Dear Chamber Supporters,
This past weekend, Kansans were treated to some visuals not normally available in our area. Aurora Borealis could be seen clearly through photos in and around Ottawa (pictures here). Thanks to those who stayed up Friday/Saturday night to take snapshots for us all. This purple sky effect is caused by solar activity, in this case, a space storm. This storm was large enough to affect areas further south, including us! It is predicted that this phenomenon could happen in Franklin County in the summer of 2025; until then, we Midwesterners get to enjoy our equally colorful sunsets and sunrises.
Downtown Ottawa in Bloom
While there were colored skies this past weekend, on the ground in downtown Ottawa, our community came together to aesthetically impact our street corners. Corners were mulched and flowers planted for the year, transforming our downtown area (pictures here). This beautification event, organized by the Ottawa Main Street Association’s Design Committee and led by City Commissioner Zach Clayton, saw thousands of pounds of mulch dropped off throughout the five-block stretch. Volunteers spread that throughout their flower beds, as well as doing some routine maintenance and planting. The results look great (pictures here)! This couldn’t have been possible without the donation of mulch from Bones Rock Yard and the volunteers' hard work throughout the morning. Good work team!
Looking Ahead to Continued Leadership
The Leadership Franklin County Board of Trustees has some new faces as we gear up for the 24/25 session. Yesterday, this group gathered at Neosho County Community College for the board retreat, where trustees move through housekeeping items and take in the feedback from this past year’s class. As a result, we have our dates set and slight changes made, and we are looking forward to another great year of leadership! Applications are available now (click here). We will continue to share this application in our Thursday newsletter through June 30, when applications close. Though there are a limited number of spots each year, we encourage every business to find someone on your team to apply; the results are truly transformative, inspiring individuals to become effective leaders in our community and their workplace.
Before graduation for the 23/24 class, I surveyed all the graduates on their perspective of this past year. Every individual claimed that they had expanded their leadership capabilities through LFC. They all also claimed that they would recommend the class to others. If you would like more info on the class, check out the LFC page on our website (click here). If you are a graduate yourself, we’d love to connect with you and make sure we have your most updated information (LFC graduates click here). Whether you were part of the class of 1986 or the class of 2006, we would love to hear from you!
Dream Vacations Await you at New Downtown Office
This morning we cut the ribbon for the east half of 120 W 2nd Street, home of Starr Travel Agency - Dream Vacations (pictures here). This travel agency is headed up by Kristin Randall. Kristin has been organizing travel for six years and specializes in international travel, cruises, theme parks, and more. Having visited all 50 states and every cruise port in the US―and spent hundreds of days traveling abroad, Kristin is well-versed in the locations that might match your plans. Her bread and butter are individuals who want to travel, maybe have some ideas or general locations, but can receive help with the trip logistics. This means booking hotels, flights, rides, excursions, and any other activity that can help give you, the tourist, peace of mind. It also has the possibility of opening up discounts that would otherwise be unavailable without the help of a travel agent. The best part about working with a travel agent is receiving all these perks for free! Because Kristin works closely with vendors in different travel arenas, she is able to be compensated directly by them while also ensuring the price you pay for the trip you take is the best deal around.
Our office is looking forward to the opportunity to travel with Dream Vacations as we get closer to September when Chamber travelers head to South Africa. This trip is still available to book; here is a link to that trip and everything else Chamber travel (click here). Along with helping organize group travel, Kristin also works with families who need help in other areas as well. If your family travels with anyone with specific needs, Dream Vacations is hosting an event for you (click here for event). The evening will consist of discussing the challenges of special needs travel and ways to overcome those with practical solutions and guidelines. Having experienced this firsthand, Kristin can personally attest to the barriers that make this so daunting while spreading the hope that there are positive experiences waiting for you and your loved ones.
Big Ottawa Shopping Day Tomorrow
Tomorrow is one of the best days of the year to shop in Ottawa! Make sure you visit the Chamber’s Events and Promotions Committee at Legacy Square, where they will be hosting over seventy booths for the annual Flea, Junk & Trunk shopping extravaganza. Items you can expect to see for sale at Legacy Square include décor, kitchenware (homemade and consignment), homemade foods and crafts, furniture, and knickknacks to name just a few. I firmly believe if you walk through all these booths and don’t find anything you like… you probably weren’t looking hard enough―or you’re the person who already has everything! Along with the booths off Walnut Street, you can find many of our local restaurants and retail locations open, many having special deals for the day (see that deal sheet here). Our goals in hosting this annual event are to create fun opportunities in our business community, as well as to entice shopping from both locals and those from out of town. So whether you live here or not, the festivities that are taking place throughout Ottawa are meant for you! We look forward to seeing you tomorrow in downtown Ottawa.
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I just wanted to take a moment at the end of my newsletter to congratulate my beautiful wife, Makayla, on finishing out this school year (picture here). The last day with students throughout USD290 was yesterday and summer break has officially begun! I look forward to dragging her to Chamber Coffees throughout the summer―while also spending time to recoup after a successful year. We’ll see you around this weekend if you’re out and about, talk to you soon!
Ryland Miller
President/CEO
Ottawa Area Chamber of Commerce
ryland@ottawakansas.org
785-242-1000
