It’s a celebration of Chemainus for Chemainus residents.
Our Chemainus - A Celebration is being launched by the Chemainus & District Chamber of Commerce for the first time on Saturday, Sept. 28.
“Chemainus is a very caring community, we have so much to be grateful for, and it is easy to be complacent about who we are and what we have,” noted Chamber director Roy Summerhayes.
The Chamber is inviting all residents and businesses to the celebration at the Sawmill Taphouse meeting room at Chemainus Village Square.
“We want to highlight Chemainus as a great place to live, work and play,” Summerhayes indicated.
“We want to promote the many organizations, groups, facilities and businesses that form the foundation of who we are as a town.”
The target audience is the residents and business people of Chemainus. There is no fee being charged to be part of the celebration.
There’s a common misconception that many - if not all - the special events organized in Chemainus are only for tourists so this will be a chance to shatter that myth and bring local people together.
“It’s great to get all the community and organizations together so people can see what everybody in the community does,” said Chamber executive director Lori Frankson.
“It also gives a chance for the organizations to connect as well. Everybody can showcase themselves to the community.
“Also, people in the community can see what the organizations are doing and why.”
Selecting a date for a new event can often be tricky with so much already on the calendar, but Frankson said the timing at the end of September seemed best-suited for this gathering.
“We’ve just gotten to the point we pick a date and go from there,” she added. “You’re not going to please everybody. September’s not too bad a month, with the kids going back to school.”
While it’s geared for locals, people outside the community won’t be turned away and are welcome to take part as well.
If anyone is looking for volunteers or supporters, customers or staff, the Chemainus celebration is the place to be. “Show us who you are and what you are looking for,” Summerhayes invited.
For more information, contact Summerhayes at the Chamber via 250-246-3944 or chamber@chemainus.bc.ca.
The idea for the event partly stemmed from a Chemainus Valley Courier editorial that pointed out Chemainus had a huge void in community celebrations after the main tourist season and needed something to bridge the gap.
The early part of the year in January and February has also been identified as a quiet time around the community in need of rejuvenating to help prop up businesses rather than see many shut down or limit hours for two months. The Chamber will also be looking at a new event for the shoulder season, geared at bringing the community out of hibernation a little earlier than usual.