt. Holly's city council who is running for re-election Nov 2nd.  Lauren graduated from Penn State with degrees in Microbiology and Molecular Biology.  She moved to Mt. Holly in 2006 and has since volunteered her time with many different non-profits within the community.  In this episode we discuss Lauren's takeaways from her first term as a city council woman, her...

Brian is the Assistant Planning Director for the City of Mt. Holly.  Jonathan is the owner of The Summit Bottle Shop & Tap Room in downtown Mt. Holly.  During this episode we discuss the upcoming 2021 Park Bond referendum that the citizens of Mt. Holly will vote on this November.   Outro song, titled Come Together, performed by Carrie Haverty.

Cecil and Eric were recently released from prison after serving 31 years for drug trafficking and firearms charges.  During the podcast they discuss their crimes, sentences and lessons learned.  We also touch on their first impressions after being released and what their plans are for the future.

Donnell and Renee are the owners of Brown Shugah, a nail salon that recently opened on Main Street in Mt. Holly.  During the podcast we discuss how Brown Shugah came to be and what it's like to be new small business owners in Mt. Holly.  We also touch on some of the things Brown Shugah is doing to support the local community.

Dan Stutzman is a local small business owner and resident of Mt. Holly.  He owns a baseball & softball player development facility in Lowell called Kinetic Drive.  Dan grew up in New York and played baseball at App St. before moving to Mt. Holly.  In this episode we discuss Dan's path to Mt. Holly and how he decided to open Kinetic Drive. Find out more about Kinetic Drive @   Kinetic Drive -Drive....

Marty is the current president of the Mt. Holly Athletic Association (MHAA).  He also spends a lot of time at Tuckaseegee Park umpiring youth baseball games.  He graduated from East Gaston in 1994 and currently lives in Lucia.  In this episode we discuss Marty's background, the history and current state of the MHAA, and what it's like umpiring baseball. Outro song written and performed by Justin A...

Both Kathy and Jimmy have lived in Mt. Holly their whole lives.  Kathy has worked in college administration since 1969, most notably as the Executive VP of Finance for multiple schools over the course of her impressive career.  Jimmy worked as a welder and for a time was a professional fisherman, competing in tournaments all over the southeast.  During this episode they both tell some really wonde...

This week I was joined by Paige Sigmon.  Paige is from Cherryville and moved to Mount Holly about five years ago to open her chiropractor practice, Carolina Family Spine Center.  In this episode we discuss some of the volunteer work Paige does around the city, most notably her involvement with the Mt. Holly Farmer's Market.

Connor Sisk is the current Athletic Coordinator for the Mt. Holly Parks and Rec department.  He grew up in Mt. Holly, graduated from East Gaston in 2010, and went on to attend and graduate from N.C. State.  In this episode we touch on the youth sports programs offered in Mt. Holly and some memories from Connor's past.

Justin is a cousin of mine who grew up in Mt. Holly and has recently moved back into town.  He is a musician, DJ, and music producer, as well as many other things.  He recently celebrated one year of sobriety by releasing two new songs, linked below.  His unique ability to "play" the MPC and Maschine have led to millions of views on YouTube posts.  In this episode Justin and I discuss how he got s...

We continue our salute to veterans this week as Will Crist joined me to discuss his time spent in Vietnam.  We also discuss Will's childhood, growing up in Mt. Holly, and the years before and after his time in the military.  Will was in the Marine Corp from '65 to '69, and served as an interrogator in Vietnam from Nov '66 to Jan '68.  He left the marines with the rank of Captain and went on to gra...

Marty is my older brother.  He grew up in Mt. Holly and currently lives in Matthews, NC.  He graduated from East Gaston in 1979 and went on to get his undergraduate degree from UNCC and his masters from Belmont Abbey.  Listen in as we discuss some of the memories and good times from Marty's past.

Happy Veterans Day to all the veterans out there.  This week Matt joined me to talk about his deployments in Baghdad and Kuwait.  Matt joined the Army National Guard as a Second Lieutenant after graduating from App St University.  Here are some links to give the listener a visual of some of the topics we discussed during the episode. https://www.mapsofworld.com/iraq/baghdad-city-map.html https://w...

For this episode, in honor of Veterans Day, my mom and dad joined me to discuss the four years my dad spent in the Air Force.  From 1961 to 1964 Dad was a jet engine mechanic stationed in Dover, Delaware and Suffolk Co., New York.  

This week Scott Hope, Stewart Hare, and Jamie Summerlin come back to the studio to record the EXIT 27 Day Challenge Recap episode.  Listen in to see who won the challenge and find out how our aging bodies held up over the 27 straight days of push ups, sit ups and lunges.  

Ryan is a life long friend of mine.  He grew up in Mt. Holly and graduated East Gaston in 1997.  He currently lives in Black Mountain with his wife and son.  In this episode we share a lot of laughs as we recall some memorable events of our past. 

Luke (Elby) Blackwood was in town this week and stopped by the studio for a return visit to the podcast.  In this episode we review some of the previous EXIT 27 podcasts, I try to convince Luke to move back home, and we discuss Luke's upcoming 30th birthday.

This week Scott Hope, Jamie Summerlin, Stewart Hare and I recorded the first Exit 27 Day Challenge Podcast.  During this episode we discuss and decide on the best way to challenge ourselves, both physically and mentally, for 27 straight days.

Bryan grew up in Mt. Holly and currently serves as our Mayor.  He and his business partners recently opened Smoke and Barrel Cigar Bar and Lounge here in downtown Mt. Holly.  Listen in to learn more about his new business and to hear some great stories from Bryan's past.

Tyler was a basketball standout at East Gaston where he graduated in 2002.  He went on to play basketball at Wofford College before moving back to Mt. Holly where he still lives today.  In 2019 Tyler was inducted into the Mt. Holly Sports Hall of Fame.

Jeremy grew up in Mt. Holly and graduated from East Gaston in '98.  He moved around the country going to school and working for a few years but now he's back home.  In this episode we talk about Jeremy's journey to this point in his life and growing up in Mt. Holly. 

Kyle is a professional bowler from Taylorsville, NC.  He has won five PBA titles in his career (two this year) and is currently ranked 3rd in the PBA Player of the Year standings.  In 2019 he bowled internationally for team USA.  

Stewart and I played basketball together at East Gaston and we have remained close friends over the last 25 years.  Stewart scored over 1000 points at East Gaston and went on to have a successful basketball career at UNCW.  During this episode we discuss Stewart's basketball journey, from the low points to the highest of high points.