We had our December member’s lunch at Pearce Community Center with catering by FroSmoke’s Meatery. Although the attendance was small due to busy holiday schedules, we enjoyed some nice conversation and good food. The 2025 roster for the Chamber Board Officers and Directors was announced by Kevin Yates, Director. We have a wonderful slate of officers that bring a diverse set of skills to our board and I look forward to working with them as the new president. 

Amber, our Chamber Facilitator, spoke at this luncheon and informed us about the many events that are planned for 2025, including some new ones. Our next Chamber event is the Downtown Chocolate Tour on February 8th from 11am to 3pm. This year, any business (member and non-member) in the downtown area can participate. The businesses that participate in the Chocolate Tour prepare chocolate treats to hand out during the event. The Chamber pre-sells 125 tickets for $15 each; a limited amount, so the businesses know how many treats to make. Get them while they last!  Tickets will soon be available. 

In March, we are planning a brand new event—Cocktails for a Cause—which will be a fund-raising event for the non-profits in the community. At the event, a portion of the “cocktail” purchase will be given to the “Cause” of your choice. There will also be gift baskets to raffle. And later this spring, we hope to have our new Trivia Contest to be held at Pearce Community Center with a dinner. Teams of four will compete through a bracket, with the winners receiving some sort of a prize. Watch this column next month for more details on these two fun events. No need to be a Chamber member to compete and or participate in either event.

Details of all our upcoming chamber events are listed in our monthly newsletter. If you don’t already subscribe, you can sign up by visiting the Chamber’s web page at www.chillicothechamber.com. As a member, you can post things in the newsletter; the deadline is the 20th of each month. Contact Amber at the Chamber office (309) 274-4556 or email at [email protected].