The Friends of Ironton, a grassroots group with an eye on improving and promoting the city, has eyes on 2006, but they'll be closing out 2005 not with a bang, but with a &#8220Yum!”

The group will offer a pancake breakfast Saturday at Applebee's in Ashland, Ky. Although the event had a mild response last year, committee member Jodi Rowe-Collins said she has high hopes for the second run which now has a Christmas theme.

&#8220I would like to see us make at least $1,000 for our efforts. Last year we had it in November, and this year we're bringing Santa,” Collins said. &#8220That's just my personal goal that I thought out.”

Tickets for the event will be $5 and are currently available from Collins, or any other member of the committee.

Funds from the breakfast will be held to fund the 2006 Friends of Ironton events, a dance card which is becoming increasingly more full.

The Macker man will return on May 20-21. This year, the Gus Macker 3-on-3 basketball tournament helped fill the coffers of the Friends, as well as drawing more than 700 players to the city.

The organization will also participate in the Ironton Memorial Day Parade on May 29 with a float to help advertise its upcoming events.

The first of those events after the parade is slated to be the third annual Rally on the River, Aug. 17 – 20. The second iteration of the motorcycle event drew crowds estimated between 10,000 and 12,000.

The biggest new event for the group will be an Oktoberfest to be held on Sept. 30. The friends hope to offer traditional German music, crafts, activities for all ages and possibly even fireworks.

Looking even further into the future, the Friends of Ironton have begun a little planning for 2007, contacting the Harlem Globetrotters about the possibility of Ironton hosting one of their events.

Although the different activities the Friends have planned may not seem very similar, they all have the same goal: To bring to new faces to the city to allow them to see what Ironton has to offer.

&#8220What we want is for the community to look at our group as spearheading getting Ironton in the right direction,” Collins said. &#8220That's our main thing, to bring people in, let them spend money here, from gas stations to restaurants to whatever. That's our whole reason for being.”