Mount Vernon-Lisbon Community Development Group are hosting two Shop Small Saturday events again this year, with the first — Holiday Open Houses — happening this Saturday in uptown Mount Vernon and downtown Lisbon.

This is a chance to kick off your holiday shopping and remind yourself what can be found right here in the communities of Mount Vernon and Lisbon.

Mount Vernon Bank and Trust will be handing out community cash early Saturday morning, pushing $1,000 into our local area businesses for the start of the holiday shopping season. Lynch Ford-Chevrolet will be distributing another $500 at the second Shop Small Saturday event November 30.

As we have stated, when we invest in our uptown businesses, that money gets reinvested in our communities. These businesses are the same businesses who are here rooting for Mount Vernon and Lisbon’s students and all their successes. They’re your friends and neighbors. And they’re the people who do what they can to bring unique, varied and fun items to be shopped for in your uptown.

Alongside those shops are the restaurants that make up our uptowns as well. They’re just as much of what makes Mount Vernon a destination that people like visiting and shopping, with great menus and specials to fit all appetites.

We say it almost every year, but it bears repeating – when you start your local shopping, make sure you start right here in uptown Mount Vernon or downtown Lisbon. Chances are it will save you gas and help support your friends and neighbors.