Burlington celebrated its 133rd birthday on Valentine’s Day with a touching vow renewal ceremony and a wine and chocolate walk, uniting the community to honor love.
BURLINGTON, N.C. — On a day built for love, Burlington celebrated twice.
The city, chartered Feb. 14, 1893, marked its 133rd birthday Friday with a public vow renewal ceremony at the Historic Depot Amphitheater, followed by a downtown wine and chocolate walk.
Mayor Beth Kennett led the ceremony, inviting couples, friends and community members to recommit not only to each other, but to the city.
“We’re going to have a vow renewal,” Kennett told the crowd. “Then we’re going to have a commitment to friendship. And then the third thing we will do is a commitment to community.”
As couples stood face to face, Kennett guided them through the renewal.
“I take you again to be my love. I choose to continue to cherish and honor you. Through the joys and challenges of life,” she said before concluding, “You may kiss.”
For Tamara and Joel Casey, the moment was about reflection.
The couple met more than three decades ago while Tamara was managing a coffee shop in Durham.
“I went in there and I saw her and I thought, man, this girl’s really beautiful, but she’s like too pretty that she’s got to have a boyfriend or a husband,” Joel Casey said.
He asked her out. She tried to cancel their second date.
“He cheered me up and during dinner, I said, ‘Didn’t you get my message?’” Tamara Casey said. “And he said, ‘Yeah, I got it. But I knew if I couldn’t cheer you up, it was never going to work anyway.’”
Laughing, she added, “And I couldn’t get rid of him.”
The Caseys will celebrate 30 years of marriage in June. On Valentine’s Day, they said their focus was on family.
“Today on Valentine’s Day when we woke up, the thing that we talked most about was our family and how much we love our kids and how much better our life is because we have them,” Tamara Casey said.
Nearby, Kayleigh Woodard and Trenton Selden are preparing for a wedding of their own in June.
The couple met two summers ago through mutual friends.
“We had a lot of plans to get some wedding planning stuff done, but we wanted to enjoy this weather with it being a nice day on Valentine’s and some time together,” Woodard said.
Asked what they love most about each other, Woodard smiled.
“He keeps me laughing, so we’re always having a lot of fun together,” she said.
Selden added, “She keeps me busy.”
The celebration was not limited to romantic couples.
Journie Roper and Sanaia Moore attended the wine and chocolate walk.
“It really shows the variety of love and how love can just be shown different ways,” Moore said.
She also encouraged people not to feel pressure on Valentine’s Day.
“Enjoy your singleness. It’s not a burden or anything. Have fun with it. Enjoy it while you have it,” Moore said.
After the ceremony, participants checked in at the depot for the Downtown Burlington Wine and Chocolate Walk, presented by the Burlington Downtown Corporation. The 21-and-over event allowed attendees to sample wine and chocolate at participating businesses, with the last pour scheduled for 6:45 p.m.
On a Valentine’s Day that also marked Burlington’s 133rd birthday, the city’s message was clear. Love can last decades, begin anew or show up as friendship. And it is worth celebrating in every form.
date: 2026-02-15 02:27:00
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