Merry Christmas from the City of Buckhannon!

Remember to come out for our last evening of Winter Wonderland Wagon Rides this Saturday from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at Jawbone Park. Please consider making a donation to support the Zach Post Memorial Food Drive.

CITY OF BUCKHANNON – MAYOR’S HOLIDAY STATEMENT– December 20, 2018

Dear Santa,

First, we’re all very pleased to continue Buckhannon’s sister city relationship with the North Pole. I look forward to our delegation of talented Sunnybuckers soon heading north to your frozen tundra to install some really nifty benches & murals there in exchange for you sending an elfin committee to our place- to scope out the possibility of establishing a satellite workshop & distribution center for your worldwide operations here. We think your workshop here would nicely compliment the new Harbor Freight store that was recently opened in Buckhannon. We have some sites in mind for a toy plant or perhaps a candy cane & stocking factory. Your elves would soon discover several nifty cafes & bistros here to satisfy their hot chocolate, eggnog, & cookie yearnings, & for those who may be more “java” oriented, we invite them to try both Mountain Roaster & Stone Tower Brews’ coffees. Buckhannon is actually the coffee capital of West Virginia now! Our Donut Shop also makes the very best pepperoni rolls anywhere & they’ve got the hardware to prove it! Perhaps in 2019, the elves could even enjoy some hot, hard cider during a Sunday brunch. You can park your sleigh for free anywhere downtown on-street for two hours & 21 hours in our many lots. We’d be most happy to promote your candidacy for a seat on our Development Authority.

Second, we’ve been a very good community this year. I know you hear that from all towns that write to you, but those other places really don’t have all that we have. We still have the coolest downtown in all of West Virginia. Our architecture is fabulous, the music in Jawbone Park is terrific, & the many special events we have throughout the year are like none other in all of Almost Heaven. In May it’s our Strawberry Festival, followed by Festival Fridays, RiverFest, Fallfest, Halloween done like no other town around, & about a dozen parades a year. Our history from Buckongalelas & the Pringle Brothers to Steve Coonts, Ted Cassidy (check out Lurch!), Gray Barker, Jean Lee Latham, Jimmy Pankow, Pare Lorentz, & a bunch of other colorful, talented folks from our past- just makes us a “must visit” venue. We’ll be celebrating our Sestercentennial during 2019, that is, we’re turning 250 years old!

Third, as for our actual “Santa wish list”- we’ve thought about 12 things symbolic of the 12 days of Christmas, that we’d love to realize during 2019. Please carefully consider our requests. In no particular order, here’s what Buckhannon hopes to find in its “community stocking” during the next year:

1) our Stockert multi-use building- please help us break ground as we celebrate 25 years of SYCC in 2019!;

2) our Colonial Theatre- we’d love to wrap up Phase 2 & start in on Phase 3 & by Fall & have Buckhannon Community Theatre performing Dracula there in October!;

3) our Trader’s Alley & Milkman Lane project- a summer dedication with our new arches, the finishing layer of asphalt, & installation of the Men in Black car!;

4) break ground on the Gateway West project, & creation of our Amazing Mile featuring new sidewalks & period lighting from the first Buckhannon exit all the way to our beautiful WVWC campus!;

5) undertake in cooperation with the State, our ADA sidewalk improvement project realizing 88 new intersect points’ worth of improvements!;

6) welcoming Buteras & other new eateries to our amazing downtown, the scuttlebutt is there’s also a new pizzeria coming, along with a brewery, & an Irish pub!;

7) the opening of JesterLine, we wish Jared & Lacy Ramsey the best of luck in their exciting new venture bringing virtual reality gaming fun to downtown!;

8) passage of our county-wide school levy on January 19!;

9) opening of the new Innovation Center during summer!;

10) advancing full, professional accreditation of both our police & fire departments!;

11) expanded, monthly activities sponsored by our Diversity Appreciation Coalition! Remember Santa, we’re all-inclusive in Buckhannon!;

12) a new grant application submittal to realize expansion of our amazing River Trail all the way to Sago to our south, & Pringle Tree Park to our north!; &

13) one extra request Santa, could we please get that new sound system for Jawbone Park? A lot of fun-loving people appreciate Festival Fridays & all of the other excellent events that happen there year-round!

In closing Santa, we hope that you are ever-mindful that we’re all in this together. Merry Christmas to everyone, & may we all enjoy a very Happy, healthy, prosperous, & most importantly, fun-filled New Year in 2019. Please resolve to be kind to & love one another, check in on your neighbors. Please support the Parish House & Salvation Army this holiday season. Drop off some canned goods, or a jar of peanut butter or a coat you’re not wearing any more. See you all back on January 3 as we continue together to move our wonderful B-U community forward! God bless us… every one!

https://www.whychristmas.com/customs/trees.shtml

Whoville on North Kanawha Street!

MAYOR’S PROCLAMATION

WHEREAS, the Buckhannon-Upshur Retail Merchants Association (BURMA) & the merchants of North Kanawha Street have organized a super fun-filled afternoon for our citizens on Saturday afternoon, December 8, 2018, featuring Dr. Seuss’s “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” by the way, Dr. Seuss’s real name was Dr. Theodor Seuss Geisel, & the delightful characters comprising the legendary, Grinch tale, but especially Mayor Augustus Maywho, because everyone knows- it’s always first & foremost ALL about the Mayor!; and,

WHEREAS, among the activities featured by BURMA will be a most excellent parade with me of course, various fun activities for our community’s children of all ages, appearances by that dastardly, small-hearted Grinch, but also the lovely Cindy Lou Who, a visit from Santa & Mrs. Claus, a banner flying over North Kanawha Street, ice cream at Sweet-A-Licious, plenty of elves, music, candy, cookies, hot chocolate, & other treats for kids of all ages together with photo opportunities with me, & okay- Santa, Mrs. Claus, the Grinch, & Cindy Lou Who, too, but mostly photos with me!- next year I order the addition of ginormous sled rides all the way down Mount Crumpit, elevation 10,000 feet!; and,

WHEREAS, all of this amazing fun organized by BURMA & our North Kanawha merchants should be applauded by everyone by simply attending these many fun & totally FREE events today from 4:00 – 6:00 p.m.; and,

WHEREAS, everyone recognizes that the Mayor of Buckhannon… er um, Whoville- is vested with sweeping powers to do most anything that the Mayor chooses, all as is possibly provided in our municipal charter … somewhere.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, DAVID W. McCAULEY, I mean AUGUSTUS MAYWHO, MAYOR OF THE CITY OF BUCKHANNON, I mean WHOVILLE, pursuant to the power maybe vested in me, do hereby proclaim that the City formerly known as Buckhannon shall be renamed and known henceforth as Whoville, at least for today, December 8, 2018! I further urge all of my loyal subjects, being the residents of Whoville to join me, our City Council, all City employees, & the delightful children of Whoville who someday will be sure to vote for me in all future Whoville elections- in fully embracing all things “Grinch,” & to join me during today’s many fun activities!

Given under my hand & the official seal of
The City of Whoville, this 8th day of December, 2018
Whoville on North Kanawha Street, December 8, 2018: