FOUR NIGHTS OF FESTIVE FUN IN COTATI 

STARTS TOMORROW !!! 

Holiday Tree Lighting   

 Holiday Cheer  

Thurs. 12/8, 5:30 - 8:30 pm

 8 Ball, Cotati Yacht Club, Friar Tuck's Pub, Spancky's Bar   

Enjoy a festive evening to mix and toast with friends (over 21 please). As a group, guests will stroll to the sponsoring bars to purchase holiday drink specials (both alcoholic & non-alcoholic) and sample complimentary appetizers, with singing and merriment along the way.  All four of the participating bars are within easy walking distance in downtown Cotati and we will be serenaded by SSU faculty and staff along the way. Non-profits are encouraged to attend. The local non-profit with the best showing of members will be awarded a one-year membership to the Cotati Chamber of Commerce valued at $90 or more.

Meet at the 8 Ball at 8 Charles Street at 5:30 p.m. 

Spancky's Bar at 8201 Old Redwood Highway at 6:15 p.m.

Cotati Yacht Club at 8099 La Plaza at 7:00 p.m. 

Friar Tuck's Pub at 8201 Old Redwood Highway at 7:45 p.m.  

or join the group any time!

The Cotati Chamber supports responsible drinking and suggests having a designated non-drinking driver for your group. 

Candlelight Concert

Church of the Oaks is sponsoring a free holiday concert featuring beautiful vocal performances. Come and go at your pleasure. Bring the family to enjoy this wonderful music of the season amid the glow of candles and luminarias. Refreshments will be offered as well by the Thomas Page PTA & Church of the Oaks, for a small donation. 

Elegant Evening 

Come spend a festive and elegant evening in downtown Cotati, visiting our unique shops, sampling gourmet treats, wine tasting, listening to holiday carolers, and enjoying FREE horse & carriage rides. Carriage ride pick-up & drop-off locations are at Apple Crate Gifts & More Unlimited and rides are one-way only. Be sure to visit Santa at Exchange Bank Cotati Branch at 8220 Old Redwood Hwy.

Participating stores and restaurants will offer special discounts, contests, appetizers and beverages. Sweet Pea Children's Boutique will give all purchasers a lollipop with surprise savings of up to 20%; Ferrari Salon will be offering free nail art & bang trims, 30% off any products purchased, 10% off any future services, highlighting hair with Shimmerlys sparkly hair strands, entry into a $200 gift basket drawing, and children's face painting; Cotati Corner Wine Bar will be pouring Jacuzzi & Cline Cellars for just $5 per glass, plus offering samples of their special Butternut Squash Soup; Cafe Salsa and Redwood Cafe will be offering Elegant Evening dinner specials. The Cotati Lions Club will be on hand with free sprigs of mistletoe to decorate for the holidays.    

Everyone is invited to collect a stamp on Santa's Shopping List from each participating business and enter our raffle for a gift basket full of surprises! Shopping List entry forms will be available from each sponsoring business.  

Elegant Evening is sponsored by Apple Crate Gifts, Café Salsa, Cotati Corner Wine Bar & Gifts, Exchange Bank, Ferrari Salon, Little New Yorker Restaurant, More Unlimited, Redwood Café, Sasee Salon, Sweet Pea Children's Boutique and the Cotati Chamber of Commerce.

Any of the Four Nights - Share the Joy of the Season! 

During any of the Four Nights, the public are asked to bring a non-perishable food item for the Cotati Lions Club Food Drive or a new unwrapped toy for the Cotati Police & Firemen's Holiday Toy Drive. Individuals can also pick a heart off the tree at Exchange Bank in Cotati to become a Secret Santa! Sonoma County's Secret Santa is a non-profit gift program sponsored by the Volunteer Center serving social service organizations and schools county-wide to provide a gift to those in need during the holidays.

VOLUNTEERS still needed to help with traffic on Sat. 12/10, 6:30 - 8 pm - call Jami at 495-9373 if you can help. 

ATTENTION ALL NONPROFITS!!!

This year the Cotati Chamber of Commerce is inviting nonprofits to join us for our Holiday Cheer event on Thursday, 12/8 in downtown Cotati. This year it is not just about the good drinks, great company and free appetizers, but there is a FREE MEMBERSHIP to win! Whichever nonprofit has the most attendees at Holiday Cheer will receive a free 1-year membership to the Cotati Chamber of Commerce. We will have sign-in sheets for each nonprofit that is represented - each member attending will have to sign in for their nonprofit to receive credit. Questions - call 795-5508 or email chamber@cotati.org.  

MAHER CHIROPRACTIC ANNUAL SANTA PARTY

Sat. 12/10, 12 noon - 2 pm 

Please be our guest for Christmas caroling, cookies and beverages at our Annual Santa Party.
It will be held at Maher Chiropratic on Saturday, December 10th from noon - 2:00 pm.

Please RSVP  792-0202 (so Santa can prepare gifts for the kids)  

Dr Venus Ann Maher 

Maher Chiropractic, 525 E. Cotati Ave, Cotati, (707) 792-0202

SPIRIT OF SONOMA 2011 HONOREES

The Cotati Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors selected David & Erin Armstrong as the Spirit of Sonoma 2011 honorees and they received their award at the DoubleTree Hotel on December 2, along with 21 other honorees from around the county.  

David & Erin have made a tremendous impact on the communities of Cotati & Rohnert Park since moving here 15 years ago. Besides developing a successful chiropractic office, the Armstrongs have taken on numerous leadership volunteer roles in the community. David has served as Scout Master for Boy Scout Troop 68, is Planning Commissioner for the City of Rohnert Park, is a Board Member for the Jewish Community Free Clinic, a member of the Community Emergency Response Team, and a go-to volunteer for the Cotati Chamber of Commerce. Erin has served as PTA President of Gold Ridge Elementary School, PTSO President at Creekside Middle School, Ambassador Chairperson of Rancho Cotati High School, is Secretary of the Cotati Chamber of Commerce Board, and a Board Member of the Cotati Arts Project.

They have both been nominated for Sonoma County Adult & Youth Development's Volunteer of the Year Award several times, with Erin winning in 2006 & 2008, and David winning in 2011. They have been integral to the success of fundraisers for schools, nonprofits, and both Chambers of Commerce in Cotati and Rohnert Park, giving of their time and talents almost non-stop. Wait...when do they work at the chiropractic office? David and Erin Armstrong can both be equated to the Energizer Bunny - they keep going and going and giving and giving...congratulations to both David & Erin!  

SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTER WORKSHOPS  

Wed. 12/7, 12 pm - 1 pm

Sonoma Mountain Business Center Conference Room B, 1300 Valley House Drive, Suite 100, Rohnert Park

COST: FREE

Bank financing may be tougher to get than it used to be, but it is there for you if you qualify. Banks are scrutinizing applications very closely - this seminar will help you position your business for a successful funding bid.  Join loan officers from two of Sonoma County's biggest SBA lenders, Wells Fargo Bank and Redwood Credit Union, to learn about eligibility and how to make your business attractive to the lenders.

This is a Brown Bag Luncheon - don't forget to bring your lunch!

This event is free to attend, thanks to our Business Essentials Series sponsor, PG&E. Space is limited so register early to reserve your seat!

 READ MORE ABOUT IT  

Content Really Is King! 7 Keys to a Great Web Site

Wed. 12/7, 12 - 1:30 pm

Santa Rosa Junior College, SBDC Building, 1808 Albany Dr., Santa Rosa

COST: $25

Everyone wants to be #1 in Google and there is no end to the articles promising the secrets to top search engine rankings. Some of these offer useful information, others offer "black hat" techniques that can backfire and get you banned from search engines.
But the way to real success-being visible in the search engines and delivering the right content to those people who click on your listing- is not a "quick tricks" job, but rather a process of offering real value to your visitors.
Using robust content to create a destination web site- a site that is the go-to destination for your audience- is a long-lasting way to earn great rankings for your site. The building blocks of a destination web site are expert information, usability, design, unique value proposition, time and presence, voice, trust and credibility. This workshop will walk through these 7 steps and you will leave with concrete, actionable ideas to get your web site onto the road to success.  

READ MORE ABOUT IT

CITY COUNCIL MEETING ON OLD REDWOOD HIGHWAY IMPROVEMENTS  

Wed. 12/14, 7 pm

Cotati City Hall, 201 W. Sierra Ave., Cotati

The City Council will hold this public hearing as part of its regular council meeting to consider alternatives for Old Redwood Highway Street Improvement Project. All interested persons are invited to attend or send their comments to Vicki Parker, Community Development Director, at vparker@ci.cotati.ca.us.

WANT INFORMATION ON THE ALTERNATIVES TO IMPROVE COTATI'S OLD REDWOOD HIGHWAY?   

HOST A MIXER AT YOUR BUSINESS IN 2012 

If you are interested in hosting a Mixer in 2012, please contact Suzanne at the Chamber office at 707-795-5508 or chamber@cotati.org. All that's required is your location, refreshments, perhaps a door prize, and a desire to network with others to grow your business!

HOLIDAY MIXER AT MASSAGE ENVY SPA

Thurs. 12/15, 5:30 - 7:30 pm 

Massage Envy Spa, 640 E. Cotati Ave., Cotati  

For both Cotati and Rohnert Park Chambers of Commerce members! Great opportunity for networking and getting to know some new business people in the community. 

Oak View of Sonoma Hills

Upcoming Events  

Dickens Themed Holiday Carolers

Wed. 12/14, 6 pm

1350 Oak View Circle, Rohnert Park

Exchange Bank...Celebrating 70 years in Cotati

Thurs. 12/29, 11 am - 3 pm

Exchange Bank Cotati Branch, Lobby

SONGBIRD COMMUNITY HEALING CENTER  

UPCOMING CLASSES/EVENTS

8280 Old Redwood Highway, Cotati  94931

Songbird Community Healing Center, conveniently located in downtown Cotati, offers a branch of health care and education that connects the body, mind, and spirit. We are synthesizing the traditional and modern, new and old. Our branch provides a community gathering place for people of like minds to network and share. We offer cost-effective space rental and affordably-priced holistic education and care.

For more information on all events & classes, call (707) 795-2398 or visit www.songbirdcenter.org. 

SPECIAL EVENTS

Mon/Tue/Thu 12/1-12/8, 4:00pm
Rainbow Children - Learning to Use Intuition

Thu 12/1-12/15, 6:15pm
iRest (Yoga Nidra): Find Peace, Joy and Love through the Holidays

Sun 12/4-1/15, 11:00am
Unlocking the Pyramid Code: Ancient Egypt as a Model for Empowerment

Mon 12/5-12/12, 7:00pm 
Childbirth Education

Tue 12/6, 7:00pm
How to Help Your Child Pass Math

Wed 12/7-12/28, 7:30pm 
Essential Oils - Nature's Medicine Cabinet

Thu 12/8, 7:30pm 
Embodying the Four Agreements

Fri 12/9, 7:30pm 
Vibration Project Acoustic Concert

Fri 12/23, 7:00pm 
Solstice Sound and Scent Celebration

ON-GOING EVENTS   

2nd /4th Tue, 7:30 - 9 pm 

Hands of Gold Healing Clinic 

 
3rd Sat, 2:00 - 4 pm 
Flowing with the Wave of Change       

MOVEMENT CLASSES 

CHAMBER'S ANNUAL AWARDS DINNER  

Cotati Country Hoedown - Yee Haw! 

Sat. 1/21/12, 6 - 10 pm

Church of the Oaks Hall, Page St. & W. Sierra Ave., Cotati

Barbeque Buffet, Cotati Moonshine, Western Tunes, Outlaw Poker, and a City Jail - all the best of the Wild, Wild West! 

Plus awards for Cotati Citizen of the Year, Business of the Year, and Ambassador of the Year.

Don't 'ya dare miss it - more details a comin'.   

SAVE THE DATE - 3/31/12 

EDUCATION FOUNDATION'S SHARING OF THE GREEN

SONOMA COUNTY RESTAURANT WEEK: 2/27 - 3/4

Tuck your napkin in your collar and pull up a chair to the third annual Sonoma County Restaurant Week slated Feb. 27 through March 4.  This tasty week will feature a wide variety of restaurants, culinary options and local ingredients at great prices.  

Participating restaurants will offer three-course prix-fixe dinners for $19, $29 or $39, and will feature the excellent tastes from world-class chefs and delicious local ingredients. The emphasis on farm-fresh food and local wineries means dining out during Restaurant Week is not only beneficial to the restaurant industry, but also for local food suppliers, farmers, wineries, and the economic vitality of Sonoma County.

Last year's event, sponsored by the Sonoma County Economic Development Board, brought in more than $1 million for Sonoma County, and participating restaurants and diners were thrilled with their experience.

Restaurants, if you haven't signed up your restaurant to participate, contact Lauren Ward at 707-565-6411 or restaurantweek@sonoma-county.org. 

ENERGY UPGRADE FOR SONOMA COUNTY 

HELP GROW THE CHAMBER & GET REWARDED  

Refer a Business & Get Chamber Cash!           

• For every business, organization or individual you refer who joins the Cotati Chamber of Commerce, you will receive 25% of their first year's membership dues in Chamber Cash.
• You can spend Chamber Cash on anything the Chamber offers for purchase - your own membership dues, merchandise, luncheon or breakfast meetings, or tickets to any Chamber events.
• The amount of Chamber Cash could be anywhere from $13 to $90 (rounded to the nearest dollar), depending on the new member's membership category.
• There is no limit to the amount of members you can refer to collect Chamber Cash.
• Just have the new member write your name on their membership application at "Referred By" and when the business joins, you'll receive your Chamber Cash soon after by mail.
• Chamber Cash will expire one year from the date of issuance.

CLICK HERE for the Cotati Chamber Membership Application, which you can give to all of your business referrals. Any other questions, call the Cotati Chamber of Commerce at (707) 795-5508.