Merry Christmas! I hope everyone has a blessed and bountiful holiday season. Indubitably this is a wonderful time to live in Picayune. The leaves are falling, the brisk wind is blowing, lights adorn the trees, decorations fill the parks and all of the shops are filled with the robust scents of Christmas. No wonder our stores and restaurants are filled with happy new faces. Let me encourage each of you to shop Picayune this Christmas season and beyond.

 

Picayune is becoming the tourist destination for the fall/winter holiday season. Thanks to the efforts of our City employees, Economic Development and Tourism organizations, civic foundations, volunteers and church groups we are blessed with a full spectrum of activities. These events provide Picayune with the best forms of economic development and advertising imaginable. Anytime we can bring hundreds to thousands of people into Picayune it is fantastic for our businesses and economy.

 

The season kicks off with the annual Picayune Main Street – Fall Street Fair, Senior Center Piney Woods 5k run, the BBQ, Beer and Blues Festival, Friends of Boley – Annual Boley Creek Cleanup, Picayune Chamber Halloween Street Party on West Canal and the Fall Festival at Jack Read Park. These events are followed with a November calendar including the Run with the Pigs 5k run, Picayune Backyard BBQ Challenge, Picayune Rotary Club 5k run. December provides us with the Civic Woman’s Club Christmas Parade, Picayune Christmas on the Rails, St. Charles Chili Cook-off, Toys for Tykes ride and numerous church Christmas musicals. The season is loaded with great events and plenty of diversity to satisfy any interest. Encourage your friends to shop Picayune and participate in one of our local events.

 

The economic benefits of these events are multifaceted: 1) They provide the local citizen with a family friendly environment and a great reason to stay in town. 2) They attract visitors to our city and offer them an opportunity to experience Picayune and the quality of life that we enjoy. Visitors are always encouraged to visit our shops, stores and restaurants. They ultimately make purchases, inject new money into our local economy and return for future visits. 3) They provide a revenue source to help the organizations generate enough income to remain or become self-sufficient. Because of the benevolent nature of these organizations, the revenues generated are typically given to deserving students in the form of scholarships or donated to their chosen philanthropies.

 

The City of Picayune is forever grateful to the organizers of these events. It is impossible to thank each person individually but they are greatly appreciated. These events are great for the City economy and for our local businesses.

 

During the Christmas holidays, encourage your friends to visit and shop Picayune. Our City is full of many local stores that offer a wide variety of foods, gifts and services. It takes all of us working together to make Picayune grow and prosper.

 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Dr.Ed.Pinero is Mayor of Picayune.