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Events
FeaturedSpotlight
See events that will close Marion downtown streets this year, including Friday night concerts
Mike Conley
Updated
Downtown Marion will host a variety of events this year that will require the closing of streets, and that includes a series of Friday night celebrations and concerts on the North Block.
The 2024 Dia de los Muertos festival in downtown Marion.
PHOTO BY JOHN SACCO
The schedule of downtown events was adopted by the Marion City Council during the regular meeting on Tuesday, March 17.
City of Marion officials said a series of festivities will take place this spring and summer on every fourth Friday evening. The first will take place on Friday, May 22. The events will include live music at the City Stage on Marion’s North Block. The only month it will not take place is August because that will be the time of the WNC Bigfoot Festival, said City Manager Woody Ayers.
More information about the Friday night festivities will be announced by the Marion Business Association.
The 2025 Liver Mush Festival covered much of Main Street in
downtown Marion.
MIKE CONLEY, MCDOWELL NEWS
On Tuesday, the council adopted the following list of additional events that will require the closing of a downtown street:
Saturday, June 6 — Liver Mush Festival
Saturday, July 4 — Independence Day celebration and parade
Tuesday, Aug. 5 — National Night Out
Saturday, Aug. 29 — WNC Bigfoot Festival
Saturday, Sept. 12 — United Culturas Festival
Saturday, Oct. 10 — Mountain Glory Festival
Saturday, Nov. 7 — Dia de los Muertos Festival
Sunday, Nov. 22 — Marion Christmas parade
Thursday, Dec. 17 — Christmas Fest
Thursday, Dec. 31 — New Year’s Eve celebration.
The schedule of downtown events was adopted by the Marion City
Council during the regular meeting on March 17.
MIKE CONLEY, MCDOWELL NEWS
History
FeaturedSpotlight
McDowell County America 250 presentation to focus on Cherokee-settler relations in western NC
Mike Conley
On Thursday, April 2, an America 250 speaker event in Marion will highlight the relations between settlers and Native Americans on the 18th century frontier.
Cherokee storyteller Nancy Pheasant and Cherokee historian Mark Ledford will provide the Native American perspective on that period of American history. The presentation begins at 6 p.m. at the Marion Train Depot. The event is part of the McDowell County America 250 speaker series. It is free and open to the public, according to a news release from organizers.
Ledford is a member of the Cherokee Nation who lives in eastern Tennessee.
“The Trail of Tears is what the Cherokee are known for,” Ledford said, “but that was a low point — not the golden period by any means.”
Nancy Pheasant
SUBMITTED PHOTO
The golden period, according to Ledford, was the 1700s when Cherokee leaders visited England to negotiate land treaties. They traveled throughout eastern America as a powerful nation.
“They were great warriors and they fought. But it was just a simple case of numbers,” Ledford said. “They couldn’t stand against the size of the onslaught of settlement that was going on.”
Pheasant is a Cherokee storyteller and craftsperson who resides on the Qualla Boundary. Following in her father’s footsteps, she is a respected storyteller committed to preserving and promoting the rich culture of the Cherokee people, according to the news release.
This coming July 4, the U.S. will commemorate and celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The journey toward this historic milestone is an opportunity to pause and reflect on our nation’s past, honor the contributions of all Americans, and look ahead toward the future we want to create for the next generation and beyond. America 250 activities are being organized simultaneously on national, state and local levels, according to the news release.
For more information, visit the America 250 McDowell County, N.C. Facebook page or contact Madalyn Robinson, clerk to the McDowell County Board of Commissioners, at 828-652-2976.
Education
Top StorySpotlight
Meet the Rotary Club of Marion's Student, Athlete of the Week
Mike Conley
On Thursday, the Rotary Club of Marion recognized Macy Slagle as the Academic Student of the Week and Hayden Shelton as the Athlete of the Week.
The students, both from McDowell High, were introduced to the club by Rotarian Madalyn Gaito and received certificates from President Dave Watson.
On Thursday, the Rotary Club of Marion recognized Hayden Shelton
(left) as the Athlete of the Week and Macy Slagle (center) as the
Academic Student of the Week. The students, both from McDowell
High, were introduced to the club by Rotarian Madalyn Gaito (right)
and received certificates from President Dave Watson.
MIKE CONLEY, MCDOWELL NEWS
Slagle is the daughter of Steve and Nicole Wilkerson of Marion. She is in the 12th grade at McDowell High School.
She will attend Western Carolina University and intends to study elementary education.
Her school or community recognitions include making the National Honor Society and earning the Titan Award for cheerleading.
Her extracurricular activities include cheerleading, National Honor Society and being a junior marshal.
As for her interests, she enjoys reading, baking, babysitting, trying to make crafts, hanging out with friends and going on walks.
Shelton is the son of Darren Shelton of Marion. He is in the 12th grade at McDowell High.
As for a college or university, he plans to attend McDowell Technical Community College and is not sure yet what he will study.
His school or community recognitions include making Junior League, N.C. state champion for baseball and having a 4.125 GPA.
As for his extracurricular activities, he enjoys playing on the baseball team and working at Bojangles.
His interests are gaming, cooking, swimming and baseball.
Government-politics
Top StorySpotlight
Marion to replace bridge to lift station with $1.4 million grant from state
Mike Conley
Updated
Marion received a state grant of $1.436 million for the replacement of the bridge to the Clinchfield lift station.
Funding Coordinator Hunter Clark gave a presentation to the Marion City Council about the grant at the March 17 council meeting.
Earlier this month, Gov. Josh Stein announced the recipients of more than $24 million in mitigation grants from the Disaster Relief and Mitigation Fund as well as $16 million in grant funding to volunteer organizations active in rebuilding homes during the Governor’s Advisory Committee on Western North Carolina Recovery meeting in Marion. One of them is the money for the Clinchfield lift station bridge replacement.
North Carolina Emergency Management broadly describes the purpose of this grant program as: “Funding can be used for flood mitigation, transportation infrastructure resilience against natural disasters, and engineering assistance grants to local governments to identify and design shovel-ready projects.”
Disaster mitigation generally aims to prevent future damage. These programs intend to be proactive rather than reactive to disasters.
The bridge going to the lift station is a small concrete bridge that crosses a creek. It is located below the gate to the city's access road. The current bridge flooded during Hurricane Helene and often floods during significant rain events.
Since this bridge floods, replacing it is a priority to avoid potential flood damage and add resilience against future natural disasters. The bridge is currently in use, but replacing it removes the potential for damage. A new bridge that doesn't flood allows staff to access the lift station.
“That is the only possible way for staff to get to the lift station, and it also just so happens is the most important time to get to a lift station for our staff is when it is raining,” Clark said.
The plan is to replace the old bridge with a new one that will be a few feet higher and able to carry more weight. It will be more durable for any future disasters.
After hearing Clark’s presentation, council members voted unanimously to accept the grant.
In addition, city officials selected Cindy Randolph, a certified public accountant in West Jefferson, to perform the 2025-2026 city audit. Her low bid came in at $29,750.
City Manager Woody Ayers announced that the mayor’s task force on homelessness has already held a few meetings and the one for April will consist of visiting different places around Marion.
Council members also agreed to have a planning session on Thursday, April 16.
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Hunter Clark reports to Marion City Council about grant
