MOUNT VERNON — Mount Vernon News publisher Kay Culbertson has announced that the public forum “Up For Discussion” will continue to be held at Sips Coffeehouse on the third Monday of each month, beginning Dec. 15.
“The discussions have been very informative, and I have learned a lot,” said Culbertson. “It’s always interesting to hear other people’s views about the topics up for discussion.”
Previous forums included discussion on property taxes, extension and widening of Sandusky Street, and the recent election. The discussions are informal and have no set structure — almost anything and everything can be up for discussion.
Gathering in public places and debating issues of the day is nothing new. Mount Vernon native, author and historian Dr. Lorle Porter notes in her book, “Politics & Peril: Mount Vernon, Ohio in the 19th Century,” that in 1854, “locals congregated at familiar spots such as Wetherby’s Restaurant, at the rear of the Banner office, to discuss issues of the day.” At one such gathering in April 1854, residents “took stock of the damage done by a fierce wind which hit the city at 10 p.m.”
Again according to Porter, “the national economic woes dominated conversations in the streets, barbershops and homes of Mount Vernon” when the Panic of 1857 hit.
Regardless of the name of the establishment, locals will always gather to discuss what’s going on in the city, county, state and nation. Knox County residents are invited and encouraged to continue this long-standing tradition by gathering at Sips Coffeehouse, 101 S. Main St., on the third Monday of each month from 7 to 8:15 p.m.
