Town Day returns to its roots at this 40th anniversary
Annual celebration by focusing on community service

SOURCE: Town of Davidson
In May 1971, Davidson Mayor Tom Sadler issued a proclamation designating May 8 through 15 of that year “Clean Up” week and May 15 as a culminating event: Town Day, the first on record.

The reason for the designation, said Mayor Sadler, was to support the efforts of the Davidson Community Council, a group of concerned citizens who spearheaded an effort to clean up trash and debris around town, improve the aesthetic appearance of Davidson and promote a sense of self-betterment and closer ties among all citizens.

This year, in honor of its 40th anniversary, Davidson’s popular annual Town Day celebration is returning to those roots.

While still packed with plenty of fun family activities, this year’s focus will be on community service, a concept that hearkens back to that very first Town Day event.

The event – which will occur on Saturday, May 7 – will be filled with a host of familiar activities. It begins as in previous years with the Davidson Cornelius Child Development Center’s 5K race and Fun Run at 8:30 a.m. Games, entertainment and food will be provided on the Village Green from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., including Davidson Elementary School PTO’s annual Cake Walk, the Library Book Sale and many other activities sponsored by local organizations. Davidson-area restaurants will also have food available for purchase, and the Davidson Farmer’s Market will be open during its regular hours from 8:00 a.m. to noon.

This year, however, said Downtown Manager Kim Fleming, Town Day will have a larger focus. In honor of the hard work of the Davidson Community Council and the numerous other residents, merchants and Davidson College representatives who worked to make Town Day both a memorable and meaningful event, Fleming said the town felt it important to return to Town Day’s original intent, particularly for the event’s 40th anniversary.

“We’re going to recapture the spirit of community service that Town Day promoted at its inception,” she said. “It’s going to be a great way for all of us to demonstrate how much we care about this wonderful community, and we encourage everyone to participate.”

Citizens, said Fleming, will have the opportunity to participate in several community projects: Spreading mulch and planting flowers along Main Street and behind Summit Coffee; picking up trash in various areas around town (garbage bags will be available at the Town Hall booth) and working on the Davidson Community Garden to provide fresh produce for the Ada Jenkins food bank.

Signing up to participate, said Fleming, isn’t necessary; interested citizens can simply show up sometime between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., either before or after taking part in other Town Day activities.

In keeping with the community service theme of this year’s event, Mayor John Woods will honor several community service organizations for projects that have been completed during the year. The mayor will also officially unveil the new brick library patio, which honors Davidson citizens’ efforts to save our public library.

Local non-profits and community groups that wish to have a booth at this year’s event are asked to provide a children’s game or activity on the Village Green that they may use as a fundraising opportunity. In order to further help non-profits raise money for community projects, the town will not charge a fee for booth rental this year. Both printable and online applications are available at www.ci.davidson.nc.us/townday, or by visiting the homepage and clicking on the “Town Day” link on the left-hand side of the page.

For more information on the Town of Davidson, visit www.ci.davidson.nc.us or contact Megan Pillow Davis at 704 940-9602 or at mdavis@ci.davidson.nc.us. For more information on Town Day as the event draws closer, visit www.ci.davidson.nc.us/townday.