LP Chamber now needs support
To the editor:
The Long Prairie Chamber unknowingly financed an alleged power shopper. The end result of this shopping spree was the complete emptying of the Chamber’s bank account. There are also bounced checks to be settled. To add insult to injury, the local business community, which finances the Chamber, didn’t even benefit from the power shopping.
I’m not a Chamber member, or a businessman, but this is our town, our Chamber of Commerce, our community, our people, and we all need each other.
The Chamber is going to do some fundraisers to try and replenish their finances. I guess one of them will be a golf scramble.
I hope the community really gets behind the Chamber in its fund raising events.
In the mean time why not grab Sven by his suspenders, drag him down to one of the local stores and make him spend some money?
To me the primary mission of the Chamber is to get people to want to spend time and money in our community and to shop with our local merchants. Through the use of “Chamber Bucks” it promotes shopping in our local stores. (Some of them are now holding these until the Chamber can get back on its feet). It assists, supports and promotes everything from community events to bike paths to the community gardens and beyond.
The Chamber is the fiscal agent for the community gardens. Needless to say, the gardens went shopping, too — which means, my friends, we also are flat broke.
One of the first things members of the Chamber did was ask the City Council to forgive the gardens’ water bill when it becomes due this fall. Thankfully, the Council agreed.
The Garden Committee had also contracted to have water services extended to the new plots. With no money to pay for this service, my favorite dentist, Dr. Bill, and the First Baptist Church stepped up to pay this charge. The Garden Committee can’t thank them enough.
Tony Towle , Long Prairie
