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Jul 12, 2023

Fargo on hand for mural dedication

Donna Fargo (center, hat) is seen just after cutting the ribbon of the Donna Fargo Mural in downtown Mount Airy, Tuesday, July 4. Donna Fargo tells the crowd that they have more power and capability

Donna Fargo (center, hat) is seen just after cutting the ribbon of the Donna Fargo Mural in downtown Mount Airy, Tuesday, July 4.

Donna Fargo tells the crowd that they have more power and capability to deal with more than they think they can. She said staying positive has been a key to her own success.

Grammy award winning county music artist Donna Fargo speaks to her friends, family, and fans in downtown Mount Airy Tuesday, July 4. Behind her are Calvin Vaughn, on the left, her cousin, and the muralist JEKS.

Mount Airy Mayor Jon Cawley gestures toward JEKS before the artist makes remarks Tuesday.

U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx speaks to the crowd in Mount Airy.

Ann Vaughn, chair of the mural committee, addresses the crowd.

Before Fargo’s arrival, the crowd is seen milling about for the dedication of the Donna Fargo Mural in downtown Mount Airy.

Months of meetings, planning, and fundraisers came to a head Tuesday afternoon during Independence Day celebrations in downtown Mount Airy.

Mount Airy’s favorite daughter and Grammy Award winning country music artist Donna Fargo was on hand for the dedication of a mural in her honor created by JEKS whose latest mural joins those of Melva Huston and Andy Griffith in downtown.

Mayor Jon Cawley said, “Anytime we have an event like this there are numerous people behind that work hard behind the scenes and in this endeavor, there was a committee.” He introduced the chairwoman, and Fargo’s cousin, Ann Vaughn, who had been waiting for Tuesday to say, “Today I guarantee that Mount Airy is the happiest hometown in the whole USA.”

Although Fargo has lived in Nashville since the early 1970s, she said, “I still call Mount Airy home, it’s the best place in all the world to live.”

She welcomed everyone from Mount Airy and beyond asking the crowd to shout out where they were from. A mishmash of answers floated back to her on stage, to which she replied without missing a beat and gave her ready-to-go response, “Great place!”

“It would literally take a brand-new language to describe to you how very much I appreciate what all of you have done to honor me. The words thank you are deeply inefficient to capture the feelings in my heart space,” she told the crowd who stood beneath the blazing sun.

While she may have left Surry County 50 years or more ago, she said, “I am fortunate to have grown up in Mount Airy where lot of great Americans live. They have common sense, they love our country, and work to make it better.”

She thanked her parents for her upbringing and the many local educators who helped mold her. “I love my teachers at Flat Rock school and Mount Airy High all who inspired my desire to become a teacher.”

Mount Airy gave her a musical foundation by having “two great radio stations WPAQ and WSYD.” She recorded her demos locally at WPAQ and took them with her to California where she played them for Stan Silver who became her husband and business partner.

She is still releasing music including never-heard-before recordings made before the passing of her husband, and a new CD was released of 50 of her songs from her years as a Universal Recording artist. She joked, “So, I’m still kicking – just not quite as high.”

“I always had a dream in my heart, and I believe that dreams are God-given. The dream to be a singer had always been in my heart, but I was too bashful, and I didn’t have any confidence.”

She said that after meeting Silver, he encouraged her to change her performance name to “something more Western” and the rest is music history. She said, “Donna Fargo was born in 1972 with a song I wrote called ‘The Happiest Girl in the Whole USA.’”

Fargo encourages people to listen to their inner voice and follow their dreams because, “If you’re not happy, you’re cheating yourself. Don’t let negative thoughts get near you.”

“The creative spirit is so powerful, and everybody has it. Remember, if you don’t develop yourself spiritually, you’re working with only two thirds of your potential and that means you’re losing a third of your potential – that’s too much folks!”

“Follow your dreams and listen to your heart, do what you believe. If you just keep doing whatever, that’s what you’re going to get: whatever,” Fargo said, drawing applause from the crowd.

She channeled her inner greeting card writer and said, “Also, you can do more than you think you can, but you have to commit to it and do it. Start somewhere and go from there, everyday won’t be a skippity-do-da day, but you can handle it.”

Fargo gave a great deal of credit to JEKS for his talent and creativity and called him, “probably the most famous muralist and creative artist in the world.”

JEKS told the crowd, “I usually don’t get up to say anything after I get done painting – I catch a flight and go paint the next mural. But I want to thank Donna Fargo, Donna Hiatt, Ann Vaughn, the mural committee, and all the donors who made this happen. It was a real honor have the opportunity to paint yet another Mount Airy, Mayberry, superstar Donna Fargo.”

He added, “I travel the country painting murals for a living and never have I been shown the love and appreciation that I am shown in Mount Airy when I paint here. I hope you enjoy your beautiful new landmark dedicated to the happiest girl in the whole USA.”

Later at the Mount Airy Museum of Regional History, Fargo held a meet-and-greet with her fans for photos and autographs. The line was seen snaking around the museum out into the courtyard and spilling down Virginia Street.

Wednesday, the Fargo faithful assembled at Cracker Barrel in Mount Airy for lunch with the guest of honor and the Donna Fargo Fan Club.

Fargo told the crowd before the ribbon was cut Tuesday, “If someone asked me to describe what a blessing is, I would say this day… It’s such a beautiful gift for my heart and soul and for which I love you and I thank you from the depths of my being.”

“Thank you for your friendship and for every time you have ever supported me, believed in me, and wished me well. May God bless you all, he loves you and me. We serve a mighty God… and the most important thing you will ever do is to have a relationship with him,” Fargo said.

“I love every single one of you with all my heart and wish for you your heart’s desire.”