Did you know that Main Street used to be a 2-way street? It was only temporary but it was so popular that local residents and business owners considered making the change permanent. When the City of Lexington made the push to bury electrical lines, repave the streets downtown and put in a new storm drain system and sidewalks, some major streets were obviously closed for the work. This led to drivers going both ways down Main Street.
The project was a drastic change for the town and culminated in a celebration to commemorate the time, work, and community effort that went into it: Restoration Day. A special edition of The News-Gazette was printed, with a color photo on the front page. The issue featured photos of the project's process, before and after photos of old downtown, the histories of some of downtown’s historical buildings and ads from local businesses and organizations. There were also interviews with local residents who tell of the history of the town and their thoughts on the restoration.
This week’s flashback features the entire special edition from October 20, 1976. Additionally, a few photos from the celebration are included from the October 27th issue of The News-Gazette.
The front page stories on Oct. 20, 1976 were:
- A word from The News-Gazette about the special edition.
- A story about the plan to repave the downtown streets and all that it included.
- A prediction of the turn out for the Restoration Day celebration to be held on Friday Oct. 22 and Saturday Oct. 23.
- The schedule of festivities for that weekend, including an all-day bake sale on Saturday.
- An interview with Curtis Humphries, recounting how the town has changed over the years.
Enjoy this special issue of The News-Gazette. Be sure to look for the ad about the "Community Weigh-In" which gave prizes to the heaviest man and woman, courtesy of Rockbridge Farmers Coop, the photo of The Queen of Lexington cutting the ribbon to reopen the streets on Restoration Day, the photos of brick-layers paving the sidewalks, and a man playing an ancient fiddle!
From the October 27, 1976 issue of The News-Gazette:
