MOUNT VERNON – An official Christmas lighting of the Public Square will be held at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 26.
Mount Vernon Mayor Matt Starr said the annual Christmas parade is scheduled at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 27. The parade will start at North Main Street, heading downtown to cross Chestnut Street. It then goes around the Public Square and down South Main Street.
As of Friday afternoon, 50 floats had registered to participate in the holiday parade, he said. Experience Mount Vernon coordinates the parade.
Dumpsters, trash barrels removed for winter
All of the dumpsters and most of the trash barrels have been removed from the city’s parks, which have been closed for the winter, Starr said. Leaves in Arch Avenue, Riverside, Memorial and Hiawatha parks have been mulched. What remains on the ground will be picked up in the spring.
The city also reported via Facebook that below-freezing temperatures required Mount Vernon Nazarene University to shut off the water at the dog fountain at South Main and West Gambier streets for the winter.
This is the time the department starts its annual vehicle and equipment preventive maintenance work. They are tearing apart engines, cleaning the interior of motors and just digging in to do the work, he said.
The Mount Vernon Fire Department has kept busy with hiring three new part-time firefighters and started collecting toys for the Toys for Tots program.
Local residents can drop off toys for children at the Fire Department at 200 West Gambier St.
Youth Leadership Council chooses nonprofits to support
At the third meeting of the Mayor's Youth Leadership Council, its members chose two charities to support this year. They chose The Winter Sanctuary and New Directions, Starr said.
The Winter Sanctuary’s executive director, Julie Miller, and her counterpart for New Directions, Lori Jones-Perkins, spoke to the high school students about the different challenges and facts about their organizations.
Jones-Perkins also brought a couple of members of New Directions’ Teen Advisory Committee, who spoke about what they do. That work includes prevention education and building healthy relationships. The teens shared what are the signs to look for when a relationship is not healthy and how to stop those things.
Some of the Youth Leadership Council members also decided to help with the fundraising event at the Woodward Opera House, the play “A Christmas Carol,” and will help New Directions, which is moving its offices. The youth will help pack up the offices, load up trucks and then help unload them at the new offices.
It was important to this Youth Leadership Council not to start another charitable event but instead support and join in charitable work that is already going on and offer extra helping hands there.
Auditor Terry Scott gave the students a crash course in city financing and what the City Council and auditor do to make sure they follow the law and use auditing measures to assure that is done, Starr said.
Firefighter/paramedic Civil Service test scheduled
The Municipal Civil Service Commission continues to accept applications for the upcoming firefighter paramedic test, which will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 14 at the Knox County Career Center Café, Starr said. The deadline to apply is 1 p.m. on Dec. 9.
Applications and a job description can be found on the Fire Department’s website at http://mvfd.mountvernonohio.org/.
‘A Christmas Carol’ to benefit homeless shelter
The Winter Sanctuary Board and the Community Family Players will present “A Christmas Carol” on Dec. 1-4 at the Woodward Opera House. The event is a major fundraiser for the Winter Sanctuary, Starr said.
“This is the homeless' shelter, temporary shelter for people who are experiencing homelessness and still have jobs and they still have transportation, but they just don't have any place to live,” he said.
The shelter also works with another provider in the city, New Directions, when families are involved, he said.
