Clayton Halloween Parade!

It was great weather for hundreds of costumed children (and adults!) in downtown Clayton for the annual Halloween Parade and Festival organized by the Clayton Parks and Recreation Department. A large number of downtown businesses provided the treats for everyone on a "closed-to-traffic" Main Street between Lombard St and Fayetteville St.

Here are some random pictures of all the festivities and costumes today.

WRAL-TV News Anchor Lynda Loveland Special Guest at Clayton’s “Live Christmas Village” on November 29

The Downtown Development Association has announced that WRAL-TV news anchor, Lynda Loveland will be a special guest and participant in several activities during the November 29 event. Ms Loveland will announce the Storefront Decoration Contest winners, as well as visit various open houses and enjoy the student performances along Main Street. Along with Mayor Jody McLeod, she will also perform the actual Town Tree Lighting at Town Square at 8:30 pm.

Ms. Loveland has been the morning news anchor at WRAL-TV in Raleigh since 1998. She is a Missouri native and attended college in Texas. She has always been a big sports fan, and loves to play basketball and volleyball when she gets the time. She has also earned a deputy black belt in tae kwon do. She and her husband have three children: Campbell, Caiden and the most recent addition, Carys. She said she is looking forward to being in Clayton, “It sounds like you have a great event planned and I’m excited to be a part of it.”

“A Live Christmas Village” will be presented from 6:00 pm – 8:30 pm on November 29and is being organized by the Promotion Committee of the Clayton Downtown Development Association (DDA). Dance and choral performances by local students and the Tree Lighting ceremony will continue to be a main focus of the event.

This event enhances Clayton’s traditional Christmas performance and tree lighting ceremony, by bringing the events to downtown’s commercial and retail core. The DDA is requesting that Main Street be closed from Smith to O’Neil Street from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm so a special environment of festivities and activity can be created there.

Performances by specific groups are still being arranged and a celebrity appearance will be announced soon. Activities include:

The Merchant’s Open House
Downtown Storefront Decorating Contest
Dance & Choral Performances
Pet Costume Contest & Parade –
Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony

For more information and schedule updates, visit www.downtownclayton.blogspot.com or call Lyn Austin at 553-4439 or Debbie Hammond at Fancy That Gifts at 550-2946.

Downtown Design Workshop Scheduled for Thursday, November 15 at 6:30 pm

On Thursday, November 15, the Clayton Downtown Development Association will present the “Downtown Design Workshop” led by Lauren Malinoff, Designer for the NC Main Street Center. The workshop will be held from 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm in the Poole Room at The Clayton Center, 111 E Second St. in downtown Clayton.

The workshop will cover a variety of subjects including restoration and rehabilitation; examples of storefront rehabilitation with before and after photos; signs, awnings, paint colors and lighting. Ms. Malinoff will also review the Clayton “Picture Downtown” photo display. 36 people roamed through downtown Clayton last spring taking pictures of buildings they liked and disliked and they were featured during the Main Street Vision Forum in April. Building codes and investment tax credits will also be discussed during the workshop.

Understanding downtown design is important to the whole revitalization process, according to Clayton’s Downtown Development Coordinator Bruce Naegelen. He said, “Good downtown design is not only a consideration of what looks good, but understanding why it looks good and why good design is effective in the downtown community.” Jeme Avent, Chair of the DDA’s Design Committee, said that this workshop comes at a good point since, “we will be doing more about the appearance of buildings and streetscape improvements.” She added that the workshop, “property and business owners will also better understand why downtown design is important in the revitalization process and learn more about what we should be doing.”

Lauren Malinoff has been the state's Main Street Designer since 1984. She works in the Division of Community Assistance's Asheville Regional Office, and has provided design services for all of North Carolina's 45 Main Street communities.

One additional benefit of Ms. Malinoff’s visit is that, the afternoon of the workshop; she will be able to meet with several property and business owners who are serious about wanting to improve their building and will provide some design guidance to them. If you are interested in this opportunity, please contact the Downtown Development Coordinator to arrange a time.

The DDA’s Design Committee is encouraging all downtown business and property owners to attend this workshop as well as anyone else with an interest in downtown design. It is open to the public, but pre-registration is encouraged by emailing bnaegelen@townofclaytonnc.org or by calling 553-1545.

The photo on the left shows Earp's Garage at 420 E Main Street in December 2006 and the photo on the right shows the same building following some new paint last month.

First Draft of Proposed Clayton Historic District Nomination Ready

Informational Presentation Set for Tuesday, November 13

The first draft of Clayton’s proposed historic district has been given to the State Historic Preservation Office for review, and is also available for review locally. An opportunity to ask questions about the proposed district is scheduled for Tuesday, November 13 at 7:00 pm in the Poole Room at The Clayton Center, 111 E Second Street. National Register consultant, Nancy Van Dolsen, will provide a brief review of the process of developing the historic district, and give a presentation about the proposed Clayton Historic District. A copy of the document is available for review at the Hocutt Ellington Library at 100 S Church Street and in the Town Clerk’s office at The Clayton Center, 111 E Second Street.

The proposed historic district is bounded by Fayetteville Street, Stallings Street, Mill Street, Lombard Street and Blanche Street and, in the first draft, is comprised of 207 contributing buildings and structures and 64 non-contributing buildings ands structures. The proposed district’s period of significance is 1890 – 1960.

In June, 2006 a proposed Clayton Historic District was approved by the National Register Advisory Committee for placement on the North Carolina National Register Study List. That was the first step in the process of nominating a district to the National Register of Historic Places in North Carolina.

Last fall, the Town of Clayton engaged the services of National Register consultant, Nancy Van Dolsen of Wilson, to prepare the nomination for Clayton’s Historic District. She had prepared the Study List application as part of Keep Johnston County Beautiful’s historical survey update of the county in anticipation of publishing a book on the county’s historic architecture.

Seating will be limited, but is open to the public. For more information, please contact Downtown Development Coordinator, Bruce Naegelen at 553-1545 or via email at bnaegelen@townofclaytonnc.org.

“Downtown Clayton Holiday Decorating Contest” Announced by Downtown Development Association

Two holiday decorating contests are being organized by the Clayton Downtown Development Association for the upcoming Christmas season.

A Downtown Storefront Decorating Contest will be judged on the evening of November 27 and winners will be announced at 8:30 pm on November 29 at the Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony at the Town Square. Award categories will be Most Creative, Most Traditional and Best Overall. A “People’s Choice” award will also be determined and announced at the same time. A “Grinch” award will also be bestowed on non-participating storefronts! All businesses and buildings in the downtown commercial district (Robertson St to US 70 between First Street, Main Street and Second Street) will be considered. Cash prizes will be granted to category winners: $100 each for Best Overall and People’s Choice; $75 each for Most Creative and Most Traditional. Winners will be announced a celebrity guest!

In addition, a Downtown Residential Decorating Contest will be judged between December 9 and 12 and announced on December 14. Categories will be Best Overall, Most Traditional, Most Creative and Best Neighborhood Block. All residential neighborhoods within the boundaries of Robertson Street to the west, US 70 to the south, town limits to the north and US 70 to the east will be considered. Gift prizes will be given to residential winners.

Anonymous judges for both contests will be from outside Clayton and winners and honorable mentions will receive certificates.

For more information, visit www.downtownclayton.blogspot.com or call Debbie Hammond at Fancy That Gifts at 550-2946 or Lyn Austin at 553-4439.

"A Live Christmas Village" is Scheduled for Downtown Christmas Promotion on Nov 29

A new concept for a traditional Clayton holiday event is taking shape in downtown Clayton. “A Live Christmas Village” will be presented from 6:00 pm – 8:30 pm on November 29 and is being organized by the Promotion Committee of the Clayton Downtown Development Association (DDA). Dance and choral performances by local students and the Tree Lighting ceremony will continue to be a main focus of the event. But, as Committee chair, Lyn Austin said, “The main focus is to bring the activities to the street and let people in Clayton know about the wonderful opportunities available in downtown Clayton.”

This event enhances Clayton’s traditional Christmas performance and tree lighting ceremony, by bringing the events to downtown’s commercial and retail core. The DDA is requesting that Main Street be closed from Smith to O’Neil Street from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm so a special environment of festivities and activity can be created there. “Although most of the festivities this year are concentrated between Lombard and O’Neil streets”, Ms Austin said, “in coming years the event will grow to include more of the downtown area.” She emphasized that the Downtown Storefront Decorating Contest does include ALL downtown businesses.

Performances by specific groups are still being arranged and a celebrity appearance will be announced soon.

The Merchant’s Open House – 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm – This is an opportunity for residents to experience what downtown has to offer from retail to service businesses. Many merchants will provide some sort of holiday refreshment, whether it is cider, soft drinks, cookies, and candies.

Downtown Storefront Decorating Contest - Winners of the decorating contest will be announced at the Tree Lighting Ceremony on November 29. Award Categories will be Most Creative, Most Traditional and Best Overall. A “People’s Choice” award will also be determined and announced at the same time. A “Grinch” award will also be bestowed on non-participating storefronts! All commercial businesses on Front Street, First Street, Main Street (east and west) and Second Street will be considered.

Dance & Choral Performances – Students from Clayton schools and studios will provide holiday performances, as always, but this time the performances will take place on Main Street.

Pet Costume Contest & Parade – Still in the planning stages, this contest and parade will take place at Doggie Do’z on E First Street! For more information, call Amy Hallinan at 553-5959.

Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony – Activities on Main Street will end by 8:15 pm as everyone will be lead to the Christmas Tree at Town Square. Several performances are scheduled, then everyone will join together for a candlelight carol or two, and then the Christmas Tree will be lit!

For more information and schedule updates, visit or call Lyn Austin at 553-4439 or Debbie Hammond at Fancy That Gifts at 550-2946.

CHECK BACK HERE FOR MORE UPDATES!

Ashley Horne Development Site Proposals

There have been a couple of articles recently about the proposals for the Ashley Horne Development Site (aka "Lombard Lot") at the corner of Main Street and Lombard Street in downtown Clayton. Here are the links. What are your thoughts?

"The Ashley" concept by the Lundy Group is on the left and "The Horne Center" concept by the Walthom Group is on the right

10/03/2007 Clayton News Star

10/10/2007 Clayton News Star

10/17/07 Smithfield Herald

New Clayton Promotional Video Online!

There hasn't much word about it, but check out the new Town of Clayton promotional video by clicking on this box on the town website - www.townofclaytonnc.org

Whaddyathink?

Kiwanis of Clayton Presents "The Switch" on October 11

Kiwanis of Clayton presents a free concert this Thursday night - October 11 from 5 pm until dark at The Town Square in Downtown Clayton. "The Switch" the Carolina's favorite party band!

Buy a raffle ticket for a chance to win prizes! Proceeds are donated to families within the community.