Merchants say thank you to customers

Fredericksburg in Wayne County will be decked out in full fall glory for its annual Merchants Day Oct. 15, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. As in past years, the whole town will be decorated with cornstalks, mums and other fall spirits. The Ruritan Club in Fredericksburg likes to dress up the town as a special welcome to those participating in the event and to welcome people who may not have visited the area before.

The Ruritan Club has helped organize Merchants Day for the past four years. This is the second year that an incentive merchant’s card will be used. Shoppers can pick up an incentive merchant card from the Ruritan Club’s booth, which will be set up between Mast Home Center and the PNC Bank. Shoppers take the card to participating merchants to get the card stamped. The incentive cards will have each participating merchant’s logo on it and the “deal of the day” offered by the merchant.

If the customer gets the card 75 percent stamped, they can turn the card back into the Ruritan Club booth for a cash drawing scheduled to take place at 2:15 in the afternoon. The cardholder must be present to win.

“As in past years, this day is one that local merchants set up special deals as a way to say thank you to patrons who have supported the businesses throughout the year,” said Kristen Dennison, past president of the Ruritan Club.

“Using the incentive cards is a great way to get people into stores so that they can see the specials being offered,” continued Dennison.

There are 13 merchants on the card, including many from the main streets in town and several from the outlying areas around town. There will be 20 to 25 merchants in total offering specials for the day.

A new item has been added this year, a coupon booklet. The booklet is available from the Ruritan’s booth for a small fee. It is filled with coupons from local merchants that can be used throughout the year.

While the emphasis is on the deals offered by the merchants, there will be pumpkin painting with markers for kids who can take home their specially decorated pumpkin. It takes a community to make events like this one special for customers. Some offer special discounts and others donate items like the fall decorations.

“I’d like to say a special thank you to Spring Valley Flowers for donating the mums used in the fall decoration once again this year,” Dennison said.

The Ruritan Club has 15 members from around the community that volunteer their time to help organize and promote events throughout the year. All monies raised from Merchants Day go back into the community. The Ruritan Club helped purchase new Christmas decorations for the town from last year’s proceeds. They are donating lighted wreaths for the light poles.

In past years, the group has helped sponsor the annual parade, donated monies to local softball teams, and sponsored scholarships for area high school students. The Ruritan Club is part of a national organization with 32,000 members nationwide working to improve over 1,200 communities. They serve communities with fellowship, goodwill, and community service.

Fredericksburg is located in Wayne County, east of Shreve and south of Applecreek. Merchants Day is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 15, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information about the event or about the Ruritan Club, visit http://www.fredericksburgohio.com.