On behalf of the Park Falls Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, I would like to say how grateful we are to be able to communicate with you through our local newspaper. This avenue has enabled us to provide you with first-hand information.
In the past, email was the trusted method. However, we found that many chamber members just skim emails or, due to time constraints, don’t read them at all. It also did not allow residents or visitors the same information.
While the Chamber of Commerce is a group of businesses, clubs and organizations working towards the betterment of the community, it is imperative that we are all on the same page, with the same knowledge. If you are a member of the community and would like to be a part of it, contact the chamber office. We are always looking for volunteers.
This week’s board will be busy. We are finalizing the offer for our candidate chosen to fill the position of General Manager. If all goes according to plan this week, I will have some great news for you before the end of the month. We will also vote on the new leadership and welcome our new board members to their first official meeting.
We welcome Shannon Greenwood, the new Director of Park Falls Ambassadors. During the other two and a half seasons of the year, Shannon and her husband Dan operate the Park Falls Country Club. On weekdays, you can find her at the Park Falls Community Development Corporation office, down the front hallway of the Northwoods Community Credit Union. Her brilliant positivity and in-depth knowledge of the region make her a great choice to lead a new troop of Ambassadors on the streets of our growing city.
Do you remember when you were a kid and your parents wanted an explanation? Whether you were guilty of misconduct or not, it was the kicking of your feet, the scratching of your forehead and a frenzy of delicate butterflies starting a WWE smack in your stomach. This is how I feel when I tell you the next point.
We, the board, thought we were through the woods regarding the hardships we faced from August 2021. As they say, “Stay in your seat until the end of the ride.”
The individual indicted for embezzlement of the chamber also canceled our carnival for Flambeau Rama 2022. Despite several conversations with the owner of the carnival, discussing the signed two-year contract that we were holding in our hands, he had taken a other reservation and deposit; apologizing as well as the carnival of their obligation.
The roller coaster we have been on the last few weeks is not the one I would recommend. We reached out to Jayme Buttke, Wisconsin Associations of Fairs, who provided us with a list of all carnivals and their contact details. I called a few without success. The lion’s share went to board member Katie Frieburger, who contacted all the carnivals on the list. No chance.
Katie Frieburger, Kayla Myers and I have exhausted all possibilities. The feeling of defeat had to be extinguished. Sometimes the hardest thing to do is stop kicking that dead horse so you can focus on greener pastures.
The first thing we started to work on was to restore some of Flambeau Rama’s history. In the birth stages of this late summer celebration, canoe races were a main event. Thanks to Sarah Pritzl, owner / operator of Silly Goose Silent Sports, canoe racing will return to Flambeau Rama in 2022. We are looking to immediately form a committee to help with planning, ideas and tasks. If you’re interested, stop by Silly Goose Silent Sports Thursday through Sunday or contact the room office. If you wish to participate in the races, contact the chamber secretariat after February.
Members of the Park Falls Area Chamber of Commerce will soon receive a list of all chamber events for the year. The dates will also be available. You will be prompted to review the list and choose which events to sponsor and / or attend. This will help you budget your monetary donations and plan ahead to attend upcoming events.
Some have asked why the chamber council has been quiet about the embezzlement charges against our former treasurer. Although several news outlets gave his name and the charges are available online, those charges did not include the chamber of commerce. The investigation into the chamber is now closed and awaiting filing with the public prosecutor’s office.
Although this person has already admitted their guilt and is being treated, the board wishes to respect the family with our silence. More often than not, crime brings more devastation to loved ones than the loss we have suffered, albeit great, as a bedroom. We can recover, and we will. It is necessary to allow our justice system to apply the consequences appropriate to the crime while not radiating those consequences beyond the offender.
As we face the freezing temperatures of January, trail groomer Ron Yunk said, “… all of the snowmobile trails in Park Falls are spotless! Back in the groomer after refueling at Kwik Trip, I watched him drive away. Lifting my BOSS plow and pulling Wisconsin 13, I wondered if these trail groomers had any idea how important they are to the wheel of commerce in our small snowmobile town.
