July 2023 Minutes
Baker Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture General Meeting
Thursday July 6th, 2023, at Heiser’s Bar and Casino at NOON.
Members present: Karol Zachmann (Treasurer), Tammy O’Donnell (Secretary), Jennefer Wheeler, James Parks, Dean Wang, Vaughn Zenko, Pam Owens, Melissa Rost, Jodi Varner, Linda Howard, Jamie Updike, and Marty Asay.
Staff Present: Melissa Higbee, Executive Director and Mariah Miller, Chamber Assistant
Karol called a meeting to order at 12:03pm.
Jen made a motion to approve the minutes from last month and Linda seconded the motion. All in favor. Motion carried.
Executive Director Report:
Melissa reported that Heritage Fest happened last month, and it went very well. Melissa stated there were 464 attendees at the event. Melissa stated the Boat Parade for the 4th of July went well. Melissa applied for a grant to cover the Crazy Dayz and Crazy Nightz advertising fees through EMEDA. Melissa reported she was busy most of the month going and selling over 200 tickets for the AAU raffle and was out and about trying to get them sold the first part of the month. The raffle did very well to help the AAU Tackle Football get started. The raffle tickets raised $8752.00. Melissa stated the membership is growing by adding 2 new members to the Chamber which are Rachel’s Accounting and Straub Heating and Cooling. Melissa informed the everyone she will be taking time off at the end of this month right after Crazy Dayz and Crazy Nightz.
Rec Department Committee Update:
Mariah reported that she had a good turnout for the 5K, the Sandcastle Contest, and the Kite Flying on the 4th of July. Mariah stated that Art Camp will be starting on July 10th at the O’Fallon Historical Museum. The younger kids will have three days at the beginning of the week and then the younger kids will have one day of Art Camp to end the camp next week. Football Camp is coming up on July 17th. This is a two-day camp that Jay Hoversland will be coaching. The last of the camps will be Homewaters and Mission to the Moon, which will also be at the museum as well. They will kick off the week of July 24th through July 29th. Mariah stated she has been working on the 3 on 3 Basketball tournament and starting to get geared up for fall activities as well.
Old Business:
· 4th of July Update: Melissa updated the Boat Parade only had 3 boats and a kayak for the 4th of July Boat Parade this year. Karol updated that the Sand Volleyball, Corn Hole, and Horseshoes was a lot of fun and they had a good turnout. Lame Jones Meats with their hotdogs was amazing to have out there on the 4th as well as Jackie Martin with her ice cream and pop. The Sawdust Coin was another hit for the little kids. They would find coins and then go buy ice cream from Jackie.
· Crazy Dayz and Crazy Nightz/ 3 on 3 Tournament: Melissa reported we received a Mid-Rivers grant for $1,500 to help pay for the bouncy houses and the band for this event. Mark your calendars, this will be on July 21st and July 22nd. It should be a good time to come out to support the chamber. This is a fundraiser event for the Baker Chamber. Mariah stated she still needs refs and score keepers if anyone is interested. She passed around a signup sheet.
· Fall Festival Update: Melissa wanted to know if anyone would be interested in being on the Fall Festival committee. Please let her know if you’re interested.
· Tourism Business Improvement Update: Melissa updated us on where we are at with the TBID process. Melissa said that Steve Warhlick the owner of the Clock Tower Inn in Billings will be here on August 1st at noon at Compass Coffee to talk with the motel/hotel owners here in Baker to explain the pros and cons to having a TBID in the community. He is very knowledgeable about TBID because he helped to get it started in Montana years ago. The TBID will keep tourism dollars here in Baker.
Other Old Business: None
New Business: None
Reports from Members:
Jen reported movie at the Fairgrounds Maverick Top Gun was canceled due to chance of rain. Maybe will revisit showing it in the Fall. Jen also reported fair plans are going well. Get your tickets for $25 right now for wristbands for the carnival. Tickets go up if you wait for the day of the fair. Jen said they will have 12 Food Trucks this year. Melissa Rost reported, for the O’Fallon Historical Museum, that Heritage Fest went well due to the marketing grant she got through SMART. The museum has been part of the summer reading program at the library. Next week, the museum will have an Art Camp and an Art Show. Vaughn reported on behalf of SMART/EMEDA that the play, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, went very well and had great sponsorship from businesses like the Bank of Baker. The play had great community support he stated. Finally, got the grant to fix the Baker State Bank building roof in the amount of $160,000. Contractors are in place for the renovation of the Visitor Center. The Visitor Center will be a place to promote events. SMART is also working on the Pocket Park in between the Baker State Bank building and Prairie Rose Classics. Pocket Park will have a waterfall feature, stage, and archway. The hope is that the pocket park will be done by fair or end of August. Hoping the Visitor Center will be done by October. SMART received a grant from the Red Ants for Pants Foundation for $5,000. This will support SMART’s Women in Blue Jeans project. The project is to capture women in agriculture in a photographic essay which will showcase day-to-day lives of Fallon County women whose lives revolve around agriculture. The unveiling of the project is projected to be in March 2024. Vaughn stated that SMART is willing to help with a grant opportunity through Grid United. If anyone has a community idea and would like to apply for the grant get in touch with him and he will help apply for the grant. The grant cannot be applied for unless you are a non-profit, 501 c 3, or city/county/government. $84,000 is given out twice a year next deadline for the next cycle is November 1st. Max on the grant is $50,000 but if you have a $500 project you could ask for as little as that. Marty reported for the Lakeview Country Club that the Art DeGrand Memorial Golf Tournament is coming up on July 29th. Karol reported for FMC that the foundation received a great deal of money, and they will be announcing at the Lights of Life the generous donor. Linda reported for Newell Media that the kids decorating bike contest is happening along with the bike parade for Crazy Dayz. She also mentioned Melissa Rost might have someone wear the Steer Montana costume during the bike parade. Linda introduced Jamie Updike, who is the new salesperson at the radio station.
Other Announcements:
Adjournment: Vaughn made the motion to adjourn at 12:28pm. Jen seconded the motion. All in favor. Motion carried.
**Next Meeting Thursday August 3rd, 2023, at NOON at Compass Coffee**