News from The Weatherford Area Chamber of Commerce

May has begun and the activity at your Chamber of Commerce continues. Take a few minutes now to review what is taking place and then make a selection and join the fun!

Remember any employee of a Chamber member is eligible to participate in Chamber activities or programs!

Contact Us

P O Box 857
Weatherford, Oklahoma 73096
580-772-7744

director@weatherfordchamber.com

What's Happening!

All events are subject to change! For complete details go to www.weatherfordchamber.com

Monday

May 5

Executive Committee Meeting - 12:00 PM -Chamber Office

Tuesday

May 6

Retail Trades Committee - 8:00 AM - Chamber of Commerce

May 6

Kiwanis Club - 12:00 PM - The Mark Restaurant

Wednesday

May 7

Ribbon Cutting for Laundry Boutique - 9:30 AM - 113 W. Main St.

May 7

Weatherford Rotary Club Meeting - 12:00 PM - MarkRestaurant

Thursday

May 8

Community Coffee @Sterling House Assisted Living - 9:30 AM - 800 Gartrell

May 8

Board of Directors Meeting - 4:00 PM - Chamber Office

Saturday

May 10

SWOSU Convocation - 10:00 AM - Milam Stadium

May 10

Stitches in Time Quilt show - 10:00 AM - Cedar Schoolhouse

Sunday

May 11

Stitches in Time Quilt show - 1:00 PM - Cedar Schoolhouse

**Membership Investment

Chamber members have received their 2008 membership investment invoices. Thank you to all those who supported the Chamber in 2007 and we ask for your support again in 2008. Your statement offered you the opportunity to increase your investment in the Chamber. Please take the opportunity to review your invoice and consider increasing your investment.

If you have a question concerning your membership investment, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Save the Date

and make plans to participate and/or attend

Weatherford Day - May 16 - Erick Travel Center
All State Girls Basketball Games - May 31 - Weatherford
Heartland Cruise and Car Show - June 13 & 14 - Weatherford
Great Plains Country Annual Meeting - June 25 - Stafford Air & Space Museum
SWOSU's 48th Annual Picnic - August 18 - Memorial Circle, south lawn
Chamber of Commerce Wellness Expo - September 20 - SWOSU Wellness Center
Chamber Banquet - January 22, 2009

Additional information will be provided about these events.

Community Coffee

800 Gartrell Place
Weatherford, OK 73096-2074
580-772-6600

May 8, 2008

9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.

Ribbon Cutting

Laundry Boutique

113 W. Main Street

580-774-2188

Lindsey Schreck, Owner

May 7, 2008

9:30 am

Calling All Leadership Weatherford Graduates

Wise Owl Past Leadership Weatherford graduates are invited to help honor the 10th class of Leadership Weatherford. Graduation ceremonies are set for Tuesday, May 20, starting at 6:15 p.m. in SWOSU Upper Lounge (small side of the ballroom). Tickets are $17 per person. Dress is business casual or casual. RSVP to the Chamber Office, 772-7744, no later than May 16^th

Dinner menu will include Cajun chicken breast with butter cream sauce, shrimp sauce, sweet potato, tossed salad, hot bread and warm bread pudding with lemon sauce and Chantilly cream. This year's guest speaker is Dr. Henrietta Mann, President of the Cheyenne/Arapaho Tribal College.

The event is open to any Leadership Weatherford graduate and their guest. To make reservations call or come by the Chamber of Commerce. You will be billed for your tickets once your reservation is made. Tickets may be cancelled up to 24 hours prior to the event.

Also, give us a call or send us an email with your contact information and the year of graduation from Leadership Weatherford. Shall we say that the Chamber's record in this area are less than complete!

If you would like more information about Leadership Weatherford or to receive an application, call the Chamber of Commerce. Leadership Weatherford is a joint project of the Weatherford Area Chamber of Commerce and Southwestern Oklahoma State University. The program's goal is to prepare individuals for roles in community service by providing information about the Weatherford community.

Green Thumb Required?

Spring has sprung and so has the desire to plant! Merchants with the City owned green planters in front of their businesses are probably wondering what to do now with the planters! The answer is - wait! The City of Weatherford and the Chamber's Design Alliance Committee will soon be purchasing the plants for the planters! They will also be doing the actual "dirty" work of planting the plants. Once the plants are in place, the business's only obligation will be to water daily and do a little bit of weeding as needed! You don't even need to fertilizer, that will be done for you.

Money to Help Fix Up and Spruce Up!

Spring is here and with it comes the plans and desire to fix up, clean up, etc. around your business. To help you with those plans and turn them into action, the Chamber's Design Alliance Committee and the City of Weatherford have joined forces to provide a grant to qualifying Weatherford businesses.

To qualify for the grant you do NOT need to be

on Main Street - any Weatherford business is eligible
a Chamber member - again, any Weatherford business is eligible.

Chamber Members recently received an email containing details about the program and how to apply. If you would like a copy of the grant application emailed to you, please use the email to the left of this article.

Our thanks goes to Rick Dahlgren and Mark Yearwood with the Chamber's Design Alliance Committee and Mayor Mike Brown for their efforts to establish this grant program.

Tells What Has Changed

Have you moved? Is your mailing address different? Changed phone numbers? Got a new title? Added employees? Let us know! Not only do we want to know how to contact you but more importantly, we want to be able to tell potential customers how to contact you! So give us a call (772-7744) and let us know what's new.

Also, the Chamber will soon be using a new membership software program, CCASSIST. The program will allow us to keep better records of our membership. Where now we are only able to track one person per membership, with this program will be able to have all of your employees listed, plus the committees on which they serve, plus mail to different addresses, plus track individual phone numbers, and much much more! Your business will have 5 different business category listings, so start thinking about the different ways to classify your business. Finally, when it is time to update the membership directory on the website, it will be as simple as a click of the mouse!!!

SWOSU'S 48th Annual Picnic

Mark your calendar today and make plans to attend.

August 18, 2008

Weatherford Day

Oklahoma Travel Center - Erick Oklahoma

May 16, 2008, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Return by: May 2, 2008

Come join the fun and promote Weatherford and your business when Weatherford's tourism partners tout the virtues of our tourism attractions - May 16, during National Tourism Week at the Oklahoma Travel Center near Erick. The event is a project of your Chamber's Tourism Committee and is open to any Chamber member.

Hosting a "day" at the travel center is an excellent opportunity to for Weatherford to meet one on one with the travel counselors and familiarize them with our tourism opportunities. Each day the Center's travel counselors talk with the traveling public about things to see and do in Oklahoma. Many times, a traveler will stop in a travel center and ask the Counselors to help plan their trip across Oklahoma,

To join the project, simply complete this form, keep a copy for your records, and return the form to the Chamber office by May 2.

___ Yes, I want to participate. I am