Good Afternoon Members:

The Oconto Falls Chamber Fun Fest is fast approaching and there are a few things that I think you would like to take advantage of regarding this event. Some of the things in the works are an Art Fair, Craft Fair, Children’s activities (bouncers, sidewalk art, face painting, youth football games), music by the band Diamond and Steel, various food tents, (Lions, Chili-Cookoff by OF Lionesses, Youth Football).  Panther Pride is putting together a walk/run for the 8^th of September, and of course the city wide rummage sales.  We would also like to see participation from area businesses with sidewalk and store sales.

1.)     We are looking for Sponsorships for various events throughout the weekend.  Amounts in the past have varied from $50.00 to $1,000.00.

Please contact me if you have done this in the past or would like to start out with our new and improved Falls Fest!

2.)    One new item this year would be to put together a sheet of coupons from area businesses to be handed out in the local paper with the rummage sale ads as well as handed out at Memorial Field.  These coupons would not have to be good for just that weekend but perhaps other times as well to promote your business.  If you are interested in this aspect of the Fun Fest please contact me as soon as possible.  Space will be limited for these coupons.

I hope everyone has a great weekend.

Pam Lemorande

Oconto Falls Area Chamber of Commerce

We had a meeting at Community Memorial Hospital Last Thursday. It was well attended. We were introduced to Paul Ehrfurth , the new Oconto County Economic Development Director among others and many updates were given.

I believe the chamber continues to build momentum and encourage others to get involved.

Please stop over at https://www.facebook.com/OcontoFallsAreaChamber and just click the like button to support the social media effort of the chamber.

Here are the minutes for that meeting:

Minutes May 17, 2012

The regular membership meeting was held at the Community Memorial Hospital.

Introductions made by Pam Lemorande.

Minutes from April 26, 2012 filed as read

Financial Report filed for Audit.

Membership Report. Yes we had some non renewals but are picking up new ones. April Konitzer was contacted by a potential business owner wanting to get information on office sites. Where do we find this out? City once had a Downtown Development Plan. Paul Ehrfurth , the new Oconto County Economic Development Director hopes to have a county directory and we can make referrals to them. He would like to be contacted with any questions regarding potential business opportunities.

Showcase Events. Carrie Hill from Peshtigo Bank said that on May 30^th, Peshtigo Bank will host a Showcase event in honor of their four year anniversary. Hospital (?) Golf Outing in June and Chamber Golf Outing in July. Carrie Takes care of posting events to the Chamber Calendar. If you have an event to post, email her at Carrie Hill chill@peshtigobank.com.

Memorial Day Celebration. A donation was made to the Fireworks Display.

Scholarships. Two scholarships were awarded on behalf of the Chamber at the Senior Scholarship evening by Carrie Hill. The winners are Alexa Hiller and Cody Nielsen.

Fun Fest. Dave Polashek is the chairman of the committee. A sheet was passed around for volunteers. June 4^th is next meeting at School District office.  Music is booked for the afternoon of Fun Fest. Art Show and competition will be held but may need sponsorships.

Beautification. Gail Yatso attended the last city council meeting. Gail would like to have flags going throughout Oconto Falls on Main Street, Highland Drive, Hwy 22 and across the river. The problem is not all poles are owned by Oconto Falls. But project is moving forward. Also, we need to start planning for the Hwy 22 reconstruction. If you have time, chamber members should attend city council meeting to make a presence.

Golf Outing. Joel Pionek and Shane Senn have ideas. Please sign up if interested in serving on the committee. Joel plans on ‘new stuff’ and ‘new twists’.

There were two guests at the Chamber meeting. Lisa Peitersen from United plumbing talked about the new location for the store. Business is doing very well. People commented on how they like the company. Lisa would like to see businesses support local schools more. Contact her if you would like to do something.

The Chamber welcomed Paul Ehrfurth and Nancy from the Oconto County Economic Development. Paul started two weeks ago as director. Their mission is to assist and expand the business climate in Oconto County and promote tourism. Nancy showed pictures of the 2011 billboard campaign that Oconto Falls participated in. The billboard was located east Hwy 172 by Bay Park Mall before crossing the river. They will also look into missing pages in the Oconto County Discovery Guide. In some copies, pages 43-50 are missing and these are the pages listing the Oconto Falls Directory. Chic Tabor Tousey (?) commented that we as a group need to get these guides out to surrounding areas. She challenged everyone to carry some in their cars.

Website Development. Bill Koehne spoke on the website encouraging all members to like the chamber on Facebook. It is a very easy and popular way to get the word out about activities and events. The website is running well. Based on the success of our website, Bill is bidding on the Antigo Chamber website development. He asked that people take pictures at events to post. Must get stuff to Carrie. He would like to see the Chamber start a newsletter.

Other Business. Bob Rodich is a member of the Senior Center Board. He reminded members that the official name of the center is the Oconto Falls Area Senior and Community Center. Originally, it was intended that a third of the center would be used for Youth programs. Room rentals are a revenue source for the center. There are two rooms and a commercial kitchen available for use. Capacity is about 120 people. Contact Bonnie Johnson to ask for rates and make reservations. Gail announced the Hometown Vet Clinic will host a Bark for Life Rely on June 23^rd as a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society. Contact Hometown for more information.