Murphy The town threw an extravaganza Friday night to celebrate its Main Street Community designation.
More than 100 people gathered in The Alley to join in the festivities. There were plenty of those, as several local restaurateurs donated food and beverages and live music for the event. The enthusiastic crowd munched on the free food and modestly sipped from the adult-only punch bowl.
Laura Lachance honored Rick Ramsey, Larry Kernea, Gail Walker Stansell and Karen Watson, who started the process years ago.
“I didn’t do this alone,” Lachance said. “The credit goes to people before me.”
Once the formalities ended, the party goers moved to the entrance of The Alley, which is between the Black & White Market and Urban Salon. The Alley itself is one of Lachance’s ideas to help invigorate the downtown area.
Despite the dedicated table and chairs, fairy lights and enormous potted plants, Lachance still sees room for improvement.
“I’ve got a lot of ideas,” she said.
The buzzing crowd stood behind Mayor Tim Radford, who held the ceremonial scissors alongside Lachance as they commemorated Murphy’s acceptance into the Main Street Community program.