CHICKASHA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
What's Next?
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CHICKASHA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
The Chickasha Chamber is recognized as the front door of Chickasha and an advocate for the Chickasha business community. The Chickasha Chamber was started in the early 1900s by Chickasha businessmen who formed an organization to work together in the interest of Chickasha. Called the “Chickasha Commercial Club,” it later evolved into the Chickasha Chamber of Commerce which has been an important instrument in Chickasha’s stability since 1923.
The Chickasha Chamber houses a Board of Directors made up of member representatives from diverse areas of the business community.
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As a member of the Chickasha Festival of Light Board, I have been in several meeting throughout the year planning events for this upcoming holiday season. It’s hard to believe that our nationally recognized Christmas Light Display will be opening up next month. Wow…time is flying by this year! Last year the USA Today recognized the Festival of Light as the Number 2 Christmas Light Display in the entire country. So…what’s next? The Festival of Light Board is calling it North Pole Village. This year in the area North of the dam at Shannon Spring Park, a village will be created full of lights, food trucks, photo ready displays and of course Santa’s Hut with a brand new Santa Sleigh perfect for that family picture. There will also be two tents available for renting every night that the festival if open. Church groups, Christmas parties, and family events will now have a place to reserve and make those special memories. Also new this year, the big tree is being digitized with new lights. The FOL Board entered into an agreement with the University of Oklahoma to introduce the iconic Christmas Tree to the new age of technology. This agreement is a two year project that will start this year with all new lights, but will continue into 2025 by introducing digital programming in time for next summer’s Christmas in July and then again for the 2025 Festival Season. This is a very expensive process that is only possible thanks to the generosity of Liberty Bank. They stepped up to be the major sponsor of all this new technology to the Big Tree! The success of over 3 decades of people enjoying the Festival of Light in Chickasha is possible because of that original group of people that believed in creating something special. Then you add in literally hundreds of volunteers, tons of local sponsors and now we are adding “What’s Next.” We just continue to have new and exciting things happening in Chickasha. “If you aren’t growing, you are dying” was a quote from Senator Lankford when he visited Chickasha recently. He was referencing all the new businesses that have come to our Community recently, but the same can be said about the Festival of Light. EVERY town in Oklahoma would like to be “Christmas Town.” As long as we keep challenging ourselves and asking “What’s Next?” we will continue to see amazing things happen and we will be able to showcase all of #TheGoodStuff!
At their monthly meeting in OKC this week, ODOT Commissioners voted on a full agenda of projects across the state and one of them was approving an 80/20 matching grant to do the engineering on building a pedestrian bridge from the Fairgrounds across the railroad tracks into Downtown. The City Council had also applied for a grant to redo the pedestrian bridge at Shannon Spring Park, but that grant was not approved. Hopefully that one will get approved next year. The significance of a pedestrian bridge for Downtown may be hard for some to understand, but it represents major progress in growing not just Downtown, but also the Grady County Fairgrounds. This first phase of engineering for the bridge will have a positive impact on plans to build a Hotel at the Fairgrounds, which will only add to all the amenities there already. Our Fairgrounds is regarded as the best in Oklahoma outside of OKC and Tulsa and now the future looks even brighter. With the engineering and planning on the bridge expected to start by the end of the year, actually starting construction will require another grant in a couple of years as well as other possible federal funding. So there is still a lot to be done, but the key is that we have moved from “talking about it” to actually planning it. During walking tours last week with both Senator Lankford and Lt. Governor Pinnell, they were both complimentary of the progress we have made in Chickasha and both were encouraged as our vision for the future was shared. To turn dreams into reality takes a lot of hard work and determination as well as celebrating some success along the way. It takes everyone working together! Now for those of you that are concerned the vision for growth is only for Downtown, there is some great news coming soon that doesn’t have anything to do with that area of town. You see our entire town is experiencing progress and growth. So much more to share in the coming months. Like the mural on the fence says: Chickasha Oklahoma…Good Things Happen Here! And that’s #TheGoodStuff!
Halloween enthusiasts in Chickasha can get their spooky fix throughout October with a lineup of themed events and activities. This year, Chickasha Ave. transforms into Pumpkin Lane , a festive corridor from 6th to 1st Street featuring jack-o'-lantern heads atop the lampposts. Throughout the Halloween season, local merchants and organizations have adopted light poles to decorate for the Pumpkin Lane Decorating Contest , which will be judged closer to Halloween. The halloween festivities officially begin on October 11th with the 2nd Annual Fright Night . The evening kicks off with free pumpkin painting at 6:00 PM at Shakespeare Wine Company , followed by the costume parade at 7:00 PM , starting at 6th and Kansas and continuing down Chickasha Ave. to the Leg Lamp. The parade invites everyone in costume to join at Shakespeare Wine Company or simply watch along the avenue. For those with a competitive streak, the Great Pumpkin Decorating Contest is now open, with entries accepted from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM on October 11th at the Leg Lamp . Participants are asked to carve their pumpkins at home and drop them off at the Leg Lamp during Fright Night on October 11th . Categories for the contest include Spookiest , Cutest , Funniest , and Most Creative , with winners in each category receiving a $50 prize . Those interested in participating need to register online at www.chickashachamber.com/decoratepumpkin But that’s not all! Save the Date for even more Halloween fun with the Neewollah Fall Festival and the 2nd Annual Chickasha Civic Club Chili Cookoff on October 26th from 4:00 -7:00 PM on the east end of Chickasha Ave . Expect a afternoon filled with delicious chili and plenty of fall festivities to celebrate the season.  Families, thrill-seekers, and Halloween lovers alike will find plenty of activities to enjoy all month long, from costume parades to pumpkin contests. Be sure to keep an eye on the full schedule of events on visitchickasha.com to make the most of the spooky season in Chickasha! For more details on how to participate in any of these events, visit www.chickashachamber.com/spookychickasha or contact the Chickasha Chamber of Commerce at (405) 224-0787.
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