Dear Chamber Supporters:
Hope your week has gone swimmingly! Crazy to think we’re already halfway through the year… but what a fun time it is to be in Ottawa Kansas. Entertainment is all around the community, maybe it’s because it’s summer, maybe it’s because we live in an area that loves to have a good time. I’m all for it one way or another! Let’s get into all the fun that happened around town this last week.
First Community Concert of the Summer
Started with a beautiful evening at Legacy Square last Saturday with Sons of Sterling (pictures here)! This was the first free community concert of the summer which was enjoyed by 200-300 people over the course of the three hours of live music. What looked like a possibly rainy day before the event, turned into a very cool June evening, with temperatures settling around 75 degrees. Cool enough for my wife Makayla to put on a jacket at one point during the event, which to be fair, does not take much. I always joke that she is a little cold-blooded… (just because she gets cold easily! Her personality is warm and bubbly). She and a whole host of others volunteered to help make the event a success, here are some photos of those who worked the beer garden portion of the event. I didn’t catch a photo of our gatekeepers, but they also play a role in making sure the event is safe and contained. I can’t talk about our concert series without also talking about the local businesses that sponsor to help make the event possible in the first place, check out all their banners here. Those hung-up top are our Pit Sponsors and those below are our Banner Sponsors. All of our Pit Sponsors receive a VIP table at the front of the event for coworkers and families, along with a wait service for the beer garden. Just a fun way to give back and make the evening even more relaxing.
With the first concert of the summer finished, we still have one to look forward to this summer which will be on August 11th. Legacy Square will be hosting the local band, Clevermax. Like Saturday we’ll still have a beer garden and food trucks to tie the whole event together. And because of our sponsors, it’ll still be free to the public! So bring the whole family for a fun Friday evening before the first week of school, should be a great way to wrap up the summer. We’ll be there before we know it, but let’s not rush it too fast. Plenty of fun to be had these next couple of months!
Old 50 Highway Project
If you’ve ever had the pleasure of driving on Old 50 Hwy, you realize that it could use a little more room in each lane… as well as a facelift. This has been on the mind of our county government for some time given the role it plays for citizens in the southwest portion of the County. Those who live in this area utilize this route to their employers, as well as commercial and retail businesses in and around the City of Ottawa, along with local schools and health care facilities. With that being said, it is an incredibly costly project to fix up 16 miles of road in one go. But with forward-thinking planning, Franklin County was able to secure 1.5 million dollars worth of grants from the Kansas Department of Transportation to help start the first phase of construction. This entails widening the existing surface, adding gravel shoulders, providing edge line and centerline rumble strips, as well as updated signage and extended culvers. This first phase will include the surface between Iowa and Eisenhower Rd, the first step in this positive project will begin as early as Fall of 2023. It is worth mentioning that grant funding like this does not get secured randomly, it is a direct correlation of planning ahead through surveying and designing to have a finished project when opportunities like this come along. Good work Franklin County Government on realizing this and making it a reality!
Hometown Hero
Dale Pearson is our local rep for Modern Woodmen of America, a fraternal organization that provides life insurance and financial planning for families in our community and across the nation. What Dale believes set his organization apart is its focus on community impact in Ottawa and Franklin County. One way they do this is through a program dubbed Hometown Hero. Each chapter Dale oversees gets an annual winner of this community award, and this year the Ottawa area award winner was former City Manager Richard Nienstedt (pictures here). The award was given to Richard in the soon-to-be new location for Daylight Donuts at 112 E 17th Street, just adjacent to their current location on Main Street. Which of course meant that there were plenty of yummy donuts on offer. It is a much deserving award for Richard for his many years of public service. It was also exciting to walk through the future home of donut shop. The store is mostly empty still, but as Charity (owner) showed me around, you can see the vision and what is to come. It is pretty difficult to eat a donut and frown at the same time, they really are harbingers of happiness. If your diet doesn't allow for the tasty treats, just keep this in mind!
Wednesday Night Jam Session
Makayla and I made our way downtown this Wednesday to the lot next to Hidden Treasures for their last jam session (picture here). As someone who is not musically inclined, I was blown away by all the talent on show. Over a dozen different musicians playing an assortment of instruments all jamming together with no practice or purpose other than to make a joyful noise. Guitars, fiddles, harmonicas, spoons, and washboard are just some of what was on display. It was also cross-generational, with high schoolers and seniors alike around the circle playing together. It’s incredible to see the unifying effect music has on us as people, whether you’re listening or playing, there is something special about coming together around music. If you’re interested in seeing what it was like for yourself, check out the recording of the three-hour session here. You might be able to catch one of our Chamber Ambassadors, Jenny Obrecht, clogging to the tunes. Though this is the last jam session for Hidden Treasures, this will not be the last session to take place in Ottawa as they will be alternating between Corner Market and outside Enso Self Defense downtown on Wednesday nights. It’s great having so many options for activities, specifically live music, regardless of weekend or weeknight... no dull evenings here!
Franklin County Health Department
This morning Chamber members gathered at the Franklin County Health Department to meet and greet their amazing team. They have grown and have had new faces join over the last couple of years… though in some of the most recent years you might not have recognized them with their masks on. Well now we’re mask-free and stuffed in a room together without a worry, and I mean stuffed as you can see how many people came out this morning to attend (pictures here). Newest to the team is Advanced Practice Registered Nurse Susan Moore. Her focus in this role, which is not so dissimilar to the goal of the whole organization, is to provide primary and preventative care to our community. Susan and her husband Tony are long-time residents of Ottawa and have recently spent time with Olathe Medical Center and before that at AdventHealth Ottawa (formerly Ransom Memorial Hospital). We’re glad to have Susan working in our community once more, along with a whole host of superstars that you can see here. These folks have endured a lot of long hours and unpleasant work over the last couple of years. I imagine they are more than pleased to not only be focused on COVID-19 and can look more holistically at preventative care. Some of those services include the expansion of diabetes care, fluoride treatments for kids' teeth, and pre-employment physicals for our businesses. These are just some of the things mentioned this morning, if you’re wanting more info on the many functions of this group, check out their website here. I’m thankful we have people looking out for the health of our community, as well as educating us all on ways to prevent disease and injury. Thank you Brenda and your team!
Happy early Father’s Day to all our dads. We have plans to spend time with both our fathers this weekend and will have pictures to share next week. Right now I’m headed to donate blood over at the Ottawa Recreation Commission before starting the weekend which will of course be full of activities. Have a great week and talk to you soon!
Ryland Miller
President/CEO
Ottawa Area Chamber of Commerce
ryland@ottawakansas.org
785-242-1000
