The New Year

The end of the year always brings about a spirit of reflection. It is automatically a time where one sits back and takes stock of the year that has ended, and plans for the year to come. So I was thinking a bit about your last year at the Chamber and thought I’d share with you some of what I stopped to ponder. The last year was an outstanding year for the Chamber. Our events continue to grow and improve.

Bandfest will celebrate its 20th year in 2010. Cranefest is going on its 3rd year and has generated much excitement and support from Rowe Sanctuary. Christmas Traditions had a successful 3rd year which included a very well-received Christmas Tour of Homes. And our newest celebration, MAADays, was a huge hit for its first year, and something we plan to continue in 2010. In 2009 the Chamber also improved its advertising reach with a new website and promotional materials, with grant money from the State Travel and Tourism Department. We also set up new social media pages on Facebook and Twitter as yet another way to keep our name in front of a wide variety of people. But the most exciting news from 2009 is that, for the first time ever, the Minden Chamber has a full-time Director (that would be me!). This increase from part- to full-time took place in October with funding assistance from the City of Minden. Now that I have more time to devote to Chamber work, I have created a list of things that I hope to accomplish in the next year.

• Improve dialog with members to learn how the Chamber better assist them.

• Personally visit each business.

• Expand our membership in Minden and the surrounding area.

• Apply for more funding grants.

• Research and develop new ways to promote tourism and business in Minden.

• Better execute existing events by having more time to dedicate to them, and, therefore, increase profits from those events.

• Increase Minden’s presence in meetings at the regional and state level.

Our new Board of Directors met on January 5 to plan out the year to come and I have to say, it’s going to be a full year. But that’s a good thing. I think I speak for the entire Board when I say that we are committed to working hard to make Minden the best that it can be. If you’d like to join the Chamber and “Be a part of the vision,” just call the office at 308-832-1811 and we’ll be glad to talk to you.

A belated Happy New Year to you all!

Marcy Brandt, Chamber Director

Tis the week before Christmas…

As we approach Christmas Day, I know that many people (like me) are finishing up their Christmas shopping. While I am certainly aware that other communities in our area have much to offer, here are a few tidbits about some of our local businesses that might give you some ideas for those last-minute gifts:

DID YOU KNOW

• The Minden Opera House Gift Shop has new collectible hand painted Christmas City ornaments?
• Relay for Life has cookbooks for $10 that would make great Christmas presents? They can be purchased by calling Toni @ 832-7520.
• Red River says that, “Many people do not know that we have wonderful homemade pizzas and huge homemade calzones every Wednesday night.  Our regular pizza-eaters say they are the best.” They also offer gift certificates.

I’ll admit that sometimes it’s just fun to step out of the everyday routine and shop out of town. To expect that everyone will do all of their shopping in any one town is just unreal in this day and age. However, during this holiday season, please remember that your local businesses offer many great goods and services. The money you spend in town supports our local companies and retailers and keeps our town thriving!

Have a very Merry Christmas.

How to Build Community

A year ago my parents saw a poster with this poem in a small cafe in Iowa. I think it’s fantastic. I dare you to try even a few of these ideas out.

How to Build Community

From a Karen Kerney watercolor

Turn off your TV
Leave your house
Know your neighbors
Look up when you are walking
Greet people
Sit on your stoop
Plant flowers
Use your library
Play together
Buy from local merchants
Share what you have
Help a lost dog
Take children to the park
Garden together
Support neighborhood schools
Fix it even if you didn’t break it
Have pot lucks
Honor elders
Pick up litter
Read stories aloud
Dance in the street
Talk to the mail carrier
Listen to the birds
Put up a swing
Help carry something heavy
Barter for your goods
Start a tradition
Ask a question
Hire young people for odd jobs
Organize a block party
Bake extra and share
Ask for help when you need it
Open your shades
Sing together
Share your skills
Take back the night
Turn up the music
Turn down the music
Listen before you react to anger
Mediate a conflict
Seek to understand
Learn from new and uncomfortable angles

Know that no one is silent though many are not heard. Work to change this.

Greetings from Small Town America!

Welcome to the Minden, NE Chamber of Commerce’s new blog site. What you will see here will be a mix between serious information and what might border on silliness, including but not limited to:

• Great stories about life in a rural, small town in the middle of Nebraska from the people who love it.
• Information, pictures, and updates about what is happening with the Chamber.
• Business tips for the small-business owner.
• Other items that might strike our fancy. Make a suggestion!

Right now we are getting ready to kick off our newest “Shop Minden” campaign, but with a twist. It is my hope that we would be able to energize our businesses by highlighting some of the things that they do that you just can’t get anywhere else. So I’m asking for your help! Do you have a story about one of our local businesses that really sticks out in your mind? Was there a way that one of our businesses went above and beyond for you? Just to get the ball rolling, let me share one of my personal favorites.

Born and raised in Minden, I am no stranger to the small town scene. In fact, after living in both Wichita and Kansas City, I was more than ready to return to my small town roots. Shortly after moving back, I was struck anew by just how much I love life outside of the metropolitan hustle and bustle. I pulled up at our local Casey’s store to fill my car. Since I was planning to pick up a pop, I did not swipe my card to pay at the pump. The loudspeaker boomed with the attendant’s announcement, “Pump 3 is ready. Please pay inside.” I grinned and waved at the attendant through the store window, as I am no stranger to Casey’s. But that isn’t the story. In a matter of seconds, a pickup rolled up to the opposite side of the pump, where the owner slipped his credit card into the reader to begin fueling. Again the loudspeaker crackled to life. This time the attendant’s voice had a bit of a stern tone. “Bob,” she said, “I’m mighty disappointed you’re not coming inside to pay today.” Bob turned to the window, grinned sheepishly and shrugged his shoulders. I’m betting you that next time Bob paid inside.

Only in a small town do you get pestered for taking the quick and easy way of fueling up your truck. Only in a small town does the local gas station attendant want you to actually come inside and chat for a bit. Only in a small town does face-to-face interaction trump convenience.

So if you have a similar story to share, I’d love to hear it. And maybe your story will be used in our upcoming campaign.

Who says bigger is better? In Minden, we beg to differ.

Marcy Brandt, Director of the Minden Chamber of Commerce

www.MindenNE.org

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