The Chamber Beat

Photo:

John Williams

The Chamber of Commerce has announced the 2012 Christmas Parade theme and it is ... “Christmas Characters and Critters!”

Let your imagination run wild as we prepare for the largest parade of it’s kind in Maine. Registrations online and at the Information Center will be available shortly. This is an excellent opportunity to promote your business and bring a sense of community involvement to the Oxford Hills.

Dunkin Donuts and Oxford Networks be sponsors of this year’s parade once again, which will take place, as usual, the Saturday after Thanksgiving, November 24, starting at 11 a.m.

And that’s not all because if you want to promote your business for the entire weekend, do not miss the opportunity to get involved in another huge holiday event, “The 2nd Annual Festival of Trees,” which will take place again this year at Four Seasons Function Center in South Paris from Friday through Sunday, November 23-25.

Your business can provide a fully decorated artificial tree that will be raffled off to a winner at the end of the weekend. Santa Claus will be at the Festival of Trees starting immediately after the Christmas Parade. Our signature sponsor for this year’s Festival of Trees is Oxford Casino.

Finally, in the spirit of holiday cheer and to boost the local economy, the Chamber is embarking on a “Holiday in the Hills” campaign for the entire weekend, asking local businesses to advertise specials, to encourage Christmas Parade and Festival of Tree goers to spend money in the Oxford Hills.

For more information about the Parade and the Festival of Trees, call the Chamber at 743-2281 or go to our website at www.oxfordhillsmaine.com.

Congratulations to Jackie Young, director of the Oxford County Fair, for a super successful event from September 12-15. I spoke with Amber earlier this week and on Saturday alone, more than 12,000 people came through the gates to enjoy all of the activities, rides and of course, LeAnn Rimes, who graced the stage for Saturday evening’s concert.

This is exactly what the Oxford Hills needs and it is a boost to our economy, so we are thrilled with the turnout and looking forward to next year already.

Our Business After Hours for October should be a great one and lot’s of fun too. We’ll be at Cindy’s Dockside, Restaurant and Boathouse on Route 26 in Poland, just down the hill from Poland Spring Resort and Country Club, on Middle Range Pond.

The date is Thursday, October 4, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Don’t miss it because you can network, you can socialize, you can enjoy the Autumn foliage and you can enjoy some great food and drink.

We’re also looking for some additional volunteers at the Information Center. Probably just a day a week for a couple of hours from 2 to 4 p.m. Answer some phones, help people find what they want for materials at the Center and enjoy the environment. Give us a call if you have some time. We appreciate it.

As always, the Chamber is on top of business throughout the Oxford Hills – are you a Chamber Member yet? It’s easy, just call us at the office and speak with Jennifer or myself and we’ll sign you up. I'll see you next week.