This Thursday downtown Mount Airy will fill with Donna Fargo fans for the dedication of North Carolina Highway 103 as the Donna Fargo Highway.

Being billed as the “Happiest Road in the Whole USA” after Fargo’s hit song “The Happiest Girl in the Whole USA,” the road near where she spent her childhood will forever bear her name. The highway dedication will start at 11 a.m. in a city parking lot between Brannock & Hiatt and the Old North State Winery.

Ann Vaughn, executive director of the Gilmer-Smith Foundation, and longtime friend of Fargo’s, has worked to have the highway dedicated in Fargo’s honor. She said the city should expect a large crowd for the dedication and for the rest of the day’s activities.

“I am definitely anticipating a great turn-out. A media advisory went out from the governor’s office Wednesday to 400 media outlets across the state and the nation. We will have everything from TV stations, to radio stations to newspapers. We are anticipating a large crowd, so we are telling everyone that there is limited seating. We are encouraging people to bring their own lawn chairs,” Vaughn said.

At 12 p.m. there will be a ribbon cutting for the Donna Fargo Exhibit at the Mount Airy Museum of Regional History.

From 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. there will be an autograph session with Donna Fargo at the museum.

There will be a public reception and music in the old Workforce Carolina parking lot from 12:30 to 5 p.m. with music and food. Local radio personalities Kelly Epperson and Deborah Cochran will be emceeing that event. Musical guests include Stevie Barr and Friends of Galax, Va., Larry Davis from Asheboro and the Nunn Brothers from Westfield.

On Friday, Fargo will be signing autographs from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Windows on Main at the Main-Oak Emporium. Fans will have their last opportunity, during Fargo’s visit in town, to get an autograph from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Mount Airy Public Library in conjunction with Pages bookstore.

“It’s going to be fabulous. We’ve had an unbelievable number of businesses and agencies that have come together to help sponsor this. I want to say how wonderful the Department of Transportation and Karen Bolden, their events planner, have been...(they have) just done an outstanding job of coordinating everything with our area police department and public works. I can’t say enough great things about them,” Vaughn said.

Vaughn said the N.C. Department of Correction has been helping by cleaning up the highway before the big day arrives.

“The Surry County Appearance Commission also has done an outstanding job and they’ve even held a clean-up session to get the highway in good shape for this event.”

After months of preparation, Vaughn said the event will honor Donna Fargo for all of her achievements.

“It’s going to be a wonderful tribute to Donna. A great event for the city of Mount Airy and Surry County and for the regional museum. So hopefully all of those things combined will be a great boost to the economy of the area,” Vaughn said.

She said a great many of Fargo’s fans are coming to Mount Airy from all over the United States, some from as far away as California.

“We are expecting a great crowd and we are expecting this to be a great tribute to Mount Airy’s own sweetheart.”

Contact Mondee Tilley at mtilley@mtairynews.com or at 719-1930.