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Retail & Business Promotions Committee
Brett Nachtigall & Pati Blackwell – Co-Chairpersons

Committee Report

The Chamber's Retail and Business Committee once again organized and promoted a number of events designed to encourage shopping in Hot Springs, many of which were self-supporting and also helped to create additional revenue to promote other Chamber activities.

OUR FIRST EVENT IS the Spring Fling Home and Garden Show, ON April 12, 2008. Last year's event featured a Kids In Action program in the theater. Attendance has been steadily increasing at this event for the past few years, promising to make this year's even bigger.

In the summer, this committee is responsible for organizing and promoting the Fall River Freedom Ride Poker Run, which was moved from Wednesday to Sunday in 2007. The change to the weekend helped boost participation from outside of the area and is something we plan to maintain for this summer's event.

Also in August, this committee supported and promoted sidewalk sales and a community rummage sale downtown during Crazy Days. The event this year again will coincide with the Lean Horse UltraMarathon which helps to make promote the "crazy" race as a local celebration as well.

The months of October and November last year featured two of the committee's most successful events, which both began in 2001:
Artoberfest and the Holiday Shopping Extravaganza. The Holiday Shopping Extravaganza is a festive, one-stop shopping opportunity at the Mueller Civic Center the weekend prior to Thanksgiving, which gives locals the opportunity to see what our town's businesses have to offer for the holiday season.

The Artoberfest Art Walk promotes area artists by featuring them in downtown businesses. The partnership between both the artists and business owners proves beneficial to all as the community has the opportunity to go door-to-door and purchase works of art direct from the artists themselves, as well as items from the host business.
Unfortunately, this event will likely not occur in 2008 due to the recent denial of BBB funds to the Chamber for the promotion and organization of the event.

This year, the committee is working on various ideas to help signify and celebrate the town's 125th Anniversary.

We are always looking for additional input from local businesses as to how we can work together to benefit the town. Anyone who is interested in participating in our planning sessions is invited to attend our monthly meetings, which occur the second and fourth Thursdays of each month, beginning at 9 a.m.