Newsletter

3rd Quarter 2009                                Chamber@meltel.net                                   320-256-7174

Please review the three upcoming marking opportunities.

1- Welcome to Melrose Bags- We will be putting together 40 bags to give to the campers in Ervin Bueckers’ camping group. They will be in the Sauk River Park August 28 and 29. Please use this opportunity to draw them into your business by coupons and bargains. Other promotional items are also appreciated. Please have your items to the chamber office by Tuesday August 25th.

 2- Welcome Back Teachers/Staff Bags- We will be assembling 225 bags to give to the returning teachers and staff in the Melrose School District. This count also includes St. Mary's in Melrose, Sacred Heart in Freeport and St. John's/ St. Andrew's in Meire Grove/Greenwald. We will be giving them out the at the teacher workshops the first week in September. Please have your items to the chamber office by Tuesday August 25th.

 3- Halloween Bags- We will be assembling 300 bags again to give out to the children who will be at the Halloween Parade and Party. Last year we gave out 270 bags. Great items for this are crayons, coloring books, little games, and ,of course, candy. Please have the items at the chamber office by Monday October 26th.

2009 Annual Meeting

Mark your calendars for the 2009 Annual Meeting on November 19 from 5-7pm at the CentraCare Clinic Conference Room. We will  have a wine tasting class and enjoying appetizers. Invitations for the meeting will be in the mail in October.

We are in need of individuals to run for the 2010 board of directors. We have an opening for Treasurer (2 year term) and Vice President (3 year term). Please talk with others within your business to see if they would like to take a leadership role and run for the board of directors. Please contact the chamber for more information.

2009 Rose Days

Start thinking about who you would like to surprise with a dozen roses--they won't even know that you only spent $15 on them!

We will be having our annual rose days on Friday October 9. Registration forms will be sent out late September and the roses will come in on Friday October 9. We will once again be having delivery to homes and businesses for $2 a dozen. What a great time to surprise your spouse, parents, daycare provider, neighbor, or friend.

Holiday Kick-Off and Holiday Drawing

Have you begun to think about your unit in this years Mini Dazzle Parade? Mark your calendars for the Holiday Kick Off on Friday November 27.  We hope that the holiday spirit is plentiful at area businesses as shoppers stop by before the mini dazzle parade at 7:30 that evening.  Please let the chamber know if you are having a special event or sale that day, and we will put it on the poster for the event.

We are looking for businesses who would like to help keep the holiday spirit alive and sponsor the fireworks display. Please send any donation to the chamber before November 16. You will be acknowledged on the posters, and other promotional pieces.

We are also planning a Holiday Drawing to coincide with the event. The prize will be $5,000 in cash. Tickets cost $20 a piece and we will be selling 500 of them.  Tickets will be in your hands by mid-October. We are asking each chamber member to sell as many as possible. Making this raffle a success is imperative to the future financial health of this chamber.   

Recaps of Events:

Miss Melrose: Our 2009 Miss Melrose Royalty is Kayla Niehaus, Miss Melrose, Kayla Anderson and Calli Poepping Melrose Princesses. We once again, we had a sell out crowd for the pageant and income realized is about $2,900.

Melrose Riverfest: We once again battled rain for our celebration this year. Due to this and competition from other celebrations, weddings and graduation parties, we realized less than $2,000 when all the bills were paid. Due to this we are looking to revamp our celebration. The number one thing we are planning to do is to change the celebration date to the 2nd or 3rd Saturday in August. We are looking at having a one day celebration with the parade being moved back to either 3 or 7:30. We will feature food such as Grilled Turkey Legs and Corn on the Cob.

The decision to move the celebration from June to August will be decided at the next Riverfest meeting on August 20 at 11am at El Portal. Please come to weigh in your thoughts. If you are unable to attend, please send an e-mail or letter, so that all committee members are able to review your thoughts.

Culpepper Merriweather Circus: On July 13 the Culpepper Merriweather Circus put on two shows at the Sauk River Park. Many reported that they enjoyed the show and the chamber realized $800 for sponsoring the event. Thank you to all those businesses who purchased tickets and donated them to their employees or Project Give-a-Gift. Through you, many children enjoyed this great tradition of the circus!

Farm/City Crazy Days: Although the weather was chilly, the businesses who had crazy days sales reported warm sales! On July 17 we hosted our annual Farm/City Crazy Days. We served over 300 turkey plate lunches and enjoyed many other activities while taking in the good deals at local businesses. Thank you to all those who participated.

Ink Cartridges Collected Here

**change in the program**

Due to changes by the cartridge recycling program, we can no longer take previously recycled laser cartridges. These cartridges typically are not name brand, but are sold under another generic name. We still welcome name brand cartridges such as HP, Sharp, Cannon, Dell, Xerox plus others. Please call with questions.

Remember that the chamber is a source to recycle your used laser and ink jet cartridges. We recycle them through "Funding Factory" and use the rewards to buy office products. Drop them off at the chamber office anytime, or call and we will come pick them up. Thank you for participating!

  Upcoming Events

August 20 Riverfest Meeting El Portal 11am

August 20 General Membership Meeting El Portal 12 noon

September 17 General Membership Meeting John Dough's Pizza 12 noon

October 9 Rose Days

October 31 Halloween Parade and Party 10-12:30 Melrose City Center

November 19 Annual Meeting 5-7 CentraCare Clinic Conference Room

November 27 Holiday Kick-Off, Mini Dazzle Parade and Holiday Drawing