Tyler Wise, Debbie Roberts, Kay Raynor, Bill Scott and the rest of the Clinton Main Street Committee obviously had a direct line to heaven this past weekend, given how wonderful the weather was for Clinton’s first-ever Dinner on Main.
It was a perfect night. And the weather was only a sliver of the reason.
Under beautiful blue, clear skies, white tablecloths gently blowing in the breeze, just over 150 lucky guests — the ones who managed to work their online magic to get one of the hot tickets — were able to dine on wonderful food and share in a camaraderie that we don’t think one can find anywhere else around. It’s the friendships born out of a love for this community that makes Clinton and Sampson County so special, and that love was on full display Sunday night.
You can go to many extravagant places, dine on exquisite food in wonderful settings, but we would put Sunday night’s Dinner on Main event up against them all, and in our book, it would win hands down.
Beginning at our wonderful ArtWorks — where a social hour brought people together for cocktails and conversation, laughter filling the building and spilling into the art alley, where beautiful music only added to the ambiance — and ending after guests meandered down to the courthouse for a magnificent meal and more fellowship, Dinner on Main was a historic moment in time, captured in the hearts of every single attendee.
It’s hard to paint a complete picture of this perfect evening, or to thank all those who made it possible, but it is a night that deserves our praise, our gratitude and very loud applause that should resonate throughout the county for the next year, if not far longer.
We start with Roberts, Wise and the entire Main Street team, who made magic look simple, but we know the hard work and long hours that took place behind the scenes for months in advance. It started with Roberts’ vision and a group of volunteers determined to turn that vision into a full-fledged reality. We thank them from the bottom of our hearts for making it so.
Roberts, who envisioned the now deeply entrenched Christmas in the City for downtown Clinton, sank her teeth into this project early and brought an entourage of helpers with her along the way. Their love for this wonderful city and their heart for fellowship and a true sense of community were the catapult they needed to pull this evening off with great aplomb.
Then there were the chefs from Alfredo’s, Southern Smoke, the Farm House, Ribeyes of Clinton and Burney’s of Clinton who served a meal fit for royalty, working hard and alongside their staffs to ensure that every guest was treated as if they were the only one on Main Street.
And, of course, the ambiance provided by a beautiful evening and decorations made possible by Ranch QD and the Atrium Florist.
Our hats are off to each one for the blood, sweat, tears and sheer love it takes to give of time and talents to something bigger than oneself.
And then there were the guests, themselves, decked out in spring fashion, their smiles and laughter lighting up the downtown street. Without those willing to buy a ticket and venture downtown to break bread with friends, strangers and neighbors, nights like Sunday would not be possible.
Yet in true Sampson County fashion, a call went out and people jumped at the chance to be a part of something unique, to share in community, to lift a glass to a city they love and to laugh and reminisce with old friends while sidling up to new folks and welcoming them into the fold.
Dinner on Main, we believe, was meant to highlight the beauty of our city, to celebrate the best things within us all, to raise money for revitalization efforts and to shine a light on a community made stronger by the bonds forged, the bonds reinforced and the ties that bind it all together.
We thank everyone who made this evening possible. It was definitely a night to remember, one that will go in the history books and resonate within our hearts.