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***2026 MerleFest Campers***
Due to the WWTP Construction and to better explain what areas are considered the "upper portion" and will be available for the 2026 event, I have labeled them on the map. These will be mostly campervan and tent sites with almost no RV sites. I have also listed the unavailable sites here.
To obtain information on the request for proposals (RFP), click link: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/15a-aJ09li9sFFWGqjmk01n_I-RMhcBlz?usp=sharing
home > town government > wilkesboro's history > town council members & town clerks historical list
| Mayors | Year | Mayors | Year | Mayors | Year |
| J. G. Hackett | 1889 | J. L. Webster | 1899 | H. A. Cranor | 1941 |
| Jessie T. Ferguson | 1892 | Frank B. Hendren | 1899 | W. E. Smithey | 1946 |
| J. G. Hackett | 1893 | Milton McNeil | 1901 | A. B. Somers | 1953 |
| J. M. Turner | 1895 | John W. White, M.D. | 1903 | C. G. Bumgarner | 1953 |
| C. F. Morrison | 1895 | R. M. Staley | 1905 | Fidell F. Frazier | 1973 |
| H. L. Green | 1896 | H. A. Cranor | 1909 | Pete M. Mann | 1995 |
| J. F. Somers | 1897 | Charles G. Gilreath | 1921 | Normal Call | 1999 |
| Milton McNeil | 1897 | H. A. Cranor | 1925 | Mike Inscore | 2007 |
| T. M. Crysel | 1898 | W. E. Harris | 1931 | Dale Isom | 12/06/23 |
| E. M. Welborn | 1899 | J. F. Jordan | 1937 |
| Town Council Members | Year | Town Council Members | Year | Town Council Members | Year |
| D. E. Smoak | 1889 | B. J. Kennedy | 1905 | Arlon A. Triplett | 1947 |
| I. T. Prevette | 1889 | J. L. Webster | 1905 | Russell G. Pearson | 1951 |
| J. C. Hubbard | 1889 | A. L. Combs | 1905 | Robert R. Smoak | 1953 |
| T. S. Miller | 1889 | C. W. Carlton | 1908 | Charlie G. Bumgarner | 1953 |
| John R. Henderson | 1890 | N. B. Smithy | 1908 | William C. Gray | 1953 |
| Joseph Welborn | 1890 | Linville Bumgarner | 1909 | George Kennedy | 1957 |
| Elbert Wallace | 1891 | J. C. Hubbard | 1909 | James T. Kinlaw, O.D | 1957 |
| William McNeill | 1891 | W. W. Barber | 1909 | M. G. Edwards, D.V.M. | 1959 |
| R. M. Staley | 1891 | Joseph M. Privette | 1912 | Ray Stroud | 1963 |
| D. E. Smoak | 1892 | J. C. Hubbard | 1912 | Fidell F. Frazier | 1963 |
| J. F. Somers | 1892 | Nike B. Smithey | 1912 | Richard P. Absher | 1965 |
| R. A.Deal | 1892 | W. W. Barber | 1913 | Joe Barber | 1967 |
| W. W. Lenderman | 1892 | D. R. Edwards | 1913 | Joe H. Pearson | 1971 |
| J. R. Coffey | 1893 | J. T. Welborn | 1913 | Fred C. Henderson | 1971 |
| E. Wallace | 1893 | Charlie H. Cowles | 1915 | Glenn Johnson. | 1973 |
| Chrles H. Somers | 1893 | W. F. Miller | 1915 | Jim Jenkins | 1973 |
| J. M. Welborn | 1893 | Joseph M. Prevette | 1915 | John P. "Poddy" Horton | 1973 |
| S. J. Jennings | 1893 | Thomas M. Foster | 1916 | George P. "Red" Snyder | 1974 |
| E. M. Pardue | 1894 | R. B. Pharr | 1916 | Ray S. Triplette | 1977 |
| Joseph Lewis | 1895 | J. T. Prevette | 1916 | William S. Thomas | 1977 |
| Noah Parlier | 1895 | Carl A. Lowe | 1917 | John P. "Poddy" Horton | 1981 |
| Colubus Morrison | 1895 | A. C. Dennis | 1921 | Glenn Johnson | 1981 |
| Elisha Welborn | 1895 | Presley E. Brown | 1921 | George P. "Red" Snyder | 1982 |
| J. S. Cranor | 1895 | W. F. Miller | 1923 | Joe C. McMillian | 1982 |
| W. C. Winkler | 1895 | T. M. Foster | 1923 | Rebecca McMillian | 1992 |
| B. S. Call | 1896 | W. B. Somers | 1925 | Dennis R. Riddle | 1993 |
| R. M. Staley | 1896 | Norman O. Smoak | 1925 | Tommy Bumgarner | 1995 |
| J. M. Welborn | 1896 | J. R. Henderon | 1925 | James S. Hartley | 1997 |
| J. F. Somers | 1896 | William C. Pearson | 1925 | Mike Inscore | 1997 |
| W. A. Berry | 1896 | W. E. Harris | 1929 | Tommy Bumgarner | 1999 |
| David R. Edwards | 1897 | W. W. Barber | 1929 | Mike Inscore | 1999 |
| John W. White, M.D. | 1897 | Joe H. Pearson | 1929 | James S. Hartley | 2001 |
| Joseph T. Welborn | 1897 | B. J. Kennedy | 1929 | Tommy Bumgarner | 2003 |
| William W. Barker | 1897 | W. E. Smithey | 1930 | Mike Inscore | 2003 |
| E. Wallace | 1898 | C. E. Lenderman | 1931 | Gary Blevins | 2003 |
| Frank D. Hackett | 1898 | Claude Kennedy | 1931 | James S. Hartley | 2005 |
| W. C. Winkler | 1898 | O. F. Eller | 1932 | Everette "Skipper" Solomon | 2006 |
| J. M. Welborn | 1898 | H. A. Cranor | 1932 | Sam Stroud | 2007 |
| C. H. Cowles | 1899 | Joe Barber | 1933 | Jimmy C. Hayes | 2007 |
| E. Wallace | 1899 | Ralph Reins | 1933 | J. Gary Johnson | 2009 |
| J. M. Welborn | 1899 | L. B. Dula | 1935 | Nellie Archibald | 2009 |
| W. C. Winkler | 1899 | J. R. Henderon | 1935 | Jimmy C. Hayes | 2011 |
| J. H. Lewis | 1899 | C. A. Lowe | 1935 | Michael Testerman | 2011 |
| J. L. Webster | 1899 | C. T. Doughton | 1935 | Russell F. Ferree | 2013 |
| W. W. Vannoy | 1899 | W. E. Smithey | 1935 | Claude Andrew Soots | 2013 |
| C. H.Cowles | 1899 | W. A. Stroud | 1935 | Jimmy C. Hayes | 2015 |
| J. C. Hubbard | 1900 | W. A. Stroud | 1937 | J. Gary Johnson | 2015 |
| C. J. Cowles | 1900 | W. E. Smithey | 1937 | Nellie Archibald | 2017 |
| W.W. Vannoy | 1900 | James Lowe | 1937 | Russell F. Ferree | 2017 |
| J. L. Webster | 1900 | G. T. Mitchell, M.D. | 1937 | Claude Andrew Soots | 2019 |
| Rufus A. Spainhour | 1901 | Sherman T. Colvard | 1941 | Jimmy C. Hayes | 2019 |
| Milton McNeill | 1901 | C. E. Lenderman | 1941 | Russell F. Ferree | 2021 |
| James M. Welborn | 1901 | Paul Osborne | 1942 | Nellie Archibald | 2021 |
| D. R. Edwards | 1901 | Russell Gray JR. | 1945 | Jimmy C. Hayes | 2023 |
| C. U. Davis | 1903 | Tom Story, JR. | 1945 | Claude Andrew Soots | 2023 |
| W. W. Barber | 1905 | Johnson J. Sanders | 1947 | ||
| C. W. Carlton | 1905 | Joe H. Pearson | 1947 |
Town Clerks |
Year | Town Clerks | Year | Town Clerks | Year |
| Joseph T. Welborn | 1889 | C. U. Davis | 1903 | L. L. Lunn | 1937 |
| R. A. Deal | 1889 | R. A. Deal | 1905 | J. R. Henderson | 1937 |
| John B. Deal | 1892 | Buel S. Call | 1909 | J. F. Jordan | 1941 |
| W. C. Winkler | 1893 | Henry Reynolds | 1915 | J. R. Henderson | 1947 |
| Claude Y. Miller | 1893 | L. B. Dula | 1919 | J. C. Harwell | 1955 |
| Charlie H. Somers | 1895 | W. F. Miller | 1922 | Ima W. Holbrook | 1956 |
| Charles L. Shore | 1898 | L. B. Dula | 1923 | I. Dean Rhoades | 1971 |
| H. A. Cranor | 1899 | Linville Bumgarner | 1929 | Harold L. Rockett | 1989 |
| John L. Webster | 1899 | Oliver F. Blevins | 1929 | Josephine F. Cass | 1992 |
| C.L. Shore | 1900 | J. R. Hendren | 1935 | James K. Byrd | 2010 |
| Frank B. Hendren | 1901 | F. J. McDuffie | 1936 | Donna Rhodes | 2024 |
home > town government > town council > meet your town council
Mayor Dale L. Isom
Dale was elected to his first four-year term as Mayor of the Town Council in November 2023 and was sworn in on December 4, 2023. He is a graduate of NC State University in Civil Engineering and was Partner of Isom Ham Design Group, PA, and a past President of Spectrum Hospitality Management, LLC.
Contact Information: Wilkesboro Town Hall, 203 West Main Street, PO Box 1056, Wilkesboro, NC 28697 Tel: 336-838-3951 ext. 1060 Fax: 336-838-7616 email

Mayor Pro Tem Jimmy Hayes
Jimmy was re-elected to his fifth four-year term on the Town Council in November 2023. Jimmy is self-employed. Jimmy enjoys working on classic cars when he is not spending time with his wife Brenda, their 3 children and 7 grandchildren.
Contact Information: Wilkesboro Town Hall, 203 West Main Street, PO Box 1056, Wilkesboro, NC 28697 Tel: 336-838-3951 Fax: 336-838-7616
Town
Councilman Claude Andrew"Andy" Soots
Andy Soots was elected to his third four-year term in November 2023. He was first elected to the Wilkesboro Town Council in November 2013 to a four-year term. He is a retired Wilkesboro Fireman with 28 years of service and is self-employed.
Contact Information: Wilkesboro Town Hall, 203 West Main Street, PO Box 1056, Wilkesboro, NC 28697 Tel: 336-984-7333 email
Town Councilman Russell F. Ferree
Councilman Ferree was elected to his third four-year term on the Town Council in November 2021. He has retired from his real estate law practice in Historic downtown Wilkesboro. He is married to his wife Teri and they have a daughter and a son.
Contact Information: Office: 105 W. Main Street, Wilkesboro, NC 28697 Town Hall: 336-838-3951 email
Town Councilwoman Nellie Archibald
Nellie Hubbard Archibald was elected to her third four-year term in November 2021. She was elected to the Wilkesboro town council in 2009 where she served as mayor pro tem but did not seek re-election.
Archibald is a member of the First United Methodist Church of North Wilkesboro. She is on the Board of Directors of the NCLM, representing the 10th district, and on the Board of Directors of the Wilkes YMCA. She is married to Jim Archibald, and they have a daughter and a son.
Contact Information: Wilkesboro Town Hall, 203 West Main Street, PO Box 1056, Wilkesboro, NC 28697 Tel: 336-838-3951 ext. 231 Fax: 336-838-7616 email

Town Attorney John S. Willardson
John S. Willardson became the Town's Attorney in 2014 after the late William "Bill Gray." He is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he completed a double major in Spanish and Political Science. Following undergraduate school, he served six years in the US Army Reserve. Following law school at UNC-CH, he served as a research assistant to a judge at the North Carolina Court of Appeals in Raleigh before moving to Wilkes County. John is peer review rated "A-V" by Martindale Hubbell and has been repeatedly honored as one of North Carolina's Super Lawyers. John serves on many professional boards, including the NC State Bar Council, the Chief Justice's Commission on Professionalism, the NC Bar Association's Dispute Resolution Council and Committee for the Independence of the Judiciary. John has served on many local organizations' boards, including the Wilkes Family YMCA, the North Wilkesboro Kiwanis Club, Wilkes ADAP, Hospice, the Wilkes Art Gallery, Wilkes Babe Ruth League baseball, and Wilkes Flying Club. In 2010, he was chosen by the YMCA of Northwest North Carolina to receive its highest honor -- the Red Triangle Award--for his many years of leadership and volunteer service to the Wilkes Family YMCA. John and his wife, Ann, met while students at UNC, live in Wilkesboro, are members of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church and they have one son.
Contact Information: 206 East Main Street, Wilkesboro, NC 28697. Tel: 336-838-5129 email website

Town Manager Ken Noland
Ken has served as the Town Manager since 1999. Ken is a graduate of the Appalachian State University where he received a Bachelor of Science and continued his education, where he received his Master of Public Administration from the UNC-Chapel Hill. Ken serves at the appointment of the Town Council and acting as Administrative Head of the Town. Ken and Mary Jane have two daughters.
Contact Information: Wilkesboro Town Hall, 203 West Main Street, PO Box 1056, Wilkesboro, NC 28697 Tel: 336-838-3951 ext. 1050 Fax: 336-838-7616 email
TOWN CLERK- Donna Rhodes
The principal responsibility of this position is to work with the town council and other town boards. The town clerk position includes meeting agendas, meeting minutes, calendar coordination, meeting furniture setup and breakdown, data entry, correspondence, resolutions, proclamations, mailings, assigned board tasks, filing, certificates of insurance, employee appreciation, and town gatherings, among other duties. Donna is married to Tommy Rhodes and they have 1 child.
Contact Information: Wilkesboro Town Hall, 203 West Main Street, PO Box 1056, Wilkesboro, NC 28697 Tel: 336-838-3951 ext. 1042 Fax: 336-838-7616 email
home > town government > town council > code of ethics
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(Front L to R) Councilmember Russell F. Ferree, Mayor Dale Isom, Councilmember Nellie Archibald
(Back L to R) Town Clerk Donna Rhodes, Town Attorney John S. Willardson, Town Manager Kenneth Noland, Mayor Pro Tem Jimmy Hayes, and Councilmember Andrew "Andy" Soots.
home > town government > town council > schedule of meetings
January 6, 2025
February 3, 2025
March 3, 2025
April 7, 2025
May 5, 2025
June 2, 2025
July 7, 2025
August 4, 2025
September 8, 2025
(Date change due to September 1st, 2025 being an observed holiday)
October 6, 2025
November 3, 2025
December 1, 2025
January 5, 2026
home > town government > town council > responsibilities
Official Duties by Law § 160A-146
The Mayor and the four Town Council Members of Wilkesboro identify community needs and commit Town resources to meet those needs within the limits of federal and state law. Each member serves a term of 4 years, with elections taking place every two years to maintain continuity.
SPECIFIC DUTIES INCLUDE:
Adopt a balanced annual budget.
Set the annual tax rate.
Enact local ordinances for the welfare of the town.
Establish policies and programs for the effective delivery of town services.
Listen to the community issues.
Oversee long-range plans for the community in areas such as community development projects, land use, and town facilities.
Oversight of capital and grant funds and projects.
Make appointments to the town advisory boards and committees.
Perform numerous ceremonial duties such as the recognition of town employees, departments, board members, officials, ribbon cuttings, proclamations, etc.
Serve as liaisons to many organizations, including town government groups and organizations outside of town government.
Hire the town attorney, town administrator, and town clerk.
Beyond specific duties, the Mayor appoints particular areas of focus to each Council Member annually. These areas are generally tied to either departments or areas of focus. These appointments enable Council Members to develop a deeper knowledge base as issues arise.
The Town Council meetings are open to the public and are on the first Monday of each month unless it needs to be changed due to a holiday. A schedule of the meetings can be found by clicking here. All NC council meetings are governed by the Sunshine or Open Meeting Laws. These laws dictate the methods by which public meetings are conducted, and Article 33C, statutes NC § 143‑318.9-18 of the North Carolina Code define the law.
North Carolina mayors do not have the veto power over council actions. The mayor may or may not vote on matters before the council, again depending on the Town's charter. Our charter states the Wilkesboro Mayor can only vote to break a tie vote between the other four Town Council Members.