Hundreds of people gathered on the High Bridge Trail Park plaza today in downtown Farmville for the All-American Downtown Celebration. The event, which started at 11 a.m., celebrates both the renovation of two 1920s Coca-Cola wall murals, but the town itself, according to Coca-Cola Consolidated spokeswoman Emilie Nicholls. Jack Fralin and Best Best Arts of Roanoke recently completed the repaintings, which appear on the side of the historic Poplar Hall building on North Main Street and at the corner of West Third and North streets.

Nicholls said the projects started in a North Carolina town in 2011 and has since led to 32 murals being repainted in Coca-Cola Consolidated’s territory, including the two in Farmville.

“We weren’t prepared for the response,” Nicholls said during a brief ceremony at 11:30 a.m. “But this isn’t just about Coca-Cola, it’s about Farmville … about people coming together.”

Farmville Mayor David Whitus thanked Nicholls, expressing the town’s “deep appreciation” to Coca-Cola for moving the proposed 2017 date for the murals project to 2016 to be completed in time for Tuesday’s Vice Presidential Debate.

“I enjoy telling people we have a unique place in history, from the Civil War to civil rights and, now, the debate is an aspect of that uniqueness,” Whitus said.

Attendees enjoyed free soft-drinks, cookies and T-shirts; Coca-Cola also arranged for free food to be served at Walker’s Diner. Celebration-goers also enjoyed the antics of the Downtown Farmville Partnership’s John Burton, who dressed as Uncle Sam, waving flags and dancing. There were also two booths manned by the Virginia Children’s Book Festival, where more than one set of parents could be found reading to their children.

The celebration continues until 3 p.m. today.