6th Annual Taste of Fennimore Deemed A Success
The Fennimore Area Chamber of Commerce (FACC) is pleased to announce the top vote getters in their 6th Annual Taste of Fennimore event.
- Peoples’ Choice Eatery winner was Timothy’s Café. This category was for chamber member businesses who offer sit-down dining.
- Peoples’ Regional Favorite Beverage was Frank Beer Distributors who has a terminal in the Fennimore business park.
- Peoples’ Regional Favorite Food was Valley Fudge and Candy Company who markets their products at Carr Valley Cheese.
The FACC Taste committee members would like to thank everyone who helped to make this Chamber fundraiser a great success, from all the sponsors to all of the vendors who brought an array of different types of food and beverages. We could not have done this without such great teamwork. Look for photos from the Taste event in the Fennimore Times.
Fennimore Area Chamber of Commerce Announces Upcoming Events
The Chamber board has asked me to share information on some upcoming chamber events. So mark your calendars and plan to join in networking with others from the Fennimore business community.
The first Fun at Five Social is scheduled for Wednesday, March 20 from 5 to 7 p.m. at Hilltop Bar and Grill.
The Chamber’s first full membership meeting of the year will be held Thursday, April 11 at noon at Hickory Grove Golf Course. A viewing of Fennimore’s Fireball Run video will be shown; followed by a discussion of use of the video for marketing of our community.
The Chamber sponsored Citywide Garage Sales are scheduled for May 16, 17 and 18. The City Clerk’s office heads this committee, registration forms and yard signs will be available beginning Monday, April 15.
The Chamber’s marketing committee will also sponsor a patriotic decorating contest in May as part of the transfer of the flag for the Nation of Patriots Tour which will take place Saturday, May 18.
Membership materials will be distributed to members within the next few weeks. Due to a family health emergency, I was out of state for nearly three weeks. Please bear with us as we get things going for the 2019 chamber year.
Fennimore Area Chamber of Commerce Membership Drive Continues
The Chamber board of directors would like to thank chamber member businesses who have sent in their 2019 dues. If you haven’t joined the Chamber in 2019, it’s not too late. Chamber membership is not only an investment in your business it also plays a role in the future of our community for today and future generations.
FACC membership dues are a good value with base membership starting at $115 for businesses with 1 to 3 full time equivalent (FTE); $200 for 4-12 FTE, $275 for 13-26 FTE, 27-99 for $325 and businesses with 100 plus employees just $400. Other categories include: Organizations and Places of Worship $75; home based businesses $45 along with individual/farmer/retiree category membership at $45.
A list of the 2019 Chamber member businesses will be listed in the Chamber’s April 4 newsletter in the Fennimore Times. To be included make sure your dues are paid by March 29.
Tree Workshop
On Saturday, April 27 a Community Tree Workshop (for landowners) will be held in the Memorial building gym. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. with the workshop starting at 9 a.m. running until noon.
Dan Traas, certified arborist with Ranger Services, Inc., will talk about common questions and concerns related to community trees. The workshop is free and open to Fennimore and Lancaster residents. The workshop was made possible through funding from the Department of Natural Resources-Urban Forestry Grant along with funding from the City of Fennimore and City of Lancaster.
Memorial Day Services will Feature Korean War Veterans
Peter Finnegan is working on the special recognition presentation he coordinates each year for Fennimore’s Memorial Day Service. This year’s special recognition will focus and honor area Korean War Veterans.
The profile form is still available on the Veterans Memorial page of the Fennimore website.
Peter is sending out a request to area residents to send in information and photos of family members or friends who served during the Korean War. Fill out the profile form and provide a photo (which can be returned). Your information may be dropped off at the Chamber office or at the Fennimore Times. Thanks in advance for helping pull this information together so we can recognize the Korean Veterans for their service to our country.
Fun Fest Plans are Underway
Fennimore Fun Fest will be held Friday, May 31st and Saturday, June 1st, 2019.
Something new for 2019 is a Dodgeball tournament that will be held Friday night, May 31 from 6 to 10 p.m. and again Saturday, June 1 from 9 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. There is a $100 entry fee to participate. Prizes are contingent on 16 teams participating in the tournament. $1,000 top prize; payout for the top 3 teams. Minimum of 8 players per team. Players must be 18 or older. Teams must be made of 4 females and 4 male players. Send your rosters or questions to funfestdodgeball@gmail.com or call or text Brandon Chappell 608-822-5134.
Fun Fest is put on by some awesome volunteers who join together with various skills and interests to put on Fennimore’s largest festival. Committee members include: Jeff Hagen, chairperson, Jessica Peterson, Matt Fry, Tina Frye, Red Kreyer, Shelly Winkers, Amber Zart, Nichelle Lewis, Brandon Chappel, Mitch Tollefson, John Torgeson, Jim Alderson and Lynn Gilkes.
Fun Fest is not a Chamber-sponsored event, but the Promotions Coordinator assists Fun Fest by sharing their dates with Grant County Tourism (Activity Guide), Wisconsin Department of Tourism print and website calendars along with press releases of events shared through this column.
FACC is a proud supporter of Fun Fest and annually donates $500 annually to the committee to help with their budget. Several other businesses and organizations also give generous donations to help cover expenses.
It takes everyone working together to pull off a festival of this size. If you would like to know how to become involved or would like to make a cash or in-kind donation, please get in touch with chairperson Jeff Hagen or any of the committee members listed above.
All of the Fun Fest events will be held at Oakwood Community Park and ball field area. Watch for more details and new activities in the coming weeks.
Contact Information Needed for Fennimore Organizations
With April – Volunteer month quickly approaching, I am reaching out to all Fennimore service organizations to send me their current contact information. President, name, mailing address, email address, phone numbers and normal meeting date, time and location.
The Fennimore website has hundreds of pages and, as a one-person office, I really appreciate the public’s assistance in helping me have current information, so our website can be updated. I thank you in advance for your help and teamwork.
WI Department of Tourism Calling for Fall Events
Believe it or not the Wisconsin Department of Tourism is already working on their fall marketing materials. I’m giving a shout out to everyone to share your fall 2019 and winter 2020 events with me. Please send any events of interest to the general public between September 1, 2019 and March 31, 2020.
I serve as an extranet partner with the Dept of Tourism. From my computer I can input event names, dates and time, location and details about the event. They also ask me to submit a good quality photo for all events other than first year events. The photos are actually very important because they could deny sharing your event without a photo. My deadline to receive your event information is Monday, April 15 – make sure to include your contact information in case I have questions. Thanks in advance for your help!
Alternate Side Parking Ordinance in Effect Until April 1
Just a reminder that the City of Fennimore’s Alternate Side Parking ordinance continues until April 1. While the beginning of winter spoiled us, it seems we are really paying for it now.
Alternate side parking is only enforced at a time when there is snow on the travel lanes and/or intersections, and for the 48 hours following the snow event. Thanks for your kind consideration of parking vehicles off the streets when possible to make the street crews job safer for all. Safe travels everyone.