Main Street spruces up the town again

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By Frank Lewis

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Beautification is one of the main objectives of Main Street Portsmouth, and one of the areas they maintain in the Portsmouth City Building property. With the holiday season arriving, volunteers were busy placing greenery in the planters in front of the building Thursday morning.

“We’re decorating for Christmas around the city building,” Sue Burke of Main Street Portsmouth said. “We cleaned out the flower pots and we’re putting in live cut greenery and some artificial accents to go with it.”

Why does Portsmouth’s premier development organization spruce up the city building?

“These are our flower pots and we change them out several times a year, and we’re doing this for Christmas,” Burke said. “It makes it look like somebody cares. It makes it look festive.”

Burke said MSP, in addition to the city building, decorates the urns in front of the murals, Market Square, and the Roy Rogers Esplanade.

This year the city will have two Christmas trees for the public to enjoy. While there will be the usual artificial tree on the esplanade, there will be a live tree on the lot at the corner of Market Street and Second Street, adjacent to Toytown.

“It’s a Market Square Christmas tree lighting in conjunction with the Jaycees annual Christmas parade,” Kevin E. Johnson, Third Ward Councilman said. “The event will be immediately after the Christmas parade on Nov. 19. Dave Duncan of Papa John’s is supplying free pizzas. There will be hot chocolate and coffee.”

Main Street was smack dab in the middle of planning the event.

“I went with (Third Ward Councilman) Kevin E. Johnson and (City Clerk) Diana Ratliff to pick out the tree and we purchased some ornaments for the tree and Sara (Surina) our director was in charge of getting the flatbed trailer for the band to stand on. So, yes, we were involved in the planning,” Burke said. “We asked Mark Harris and he graciously allowed us to put a tree up down there and Kevin E. Johnson went around to all the elementary schools and the children were asked to make an ornament that they can put on the tree.”

Burke said city workers were able to repair the esplanade tree so there will be two trees for citizens to enjoy this holiday season.

Reach Frank Lewis at 740-353-3101, ext. 1928, or on Twitter @franklewis.

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Frank Lewis | Daily Times Sue Burke (left) and Leslie Morton, select greenery to place in planters in front of the Portsmouth city building. That building is one that is kept decorated by Main Street Portsmouth.
http://portsmouth-dailytimes.aimmedianetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2015/11/web1_MainStreet3.jpgFrank Lewis | Daily Times Sue Burke (left) and Leslie Morton, select greenery to place in planters in front of the Portsmouth city building. That building is one that is kept decorated by Main Street Portsmouth.

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