Not long ago, I shared an update on the redevelopment plans for Queens Landing, which are set to bring a fresh new chapter to that part of Lake Norman. At the same time, the two former cruise vessels that once operated there—The Lady of the Lake and Catawba Queen—have become the focus of an ongoing legal dispute. After the property was sold in 2022, the boats were left behind and are now anchored about a mile southwest of the Lake Norman Yacht Club.

In October 2025, Duke Energy filed a federal lawsuit seeking their removal, citing concerns over safety, environmental risk, and the possibility of the vessels breaking loose. The owner has pushed back, arguing the case belongs in state court and that there’s no clear evidence of current issues, and as of now, there have been no confirmed reports of environmental damage.

I’ll be honest—I do like seeing these boats out on the lake. They’re a reminder of what that area used to be. But it also raises a fair question: how long can something like that realistically sit out there, essentially abandoned? It’s not all that different from leaving a car in a private parking lot and expecting it to just stay indefinitely.

I was once part of a conversation between a waterfront homeowner and a Duke representative over a shoreline dispute. The homeowner said, “You’ll be hearing from my attorney,” and the response was, “Go ahead—you’ll be hearing from our 200 attorneys.” That pretty much tells you everything you need to know about how these situations tend to go.

Guess we’ll have to wait to see how it all plays out.

Rock the Park is back in downtown Mooresville, bringing another season of live music to Liberty Park. It’s one of those simple summer setups that just works—food vendors open around 6:00, music starts at 6:30, and the park fills up fast with a great crowd.

Here’s the 2026 lineup:

• Friday, May 1 – The Entertainers (classic beach music, R&B, and dance hits)
• Friday, June 5 – Sail On (Beach Boys tribute with all the summer favorites)
• Friday, July 10 – The Legacy Motown Revue (Motown and classic soul)
• Friday, August 7 – Yacht Rock Radio (smooth ‘70s/‘80s yacht rock hits)
• Friday, September 4 – Big 80s Tribute Band (high-energy 80s throwback)

It’s free, family-friendly, and one of the better excuses to spend a Friday night downtown. We like tp reserve a table outside at Savannah Oyster Company or Aqua Raggazza and listen to the music in the shade!

For years, I’ve been intrigued by this sign.

It sits at the railroad crossing at the intersection of Langtree Road and NC Highway 115, and I pass it every time I take my son to school. Beneath the standard DOT railroad warning is a small rider that simply reads: “Haunted.”

Naturally, the kid in me goes straight to the obvious conclusion- some long-forgotten train accident on a cold, rainy night, headlights flashing, a car stalled on the tracks… you get the idea. But Norfolk Southern has no record of a fatal incident at that crossing. Yes, I checked.

Regardless of why the sign is there, it makes for a perfect segue into a lesser-known but very real piece of local history that happened in the exact same area.

You can’t spend much time around Lake Norman without eventually running into one of these bad boys. After all, when a lake was built for the sole purpose of generating power, you’ve got to be able to move that power to where it’s needed.

These aren’t your everyday neighborhood power lines. They’re high-voltage transmission lines, and in our area they typically operate at around 230,000 volts.

From a real estate standpoint, there are plenty of homes around Lake Norman that sit close to transmission lines. Over the years, I’ve found that buyers usually fall into one of two camps: those who absolutely don’t want to be anywhere near them, and those who couldn’t care less.

I currently have a home listed on Lake Norman that sits roughly 400 feet from a transmission line. After receiving feedback from a potential buyer who was uncomfortable with the proximity, we decided to do something most people never actually do—we brought Duke Energy out to take real-world EMF readings.

They measured EMF (Electro Magnetic Field) levels directly beneath the transmission lines, throughout the yard, and inside the home. They also measured common household appliances for comparison. And to be honest, the results surprised me. I think they’ll surprise you too.

Now, I won’t argue that transmission lines are pretty—they’re not. But I’ve also found that once you spend any amount of time around them, you tend to stop noticing them altogether. More importantly, contrary to what many people believe, these lines pose no measurable health risk to people living nearby.

Before getting into the readings, a little context helps. In the United States, transmission lines typically carry anywhere from 69,000 to 765,000 volts. In North Carolina, the highest-voltage lines in use are 500,000 volts, but the vast majority of transmission lines in and around the Lake Norman area operate at 230,000 volts.

Additionally- while EMF exposure is driven more by current than voltage, voltage is easier for most of us to understand, so we’ll use voltage.

Below are the actual measurements provided by Duke Energy after testing directly beneath the transmission lines and inside the home located approximately 400 feet away. The lines run in front of the house.

For decades, the old Queen’s Landing property along River Highway was a familiar landmark on Lake Norman. I first started visiting Mooresville in 1985 and moved here permanently in 1999, and I honestly can’t remember a time when Queen’s Landing wasn’t part of the lake. From ice cream and Putt-Putt to Sunday lunches at Saragonis, it always seemed to be there — just part of everyday life on Lake Norman. Since its closure in the summer of 2023, the site has sat quietly, fueling plenty of speculation about what might come next. Now, the wait appears to be over, and the next chapter for this iconic location is shaping up to be one of the most interesting waterfront redevelopments Mooresville has seen in years.

The project is being led by Vitale Hospitality Group, headed by Gennaro and Susan Vitale. From what I’ve read, the group is investing more than $3 million to reimagine the property as a true destination rather than just a single restaurant. The vision blends casual lakefront dining with elevated nightlife, creating a space that works for families during the day and transitions into a livelier atmosphere in the evening.

At the heart of the redevelopment will be Vitale Lakeside, a ground-level waterfront restaurant offering a menu that includes seafood, steaks, burgers, pizza, and more. Plans also call for expanded docks, allowing guests to arrive by boat and reinforcing the site’s long-standing connection to Lake Norman’s boating culture.

The second floor will be home to the Bonnie & Clyde lounge, an upscale cocktail lounge with panoramic lake views. Bonnie & Clyde isn’t a brand-new concept. The original Bonnie & Clyde built a reputation for stylish interiors, great cocktails, and a lively social atmosphere that blends lounge culture with nightlife energy. The Mooresville location is expected to carry that same DNA, but with a lakefront twist where sunsets and water views become part of the experience.

Plans for the site also include a floating bar, rebuilt docks, and approximately 38 boat slips, reinforcing the idea that this is a destination designed to be accessed from both land and water. Vitale Lakeside and the Bonnie & Clyde lounge are expected to open as early as May 2026. And honestly, it makes me even more excited for boat weather to get here. It’s been cold and gray long enough. I’m ready for summer!

…It’s a shame that the Catawba Queen and the Lady of the Lake couldn’t be rescued from their watery exile and be re-homed here if for no other reason than nostalgia.

I occasionally get asked who the developers were behind communities like The Point and The Peninsula, with many people assuming that a “man with a vision” must be responsible. While that would make for a great success or legacy story, unfortunately, that’s not the case.

When Duke Power finished the Cowans Ford Dam and Lake Norman reached full pond in 1963, the company accomplished something far greater than simply creating a reservoir- it created a billion-dollar real estate behemoth. What began as a project to generate hydroelectric power quickly evolved into one of the largest and most influential land developments in the Southeast.

As Lake Norman filled, Duke Power suddenly owned more than 32,000 acres of shoreline and adjacent property that had been purchased for the lake’s construction and environmental buffers. Rather than selling the land piecemeal, Duke took a longer-term view. In 1963, the same year Lake Norman reached full pond, Duke created Crescent Land and Timber Company to manage, plan, and eventually develop these surplus holdings responsibly.

The name “Crescent” reflected Duke’s network of crescent-shaped lakes along the Catawba River, including Lakes James, Rhodhiss, Norman, and Wylie. In its earliest years, the company’s focus was primarily timber management and land stewardship, ensuring that Duke’s non-utility property was preserved and maintained. But it didn’t take long to recognize the potential for something more.

Interstate 77 didn’t fully open through the Lake Norman area until the late 1960s, which finally made the lake more accessible for Charlotteans (I think thats the correct term?). What had once been a quiet expanse of wooded shoreline and stump-filled coves quickly became the perfect setting for master-planned communities.

Crescent began developing select properties with a vision that balanced environmental preservation, recreation, and luxury living. Neighborhoods such as The Peninsula, The Point, Northview Harbour, Sailview, and others are all Crescent Communities. Each was carefully designed to take advantage of Lake Norman’s natural contours, deep water, and main-channel views, while maintaining water quality and responsible shoreline management.

In 1987, the company changed its name to Crescent Resources, LLC, reflecting its evolution from landholder to full-scale developer. Under this new name, Crescent became one of the Southeast’s most respected names in community planning, extending its reach beyond Lake Norman into Georgia, Florida, and Texas.

In 2006, Duke Energy sold Crescent to Morgan Stanley (bet you didn’t know that).

Today, the company operates as Crescent Communities and continues to develop residential, commercial, and mixed-use projects nationwide. Big master-planned communities are one thing but Duke also had a lot of individual waterfront lots to sell. And believe it or not, those early lots weren’t easy to move at first… even though by today’s standards, they were practically giving them away.

Crescent’s latest project is the River District in Charlotte, located along the Catawba River and designed as one of the most ambitious mixed-use developments in the Carolinas. Once complete, the River District will include approximately 2,300 single-family homes and 2,350 multifamily residences, along with 8 million square feet of office space, 500,000 square feet of retail, and more than 1,000 hotel rooms. The plan also includes 200 assisted-living residences, 75 acres dedicated to civic use, and 550 acres of open space (impressive), all intentionally designed so residents are within a five-minute walk to parks, green space, or trail systems.

With more than 30 miles of trails, riverfront access, dog parks, and outdoor recreation woven throughout the community, the River District is built for people who want to spend as much time outside as possible. One of its most unique features is a working two-acre sustainable farm, complete with an orchard and an on-site farmer, along with farm-to-table dining and other amenities planned throughout the district.

Chances are you have no idea of the restaurant I’m about to tell you about — but if you do, then I’m sure you’ll agree with my assessment.

La Michoacana is a newer Mexican restaurant here in Mooresville, located in the shopping center across from Walmart, beside HobbyTown. I’ll be honest — it’s not the best location from a visibility standpoint, and I think that’s exactly why a lot of folks don’t even realize it’s there.

In my opinion, this may very well be some of the best Mexican food in Mooresville.

The food is authentic, packed with flavor, and consistently good. Every time I’ve eaten there, it’s been excellent. Nothing watered down, nothing bland — just real Mexican food done right. Saturday night, they even had the Bills game on the big screen (not soccer!) with the volume up so you could hear the commentary.