What time is it? Don't worry if you don't have a watch, there is a new clock in downtown Spruce Pine.

The Verdin Clock was placed on Oak Street by Spruce Pine Main Street.
Kay Goins, the director of Spruce Pine Main Street, said she has wanted a clock for the town for awhile. She got what she wanted. "It turned out like I hoped it would," she said. People driving by while it was installed also seemed to like the clock. "Everybody was going by giving me a thumbs up," Goins said.

The clock cost $14,225. Spruce Pine Main Street applied for some public arts grants and used some funds they already had to help pay for the clock. Donations are also being accepted.

Depending on how much Main Street can get in donations and grants, the city of Spruce Pine might have to help out with some of the costs. Town Manager Richard Canipe is glad to see the clock and appreciates the efforts it took to put in the clock. "We're looking forward to the end product," he said. The clock may look a little plain now, but that will change in the near future. Elizabeth Brim, a blacksmith of Penland School of Arts and Crafts, is designing a metal tree with flowers that will intertwine with the clock and enhance it.

Spruce Pine Main Street chose a less decorative clock so it would not take away from the artistic tree that will surround it. Goins is already taking pride in the new addition to Spruce Pine. "I'm very pleased with it," she said.

Donny Wisor
News-Journal Staff