On Wednesday, June 17, 2026, Marshall was hit by a severe storm. The weather caused damage downtown, including a roof blown off a building. Street crews quickly came together to begin cleaning up the mess, which were the first signs of the care of our community.
A video taken Wednesday night, right after the storms, showed debris across downtown streets and sidewalks, with bricks and roof debris blown everywhere. The blue building where The Happy China Buffet is located sustained the most damage, with the roof ripped off during the storm.
Some storefronts saw blown-out windows, including one at Rudy’s Family Restaurant. Power issues kept the linemen working all night to restore power, and debris was scattered along Archer Avenue, including from the Marshall Public Library, the Chamber of Commerce buildings, and even the firehouse.
The most important thing was that, by the grace of God, there were no injuries. The citizens of Marshall, who live and work here, are thankful that no one was hurt by the storm. The downtown area between 6th St and Route 1 on Archer Ave and 7th Streets took the brunt of the damage. We had a remarkably quick response from our cleanup crews, who worked through the night and into the next day to get things back to as normal as possible. The downtown businesses were able to open quickly, and, of course, the community will support them and will continue to care and spend our time and money with our local vendors.
Our own Mayor John Hasten was interviewed by the local TV station, and what he had to say truly hits home.
“This is the best crew of workers I have seen for a long time. This is their town. They are the hardest-working group; we get a lot of things done, and this is one of the things that comes up. You’re not planning on this, but when it happens, you get it done, and we move back to what we were doing before the storm.”
The Mayor is right about Marshall. It’s not just a place, it’s the people. And what we were doing before the storm was enjoying life in this great little town.
On a happy note, Mother Nature didn’t stop the Annual Jeep Jam from happening. All kinds of Jeeps lined the street downtown, along with vendors and lots of attendees. Unfortunately, due to storm damage and trees that were down at the Clark County Fairgrounds, the Jeep Jam Obstacle Course had to be canceled for this year’s event. This was a bit of a disappointment, but it did not hamper the fun. Festival committee members said they are keeping an eye on the trail for a comeback next year and will reclaim the course sans the broken branches and debris.
No storm will stop our Friday night Farmer’s Market or the fun events planned for the celebration of our 250th year as a nation this Fourth of July. We are cleaned up and ready to rock this Friday and every Friday all summer long. And of course, we are gearing up for the big Red, White, & Blue Bash at the Courthouse Square downtown.
Lots of fun activities are planned, and the winners of the local Patriotic Porch & Storefront Contest will be announced. There will be live entertainment, food trucks, family-friendly bounce houses, and community giveaways, followed by a dazzling fireworks show to end the night.
Marshall is a town of resilience, pride, community care, and most of all LOVE. No storm can tear us apart or keep us from celebrating all that is good in our little corner of the world. So, for those of us who live here, shake off the “debris” and come celebrate all that we have. For your visitors, come enjoy all we have to offer, from great events to wonderful local shops and restaurants. You are always welcome, just leave the bad weather behind.
