Clayton town briefs

Main Street awards

The Town of Clayton was recognized last week for the outstanding work of its Downtown Development Association and its Operations Center employees.

The N.C. Commerce Department's Main Street Conference named the operations center Main Street Champions at the award ceremony for the N.C. Main Street Conference hosted by the town of Clayton and run by the N.C. Main Street Program.

There, 30 towns were honored as 2011 Main Street Champions. From the downtown development corporation in Smithfield, across the state to the Downtown Waynesville Association, downtown programs were highlighted as champions of their cause: bringing downtown back as the center of community activity and commerce.

The Clayton Operations Center employees are responsible for everything from painting the no-parking zone curbs bright yellow to pruning the Holly trees, to keeping Horne Square clean and ready for events that they'll set up and clean up.

Clayton also won for best outdoor space improvement for Horne Square at Main and Lombard.

The town was also recognized for best façade rehabilitation for $15,000 or less at 126 E. Main Street, where Doris Parker and Herman Mitchner revived a colonial revival home as a Southern boutique.

Chamber awards:

The Clayton Chamber of Commerce 2011 banquet Jan. 24 honored Sara Perricone as the Full Throttle volunteer of the year and Cindy Nanez as 2011 Chamber Ambassador.

Mary Beth Roberti, the director of special projects at the Clayton Chamber, introduced Perricone by thanking her for the effort she put into the Harvest Festival, when its volunteer director James Lipscomb had a family emergency at the last minute.

"People always say it takes a village to raise a child. No one ever talks about what it takes to pull off a Harvest Festival, or Christmas parade," Roberti said before introducing Perricone.

Nanez, of Divine Marketing Group in downtown Clayton, was recognized as Chamber Ambassador of the Year.

Nanez is known for walking up and down Main Street in five-inch heels going door-to-door to meet new businesses in town and promote the Shop Local Clayton campaign. Or one might have seen her dancing down the street in sneakers and dance pants, leading a crowd of Zumba dancers from Clayton Fitness behind a boom-box-toting fitness float in the Christmas parade.

Specializing in marketing, Nanez said she loves being a voice for the chamber and is honored to have received the award.

"I love communicating with businesses and getting them involved in the community. This has given me the chance to meet some of Clayton's finest business owners and build strong relationships," Nanez wrote in an email after receiving the award.