POMEROY — Christmas activities including the decoration of downtown Pomeroy, the annual parade, and a tour of homes decorated for the holiday season were planned during a meeting of the Pomeroy Merchants Association Tuesday.

“Christmas Along the River” will be the theme for the observance. Decorating will begin the first week in November. Again this year the stage and the gazebos will be decorated by three churches, New Beginnings United Methodist, Trinity Congregational, and Sacred Heart Catholic.

It was decided to seek assistance from a church youth group to decorate the mini-parks on Court Street. Pomeroy Mayor John Musser will solicit help from village employees in putting up the garlands and wreaths on the period lamp posts along the downtown streets.

The annual parade will be held on Nov. 29, the Sunday after Thanksgiving with Toney Dingess in charge. Parade marshall will be George Wright.

The tour of homes is planned for Sunday from 4 to 8 p.m. and tickets at $7 each will go on sale soon. Co-chairman Susan Clark-Dingess and Edna Weber reported that eight homeowners have committed to participate.

It was reported that Gavin has donated quantities of wiring which will be used to wire and re-wire an area of the parking lot near the levee making electricity more accessible to boaters and others.

It was noted during the meeting conducted by Bill Quickel, president, that proceeds from the duck derby held at the Sternwheel Riverfest were down this year. A total of $2,015 was collected on duck sales, according to chairman Edna Weber, with the secretary-treasurer reporting expenses, including the grand prize of $1,000, promotion expenses of $142, leaving net proceeds for the Merchants fund of $593.

The success of Veterans Appreciation Day with a fly-over was reported by Quickel who also called for a letter of endorsement for the upcoming Meigs Local School District 1.92 mill five year levy for a multi-complex building, (earlier described as a stadium with an alumni component) on the high school campus. The Merchants Association voted to give a letter of endorsement to the levy which will be on the November ballot.

A guest at the meeting was Karla Sanders who is serving with Americorps at the Meigs Soil and Water Conservation District, with her concentration on the Leading Creek Watershed Project. She spoke briefly about the organization of the Leading Creek Citizen’s Committee.