September eases the heat off Lincolnton, and the yards around the courthouse square come back to life after a hard August. Holts Lawn Care works the streets in town and the places out past the city limit alike — mowing, string trimming, edging where curb meets grass, cleanup of what falls once the nights turn cool. Warm-season lawns here want cutting right up until frost, then want the leaves taken off them. It is plain work, done on a rhythm, week to week. The result is a block of yards that all look looked-after, which is how a town looks proud.