Turkey Day means food, family and football – but it also means closings and scheduling changes.

Wednesday, November 24, 1999

Turkey Day means food, family and football – but it also means closings and scheduling changes.

Instead of waiting until the last minute for that stick of butter or gallon of milk, local grocers say getting shopping done early is the best bet.

But, some groceries will remain open throughout the holiday rush.

In Proctorville, Kroger’s on Ohio 7 will keep its doors open 24 hours, while in Ironton, Tipton’s shoppers will need to finish up Wednesday. Tipton’s Foodland will close for Thanksgiving.

Bartram and Sons Grocery also will close Thanksgiving. But, Ironton shoppers can go to Pick ‘N Save for a gallon of milk (the store will have normal business hours) or, they can drive up to South Point and grab last-minute items at Forth’s Foodfair, which will open at 8 a.m. Thursday and close at 2 p.m.

Andis General Store will also be closed Thursday.

Picking up prescriptions in advance also is a good idea. Staley’s Pharmacy in Ironton will be closed Thanksgiving, but will reopen Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., as will Rite Aid in South Point.

But, for last-minute headaches, Rite Aid in Ironton will remain open Thanksgiving for aspirin, or any other items, local residents might need this holiday.

Traveling extra distances to grab forgotten –  or suddenly remembered –  items might drain a gas tank. Area residents can fill the tank, and perhaps grab a few other necessities, at Rich Oil locations in Ironton, which will be open Thanksgiving. SuperAmerica in South Point also will remain open, as will other area locations.

Paying for needed items could present a problem, however, if area residents forget to go to the bank today.

All locations of Firstar, as well as National City Bank, Ohio River Bank, First Federal Savings Bank of Ironton, Lawrence Federal Savings Bank, Liberty Federal Savings and Loan and Lincoln Savings and Loan Association will close their doors Thursday and reopen for normal business hours Friday.

Shopping on the day after Thanksgiving is a time-honored tradition, but trying to shop for Christmas gifts Thursday might be a bit tricky.

Wal-Mart in Burlington will be closed Thursday, with plans to open as early as 6 a.m. Friday to accommodate the early holiday shopping rush.

Kmart in Chesapeake, however, will not only remain open on Thanksgiving, but will be offering a special early-bird sale that day, too. The store’s Thanksgiving hours are 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday and 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday.

Local garbage collections in the Village of Coal Grove and the City of Ironton will change to accommodate the holiday. Both areas will see their normal pickup moved to Saturday, while the Village of South Point’s collection days will not be affected by the holiday.

Village business, however, must get taken care of prior to, or after, the holiday. Chesapeake Village Hall is closed both Thursday and Friday, as is Coal Grove Village Hall.

Ironton city offices are closed both Thursday and Friday, while city services will be stopped Thursday but resume Friday.

South Point Village Hall and Proctorville Village Hall both are closed Thursday but will reopen Friday.

And finally, although snow, sleet and rain cannot keep the mail away, it seems that turkey can and will.

The United States Postal Service offices countywide will be closed Thursday, and mail delivery will resume Friday. Offices will also reopen Friday.