Brent Offenberger Built These Trucks from Real Cannon Mills Lumber | EP 62

Brent Offenberger is a Kannapolis master plumber and elite craftsman who builds heirloom-quality wooden trucks and excavators — many of them from actual Cannon Mills lumber he salvaged the day they demolished the mill.

In EP 62 of K-Town Connection, the Rough Talk Cousins (Chris Hughes & Ryan Dayvault) and Chuck “Dr. Dave” Irvin sit down with Brent inside Dayvault’s Garage. You’ll hear how a kid from Ohio who grew up watching his dad work wood ended up in Kannapolis, became the master plumber at the NC Research Campus, and turned historic mill beams into rolling works of art that move, tilt, and last generations.

Along the way Brent shares the wildest collection of stories you’ll hear all year: surviving multiple tornadoes, a house fire that put him on the volunteer fire department, a hospital fire extinguisher mishap, a Navy helicopter crash rescue in the Chesapeake Bay that earned recognition from the U.S. House of Representatives, and the time his flying lesson made a giraffe pass out.

This episode is pure K-Town: real craftsmanship, real chaos, real trades talk, and real local history you can hold in your hands.

Chapters:
0:00 Hilbish Ford / Cold Open
0:35 Wind Chaos & Technical Setup
1:53 1960 A.L. Brown Co-Championship Football
4:05 Introducing Brent Offenberger
5:26 Ohio Roots, Family Woodworking & Moving South
6:48 The Day They Blew Up Cannon Mill – Salvaging the Lumber
8:00 Master Plumber at the NC Research Campus
9:01 Tour of the Heirloom Wooden Trucks & Models
10:39 School Bus from Guatemala Wood & the Customs Story
12:05 Tornadoes, Fires & Being on Channel 3
12:40 Navy Helicopter Crash Rescue & U.S. House Recognition
13:35 Detail Work – No Nails, Moving Parts, 100+ Hours
16:00 Cannon Mills + Research Campus Wood Together
20:45 How Brent Became a Master Plumber
22:00 The Hospital Fire Extinguisher Disaster
23:51 House Fire & Joining the Volunteer Fire Department
24:20 Flying Lessons & the Giraffe Incident
25:45 Why Young People Should Choose the Trades
28:00 Race Drivers’ Homes to Closing Reflections
30:00 Kannapolis History Lives in This Wood
31:07 Closing + Three for Dale
31:59 Carolina Pickleball Club

Recorded at Dayvault’s Garage – Kannapolis, NC

Hosts: Chris Hughes, Ryan Dayvault, Chuck “Dr. Dave” Irvin

If you love local history, skilled trades, or just a great story told by a guy who’s lived a dozen lifetimes, hit subscribe and share this one with someone who needs to hear it.

#KTownConnection #Kannapolis #CannonMills #SkilledTrades

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Hardee’s Biscuits Got Him Inside the Mills: Chad Mitchell’s Untold Story | Ep 75

In Episode 75 of the K-Town Connection, lifelong Kannapolis photographer and artist Chad Mitchell opens his archive of more than 25,000 photographs that document the demolition of Cannon Mills — the place that built this town. As the massive mill complex disappeared, Chad decided someone had to record what was being lost. What began as a personal mission became one of the most important visual records of Kannapolis history ever created. He takes us inside the abandoned buildings, shares how he gained access (Hardee’s biscuits helped), and reveals the stories behind some of his most powerful images — including the fall of the iconic water tower, a once-in-a-lifetime balloon ride over the complex, and the unforgettable photograph of his late father standing in the partially demolished mill, looking out at the rubble of the place where he had worked for decades. Chad also looks back at an incredible creative career that includes photographing Appalachian State football during its national championship years, serving as team photographer for Kannapolis professional baseball, working with NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity program, and creating artwork connected to Dale Earnhardt. His guiding philosophy has always been simple: Tell as much of the story as possible in one shutter click. Today, as a new generation grows up in a Kannapolis that looks nothing like the mill town their parents and grandparents knew, these photographs have become even more valuable. They don’t just preserve buildings — they preserve the people, the work, the memories, and the identity of a community that was forever changed. This episode is exactly what the K-Town Connection is about: preserving Kannapolis history by telling the stories of the people who lived it. 📸 Browse and purchase Chad’s photography and artwork: ChadMitchell.com 📍 Filmed at Historic Dayvault’s Dyno Tune-Up & Brake Service Garage in Kannapolis, North Carolina 🎙️ Hosted by the #RoughTalkCousins Chris Hughes & Ryan Dayvault, along with Chuck “Dr. Dave” Irvin and David Steele Chapters 0:00 – Intro & Local Updates 5:32 – Welcome to Episode 75 5:52 – Introducing Chad Mitchell 7:02 – Growing Up in Kannapolis 12:00 – How Chad Began Documenting the Mills 14:00 – Getting Access with Hardee’s Biscuits 17:18 – Inside the Abandoned Mill Buildings 19:24 – Over 25,000 Photographs 25:10 – The Darkest Place in the Mill 27:20 – “Lifeline” – The Railroad Light Painting 37:15 – Where to See & Buy the Photos 38:21 – Kiln-Dried Maple Floors & the Sign 39:49 – Baseball Photography Years 43:45 – The Dale Earnhardt Artwork 46:06 – The “Quality Work Means Job Security” Sign 53:45 – The Balloon Ride Over Cannon Mills 56:15 – The Photograph of Chad’s Father 59:48 – Closing Thoughts & Thank You

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