Traffic jams in downtown Cherryville are about as rare as lightning bugs in December, but a pretty good one developed Thursday afternoon.

No, it wasn’t the fried chicken special at Home Folks Restaurant which led to the brief traffic snarl, it was the grand opening of the YMCA’s new location at 215 N. Mountain St., just up the sidewalk from the Beam Truck Museum.

"Amazing,” said Gaston County YMCA CEO Sharon Padgett as she watched the crowd gathering. “What a great day for the Y and what a great day for Cherryville.”

The Cherryville Y had been in a small storefront location on Main Street since 2003.

The new location is in an older brick building which decades ago housed the only Chrysler-Plymouth dealership in Gaston County.

The building’s owner, developer Patrick O’Leary, totally refurbished the facility, providing space for a comprehensive gym and for exercise classrooms.

“This YMCA will be very important to the community of Cherryville and to our daily life,” O’Leary said in addressing the crowd. “The building’s interior now has an edgy, urban feel. And I’m proud to say that all the vendors involved in the renovations were local. Every dollar spent was local.”

Cherryville Mayor H.L. Beam noted with pride the size of the crowd turned out for the grand opening and said the new facility is, “absolutely state of the art and absolutely beautiful.”

In her remarks, Padgett praised Cherryville for the “spirit of cooperation” which made the new Y possible, speaking especially of the efforts of O’Leary and of real estate agent Vickie Spurling.

The opening ceremonies concluded with the presentation of a check for $53,910.63 to the Cherryville Y by Home Trust Bank.

Bill Poteat may be reached at 828-488-0195 or bpoteat@gastongazette.com.