MURFREESBORO — January 6 marked 225 years since Murfreesboro became a town.

On Thursday, an event is planned to celebrate the community’s milestone. In 1787, the town was chartered by the General Assembly.

The Town of Murfreesboro’s Birthday Celebration, sponsored by the town along with the Murfreesboro Chamber of Commerce, will feature speakers as well as a reception.

Lt. Governor Walter Dalton will be the keynote speaker at a program beginning at 2 p.m. at Chowan University’s Turner Auditorium. In addition to Dalton speaking, portions of the town’s charter will be read aloud.

A reception will follow the program at Hertford Academy located on Broad Street across from the Murfree Center.

Murfreesboro Mayor John Hinton said instead of waiting for the 250 mark, officials decided to fast forward on celebrating.

“We decided we wanted to promote and get interest in the town,” he said.

Hinton said the public is invited to attend both events.

“We really want the citizens to come,” he said.