Maybe you’ve seen them as you have driven across Cleveland County: those colorful signs towering proudly over the roadways extolling the virtues of Democrats and our causes. Maybe you’ve wondered how those billboards came to be. Well, it’s a story of teamwork that’s worth sharing.

It all started several years ago with Evelyn Morehead and BJ Zamora’s frustration over the way Democrats were characterized by many in our county. These two women came up with the idea of placing billboards around the county to shine a positive light on Democrats. After $6,000 in pledges to fund the project was secured by BJ and Evelyn, The Cleveland County Democratic Party was on board and billboards began to be put in place.  Before long, The Cleveland County Democratic Women, under the leadership of Joyce Gladstone, jumped on the billboard fundraising bandwagon taking those efforts to a whole new level. Possibilities were on their way to being realized!

So many have contributed their time, talents, and, financial resources. Joyce Gladstone has led the way with fundraising. Evelyn Morehead, BJ Zamora, Michelle Roberts, and the Billboard Committee have contributed in so many ways. Pam Harmon has worked tirelessly securing sign locations, creating designs, and leading the Billboard Committee meetings, and has been the driving force behind the finished designs you see as you drive through Cleveland County. This project has truly been a team effort!

Last year the Cleveland County Democratic Party established four emphases for our party.  Two of these are BRANDING and VISIBILITY. The billboards help make us visible and highlight our brand by sharing the message of who we are as Democrats, what we stand for, accomplishments we have made in the past and the hopes we have for the future.

Currently, there are five different billboards across the county. Four of these are traditional printed vinyl billboards that rotate locations every three months. Currently, one of these is located in Kings Mountain, two are on the outer fringes of Shelby, and one is located in a more rural area of Cleveland County. The digital billboard is located across Hwy 74 from Shelby High School and displays four messages at any given time. These messages appear on a rotating basis every two minutes, 24/7. Thanks to the Billboard Project, we now have eight different messages being seen in Cleveland County every single day.

The billboard project became a reality because so many contributed funds to make it possible. At this point, over $13,000 dollars has been raised. It takes $1,900 per month to keep the billboards up and running. So far this year, we have spent $9,578.33.  Our goal for fundraising this year is $30,000. As you can see, we still have a ways to go! We welcome your help in reaching this goal!