September 2014

Taste of Portage 2014

This year's Taste of Portage had a little bit of everything...great food, camel rides, cool cars, nice crafts, a balloon artist, sidewalk sales, and the Police Chief dumping a bucket of ice water on the Mayor.

Thank you to everyone who helped make the 2014 Taste of

Portage a success, especially our Chamber volunteers and

sponsors. We can't do this event without your help

and support.

We had lots of comments from people visiting from outside the community saying what a nice town this is and what a great time they had. We look forward to next year's Taste of Portage!!

Thank You Sponsors!

City of Portage Tourism Business Improvement District
Frontier Communications H&M Contracting

Weaver Auto Parts Crawford Oil and Propane
Blau Chiropractic Don-Rick Insurance

Wilz Drug Store NAPA

Wisconsin River Title Consultants Schultz Small Engine

Fairway Independent Mortgage Johnson Chiropractic
Portage National Bank Hill Automotive

American Transmission Company General Engineering Company

Divine Savior Healthcare First Weber Realty

St. John's Child Development Center Community Bank

Historic Indian Agency House

Business After 5

Our next Business After 5 event will be held at Summit Credit Union, 110 Henry Drive on Tuesday, September 9 from 5pm to 7pm. Join fellow members for conversation and refreshments. Remember to bring some business cards to pass around.

Ribbon Cuttings

A ribbon cutting was held at Forward Service Corporation, 2875 Village Rd., to welcome this new business to Portage.

Forward Service Corporation is contracted by the Department of Children and Families (DCF) and the Department of Health Services (DHS) to operate the W-2 and FSET programs. The goal of both programs is employment that will lead to self-sufficiency.

For more information, call 608-742-2992.

Portage Mural Project

Steamboat riders on the Portage Canal wave to the driver of a horse-drawn wagon stocked with barrels of Eulberg's beer in artist Charles Bradley's latest mural creation.

The work, Bradley's second, was recently installed in August by Tyler Hoel of H & M Electric on a building located at the corner of Mullet and Thompson St. across from the Feed Mill.

The mural is the fourth overall in the Portage Mural project series. The other murals are located at the Daar Engineering building across from the Portage Center for the Arts, at the Portage Park & Rec building on Silver Lake Drive, and at Riley's Bar & Grill on Wisconsin St.

Portage Family Skate Park Marathon

Join the Portage Family Skate Park Committee for it's 2nd annual skateboard marathon to raise funds for the Portage Family Skate Park on Saturday, September 6. The ride is just under 10 miles and runs through the southern side of downtown Portage, a round trip of the scenic levee trail, and ends at Riverside Park for a bring your own picnic.

Helmets are required and other safety equipment is encouraged. The cost to register is $20. Pre-registration includes a t-shirt. For more information, visit

http://portageskatepark.org/2013/12/31/2nd-annual-portage-family-skate-park-marathon/

Rock Taping for the PFSP Marathon provided by HealthSource of Portage

HealthSource of Portage will be providing free Rock Tape before the Portage Family Skate Park Marathon to those that are participating from 9am to 10:30am. Rock tape provides blood to flow through your muscles during and after sport activities. Don't miss out on the opportunity of feeling awesome all day during this event. HealthSource will also be giving out coupons for an Exam and X-rays with a $27 donation to the PFSP.

Portage FFA Alumni Chicken BBQ
The Portage FFA Alumni is serving a chicken BBQ dinner at the Portage High School starting at 11am on Saturday, September 7. For more information, call 608-742-8545.

Seubert Family Dentistry

Congratulations to Dr. Mark Curran on his recent retirement from his dental practice. Dr. Curran's partner, Dr. Jan Seubert, will continue providing great family dental care in the office now known as Seubert Family Dentistry, located at 260 W. Cook St. For more information, call 608-742-2331 or visit http://www.portagedentists.com/

Got News?

What is your business up to? Pass along information and corresponding photos to graphics@portagewi.com and let us help spread the word about the great things your business or organization is doing. The deadline is the 20th of each month.

Hospice Volunteer Training Sessions Fall/Winter 2014

Hospice is a special type of care focused on helping patients live fully to the end of life.

HospiceVolunteers can assist the program in many ways, from direct patient contact, to administrative support and fundraising.

Home Health United-Hospice invites you to join a special group of people dedicated to making a difference in the lives of hospice patients and their loved ones as they near the end-of-life. Due to increasing demand, HHU-Hospice has a continued need for volunteers in all communities and counties we serve. Volunteers are needed in both administrative and patient-interactive areas.

Contact the Volunteer Coordinator to register for an upcoming training session today!

Home Health United Hospice Volunteers are required to attend a training session

prior to volunteering. All sessions will be held from 8:30am-4:30pm at the following dates and locations:

Reedsburg - Wednesday, August 27

Home Health United - Reedsburg, 164 Second Street

Portage - Wednesday, September 24

Home Health United - Portage, 2888 Village Road

Baraboo - Saturday, November 1 & December 13

St. Clare Hospice House, 915 Twelfth Avenue

For more information or to register for training, please contact the volunteer coordinator at volunteers@hhuvns.org or 877-356-4514. For a full listing of all our upcoming training sessions, please visit www.HomeHealthUnited.org.

Tavern Times: 6th Annual Living History Encampment

Observe and interact with a host of characters in historic costume and character in an authentic historic setting. For this, our sixth annual installment, travel back in time to the 19th century Wisconsin frontier, when our Winnebago Indian Agency briefly served as a boarding house and tavern. Special tours and historic demonstrations offered throughout the day.

This free event is scheduled for Saturday, September 13 from 9am to 5pm at the

Historic Indian Agency House, 1490 Agency House Road. For more information, call

Destinee Udelhoven 608-742-6362.

Uncovering Wisconsin's Past - Summer Speaker Series, Installment 4

A closer look at the "non-traditional" research-such as archeology, oral histories, and other non-book sources-that has shaped our understanding of Wisconsin history. Join us for an evening of edification and entertainment on Tuesday, September 30 at 6:30pm. Refreshments provided for lecture guests. A visitor favorite! The event is free and the speaker will be announced. Check www.agencyhouse.org for updated information.

Kids Day

Blau Family Chiropractic is hosting Kids Day on Saturday, September 20 from 10am to 1pm at Culver's Restaurant, 2733 New Pinery Road. Join them for this Health, Safety & Environmental Awareness Day! Proceeds from the event will benefit the Portage Warrior Fund.

Some of the events for this free event include: Spinal, dental and eye screenings; Photographed ID kit, Bouncy House; and tours of a fire truck, ambulance, school bus, and police car. Bring a non-perishable food item to donate to the Portage Food Pantry and you will be entered to win a prize.

Visit http://www.blauchiropractic.com for more information.

Regional Job Fair

Companies from Baraboo, Reedsburg, Portage, Sauk Prairie, and everywhere in between are

looking for you with jobs in manufacturing, healthcare, government/office, and more!

Come to the Job Fair hosted by the Job Center of Wisconsin, Department of Workforce Development

on October 1, from 1pm to 5pm at the Crystal Room at Buffalo Phil's, 150 Gasser Road, Lake Delton.

For more information, call Nicole Bernhardt, Employment and Training Specialist-Lead, DWD Job Service, at 608-242-4876.

Portage Sharing Supper

The Portage Sharing Supper committee would like to invite you to their next community meeting on Monday, September 22 from 6pm to 7:15pm at the Columbia County Annex Building in the River Room, 120 West Conant St. The mission of the Portage Sharing Supper is to build and nourish community relationships by providing a dining experience that is free of economic and social barriers.

At the meeting you will get an overview of the sharing supper with emphasis on education/community building and an open to all program; assess whether Portage has the capacity to initiate and support a Portage Sharing Supper and ask about how and what you can do to support the Sharing Supper.

Please contact Kathleen Haas at 608-742-9683 for details.

Divine Savior Healthcare Run/Walk

Divine Savior Healthcare is pleased to host their 34th Annual Run/Walk on Saturday, September 27. This year's Run/Walk will begin on our campus on Portage's north side. Runners and walkers will start and stop near Tivoli, our residential facility. All proceeds from the event will now be donated to the Portage Area Trails Heritage System to increase opportunities for wellness activities in our community.

Race fees are posted online at www.dshealthcare.com. For more information, call 608-745-6289.

Partners of Divine Savior Health Care Mum Sale

The Partners of Divine Savior Healthcare are hosting their annual sale featuring Chrysanthemums, Asters, Hibiscus, Gourds, Pumpkins, and a variety of other plants and flowers. All Autumn themed decorations will be 15% off.

The sale is scheduled for Thursday, September 4 from 9am to 5pm and Friday, September 5 from 9am to 4pm and is located at Divine Savior Healthcare's Northeast Entrance, just off of Eastridge Road on the back side of the building.

The plants are provided by Link's Greenhouse and proceeds benefit the Partners of Divine Savior Healthcare. For questions please contact Wade Udelhoven at (608)745-5166 or wudelhoven@dshealthcare.com.

Suzy's Steak and Seafood adding new lunch hours

Suzy's Steak and Seafood, 2711 County Road CX, will be adding new hours for lunch and some new menu items as well. For more information, call 608-742-8400.

The Fighting Frogs vs. Victoria Vanderbilt

A new play about best friends, changes, first loves, battles won and lost, time, and growing up will premier right here in the Midwest. Directed by Xan S. Johnson, 'The Fighting Frogs vs. Victoria Vanderbilt' is scheduled to run at the Portage Center for the Arts, 301 E. Cook St., over a couple of weekends in September.

Tickets are $10 for adults and $6 for those 12 & under. The Family Matinee is $25 for 2 parents/guardians & up to 5 of their children. Youth Night is $5 for youth & accompanying adults. Unaccompanied adults are $10. The play is scheduled for 7:30pm on Sept. 12, 13, and 19; a

Family Matinee on Sept. 14 at 1pm; a Youth Night on Sept. 20 at 7:30pm; and wraps up on Sunday, Sept. 21 at 1pm.

Performing Arts Series Season Tickets on sale September 1

Reserved season tickets and individual tickets for our annual six concert Performing Arts Series go on sale beginning September 1! Season tickets for all six shows are $70 adults (plus coupon for 2 free tickets to any of these shows for a friend, a $120 value all for $70!), $25 students. Individual tickets are $15 adults, $5 students. Group rates are also available; please inquire. Get a sneak peak of this season's shows here.

For more information, visit http://www.portagecenterforthearts.com or call 608-742-5655.

Organizing an event or having a sale?

Submit your event or sale to us and have it appear on the Chamber website calendar of events.You may enter your event by clicking here. Please note: Your submission will take a while to appear as the Chamber office first reviews the submissions before approving them to appear on the web calendar. For more information, please call our office 608-742-6242.

September Chamber Events

1 Chamber office closed for Labor Day

3 Ambassador Meeting at Community Bank 8am

9 Business After 5 at Summit Credit Union 5pm-7pm

September Community Events

Spread the word about your event by posting them on our website!

4-5 Partners of Divine Savior Mum Sale

6 Portage Family Skate Park Marathon

6 Pardeeville Watermelon Festival

6 2014 Ride Against Poverty

7 Portage FFA Alumni Chicken BBQ

9 Business After 5 at Summit Credit Union

12-14 The Fighting Frogs vs. Victoria Vanderbuilt at Portage Center for the Arts

13 Tavern Times:6th Annual Living History Encampment

14 Spaghetti Dinner benefit for Sam Bieno at VFW Hall

19 Native American Flute-Making Workshop at Historic Indian Agency House

19-21 The Fighting Frogs vs. Victoria Vanderbuilt at Portage Center for the Arts

20 Sorghum Fest 2014

20 Kids Day at Culvers

25 Dollar A Day Boys Brown Bag Lunch at Portage Center for the Arts

26 VFW Golf Outing at Portage Country Club

27 Divine Savior Healthcare Run/Walk

30 Uncovering Wisconsin's Past: Summer Speaker Series, Installment 4 of 4

For more information about these and other events, click here!!!

Give Portage Green Gift Certificates As A Gift

Portage Green Gift Certificates make an excellent gift. Used just like cash, the certificates can be purchased from the Portage Chamber in $5, $10 and $25 increments. Recipients of the Portage Green may redeem them at these participating Chamber member businesses. By buying Portage Green Gift Certificates, you are helping to boost local business by keeping thousands of dollars right here in Portage. For more information, call the Chamber at 608-742-6242.

The Portage Area Chamber of Commerce is providing leadership for

building a healthy economy and a high quality of life in the Portage Area.

NEWS BREAK is a monthly publication of the Portage Area Chamber of Commerce. Please contact the Chamber if you have news about your business that you would like to include in the next issue.

Our deadline is the 20th of the month. Email your news to graphics@portagewi.com.