Lincoln Valley Chamber of Commerce Update

Lincoln Valley Chamber of Commerce President Laurie Richards called the monthly meeting to order Thursday, Oct. 10 at 5:30 p.m. and welcomed all those in attendance.

The full agenda began with discussions about the Brewery Follies that came to Lincoln last Saturday, Oct. 12. Chamber businesses Bushwackers and the Three Bears Motel were the successful bidders for the event, to provide bar services at the performance and rooms for the performers.

Discussion then moved to the Saturday, Nov. 2 Community Benefit. The board is still seeking silent auction items for the event. If you or your business in interested in donating to the silent auction, please get in touch with any one of the board members: Bob Weatherston, Greg Smith, Laurie Richards, Erin Dey, Tammy Jordan, or Emilee Rivera. Tickets are still available at $60 per person, and can be purchased at the BVD, The Wheel Inn and The Pit Stop. The Montanan had the successful bid for the bar at the event this year.

A benefit of being a member business of the LVCC is the ability to submit bids for bar service, catering and lodging for Chamber-sponsored events. If you're currently not a member, and would like to become one, please submit your dues to PO Box 985, payable to LVCC. The cost is per calendar year, and runs $100 for commercial businesses, $50 for nonprofits, or $25 for individuals wishing to become a friend of the chamber.

Chris Jewett, Race to the Sky's race manager, spoke about the upcoming event scheduled for Feb. 7 -11, 2020. The race will begin and end at the High Country Trading Post. In her second year as Race Manager, she is looking to get more people involved with the event. Race to the Sky plans to utilize local volunteers for the event, and they are currently looking for folks to help out. If you're interested, contact Chris directly at 406-210-4420 or via email at [email protected].

To kick-off the Race to the Sky, there will be a free catered banquet Friday, Feb. 7 at the Lincoln Community Hall and everyone from the community is invited to attend. Jewett explained that it is a great family event and attendees will have the opportunity to meet the mushers and see their number handed out. She's also excited to get back into the schools to do some programming where students can meet the mushers and get to know more about what they do, and about the sport of dogsled racing. For more information and to read more about the Race to the Sky, visit their website at: http://www.racetothesky.org.

The discussion then moved to the annual Skijoring event. The Chamber is currently seeking sponsorships from local area businesses for the upcoming event, slated for Jan. 18 & 19, 2020. If you're interested in becoming a sponsor, please contact Laurie Richards or any board member. The event is an effort to promote the town of Lincoln, to bring people into the area who normally may not come here in the winter months and to give area businesses a boost in traffic and sales during a normally slow time of the year. Sponsorships levels range from $100 to $1000.

Emilee Rivera followed up with an update on the Block Party Trailer. She explained how it could be used in the community, along with a hopeful timeline to roll it out.

Lastly, the board discussed the two remaining vacancies on the board. Anyone interested in sitting on the board should contact Laurie Richards or attend an upcoming meeting.

As always, the Chamber invites people and businesses from the community to attend the meetings and get involved. Meetings are held the second Thursday of each month, at 5:30 p.m at the Library. The next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 14.