Annual holiday festivities coming this weekend

Home

Related Photos

Come Friday, the North Atrium of the Decatur County Courthouse will be transformed into a magical, Decatur County stop-over for Old St. Nick. Rob Cox

November 27, 2012

Annual holiday festivities coming this weekend

“Buy-Local” holiday campaign in full swing

Rob Cox Greensburg Daily News The Greensburg Daily News Tue Nov 27, 2012, 06:03 PM EST

Greensburg — Mainstreet Greensburg will hold its annual holiday walk and parade starting at 6 p.m., Friday.

Mainstreet Executive Director Bryan Robbins told the Daily News that Santa Claus will be ready to hear holiday wish lists between 6:30 and 6:45 p.m., in the courthouse’s north atrium.

Additionally, Mainstreet is also running a promotion wherein all the retailers and restaurants on Greensburg’s downtown square are currently handing out special, “Santa Helper’s” tickets.

“We’ve been running this promotion about two weeks,” Robbins explained. “Each business has five tickets apiece to distribute, with 100 total tickets being handed out — one ticket per child.”

Kids can redeem their tickets, Robbins continued, at the post office to receive one of two possible holiday-themed costumes: A blinking nose with reindeer antlers; or an elf hat with matching elfish ears.

“The 100 kids who redeem their tickets will get to march in the parade in front of Santa’s horse and carriage,” Robbins added. “These tickets have been hot items. I’m not sure how many are left, but we’ve had a handful of merchants call us requesting more.”

With the Santa’s Helper promotion, Robbins and Mainstreet hope to foster family participation in the parade and its accompanying events.

“It’s always great fun,” Robbins said. “It’s a great time for families to come down and experience why the holiday season is so special in a small community and why it’s especially unique in the tree city.”

He continued, “And don’t forget; in addition to the parade and the meet-and-greet with Santa, we’ll also have music and crafts and carriage rides around the square.”

Robbins also touted Mainstreet’s ongoing “Buy-Local” Holiday Campaign.

That promotion, according to the executive director, aims to “stimulate the local economy by encouraging Decatur Countians to buy at least two gifts on their holiday shopping lists from local merchants.”

“Studies show,” he continued, “that much more of the money spent at a local business stays in local economy, compared to money spent at a big-box store.”

In support of that claim, Robbins cited a study by the 350 Project (www.the350project.net/home.html) which found that, for every $100 spent at a local business, $68 of that money remains in the local economy; conversely, of every $100 spent at a big-box, chain store, $43 stays in community.

“We all appreciate chain stores,” Robbins said, “and we’re certainly not trying to compete with them, but our local merchants make us unique. These small business owners tend to be people we know, people we went to school with, who we’ve known for years; they’re the ones who often contribute the most time, money and manpower when the community asks for help. Buying local is a mutually-beneficial way of thanking them.’

“So we’re asking Decatur Countians to be more conscious of where their holiday-shopping dollars go,” he continued. “When you’re out shopping for the holidays, if you buy just two gifts at local businesses the entire season, it’s provides a real boost to our economy right here in Decatur County; it’s basically like buying a Christmas gift for your town.”

Contact: Rob Cox at 812-663-3111 x7011.

Text Only

Home

Search Results

Related Photos

Annual holiday festivities coming this weekend

“Buy-Local” holiday campaign in full swing

Site Map

Contact Us