Dear Editor,

After reading the article in The Daily Sentinel on Wednesday, March 6, 2013, from the Pomeroy City Council meeting, I felt I had to write a letter to address the “scheduling conflict with regard to the Sternwheel Festival and the Veteran’s Appreciation Day.”

This “scheduling conflict” came about when the Sternwheel Festival was given permission to take the date that the American Legion has had for the past four years to honor their Veterans, POW/MIA’s and First Responders of 9/11. This permission, which was not given by City Council, was given with no consideration or regard to the amount of work, scheduling and preparation that goes into the Veteran’s Appreciation Day. And to top it all off, this permission was given to the Sternwheelers prior to the Legion ever being contacted. In fact, had it not been for the fact that someone saw the dates for the Sternwheel Festival printed in the new Meigs County Visitors Guide 2013, the Legion probably would still not be aware that their date had been given to another group.

Council did suggest that the Legion could select a different weekend and then council could set that date “specifically” for the Legion to hold this special event every year to avoid any conflicts. But, the second weekend of September had been set for four years and was on the books for this fifth year, but that didn’t stop another group from receiving permission to hold their festival on that same date.

I know the Legion has nothing against the Sternwheelers, but no one from the festival or the mayor’s office ever bothered to contact the Legion to discuss this situation. The date was just changed with no courtesy being shown to those who have given so much for our freedom and for others to hold their festivals.

Kathy Thomas

Middleport