BY ROGER SMITH
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
INEZ — In a colorful Friday ceremony celebrating community action and pride, the Martin County Fiscal Court unveiled Umbrella Alley between the Historic Martin County Courthouse and the old jail.
Kicking off the occasion with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, Martin County Judge/Executive Lon Lafferty hailed the project as a testament to what communities can achieve together.
“Today is an example of what we can do as a community,” Lafferty remarked. “I’m very excited because when we come together, we can literally do anything.”
Although the project was initiated just a month ago, the commitment of community members quickly turned it into a reality.
Lafferty emphasized the alley’s profound meaning beyond its aesthetic appeal.
“It’s much more when you look at this than just a bunch of umbrellas. It’s what it represents—community action, pride, and the ability to work together,” said Lafferty.
Drawing parallels to the significance of the umbrella in various cultures, the judge highlighted the overarching themes of protection, dignity and progress.
“We’re just getting started here in Martin County,” said Lafferty. “At the same time that we’re working for infrastructure, we’re doing things from a community pride standpoint to show that we are involved, that we have a different way of thinking and that we are going to exude our pride in Martin County.”
Lafferty was optimistic about the potential impact of the alleyway on tourism and the local economy, anticipating it would attract visitors to explore and invest in Martin County. He said, “We want to show everyone else how beautiful Martin County is. We expect this will bring people in to see our county, to drive throughout the county, stop and spend a little money, and go back home and tell their folks, ‘Hey, there’s a lot going on in Martin County. You may very well want to visit there.’”
The judge noted a significant recent announcement of $5 million in funding for water.
“That has been and will continue to be our main focus—working for infrastructure for this county,” he said. “Of course, that leads directly to economic development, but community development is so very important. You can’t have economic development without community development.”
Deputy Judge/Executive Carolea Mills was the brainchild of Umbrella Alley. Lafferty introduced Mills, crediting her for her innovation.
Mills acknowledged and thanked her husband Eric Mills, Eric Phelps and Derrick Stepp for hanging the umbrellas and lights. She also expressed gratitude towards county road foreman Titus Marcum and his crew for preparing the alley.
“We have some awesome people working for us,” Mills said, adding the Martin County Fiscal Court chipped in the brick pavers while citizens donated the umbrella and lights.
“With this brick, I think we’re outshining everyone,” she said. “If we had to do this by ourselves, we wouldn’t be able to do it. It’s just as simple as working together and bringing life to downtown—taking something from death to life.”
The ceremony concluded on an optimistic note, with Lafferty proclaiming, “This is just the beginning; this is not the end with this project. There are many more to come.”