Dear Chamber Supporters:
Happy Friday! Because it is the second Friday of June, it’s also National Movie Night (the more you know). The oldest operating cinema in the United States is showing a couple of movies this weekend including Transformers and The Little Mermaid if you’re looking to celebrate. My family watched movies together regularly growing up, it was one of the ways we all spent time together was watching/rewatching all the good ones. It is a running joke as a kid that my dad has about half a dozen movies that if he ever saw were playing on tv, that was what we ended up watching. Some regulars were Back to the Future, Jumanji, School of Rock, and Grown Ups. I think I’ve seen all of those two dozen times around… which might be undershooting it. I’m curious if you have a go-to flick, reply and let me know!
As I mentioned last week, Sherri is out of the country up in Canada. She and Dan are on a Canadian cruise that started earlier this week. Here are some pictures she shared with me before boarding the boat. The other lady in my life (my wife) has also been on the road as she was able to spend some time with her immediate family in Colorado hiking (pictures here). With Makayla gone at home and Sherri gone at work, I’ve been living the bachelor life. Which just means everything is slightly out of order until they get back! They both bring stability and structure to me daily, looking forward to seeing them again soon.
Franklin County Optimists Duck Run
Last Saturday was the 27th Annual Duck Race in City Park, hosted each year by the Franklin County Optimists (pictures here). This is one of the ways they both fundraise for the organization and also have fun with kids in the community. By floating plastic duckies down Skunk Run to see who is the fastest. Along with the race there is also the optimist train ride for the kids which is always a big hit. Ducks get put in the running via participants who buy-in, $2 got you 1 duck in the race and $5 got you three chances to win. Winners walk away with some pretty hefty prizes as well, with 1st place receiving $200! If you’re feeling like you missed out, make sure to mark your calendar for the first Saturday in June, 2024 for the 28th annual race... you don't want to miss another opportunity to be the big duck winner. We appreciate the optimism this group brings to our community each year, thank you Optimists!
MultiChamber After Hours
Another annual event that has been going on since 2005, is the after-hours at the Jayhawk Marina in Paola (pictures here). This is a conglomeration of Chambers and Economic Development groups in our region that help put this event on each year, including Gardner, Louisburg, Osawatomie, Paola, Spring Hill, Miami County, and ourselves. Along with all of our Chamber friends, Security 1st Title is the food sponsor of the event (picture of their team in attendance), allowing everybody there to get themselves a meal. It was great to catch back up with some familiar faces and meet new faces as well. I enjoy hearing about the victories other communities are having, the progress they’ve made and the exciting growth that is taking place there. It is also reassuring to hear other community’s challenges and how similar they often are to our own… lets us know are all in it together to some degree. Along with the meal and fellowship, they also have door prizes and take people out on a boat ride if interested. This was my first time attending this event as well as visiting Hillsdale Lake, I would recommend both as it was a great evening out. I often feel so lucky when I think about the geographic location of our community, over a hundred miles of state trails intersect in Ottawa, and three state lakes are all only thirty minutes away if you head east, west and north of us. No dull summers outside here!
LFC Applications Available
I want to make sure all of our members are aware of an awesome opportunity for you or your employee that is right around the corner. If you aren’t familiar with Leadership Franklin County, it is a nine-month leadership training that takes a deep dive into our community with practical training that results in strong community and workplace advocates. Things you can expect after completing LFC are a better understanding of the inner workings of our County (businesses, healthcare, education, agriculture, etc.), how you can leverage your strengths to find opportunities to lead in whatever role you find yourself in, and a network of close allies and friends who take the class with you. There are only 20 available spots, enrollment is chosen by the LFC board following the deadline on June 30th. Check out the application here and don’t wait to invest in your organization through this leadership training opportunity.
Main Street Madness
The Ottawa Main Street Association helped kick off summer with a fun community event last night (pictures here). What you might not be able to make out in the pictures is the dozens of community organizations set up around the courthouse lawn. Along with DJ playing music (as well as giving people the opportunity to sing karaoke), KSB was grilling hotdogs and hamburgers, as well as a slushy truck and snow cone truck to wash it down. Face painting, yard games, disc golf, really the whole sha-bang! Events with this many moving pieces do not happen without planning and volunteers, shoutout to the OMSA for throwing such a fun party. It was great seeing all the hustle and bustle throughout Main Street on the day.
After having fun on Main Street some other young professionals and myself played our weekly game of sand volleyball (picture here). For those who are following our team’s progress, we just passed the halfway point of our season. We currently sit with one win and two losses with a couple more weeks to play. I know everyone loves a good underdog story! I’ll keep you posted on if we can turn it around.
Another summer kickoff will be taking place tomorrow at Legacy Square, as Sons of Sterling will be rocking out at our first free community concert of the year. Starting around 6pm we’ll have music, a beer garden, and food trucks on site to make for a fun and relaxing Saturday. All you need is a lawn chair and some friends/family. I hope to see you there!
Ryland Miller
President/CEO
Ottawa Area Chamber of Commerce
ryland@ottawakansas.org
785-242-1000