If you've visited Martinsville during the holiday season, you know about the downtown tradition of decorating the light posts within a one block radius of the courthouse square. Each year the city's Main Street Organization, Rediscover Martinsville, sponsors the program that brings out area families, businesses and organizations to decorate their own unique post for the holidays, complete with twinkling lights and a sign to identify each participating group.
Those light post decorations are typically gone by this time. The deadline to remove them is mid-January each year. But this year, if you're traveling through downtown Martinsville, you'll probably notice that there's one post that still displays cheerful decorations. What's more, that lone decorated post now displays glittery Valentine's Day decorations rather than the previous Christmas holiday themed items. So, what's up with that?
Well, that particular post was decorated by the family of a young local girl named Ava. Ava is currently battling cancer and the decorated post, which will continue to be updated as the year progresses, is a tangible symbol of the community's support for her fight. Thanks to Rediscover Martinsville for coming up with the idea to honor Ava in this way. Be sure to drive through downtown Martinsville as the seasons change to see the newest decorations on Ava's post!
In another bid to support Ava and her family, Martinsville's Bars on Fire Crossfit will host a Community Gym Day from 10 am to 6 pm on February 11. If you've ever wondered what a crossfit gym is like, or if you're just in that area that weekend and need a good workout, stop by for a variety of fun classes, a silent auction and tasty treats from the Waffle Whitch.
You can learn more about Ava, and follow along with her battle, on the Facebook page All About Ava.
