MARSHALL, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Last September, hurricane-related flooding walloped Marshall, a small riverside community nestled in the mountains of Madison County.
The storm destroyed many of the businesses, homes and local fixtures along Marshall’s Main Street, which runs parallel with the French Broad River. Seven months and a colossal amount of work later, Marshall is ready for a comeback.
Marshall Magic Days is a free, weekend long celebration of Marshall’s grand reopening. Festivities will run from the ribbon cutting at 4 p.m., Thursday, May 1 to afternoon activities on Sunday, May 4.
“It’s going to be awesome,” said Kyle Clark, co-owner of Marshall shop Main Street Comics and Games. “Come to town, see what we’ve been doing.”
Signs of the storm remain in the small town. Buildings are boarded up, debris litters parking lots and more than a few empty La Croix cans were nestled into construction site corners.
Despite those reminders of the past, Marshall is heading toward the future. For every plywood-covered window, another was plastered with posters of upcoming events and QR codes with ways to volunteer. For every empty parking space, there were five people enjoying a late breakfast at Zuma Coffee or On Your Bike. Marshall is on the move.
“Yes, there is a lot of building projects that still need to happen that will be just part of our life for the next, probably, year,” Clark admitted. “But it’s still good to showcase, not only welcome back and see what we’ve done, but also to see what what we need to do.”
Clark and his wife, Avia Perez, lost almost everything in their shop to the flood. One way they’ve been able to connect with the community as they rebuild has been to host game nights for players of the “Magic: The Gathering” card game.
Clark joked that was where Marshall Magic Days got its name. But really, he said, Marshall Magic Days is all about celebrating the magic of the Marshall community, especially the broader community forged after the storm.
“I think, for me personally, it’s kind of harkening to the concept of it’s magical that this is happening,” Clark smiled. “It’s magical that we got to where we are. That we’re able to reopen. That we got support. That people didn’t lose hope. You know, all that’s magical, so let’s celebrate that.”
For a full schedule of Marshall Magic Days events, visit the Downtown Marshall Facebook page.
For more about Main Street Comics and Games, visit www.facebook.com/mainstreetcomicsandgames.
