North Carolina mayor finds hometown reminder in Tel Aviv
Canton, North Carolina, Mayor Zeb Smathers said he was reminded of home when he saw a milk carton in Tel Aviv with an Evergreen Packaging symbol.
By VICKI HYATT/THE MOUNTAINEERTel Aviv beach in the summer.(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)
BETHEL, North Carolina (TNS) — As a sign there is still a place for a blue collar mill town in the 21st Century, Canton, North Carolina Mayor Zeb Smathers talked about a piece of Papertown he found in Tel Aviv when he addressed the Bethel Rural Community Organization Tuesday.During a recent trip to the Holy Land, Smathers said he was reminded of home when he saw a milk carton where everything was in Arabic — except the Evergreen Packaging symbol. The Canton paper mill is one of the world’s top manufacturers of the waxed board used in milk and juice cartons.Smathers was the guest speaker at the bimonthly community organization meeting where he spoke about the “Canton Comeback.”The Canton native talked about his grandfather’s store that once thrived in town, but fell victim to changing times in the 1990s.“I saw my town change before my eyes,” Smathers said. “Canton could have gone the way of many small towns across the state that are no more.”The town struggled, losing businesses and downtown foot traffic, and it was devoid of any evening activities.“For years, people saw the can’t in Canton,” Smathers said.But the negativity has slowly faded. The transformation came, he said, when the town embraced its identity, a proud, blue collar mill town that set out to become successful and prove everyone wrong.“We started with a belief we would get there,” he said. “We had to be bold and laser-focused on recruiting business.”Thanks to a vision supplied by the town leaders that provided economic incentives for businesses, revamped the town’s streetscape and spruced up the recreation areas, there are new businesses downtown that offer dining, entertainment, unique shopping experiences and more, he said.
