Makayla and I received a surprise visit from my brother-in-law this past weekend, who lives in Colorado. He made the drive over on Thursday to spend some time with us all, having recently relocated to Denver with his fiancée as she enters residency after three years of medical school. With him being in Kansas (or us in Colorado) only a few times a year, we spent the better part of two days together before he headed back west. In that time, we played lots of games, both indoors and out, and even attended a concert in Kansas City (pictures here). I’m already looking forward to the next time we’ll see him!
Leadership Franklin County Welcomes Its Newest Cohort
Leadership Franklin County Board of Trustees met this week to finalize the selections for the class of 2025/2026. If you are an applicant, you should receive an email soon if you haven’t already. We are pleased to announce that twenty-one individuals will participate in the upcoming session. Historically, this has been capped at just twenty spots. But the Trustees unanimously agreed that these twenty-one applicants will all bring an essential element to the class, which is the reasoning for the extra spot awarded.
I’m incredibly excited to see these individuals come together and grow as future leaders in our community and in their organization over the year. You can follow their journey by staying tuned to the LFC Facebook page here (click here for link).
If you are an alumnus of LFC, we also have a program you'll want to add to your calendar! Save the date for August 27th, at 5:30pm at the Ottawa Memorial Auditorium. We will be celebrating 40 Years of LFC at this event. We are inviting those who have taken the class to attend, bring their families, and reminisce about the last 40 years of leadership in our county.
New Additions Coming to Forest Park
This week, the Ottawa Rotary Club engaged with the City of Ottawa Parks Department for a community service project. Newly installed Club President, Terry Chartier, coordinated the club to construct four park tables and two park benches, which will be installed in Forest Park this week. A dozen local members came together (with the supervision of the Ottawa Parks Department) to assemble these park amenities (pictures here). The mission of Rotary clubs worldwide includes the line, “service to others.” This act of service is an example of one of the many ways that our local club contributes every year.
The constructed tables and benches were entirely recycled components, which has several benefits. Firstly, using these materials promotes sustainability by preventing them from ending up in landfills; instead, they are transformed into useful items. Secondly, since the tables and benches do not contain wood or metal, they are considerably more durable than traditional equipment, which may rot, rust, or decay over time. I’m thankful that there are organizations throughout Ottawa and Franklin County willing to step up and serve others well. I’m also grateful for the City of Ottawa’s commitment to quality-of-life initiatives, such as local parks. For a community our size, we have some stellar public amenities, including two complete disc golf courses, pickleball courts, a dog park, a splash pad, and more. Forest Park plays a vital role as the home for both the Ol' Marais River Run car show and the Power of the Past Antique Engine and Tractor Show. During the month of September, I imagine these tables and benches will be in high demand!
Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Pyrotechnics
Happy 4th of July! I hope you have a fun and safe Independence Day Celebration. If you’re still in town throughout the holiday, this is a friendly reminder that personal fireworks are prohibited within the city limits of Ottawa. And though you can’t fire them off in our neighborhoods, that doesn’t mean you can’t get your fill of fiery fun. Because TONIGHT, the Ottawa Area Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with the City of Ottawa, presents another Chautauqua Festival Fireworks Show, powered by Evergy.
This display isn’t something that you can just buy from your local fireworks tent. The grade of pyrotechnics that are incorporated in this show are of the highest level. This display will be as spectacular as the performances the Ottawa community has historically come to enjoy, with $8,000 worth of fireworks set to be triggered tonight. Flying upwards of 700 feet in the air, if you can escape tree coverage, you should be able to get a good view of the show! There are no designated watch locations, though Orlis Cox and Forest Park are two common places for families to set up camp. Forest Park will host activities before the start of the shoot, with the City Band playing at 8 pm. and other groups setting up throughout the day. The show is planned to start at dusk, which typically occurs around 9:20-9:30 each year. If you’re in town, I hope you enjoy the show!
Planning, organizing, and executing a community-wide shoot like this entails a considerable amount of fine details and relies on essential partners to make it happen. None more important than the City of Ottawa. Their team plays a role in nearly every aspect of the event. Just yesterday, their crews helped set up mortar tubes at the shoot location. The Chautauqua Festival committee members (who are also city staff) are picking up the fireworks from the distribution location in Kansas City as we speak. Once they arrive back into town, and the Ottawa Fire Department has inspected the site and tubes, shooters will load them into the mortar tubes. City employees will help light the fireworks, while Volunteer in Police Service (VIPS) will help keep onlookers safe at Orlis Cox ball fields. Then, after you shoot 8k worth of fireworks off, you end up with 8k worth of fireworks trash that floats back down to earth. The City of Ottawa and the Ottawa Recreation Commission will help ensure everything is tidied up when all is said and done.
Chamber staff and The Chamber Foundation also play an important role each year, as the group that conducts this planning is a Chamber committee, and the fundraising for the event is done through the foundation. It takes a village to put on any event, especially ones that go kaboom. These fireworks exemplify a successful private and public partnership. As we look ahead, 2026 is not just another year, but the Semiquincentennial (250th anniversary) of the United States. As a result, our committee has BIG plans―with even BIGGER booms. If you would like to donate to the cause, all gifts are tax-deductible, and 100% of donations go to make this shoot a reality (more info here).
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I hope to see you soon (with all your appendages intact). Talk to you next week!
Ryland Miller
President/CEO
Ottawa Area Chamber of Commerce
ryland@ottawakansas.org
785-242-1000
