Good Afternoon Chamber Members!
First, thank you to all the businesses that participated in the Treats on the Streets on Halloween! We had hundreds of youth and parents around town participating. It’s in our plans to do it again next year. Let us know if you have any suggestions to improve the event.
Welcome new Chamber members The Modest Daisy, Core Connections of Northern Iowa, Little Angles Childcare and Preschool, and Edward Jones-Patrick Schoonhoven!
The Chamber is partnered with Waldorf Pillars Program and will offer 5 leadership short courses (no more than one or two hours in length) to improve your leadership skills. These will be 1. How to network 2. Media Training 3. How to read financials 4. How to run a meeting. 5 Understanding your community. These courses will begin early 2023 and will be offered free of charge. Contact Norma at the Chamber if you have any interest in attending.
It’s Small Business Season November 1st through December 25th. The Chamber will be promoting shopping local and a Holiday Sip and Shop Event on November 19th which will draw people downtown into our retail shops and local restaurants. If your business is offering a Holiday Special on November 19, let us know and we’ll promote it.
It’s also the season of gift giving and recognizing employees’ efforts. Consider giving Chamber Bucks which will help keep dollars local. Chamber bucks can be purchased at the Chamber.
Thank you to everyone who turned out for the Ambassadors program kick off meeting! We had a lot of fun at the meeting and look forward to working with this energetic group! Our Forest City Chamber Ambassadors are: Paul Fitzgerald, Nicole Peterson, Traci Lorenzen, Kelly Besco, Barb Ruiter, Jim and Cindy Brockhohn, Tracie Folkerts, Toby Welsh, Brittany Frerichs, Steve Chappell, Kristin Mikes, Jason Ramaker, Brenda Reicherts, Cindy Carter, Kailee Phillips, Karl Wooldridge, Tara Kingland, Tony Coloff and Connie Morris. If you want to be part of this group, contact us at the Chamber.
Mark your calendar for these upcoming events:
-Holiday Sip & Shop, Nov. 19: Shop Local businesses/Craft & business vendors at Civic Auditorium 10am -4pm / Wine Tasting at various downtown locations from 2pm-5pm
-Holiday Tree Lighting on December 5, 6:15pm, Winnebago County Courthouse Lawn.
-Medallion Hunt starts December 5th.
-Christmas on Clark, December 10th downtown Forest City.
-See more holiday events at https://www.forestcityia.com/calendar/
And a HUGE THANK YOU to all of our Christmas on Clark business sponsors! We couldn’t pull off this event without your financial support.
Norma Hertzer
Executive Director
Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Center