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Murphy – Downtown Development Director Laura Lachance presented a long list of events and activities the town is planning for the coming months during the Murphy Town Council’s meeting on Feb. 6.
Those events include:
- Spring Festival. The town council approved the street closure request for the 2023 Murphy Spring Festival, a free event for the whole family. From 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, May 6, Tennessee Street and Valley River Avenue downtown will be closed to traffic and open to people.
Non-stop music will be offered on a large stage at the west end of Tennessee Street. Food and beverages will be sold at food trucks. Beer and wine will be available for purchase at 14 or more booths set up by local brewers and vintners. Arts and crafts vendors will line the street and kids’ activities will be available for the whole family.
- Third Thursday of the Month. The town council approved the street closure request for the Third Thursday series of events that will take place downtown. Third Thursday is a new series of events hosted by Murphy Main Street on the third Thursday of the month from 5-8 p.m. May through September.
Third Thursday will be an opportunity for residents and visitors to enjoy a mini-street event downtown that will include food trucks, beverages and music. In addition, retail shops will stay open for evening shopping.
- Murphy Music & Brews. The town council approved the street closure request for Murphy Music & Brews, a one-of-a-kind charity concert event taking place Saturday, April 22. This event will bring live music, craft beer and wine, and food trucks together for a cause.
Proceeds of this event will be donated to Shepherd’s Men to assist with its mission to advocate and raise resources for the SHARE Military Initiative at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta. In addition to the money collected through ticket sales, all vendors will donate a percentage of their revenue from the event to Shepherd’s Men.
- Town enhancements. Murphy is constructing a 200-foot boardwalk at the end of the Fishermen’s Loop of the Murphy River Walk, with the goal of making it accessible to users year-round. Kephart Construction was the low bid at $36,260. Work will be completed before May 2023. American Rescue Plan Act funding is paying for the construction.
- Streetscape Grant Project Fund Approval. The town council approved a project ordinance to accommodate a $665,000 streetscape grant from the N.C. Department of Commerce. The project will re-create the four downtown pocket parks into a town square. The $665,000 grant requires no match from the town.