Christmas on Vernon happening, too

Today is the 10th annual Small Business Saturday, a chance for people to shop local and support the businesses in their community. Christmas on Vernon will also take place today.

“Small Business Saturday is always a huge event for the small businesses in Ironton,” said Ginger Gillenwater, the co-chair of Ironton aLive. “Folks get to come out and really support our businesses.”

And she said the event is fun and attracts many of the same people year after year.

“It’s fun to go downtown and see everyone you know,” Gillenwater said. “We do have a lot of loyal shoppers every year.”

Businesses will have sales to help jumpstart the holiday present season. There are large blue flyers around Ironton with discount coupons for 34 Ironton businesses.

“We have businesses that offer discounts that day,” Gillenwater said. “Unger’s Shoes, for example, has a balloon pop where you pop a balloon and get an additional saving. And shoppers can use that with the Small Business Saturday coupon on the sheet with the discount. That’s just one example of example of what business do.”

There will be many activities around town.

To help people get around Ironton, the TTA will be running a trolley in a continuous loop around the business district from 10 a.m.–noon.

The Boy Scouts will be fixing s’mores in the Third Street lot next to Scherer-Mountain Insurance company.

Some businesses will have refreshments and other special activities for shoppers.

And the thing that most shoppers look forward to is, of course, the chance to win some Ironton Bucks.

To get a passport and to register, shoppers start at the City Center. And there are elves, who are actually Gillenwater’s children, that will be passing out candy canes.

Once the passport is filled out by going to local businesses and getting a stamp, it is entered into a drawing which has two winning spots, either $300 or $150 in Ironton Bucks.

Shoppers also need to keep a close eye out for Ironton aLive’s elf. Everyone who finds him has a chance to win $50 in Ironton Bucks. Just to make it more interesting, the elf is moved every hour to a different business.

“Ironton Bucks are honored at over dozen businesses in Ironton,” Gillenwater said. “They are used the same way as cash. It’s a very nice prize ahead of Christmas.”

The drawing for the Ironton Bucks will be broadcast live on Ironton aLive’s Facebook page at 6 p.m. on Tuesday.

Christmas on Vernon Vendor Fair will be taking place on Vernon Street next to the Ironton City Center.

“That’s is definitely different and we are excited about that because it is going to bring even more people downtown and it help a lot of smaller, home-based businesses,” Gillenwater said. “That will benefit shopping-wise and business-wise. That is something we are super excited about that.”