Last Friday finished up the Chamber’s 2025 Summer Concert Series. Our community loves local favorites, Clevermax, who always puts on a fun and talented show. Hundreds of folks came out to the free event for a rather warm, but incredibly enjoyable evening (pictures here). This event is only free with the help of some fantastic sponsors. Our Pit Sponsors who enjoyed the evening with a VIP table include Trendel Lumber, KWIKOM Communications, Ottawa Sanitation, Loyd Builders, BCI Mechanical, Good Shepherd Hospice, and KOFO. Our Banner Sponsors include Edward Jones Ottawa, Kansas State Bank, Walmart Distribution Center, Goppert State Service Bank, Southern Star Central Gas Pipeline, Ottawa Memorial Auditorium, and Security 1st Title. We also get sponsors for the beer garden, which was BluSky Liquor. The sponsor for the water trailer was Patriots Bank. We even hand out free popcorn, which is sponsored by the Plaza 1907 Theatre. All these generous businesses come together to give our community, and all the visitors who attend, the opportunity to celebrate together in this way. Thanks to all those who came out to make it so much fun!
If you were with us that night (or if you heard through social media or word of mouth) and witnessed our concert end a little bit early, this was for a good reason. One of our friends, neighbors, and beloved members of the band, Dave Bailey, experienced a sudden medical emergency during the concert. Though the following couple of days after the concert left a significant amount of uncertainty, I feel incredibly blessed to say that he is doing well and on the road to recovery. This would not have been possible without quick action from friends, EMTs, and those at our local hospital, AdventHealth Ottawa. Thanks to everyone who prayed and supported their family and band during this scary time. With the collaboration of his support team and medical professionals, we now have the opportunity to see Dave return to the stage and perform once again.
A National Spotlight on Kansas’ Flint Hills Trail
Big news for Kansas trails! The Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC) has officially added the Flint Hills Trail State Park to its Trail Hall of Fame. This decision-making process concluded with public voting, which conveyed that the outcome was not even close... Flint Hills Trail received over 80% of the votes, highlighting how beloved it is both here at home, throughout the state, and even nationwide (press release here). Since 2007, RTC has honored trails nationwide. The Flint Hills Trail now joins an elite group of iconic trails across America, including its local intersecting trail, the Prairie Spirit Trail. This honor is more than a badge of pride—it’s recognition of the economic, cultural, and recreational impact the Flint Hills bring to our community and state. State recreational amenities like these not only encourage healthier lifestyles but also generate millions for our state’s economy. Locally, we feel that impact with so many travelers visiting our small town to start/finish their ride on our trails.
To those who live in town, it might be easy to undervalue such a great local feature. So for any of those asking why the Flint Hills trail? At 93 miles (soon to be 118!), it’s the longest trail in Kansas, stretching across the eastern part of the state and connecting more than a dozen communities—including our great town. As mentioned before, it links to Prairie Spirit Trail State Park and it also passes through one of the world’s last remaining tallgrass prairie ecosystems, giving visitors a true sense of Kansas’ natural beauty. We’re geographically blessed to be located along its path and honored to have a spotlight placed on our state and community at a national level.
City of Ottawa: From Renovation to Representation
This week was the first City Commission meeting in their newly renovated Commission Chambers. When you hire local Loyd Builders to do a job, you know you’re going to get a great product! It’s quite the transformation and should allow our community, commission, and city staff to effectively take care of business. This week’s commission conversation included going over the recently wrapped-up month-long community survey to hear from residents on quality of life, city services, and priorities for the future. The survey is also tied closely to a timely issue: Ottawa’s two 50-cent sales taxes that are set to expire. Nearly 1,000 people responded to this survey, representing about 11% of registered voters in town. Most respondents (86%) live inside city limits, and almost half have lived here for more than 25 years—showing that long-time residents were especially engaged in this process.
Overall, respondents gave high marks to fire and emergency services, police services, and the quality of life Ottawa provides. Community events, recreation options, and communication from the city also rated well. On the flip side, the top concerns were the condition of streets, curbs, and sidewalks, followed by the cost of living and the enforcement of city codes. With all that being said, nearly ninety percent of those surveyed responded probably yes, or yes to voting to renew the two fifty-cent sales taxes. Though this might not be a perfect roadmap for leadership to make every decision, it’s definitely a tool that can be utilized when determining the future of this sunsetting tax. Though the verbiage has not been fully constructed, you can expect to see this on your ballots for the general election this November. If you’re interested in viewing the survey responses, click the following link to view the results (see those here).
Leadership Franklin County: Welcoming the Future, Honoring the Past
Summer has ended, bringing a new academic year for school districts, higher education, and our local Leadership Franklin County (LFC) program. This morning, we welcomed nineteen new class members during our Chamber Coffee event (see photos). I’m confident this class will be fantastic! I admit I might be a bit biased since this year, both our Community Liaison, JieJie Burlseon, and my wonderful wife, Makayla, will be participating. But all seventeen others will undoubtedly bring their own experiences and strengths into the fold, adding to its greatness. I must say that the LFC Board of Trustees is one of the most effective boards around, taking great pride in the program's achievements and constantly seeking ways to improve each year's classes. I am eager to see these nineteen individuals enhance their leadership skills, learn effective ways to engage with community leaders, and deepen their understanding of our area (incoming class here).
In under two weeks, alumni of Leadership Franklin County are encouraged to gather and celebrate their shared achievement. Whether you graduated in 1985 or 2025, we invite you, your family, and former classmates to join us for an evening of drinks, snacks, and fellowship. RSVP for the August 27 reunion here to let us know you plan to attend (view that here). It also helps us keep up-to-date contact information with former classes. As we round out our class contact lists, we could always use help. If you are still in touch with those you experienced this transformative experience with, make sure to let them know that they should attend! The Chamber takes great pride in cultivating lasting connections through LFC and looks forward to celebrating that and more on the 27th.
~
Have a great weekend and talk to you soon!
Ryland Miller
President/CEO
Ottawa Area Chamber of Commerce
ryland@ottawakansas.org
785-242-1000
