A Weekend of KC Sports
Quite a few ups and downs for KC sports this past weekend, while four major teams had games. It wasn’t the prettiest of football games, but fans were finally able to celebrate a Chiefs win! All the while, Royals baseball confirm their place out of the playoffs. Sporting KC followed suit and suffered its 18th loss of the season, ensuring it will not make the playoffs either. But if you’re a women’s soccer fan, you have a lot to cheer for! KC Current won the NWSL league with five whole games left to play―setting a record for the fastest a team has clinched this title in the history of women’s professional soccer. They will go into the playoffs as the number one seed.
While I’m on the topic of sports, this past weekend, Kansas City had the chance to host Premier League Mornings Live. This is a fan festival tied to the English Premier League, which is the top level of professional soccer in England and one of the most-watched sports leagues in the world. Once a year, the league selects a different city in the USA to broadcast from for one weekend of games. This year, KC was chosen! As avid fans ourselves, Makayla and I took the opportunity to visit Power and Light for a full morning of soccer on the big screens (pictures here). With the World Cup coming to KC next year, having something like this right here in our region is a pretty special opportunity. That morning felt like a little preview of the energy we’ll see when the world shows up next year for the World Cup!
A Spectacular Weekend at the Ol’ Marais River Run
The 38th annual Ol Marais River Run was nothing short of spectacular! This volunteer board makes the impossible happen each year, and tens of thousands (including me and my family) get to reap the benefits of that hard work (picture here). This year, my in-laws and our four nieces and nephews spent the day in Ottawa, concluding with a visit to the annual cruise on Saturday night. What a beautiful weekend for 1,300+ classic cars to be in town! If you like cars or planning events, the Over the Road Gang is always welcoming new faces at their table. For questions or enquiries, shoot them an email here to find out more (email here).
Chamber Members Take the Mic
If you’re not on social media often, it’s very possible you might have missed our Community Liaison’s recent uploads of the Chamber’s podcast, ‘Hometown Hustle’. These short videos showcase Chamber members who share behind-the-scenes details about their organizations and what makes them unique. In August, Tiffany Evans and the OMA took the spotlight (view that here). In September, Terry Chartier discussed all things Ottawa Library, including info on their new space at 204 S. Walnut Street (view it here). With a couple of other businesses already recorded, there will be plenty more Hometown Hustle in the coming months. But if you’d like your business to be highlighted in this way, reach out to JieJie to get on her interview calendar (JieJie’s email here).
Help Shape Next Year’s Market
As we near the end of summer, we also near the end of the Ottawa Kansas Farmers Market season. Their last market will take place on Wednesday, October 29th. With only a month left to visit them in 2025, they are reaching out to patrons (and even prospective patrons) to request feedback on market matters (view the survey here). This info will assist their vendors and market leaders in determining the best ways to provide locally grown, made, and produced goods to you and your family.
Ladies Night Out Turns 20 Years Old
Our Events and Promotions Committee is ready for the 20th Annual Ladies Night Out in Ottawa; we hope you are too! From 1-7pm today, Ottawa businesses make up a city-wide scavenger hunt that includes shopping, prizes, and refreshments for hundreds of ladies who will come out for the festivities. This FREE event is one of our favorites. This year’s theme is Denim and Diamonds; as a result, our committee is giving out some bling while sporting their denim (picture here). Stop by Legacy Square and snag your bag, rings, and make your way through the 45 participating businesses! I hope to see you there,
Ryland Miller
President/CEO
Ottawa Area Chamber of Commerce
ryland@ottawakansas.org
785-242-1000
