Mary Lou Musselman has seen stores come and go on Main Street in Downtown Mocksville.
The owner of Happy House Miniatures, she has been involved in keeping downtown viable for the 20 years Mocksville has taken part in the Main Street program – a state effort designed to stimulate economic development and preserve historical structures in towns.
Mocksville has always included festivals as part of its effort to promote downtown, and this year is no different.
The Four Oaks Festival will take place from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 8, with plenty of craft vendors and non-profits set up under the four oak trees that dominate the court square in Downtown Mocksville. Head just down the street to Junker’s Mill, and there will be music all day, from bluegrass to rockabilly, from country to rock. There will be a storyteller, games and crafts for the children.
And it’s free.
“People love coming to events downtown,” said Polly Barnhardt, owner of My Friend’s Place hair salon and Mocksville’s second Main Street manager after the program was started by Janice Schooler. She organized her share of street festivals and Christmas events.
“There’s something about that feeling you get walking in the shade of those oak trees, looking at crafts and visiting with friends. It’s a small-town, friendly feeling that makes Mocksville special,” Barnhardt said.
Linda Mace agrees. She was the Main Street manager in the late 1990s …