Town of Rocky Mount celebrates 150 years

ROCKY MOUNT, Va. (WDBJ) - It was a special day in downtown Rocky Mount Friday, as the community gathered at The Depot Welcome Center to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the founding of the town.

“The Depot Welcome Center, which is one of the oldest buildings in town, it’s where they used to load freight onto the railroad, and Rocky Mount’s a railroad town, just like much of the Roanoke region. The railroad is a big reason why the town expanded as much as it did. So it’s fitting to be here at the depot to celebrate our 150th anniversary,” said Daniel Pinard, the cultural and economic development director for the town.

Sharing the long and proud history of Rocky Mount wasn’t the only reason for the gathering, Town leaders announced throughout the rest of the year, there will be events highlighting the history and celebrating it as well.

“It’s also an opportunity to unveil to the community, what we’re planning over the next 12 months, because we do have a year of a lot of celebrations. We plan to reach out to every part of our community, we want every part of our history of to be told.”

One of the announcements was for “150Fest” which will be a music festival in September.

“We’re planning a music festival, focused on local music to Franklin County and Rocky Mount. That’s going to be September 30. We’re shutting down the streets in downtown Rocky Mount, we’re going to have five stages through town.”

For more information on upcoming events in Rocky Mount, head to the Town’s Facebook page here.

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