Dear Chamber Supporters:
I hope that your holiday week/weekend was relaxing and fun. Makayla and I were able to spend a couple of days on both sides of the family. Along with playing games and having good fellowship, we also ate, and then ate again, and ate some more (you see the trend). With lots of holiday programming around town and the extended family gatherings happening between now and Christmas, Thanksgiving always seems like the start of a month-long celebration rather than two individual holidays. With Advent starting this Sunday, I hope you have one or more reasons to celebrate this next month as well.
Downtown Winter Wonderland
What a magical evening last Saturday was in downtown Ottawa as the Chamber hosted the Mayor’s Tree Lighting (pictures here). Leading up to the event, local weather looked bleak… High chance of rain throughout the majority of the day. We did end up having precipitation but thankfully of the snowy variety (picture here). Light snowfall took place during the setup of the event, and continued through the beginning of the program, with small bouts of misty sprinkles sporadically. The temperature was one of the best we’ve had in years even with the snow. As a result, hundreds came out to celebrate the holiday season together just off Main Street.
Arvest Bank hosted our hot chocolate station, making sure the warm drink helped all those who were still chilly. They also raffled off two bikes, one for a lucky boy and girl (picture here of the winners). Neosho County Community College provided some craft ornaments to hand out, the large crowd ran them out of ornaments pretty quickly. Spotlight Dance Academy gave a teaser for their upcoming Nutcracker show (check out the OMA’s page here to get tickets for the full show in person). I always feel sorry for the girls who dance this evening each year, so chilly! But you can’t tell by their performance, stunning display in any environment (in this case cold/wet concrete). Phil Messenger reads the kids a story each year, “The Night Before Christmas” is always such a big hit. Christmas carols are sung to start us off, and to summon Santa Claus in the soon-coming parade. This year carols were led by Darrell McCune who is a member of Central Standard, an internationally acclaimed barbershop chorus, who has an upcoming performance at the Folley Theater in Kansas City. We end the event with everyone’s favorite part of the evening which takes place when the switch gets flipped, lighting up our downtown. This year, the role of “flip switcher” was raffled off in Sacred Heart’s annual auction. The winner, Patrick Conroy and his girlfriend Ciera Guerrero had the duty and were able to kick off the holiday season after the countdown. We also received a surprise, as Patrick also took a step and got on one knee to propose to Ciera right there on stage (video here). What an amazing moment for all involved, you can’t help but smile as this really was the icing on the cake for such a lovely evening. Following the lights coming on and the public act of love from Patrick and Ciera, the parade got underway! Mat Simonson with the City of Ottawa got some awesome shots of the parade, including these of Santa Claus riding in the bucket of OFD firetruck (pictures here). When Santa finished waving at those watching the parade, he swung back around to hear Christmas wishes from all the kids, giving the opportunity for some great photo ops over at Haley Park.
This event is one of those that the Chamber doesn’t really get any revenue from, but we know that it’s such a staple, and without it there would be a hole. It really wouldn’t be possible to put everything together without such a great host of partners, all those mentioned previously and also the great help from our friends at KOFO Radio Station. We’re also so glad we’ve been able to expand with the evening parade put on by the Ottawa Main Street Association, and I’m looking forward to finding more ways to grow the event. If you have suggestions on what’s missing, or if you have a group that wants to get involved next year, give me a reply and I’d love to see this mainstay event become even bigger in years to come. Ottawa’s business community is special, and this event is just one way we are able to show it off in “glowing” fashion. Don’t forget to shop small this holiday season!
25 Years of Shining Bright
The holiday festivities did not stop at the Mayor’s Tree Lighting, as the Peckhams invited Chamber members to gather Tuesday at Pleasant Ridge Farm to learn about and enjoy their Memory Lane Christmas Light Display for a Chamber After Hours (pictures here). Harry and Juanita have been giving back to our community for 25 years by providing Christmas lights and Christmas trees, as well as pumpkins in the Fall. This milestone year causes for celebration in more ways than just one, these two have been busy bees and have made a splash across the whole state. One of the programs the Peckhams are heavily involved in is the Trees for Troops program (read more here). Harry is the statewide organizer for tree growers and brings together thousands of trees each year that get sent to military bases across the world for military families to enjoy while they’re abroad. There are pickup points across 25 states, and our local hero organizes the one that takes place in Wichita. Because of this great work, Harry and Juanita also were able to provide the tree at the Governor’s Mansion, being able to meet with Governor Kelly to share about all the good they are doing (pictures here).
This work is done with a passion for our area and the people that make it up. If you know Harry and Juanita, you know they mean business about caring for our county. Their business is a testament to all the hard work they put forth. The Chamber is incredibly proud of Pleasant Ridge Farm and all that they do to bring light to those around us. If you are interested in visiting the light display, you can do so Friday through Sunday, 5:30pm-9pm up to Christmas Eve (history of light display here). You can even catch Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus tomorrow from 1-4pm, with hay bale rides during their regular hours. When you’re there, go shopping in the holiday store, drive through the Christmas light display, and write down a memory at the Memory Tree (picture here). A space where those who visit can share a memory of the holiday season, whether at the farm or any memory really. Makayla and I drove through and soaked up every second, I highly recommend you take a visit.
New Squeaky Clean Building for Classy Cleaning Company
Chamber members gathered off W 2nd Street this morning to learn more about Destiny Ellis and her small business, Classy Cleaning Company (pictures here). Destiny has been cleaning professionally for her entire adult life but started CCC in the fall of 2020. When she started her LLC, it was just herself cleaning a handful of residential and commercial properties, and oh how she’s grown. Now she manages two employees and cleans dozens upon dozens of properties regularly! She mentioned this growth was all part of her plan, with the goal of having a physical location as the most recent accomplishment. Located at 112 W 2nd Street, she and her staff now have a place to store material, accomplish the business side of the company, and better interact with her customer base. Given the nature of the space, the one-room office, bathroom, and storage closet are a great fit for running a cleaning business, but it makes for a tight fit for 30+ Chamber members! CCC works with a wide array of clients, office space, residential homes, restaurants and more. Whether you need a deep clean before an event/the start of a new season, or if you want someone on a regular basis, Destiny and her gals will get you hooked up. If you’re interested in a quote, reach out to her at 785-248-6897 and see how Destiny can shine up your situation.
Kansas Hits the Brakes
The recent statewide topic of discussion revolves around Kansas’ new license plate design. At the end of last week, the Kansas government announced a new plate (picture here). Immediately after the unveiling, Kansans shared their opinions on the design of the tags, with the majority disapproving. Common reasons for the dissatisfaction were the similarities to the University of Missouri’s colors, the dark blue and “wheat gold” can understandably be confused with the black and gold of Mizzou. The other common comment was the colors closely resembling other states’ license plates, like New York for example. All this commotion did not go unheard. Though the state had allocated nearly $10 million for production, utilizing leftover pandemic relief funds, Governor Kelly announced this week that production would be halted immediately. Originally supposed to be rolled out in March of 2024, now the state will be accepting input from citizens on a new design. Governor Kelly's decision to involve voters in the selection process aims to foster a more inclusive and representative outcome, as long as it adheres to the guidelines from the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators. She humorously acknowledged that this controversial license plate has managed to unite Kansans across political lines… through their disapproval of course. Ways to share input should be released soon by the Governor’s Office, outlets like social media and the state’s website will be utilized to get the word out. I’m looking forward to staying tuned, who knows what we’ll all come up with!
~
If you weren't aware, Sherri has been out this week on another adventure. I look forward to hearing about her travels when she gets back in the office. I'll share more next week. In the meantime, safe travels this weekend and see you soon!
Ryland Miller
President/CEO
Ottawa Area Chamber of Commerce
ryland@ottawakansas.org
785-242-1000
