A carnival might be all downtown visitors see this June when they look for the city’s annual festival.

Sunday, April 16, 2000

A carnival might be all downtown visitors see this June when they look for the city’s annual festival.

That is, unless someone comes forward to volunteer to plan this year’s Ironmasters Days, said Betty Adkins, IBA member and former Ironmasters Day chairwoman.

"Myself, Jack (Adkins), John Schwab, Carolyn Carter and Marvin Black said we will not be on the committee this year," Mrs. Adkins said. "And that pretty much kills the committee we had last year."

A carnival already has been planned for the weekend of June 22-24 by Mayor Bob Cleary and he has promised to light up the skies with fireworks June 24, Mrs. Adkins added.

If someone would come forward, however, this year’s Ironmasters Days could be even better than past festivals, Mrs. Adkins said.

IBA members approved the date at the March meeting and voted to provide $3,000 to start up the search for talent, she said.

"I’m hoping somebody else in the IBA will proceed with it," Mrs. Adkins said. "With the carnival booked, there’s already a start. Hopefully, they’ll come together with some type of program or something."

But after two years, the original committee needs a break, volunteers say. And the members also feel there is not enough time left for them to plan a proper festival, Mrs. Adkins said.

"It’s a good event," Mrs. Adkins said. "But since the IBA couldn’t reach a decision on whether or not to have the event, we didn’t feel we would have enough time to prepare the event properly."

Missing Ironmaster Days would be a loss, Mrs. Adkins said.

"I think we need a festival to brighten everybody’s day," she said.

Ironton needs a little good, old-fashioned, family fun this year more than ever, Adkins added.

"With the economic condition in Ironton and Lawrence County, we feel like Ironton needs Ironmasters Days more than ever to boost morale and bring people into town," he said.

And Ironmasters Days has become an expected event that draws crowds from all over the Tri-State and beyond, Adkins said.

Getting people into the area and into the city is needed if Ironton is going to rebound from its recent slump, which was caused by the loss of 1,000 jobs, he said.

"We’ve got shops here in Ironton and we need the people as much as they need us," Adkins said. "Without the people coming to shop, we won’t have the businesses."

Anyone who would like to take over Ironmasters Day Committee leadership will need to attend the next IBA meeting, said Lou Pyles, IBA co-president.

The next meeting will be at 5:30 p.m. May 9 in the city building.

"If someone wants to do it, they have to come forward and talk to the membership," Mrs. Pyles said. "There has to be a chairperson and it has to be handled in a good business manner. They have to keep the IBA informed about everything that’s going on because that’s where the seed money for this comes from."

Ironmasters Days will not be officially canceled for this year until the May 9 meeting, however. The committee members need to bring up their resignation before IBA members at that time, Mrs. Pyles said.

If no one volunteers to replace them, the $3,000 seed money will be put back into the organization’s general fund, she said.

"Perhaps we can do something else for the community," Mrs. Pyles said. "We already have several ideas for something we can do for the community. It’s really up to the membership what we do, though. Their money is what keeps money in the organization."