The Chamber Beat

Photo:

John Williams

Apple Saturday is September 29 and there are members of the Chamber that are hosting special events in conjunction with this special day all across the state of Maine, including the McLaughlin Garden and the Poland Spring Preservation Society at the historic Poland Spring Resort & Country Club.

And another member, Harvest Hill Farms, will debut its Haunted Gauntlet Rides starting the last weekend of September, along with Pumpkin Land and the Corn Maze Adventure, right on Route 26 in Mechanic Falls.

I also wanted to highlight another member, C & C Farm, overlooking Little Pennesseewassee Pond in North Norway. Rolling pastures and southern exposure provides a tranquil home for the animals.

All of the meat is flash frozen after processing and you can find C&C’s retail outlet at the end of Main Street in Norway. Naturally raised beef, pork, and lamb along with turkey, chicken, ducks, and game birds like pheasant The store is open on Saturday’s from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Our newest member is Western Maine Mortgage, located at 290 Main Street in Norway. Zakk Maher is the principal contact and he can be reached by calling 207-739-2668 and you can find more information about the company by going to www.westernmainemortgage.com.

Western Maine Mortgage specializes in helping local home owners purchase and refinance their mortgages for their primary residences. And they can also help you in your search for a new home or investment properties.

Our recent Business Roundtable covering the new federal health care initiative was very well attended on Wednesday, September 19, at the town office in Norway with more than 20 businesses on hand.

What’s next? Businesses have to be concerned about identity theft, just like any person. So, the Chamber, in conjunction with SCORE, will be putting on an Identity Theft Roundtable in October and there will be more information about that coming up shortly.

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.

The Chamber is planning on putting together a special Members Coupon Booklet just for this holiday season event, so stay tuned.

By the way you can download a parade and Festival of Trees registration by going to our website at www.oxfordhillsmaine.com or drop into the Chamber Information Center at 4 Western Avenue in South Paris and pick up a registration anytime between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.

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 –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.

If you need information on services in the Oxford Hills then look no further then our website which has a comprehensive listing of virtually any product or service you can imagine.

In addition we now have an interactive selection of maps where you can click onto flags that will bring you to businesses and their locations under specific categories like: accommodations, restaurants, retail outlets and coming soon real estate agencies. And our Information Center at 4 Western Avenue is loaded with a bevy of information on all of the Members of the Chamber and the products and services that they provide.

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.