The Clayton Center

06/05/2026

What to Know Before You Go: Square to Square Street Festival 🎉

We can’t wait to see you on Main Street this Saturday! Before you grab your crew and head downtown, here are a few things to know before you go:

🎟️ Admission
This is a free event and no tickets are required. Most activities are free, including rides and inflatables in Town Square, face painting, balloon animals, and more. A few vendors will be selling items including tie-dye T-shirts, Farmers Market goods, food truck favorites, and snacks.

🍷 Social District Drinks
Enjoy a beverage from one of our local bars while you explore the festival—just be sure to ask for it “to go.” Please note: outside alcohol is not permitted.

🛍️ Support Local Businesses
Be sure to stop into our downtown businesses while you’re here! Shop local retail stores, grab a coffee, or sit down for lunch. Many businesses will be offering special hours just for the festival.

🚧 Road Closures
Main Street (from O’Neil to Lombard) will close at 8:30 a.m. and reopen at 3 p.m.

🐾 Pets
Friendly, leashed pets are welcome. Please be mindful of large crowds and noise levels.

🚗 Parking
Parking is available in numerous lots throughout Downtown and along surrounding streets. Please do not block driveways, fire hydrants, or intersections. A downtown parking map is available here: https://viewer.mapme.com/downtownclayton. Note: the Town Square and Horne Square lots will be closed for the event.

🎒 What to Bring
💦 A bathing suit or change of clothes if you plan to enjoy the fire truck spray down or waterslides
🚲 A bicycle, wagon, or scooter for the bike parade

See you Saturday, Downtown Clayton! ☀️

06/04/2026

Come see us and say "Hey!" at the Square to Square Street Festival THIS Saturday, June 6, on Main Street in Downtown Clayton. You can check out our upcoming schedule of events, enter to win tickets or a See It Live Membership, and score some swag!

The fun starts at 10 AM and ends at 2 PM. Don't miss this free, family-friendly kickoff to summer with music, activities, and games galore!

06/03/2026

Meet Patti Mormando, our part-time front of house MVP (that’s Most Valuable Patti)! Patti has been part of The Clayton Center crew for almost a year now, and in that short time, she’s become a go-to team player who’s always ready to roll up her sleeves and jump in wherever needed. Fast-paced environment? No problem, Patti keeps up with a smile and a steady hand.

Her favorite part of the job? Meeting the incredible patrons who walk through our doors in downtown Clayton. She brings warmth and energy to every shift, and when the day’s done, you might catch her winding down with some classic rock—because every great performance deserves a solid soundtrack. From making sure her coworkers have what they need to keeping our operations running smoothly; Patti is all about teamwork and dependability. We’re lucky to have her on the roster.

Thank you, Patti, for rocking it!

06/02/2026

Let’s hear it for three of the five Sideguys—players with enough credits to make your playlist jealous: guitarist Nicky Moroch, bassist Andre Berry, and drummer Sonny Emory.
Catch them and their bandmates, Alex Han and Mark Stephens, at The Clayton Center on June 26 for some of the hottest and coolest music you'll hear all summer

Nicky Moroch hails from a musical family. He's always had a guitar in his hands and learned to read music before reading a book. He's a diverse musician who has appeared on a multitude of recordings and soundtracks and has shared the stage with artists who include David Bowie, Madonna, Elton John, Lady Gaga, and Keith Urban.

As a student, bassist Andre Berry studied and played in jazz bands under the direction of Ducks Simpson and Woody James. He went on to play with the Busboys of Eddie Murphy’s 48 Hours Fame and from there continued to tour and perform with artists such as David Sandborn, TLC, Patty Austin, Tom Scott, and The Brothers Johnson.

Sonny Emory is best known for his groundbreaking drumming with Earth, Wind & Fire. But he's got a long list of pop and jazz legends he has joined on stage - David Sandborn, Paula Abdul, Jennifer Lopez, and Bette Midler. The world-renowned drummer and Grammy Award winner is considered to be one of the greatest drummers in the industry.

Get your tickets: http://tickets.theclaytoncenter.com/EZhw50Z3naB

06/01/2026

WE HAVE A WINNER!
Thank you to all who liked or shared our post. See the comments for info. We look forward to seeing you all at a show soon!
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WIN TWO TICKETS!
We're giving away a pair of tickets to the Sideguys: The Music of David Sanborn on June 26 at 8pm. The tickets are courtesy of our friends at Brightspeed Fiber Internet, proud sponsor of The Clayton Center’s See It Live series.

The Sideguys are the session and backing musicians behind the music — elite performers who’ve toured and recorded with some of the biggest names in the industry, including legendary saxophonist David Sanborn, Lady Gaga, Josh Groban, David Bowie, Luther Vandross, Elton John Earth, Wind & Fire, Bruce Hornsby, Steely Dan, Eric Clapton, and more. These former Sanborn collaborators shared his stage, studio, and sound, and now they’re reuniting for a powerful live celebration of Sanborn's iconic music.

To enter: Like and share this post. Winner will be randomly selected and announced on Wednesday, June 3.

Huge thanks to Brightspeed for supporting The Clayton Center and live performing arts in our community!

05/28/2026

Shop, celebrate, and support local! Don’t miss our Juneteenth Vendor Fair on Saturday, June 13, starting at 2 PM as part of The Clayton Center and the Town of Clayton annual Juneteenth Celebration. Browse amazing local vendors, enjoy the festivities, and make a day of it! Check out the full vendor lineup and complete event schedule at http://info.ClaytonNC.org/t3u150Z4X7I

05/28/2026

Today's Town Hall closure includes The Clayton Center box office and administrative offices. We will reopen on Friday morning. In the meantime, tickets to upcoming events are always available online at https://TheClaytonCenter.com/tickets

Clayton High School Graduation is this evening (Thursday, May 28th) at 6pm! 🎓 To help reduce anticipated congestion due to limited parking at Clayton High School caused by ongoing construction on the property, Town Hall & The Clayton Center will close early at 3:30 PM today. This will allow graduates and their families to fully utilize spaces in the Town Hall parking lot. Please plan ahead if you need to visit Town Hall today. Thank you for your understanding as we support Clayton High’s Class of 2026!

Congratulations, Comets! 💙

05/26/2026

Join the Sideguys for an unforgettable night of contemporary jazz, R&B, fusion and funk as they present The Music of David Sanborn on June 26.

The Sideguys are the session and backing musicians behind the music — elite performers who’ve toured and recorded with some of the biggest names in the industry, including legendary saxophonist David Sanborn, Lady Gaga, Josh Groban, David Bowie, Luther Vandross, Elton John Earth, Wind & Fire, Bruce Hornsby, Steely Dan, Eric Clapton, Bette Midler, and more. These former Sanborn collaborators shared his stage, studio, and sound, and now they’re reuniting for a powerful live celebration of Sanborn's iconic music.

Don’t miss this ode to a music legend performed by the players most trusted by the industry’s biggest names. Get tickets at http://info.ClaytonNC.org/N3x550Z4eur

05/23/2026

05/21/2026

The Clayton Center and all Town of Clayton facilities will be closed Monday, May 25, in observance of Memorial Day. Tickets to all events are available online at http://info.ClaytonNC.org/PzPM50Z2WXP during this time. The box office will reopen on Tuesday, May 26, at noon.