Today (Saturday) we celebrate the leading lady in downtown Hamlet, who has introduced a wide range of events to the historic hub of the Seaboard since she became the Hamlet Depot & Museums director and Downtown Events coordinator two years ago.
Born in Montgomery County, Mechelle Pippin Preslar, quickly went from being known as Richmond County native Pat Preslar’s wife to a trailblazer in rejuvenating the railroad community.
Preslar graduated from East Montgomery High School and attended Meredith College. She received an associate in arts degree from Montgomery Community College and an associate in science in physical fitness from Sandhills Community College.
In 1992, she began her municipal career with the Town of Candor, where she remained until 2011, with 15 of those years serving as town clerk/finance officer/budget officer. As town clerk, she initiated and co-chaired as president of the N.C. Peach Festival, beginning in 1996, created and organized the first N.C. Peach Festival Parade and helped organize and name the annual Peachy Feet 5K Run. Additionally, she was a certified fitness instructor at FirstHealth Fitness in Troy, specializing in Beach Body PiYo and Les Mills BodyPump.
After leaving the Town of Candor, she continued teaching the fitness classes at FirstHealth and became the office manager at Sandhill Turf until her nuptials to Preslar in January 2020. Soon after, she signed on with the City of Hamlet and has been hard at work ever since!
Just last month, Preslar checked off a major task from her to-do list that she made when she was hired of renovating the gift shop. Thanks to a generous donation from American Woodmark and the help of another leading lady and recent feature in our series, Angie Averitte — who serves as the secretary and treasurer of the 501c3 Hamlet Historic Depot and is an active volunteer at the Depot — Preslar’s creative vision for the gift shop was actualized.
Preslar’s talent and passion for coordinating events that offer entertainment and excitement to both residents and visitors has been such a welcome addition to the community and reignited the energy in the historic railroad town. In the past two years, she has introduced and organized TGIF Food Trucks on Main, Yoga by the Tracks, the Classic Car Cruise-In on Main, Concerts in Main Street Park, Walk N Wag 5K, Hamlet Back to School, Hamlet Polar Express with Santa at the Depot, and the Hamlet Christmas Parade of Lights.
Along with managing the Hamlet Depot & Museums, organizing and planning events, welcoming visitors to the downtown area, and much more, Preslar serves as the City of Hamlet liaison on the Hamlet Business Development Association and as a board member on the Seaboard Festival Planning Committee. As the newly appointed Seaboard Festival 5K race director, she is busy planning the 38th annual race that attracts both residents and visitors alike to trek the course through downtown Hamlet.
Although her main focus is revitalizing the downtown area, while also preserving and showcasing its historical features, Preslar’s dedication is not limited to the City of Hamlet, as she has been a enormous asset and inspiration to event planning in the community. She is always willing to share ideas and support other initiatives, projects, and events in Richmond County.
Reflective of her involvement and support throughout the county, she was recently appointed as a member of the Richmond County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, is a member of Rockingham Rotary Club, and is a member of Leadership Richmond class of 2022.
Join us in celebrating this leading lady for her commitment to the historic hub of the Seaboard and Richmond County!
Meghann Lambeth is executive director of the Richmond County Tourism Development Authority. Republished from visitrichmondcounty.com. Throughout March, Visit Richmond County will feature a local leading lady in honor of Women’s History Month.
