| HOOP-Lah |
|
The following are a few words about "What - How" were doing in the Tawas Area...
Maybe even a little laughter and boasting a bit about how much fun were having too, If you read closely there might be a few pats on the back to those that have contributed to the success of each of our activities.. To each and every contributor there is a reward! You might read some of them here. Check this section often and be sure to scroll down to the bottom as there may be other articles that will interest you...
Our Town Tawas October 2008 Laura Loeffler - Manager Tawas Area Chamber of Commerce Can you feel it? Can you smell it? Fall is in the air! School buses whizzing by in the early morning, that little hint of a cool breeze and the greater ability to turn left on any street in town, now that’s FALL. Now that the summer rush is over, the Chamber office is winding down. Let me give you an example of how busy the Chamber gets during the summer months. For June, July & August we had 1,378 visitors stop in,1,546 telephone calls for information, and 113 e-mails requesting area information. Thank goodness I have a staff of wonderful volunteers to help all the visitors and handle the many calls and e-mails. I love to see these large numbers because that means people are interested in our beautiful town on the Bay. Summer is the Tawases is a fantastic place to be. The welcoming sunrises, the calming effect of the gentle waves on the bay, the picture-perfect sailboats that glide across the water, the children’s laughter as they jump in and out of the waves, kites in the air, and great big ice cream cones. We are so privileged to live here, a place where others call a vacation spot. This summer was busy with Arts & Craft Shows, Kite Festival, Summerfest, 4th of July Parade & Fireworks, Birding Festival, Freedom Week, Sailboat Races, County Fair, and so much more. Now we can sit back, catch our breath and get ready to don our jackets, rake leaves and plan for Perchville. Yes, Perchville! Can you believe it? I know, I’m rushing things, right? I guess I’ll enjoy fall before I dive into that event!!! A really fun and pretty amazing event happened here in the Tawases on Sept 13th. 3Disciplines Racing Team breezed into town, set-up a Triathlon and brought 200+ athletes from 9 states and Canada into Tawas. The Chamber was in charge of getting the volunteers to help at the different checkpoints and finish line. This was the first time in last few years that this type of event has taken place in this area. There were three types of race courses set up, swimming, biking and running. The athletes could choose the Sprint, the Olympic or the ½ Iron Man competitions. Sprinters swam 500m, biked 20k and ran 5k. The Olympics swam 1.5 k, biked 40k and ran 10 k. The ½ Iron man competition was one for the very hardy, they swam 1.2 miles, biked 56 miles, and ran 13.1 miles. It never ceases to amaze me how many great people we have here in the Tawas Area. I want to thank all the people that volunteered to work at the Triathlon. You are exceptional people to stand out in the rain for hours, handing out drinks, marking the runners, providing direction for the bikers and giving out food and refreshments at the finish line. They say it takes special type of person to be a volunteer and it sure is true for all those rain soaked folks who worked the race. Thank you so much. Also thank you goes out to the Village Chocolatier for rounding up prizes to give away to the athletes, and to the Road Commission for the great flashing sign at the race starting line and down at the south end of town. The race teams plans to return next year because it is such a beautiful area and because of the warm hearted individuals that worked so hard to make this event a success. At this time of year the Chamber is seeking new members. If you have been a member before, I encourage you to jump back on the band wagon and join again. For those who have never been a member, please consider becoming a new member. The Chamber has gone through many changes through the years, seen Directors come and go and had some policies changes, some good, some, oh well. The staff at the Chamber is now made up of one paid Manager (me) and all volunteer help. We have slimed down our budget just like many of the local businesses and households. My volunteers are friendly, helpful and courteous. We do our very best to promote all our Chamber members and local events. Being a member offers you an opportunity to be listed in the Visitors Guide. This guide is shipped to all the major Travel Centers throughout Michigan, given to visitors when they stop by the Chamber and mailed to all who request area information. You will also be listed on the Chamber website which receives about ½ million hits every 6 months. You may display your business information in the office and your business and events will be promoted to all the visitors and callers. This is the time to join, our Visitors Guide will be going to press soon. If you have questions about being a member just contact the Chamber and I will be glad to discuss it with you. Well, enough of my ranting. Do yourself a favor and step outside your door, take in all the beauty of “Our Town Tawas”. Appreciate what we get to experience everyday here in vacationland. Like the Phil Collins song says “It’s another day in Paradise” so enjoy a sunrise, watch a child play on the beach and say good-by to summer and hello to fall. Laura Loeffler Tawas Area Chamber Manager
Words of Satisfaction
Betty Fahselt Senter Summer Field Pottery I want to commend the Chamber of Tawas and the current director for the work that they do to organize and bring events to the community that provide us with a variety of things to do here and draw tourist to the area. In this time of economic problems and high gas prices, we appreciate every one who comes here to our beautiful location and wants to stay for a few days. We all benefit from these events. The Chamber events have hundreds of community volunteers who are helping to make those events successful. They are doing that because we want to be proud of our community and our beautiful location. Our Chamber director this year has done an outstanding job of attracting and working with volunteers, and letting them contribute to the overall success of many attractions that can only happen here because so many people care enough to give of their time and talents. I have been involved with one of the three art/crafts shows that are held locally. There are two art/craft shows and one Fine Art Show. All three shows are put on with much long term work by many people so that the events can take place here. They attract the art people and crafters from all over the state and beyond. They bring business to the community and go home and tell others of our hospitality and location. I want to thank the Cities of Tawas and East Tawas for their cooperation in these events. And last but not least the businesses who contributed to making these events possible and profitable for us all.Our Town Tawas August 2008 Laura Loeffler - Manager Tawas Area Chamber of Commerce It’s August 2008 already. Boy the time flies when you’re having fun. The town is busy, the motels are full and the beaches are crowded. Yah, summer! The summer seems to be going very fast but with the very cold spring we had, maybe we will have warm weather way into September. August always brings back memories of the start of a new school year. I attended catholic school in Detroit and we wore uniforms so I didn’t become to excited about school shopping. But it was always so much fun to get new pencils, notebooks, school bags and that great lunch box with the picture of a movie star or comic book character on it. I remember sitting with all my new supplies and telling myself that this was going to be the year that I would make the honor roll. I was really going to study hard and be teachers favorite. But by the middle of November, I had forgotten all the good intentions of September and I had become little miss average student with dog-eared notebooks and broken pencils. Oh the good ole days! Well speaking of good old days, August in Tawas means Fine Art Show, Eagle Cup Sail Boat Races, Blues by the Bay and the Labor Day Arts & Crafts Show. There is still a lot of summer left in Tawas and plenty of things to keep the family entertained. The Fine Arts Festival was held in the Tawas City Park on Saturday & Sunday August 2 & 3. It was perfect weather for a stroll through the isles of white tents. The show was smaller this year due to a very dedicated group of artists that did a great job of selecting true fine art to be at the show. The committee consisted of Sandy Brugger, Chairperson, Betty Falhset-Senter, Jan Krause, Regina Greenway, and Connie Ecker. I want to thank then for a super job putting the show together, it was very well done. I am very blest to have such great volunteer workers who are willing to take on tasks for the Chamber. I also want to thank the Tawas City workers for putting up the hospitality tent, and for cleaning up before and after the show. Thank you also goes out to the Tawas City Council for allowing the Chamber to hold the show at the beautiful park, to Neiman’s and Dr. Charles Kudwa and North Star Motel for their donations as well. As for the rest of August we can all look forward to the Eagle Cup Sailboat Races. What a beautiful scene it is to look out over the bay and see graceful sails flowing with the wind, zipping across the bay. What an elegant scene, a painters dream. Lets all pray for blustery winds and blue skies for the day of the sail. For all you blues lovers out there your favorite weekend will soon be here. August 22-24 is the scheduled dates for the Blues by the Bay festival. This event sounds very interesting, with groups named Witch Doctors, The Horse Cave Trio, and Blues Abusers, playing under the tent. The comments from last years event were all great so this year should out-shine last. For admittance into the event tent you must purchase a Blues by the Bay Button. These buttons are sold around town at various shops and also at the Chamber Office. Buttons are $20, this will get you into the tent for the entire weekend. Wristbands will be available at the door for $10 and they are good for one day only. For more information check out their website at www.tawasbayblues.com. To finish off the month, the Tawas Area Chamber of Commerce will hold its Labor Day Arts & Crafts Show in two locations, Tawas City Park and downtown East Tawas on Newman Street. Over 90 crafters will exhibit their work for your shopping pleasure. A shuttle bus will be available to wisk you from one show to the other, so you will only have to find one parking spot for the day. There will be something for everyone at the show, from jewelry to purses, from woodcrafts to birdhouses. There will also be some local food vendors who will tickle your taste buds with a delicious hot dog or brat, some luscious fudge or some yummy flavored nuts. Be sure to mark your calendar so you won’t miss a thing. Summer in Tawas, what a great place to be! So many of our visitors down at the Chamber tell me “You are so lucky to live in this great vacation spot”.. You know, we really are very lucky. Just park your car at one of our parks along US23 and just look out over the bay. You can’t help but realize what a great spot to call home. So get out of the back yard and come on down to an event or just take a walk in the park. Just enjoy our beautiful bay and appreciate all we have here in OUR TOWN TAWAS. |