Walhalla “no longer pass-thru town”, says Whitmire

Bill Whitmire, state lawmaker and former mayor, declares that Walhalla is “no longer a pass-thru town.” Rep. Whitmire told the crowd last night at the Center for Performing Arts that Walhalla is a “destination.”  The occasion for his remarks was a celebration of sorts in which three men and one woman accepted the oaths of office to start four-year terms as elected city officials.  Municipal Judge Danny Singleton administered the oath to the re-elected councilmen Woodward and Underwood, to the newly-elected councilwoman Sarai Melendez, and to the re-elected mayor, Danny Edwards.  As explained to the listening audience, Whitmire is the type who likes to forsake the interstates and take back roads where he can gauge firsthand the vitality of the state’s smaller towns.  And, sadly, he finds many exude a weak pulse.  But Walhalla, Whitmire says, is an exception.  He pointed to the recent evening, after a drive home from Columbia, in which he detected a vibrancy to the Walhalla downtown.  Parking spaces were filled, and new businesses, such as Partners in Wine, were busy.  And so was, he said, the Center for the Performing Arts on a night when its show was a sell out.