Happy 40th

Sept. 1 marks the 40th anniversary of owner Steve Abernethy's Bar-B-Que King in Lincolnton, where Abernethy has kept the doors open Monday through Saturday since 1971, according to daughter Allyson Hancock. She says he's got employees who have stayed with him for two and three decades, and that she and her husband, her sister, Stephanie, and Steve's wife, Becky, have all worked stints at the place, known for its vinegar-based 'cue and cheeseburgers. "I'm just so proud of him," she says.