Community Connections“Powering up business throughout Martin County”

323 East Blue Earth Avenue • Fairmont, MN 56031 • 507-235-5547 • www.FairmontChamber.org • FairmontChamber

July 2016

Page 2 - Update from the PresidentPage 2 - Blue Ribbon Pork Cook-OffPage 3 - Leadership Mar-tin CountyPage 3 - Pork Masters Golf OutingPages 4 & 5 - Business BriefsPage 5 - MCYF GrantsPage 5 - Google BusinessPage 7 - Ambassador Visits Page 7 - Ambassador Scholarship

Inside This Issue

Welcome Chamber Intern, Ali!

Fireworks Spectacular

We are pleased to welcome Ali Subbert to our staff for the summer! Ali came to us through the intern program fa-cilitated by Minnesota Valley Action Council and funded in-part by Mar-tin County. Ali is a senior at St. Cloud State University where she is pursuing a degree in Mass Communications

and Public Relations. When asked about why she applied to be an intern, she wrote: “ I have lived in Fairmont my whole life and I enjoy the community. I want to be a intern in the program because I will get the chance to work with people in my community and overall help to advance it.” She is a great addition to our staff! Feel free to stop by the office and say hi. Ali will be here Mondays through Thursdays until mid-August.

Fireworks over the Martin County Courthouse Photo Courtesy of Roger Neist

The fireworks display in Fairmont has gained the reputa-tion of being the biggest and best in southern Minnesota and northern Iowa. Join us as we shoot fireworks from the west side of Sisseton Lake, July 4th at approximately 10:00 pm. KSUM (1370 AM) & KFMC (106.5 FM) will be coordinating patriotic music through out the display and will be providing updates prior to the start of the display. The fireworks committee continues to accept donations by mail to help fund this event at P.O. Box 427, Fairmont, MN 56031.

Fairmont City Band ConcertBefore the fireworks, stop out to Sylvania Park Bandshell to enjoy a musical performance by the Fairmont City Band. Rehearsals are from 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm and the concert goes from 8:00 pm - 9:00 pm.

Chamber Turns 90!The Fairmont Area Cham-ber of Commerce Mem-bers, Board of Directors and Staff are excited to announce our 90th anni-versary filing as a business entity with the Minnesota Secretary of State. Journey along with us as we explore the history of the Fairmont Area Cham-ber as well as the busi-ness happenings of yes-teryear in this publication throughout the coming months.

Remember to mark your calendars for August 23, 2016 and plan to join us in celebration.

Look for more details in next month’s issue of “Community Connections.”

M i s s i o n S t a t e m e n t : T h e F a i r m o n t A r e a C h a m b e r o f C o m m e r c e e x i s t s t o p r o m o t e a h e a l t h y b u s i n e s s c l i m a t e t h r o u g h l e a d e r s h i p , c o m m u n i c a t i o n a n d e d u c a t i o n f o r i t s m e m b e r s i n t h e g r e a t e r F a i r m o n t a r e a .

ChairRon KopischkeProfinium, Inc.

Vice ChairKerry Nagel AllenMRCI-WorkSource

Stephanie BusiahnFairmont Convention and Visitors Bureau

Chris CarstensenCarstensen Cabinetry and Woodworking

Sara CyphersD& S Trophies, Embroidery & Screen Printing

Dr. Kerri HendersonOptimal Health and Chiropractic Center

Past Chair Doug Hoffmann3M

TreasurerLes AndersonMartin County Farm Bureau

Rich JohnsonCulligan Water Conditioning

Mandi KosbabEdward Jones

Ann TerfehrDan’s Appliance

Bob BartingaleMayo Clinic Health System-Fairmont

Board of Directors Officers:

Board of Directors:

Margaret DillardPresident

Kandi Menne Office Manager/Director of Communications

Curt FosterDirector of Finance and Operations

Benjamin LandsteinerMarketing & Social Media Coordinator

Staff:

2Addressing Workforce ChallengesRecently, I attended a conference with 140 others who work with chambers and associations. Infor-mation included governance, bud-get and finance, communication and leadership skills. I wasn’t alone when expressing an abundance of process-es that could be implemented when returning home. However, each time

I gather with peers, I come back to Martin County with a keen realization that we are blessed to live in an out-standing community! Our core programs address the challenges of local business by working with commu-nity members across generations. Hiring skilled labor is the number one concern voiced by the business com-munity in Martin County. As I studied the challenge and talked with others, I was pleased to be able to say that we do have programs in place to stimulate our work-force. Each school year, approximately 37 dedicated volunteers teach 5 1-hour sessions about business to students in 55 classrooms, grades kindergarten through 8th. Junior Achievement curriculum shows kindergartners how they are consumers, then by the time students are in 6th grade, they are learning about global economics. The program begins each September, with a staggered schedule that ends in April. Area Career Exploration began nine years ago as an innovative way to encourage youth to pursue local career paths. Last April, 750 high school sophomores descended upon Fairmont High School. In the gym, ap-proximately 90 businesses engaged attendees at their booths through interactive games and demonstrations

that showcased their industry. In the school’s Perform-ing Arts Center, a dozen or so young professionals of-fered guidance through a game show where students were asked career-related questions that highlighted soft skills and knowledge of local business.

Larissa Becker and Seth MelsonRecipients of the 2016 Agri-Business Scholarships

Agriculture is the lifeblood of our economics. The Agri-business Committee implemented a pathway to provide two $4,200 scholarships to Martin County high school graduates who will pursue four-year de-grees in agriculture-related fields. If you have tasted the pork dishes served up by local eateries at the Blue Ribbon Pork Cook-off held each year at Martin Coun-ty Fair, you have helped youths enter the profession-al world of ag. Tickets sell out each year and are now available at the Chamber office.

Continued on page 6

The 19th Annual Blue Ribbon Pork Cook Off will be held Wednesday, August 15th from 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm in the Martin County Arena. Tickets are $8 and available from area Pork Producers and at the Chamber office. Come and enjoy the finest in cuisine from our area restaurants and caterers. Proceeds from this event help support our Agri-Business Scholarships. Thank you to our spon-sors: the Agri-Business Committee of the Fairmont Area Chamber of Commerce, AgStar Finan-cial Services, Bank Midwest, Cargill Inc., Devenish Nutrition, Dutch Creek Farms, Fairmont Vet Clinic/Preferred Capital Management, Kahler Automation, Martin County Pork Producers, Martin County Corn and Soybean Growers, Profinium Financial, Valero Renewables, WFS, and Zoetis.

Blue Ribbon Pork Cook-Off

By: Margaret Dillard - Chamber President

M i s s i o n S t a t e m e n t : T h e F a i r m o n t A r e a C h a m b e r o f C o m m e r c e e x i s t s t o p r o m o t e a h e a l t h y b u s i n e s s c l i m a t e t h r o u g h l e a d e r s h i p , c o m m u n i c a t i o n a n d e d u c a t i o n f o r i t s m e m b e r s i n t h e g r e a t e r F a i r m o n t a r e a .

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MARTIN COUNTY IMPLEMENT Truman

TRI-COUNTY IMPLEMENTJackson

TRI-COUNTY IMPLEMENTSt. James

The Martin County Pork Producers and the Agri-Business and Ambassa-dor Committees of the Fairmont Area Chamber

of Commerce have joined together to host the 24th

Annual Minnesota State Pork Masters Golf Outing on Monday, July 25, 2016 at Interlaken Golf Club. Mar-tin County is Minnesota’s leading pork producing county. This event is open to area pork producers and recognizes the importance of the pork industry to Martin County and the state of Minnesota while

raising funds for Ag Scholarships and Ag Awareness. Lunch and dinner is provided for the participants at Interlaken Golf Club. There will be games and prizes on every hole with 250 golfers expected to partici-pate. For golf or sponsorship information, call Curt at the Chamber office at 235-5547.

Pork Masters Golf Outing

What: A leadership program designed to enable candidates to learn about Martin County resources, values, strengths, weaknesses, and challenges. A learning experience geared toward providing an in-depth look at eight key elements of our community; education, economic development, government, healthcare, public safety, quality of life, agriculture, and culture & diversity. This program will provide opportunities for candidates to exchange ideas, build networks and begin the process of identifying and solving important community issues.

Who: A pool of candidates who are current or pro-spective leaders in the Martin County community. Candidates are drawn from business, industry, ed-ucation, public and private agencies, civic groups, non-profit and virtually all other facet of the profes-sional community. Class size will be limited.

Program Development: A Martin County Cham-ber-designated “Leadership Advisory Committee” oversees the development of the LEADERSHIP Pro-gram. Riverland Community College and the Cham-

ber will assist with individual seminar curriculum development in cooperation with designated day-leaders.

Where: This localized program was designed by the Fairmont Area Chamber of Commerce in coop-eration with Riverland Community College and its Training and Development Division. All sessions are facilitated locally and focus on topics directly affecting our community. Seminars are held at a dif-ferent location each session.

Why: To develop candidate knowledge and under-standing of our community, its assets, complexities and potential. To provide an opportunity for partic-ipants to meet and exchange ideas with each other and current community leaders. To develop leader-ship skills through classroom instruction, interac-tive exercises and small group discussion.

How: A series of topical seminars held over a nine month period and conducted by local and regional professionals. Area leaders volunteer their time

to raise awareness to the assets and opportuni-ties of our community by providing an in-depth, behind-the-scenes look at eight key elements of our community. Peggy Young, Business Consultant with Riverland Community College’s Training and Development Department will nurture leadership development by leading discussions that integrate community information through dialogue, interac-tive exercise and small group discussion.

Cost: $650 - Tuition is payable at the time a partici-pant is accepted to candidacy. Scholarship opportu-nities are available.

When: Monthly sessions run September - May on the first Wednesday of each month. LEADERSHIP requires a serious commitment of time and energy. Candidates meet the FIRST WEDNESDAY, a full day each month. Attendance at the work sessions and all day program meetings is imperative. Class par-ticipants are expected to attend all sessions with the exception of an extreme emergency or illness.

Leadership Martin County

Sentinel64 Downtown Plaza507-235-3303

FAX (507) 235-3718

fairmontsentinel.com

V i s i o n S t a t e m e n t : T h e F a i r m o n t A r e a C h a m b e r o f C o m m e r c e w i l l b e r e c o g n i z e d a s t h e l e a d e r i n a s s i s t i n g a r e a b u s i n e s s e s t o p r o s p e r .

Fairmont Public Utilities www.SaveEnergyInFairmont.comFairmont Public Utilities offers various rebate pro-grams to make energy efficient equipment more affordable & shorten the payback period for our business electric customers. In fact, we paid our cus-tomers over $220,000 last year to help them use energy wisely! Want to get in on the action and save energy and money this year? It’s easy! To learn more about how our energy efficiency programs can help you minimize your costs, visit us online at SaveEnergyInFairmont.com. Rebate forms & a sum-mary of our 2016 rebate programs are also available.

Chamber Member Business BriefsEdward Jones Investments - Mandi Kosbab(507) 235-8524 - Member SIPCHave you and your spouse communicated about how you’ll finance your retirements? And have you shared your estate plans with your grown children? If not, now is a good time to start. You and your spouse might have talked about the big picture, such as when you both plan to retire. But you need to be on the same page with regard to the specifics, such as when you both will take Social Security and how soon you’ll start tap-ping into your 401(k), IRA and other retirement accounts. As for your grown children, you need to clearly communicate your estate plans to them because they may well play active roles within those plans. So, discuss whom you’d like to provide with a durable power of attorney and whom you’ve chosen as ex-ecutor of your estate. And talk about what went into your thinking when you created your will and other important documents, such as a living trust. Your hopes for the future are bound up with your loved ones – so make sure they know your plans. Edward Jones, its employees and financial advisors are not estate planners and cannot provide tax or legal advice. You should consult your estate-planning attorney or qualified tax advisor regarding your situation.

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Heritage Acres InternationalHeritage Acres July 4th, 36th annual Music Festival will be held starting at 11:00 AM. Gates will open at 10:00 AM. There will be no gate fee. All buildings will be open, including our new display building lo-cated west of the Prairieville building. Food stand available with a variety of foods & homemade pies. Kids tractor pull at 11:00 with registration at 10:30. Steve Lang will play at 11:00 & Becky & the Ivan-hoe Dutchmen will entertain after that. Wagon rides & train rides and many other activities going on.

Century 21 - Gillian Tunnell(507) 399-9211Putting your home on the market? A deep cleaning, inside and out, before it is listed will help it shine and make it easier to maintain between showings, and be more attractive to buy-ers. Start with the outside and think curb appeal: Give the front door a good wipe down, and check the condition of the door mat. If a wipe down doesn’t improve the door’s appearance, consider a coat or two of fresh paint - quick, easy and inexpensive! Hose down outside furniture and the patio, driveway and deck. Garage floor a little worse for wear? The acidity of dark cola drinks can help remove oil, rust, and grease stains, with a little scrubbing. Clean windows make a huge difference – Remove screens, lay them on a tarp, clean with some all-purpose cleaner and a soft brush, and rinse off with a hose. For the window glass, try a mixture of one part vinegar to 8 parts water, and a few drops of dish detergent. Clean with crumpled newspaper to avoid streaks. These are just a few of the many ways you can improve your home’s saleability. So roll up your sleeves and get busy!

Fairmont Area Kinship(507) 238-4440Fairmont Area Kinship is a local non-profit organi-zation seeking to better the lives of children in the Fairmont area by developing meaningful mentoring relationships. This is ac-complished by matching children with caring adult mentors who share simi-lar interests, activities, and hobbies. Mentoring empowers and encourages children who are at-risk. Kinship has a great need for new mentors as there are currently 13 wonderful children on the waiting list. Our mentors rep-resent a wide array of people with a huge range of ages, work experiences, and family lives. YOU can be a mentor! Kinship is blessed by funding through grants and donations from local businesses, organizations, and individuals.

Green Mill Restaurant - Holiday Inn Fairmont(507) 238-4771 We are having Acoustic Nights every Thursday on the Patio from 6pm to 9 pm. We feature live acous-tic music & singing from artists like Michael Shynes, MoeDell, and Brian Ott. We will also be offering food specials including our new burger menu and drink specials like Henry’s Hard Sodas, Blue Ocean Lemonade and our famous Coronarita!

Mayo Clinic Health System in Fairmont - 507-238-8100Effective Monday, June 27, the Emer-gency Department (ED) entrance at Mayo Clinic Health System in Fairmont has been temporarily relocated to the Lutz Wing main entrance on the south side of the medical center. The relocation will be necessary for approximate-ly one month as a new canopy is installed above the permanent ED entrance. Internal and external signage will be clearly displayed to ensure patients and visitors can easily find the temporary entrance and the ED admissions desk. A volunteer and security officer will be located inside the temporary entrance when available.

MARTIN COUNTY FAIRAugust 15-21, 2016 • www.theotherbigfair.com

V i s i o n S t a t e m e n t : T h e F a i r m o n t A r e a C h a m b e r o f C o m m e r c e w i l l b e r e c o g n i z e d a s t h e l e a d e r i n a s s i s t i n g a r e a b u s i n e s s e s t o p r o s p e r .

Email benjamin@fairmontchamber.org if you would like to have your announcement in the newsletter

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To view upcoming community events please visit www.fairmontareacalendar.com . If you have any questions or concerns about updating your events to the Fairmont Area Community Cal-endar please contact me at info@fairmontchamber.org. Calendar Funding Partners: Fairmont Area Chamber of Commerce, Fairmont Convention and Visitors Bureau, City of Fairmont, Fairmont Area Schools, and Blandin Community Broadband Grand. Other Partners: Fairmont Community Education and Recreation.

Chamber Member Business BriefsRed Rock Center for the Arts(507) 235-9262 Membership Drive going on now! Embrace arts and cul-ture and support your community art center. Become a member of the Martin County Preservation Association, a 501c3, non-profit organization, operating the Red Rock Center for the Arts and the Chubb House. Basic Membership: Single $15, Couple $30, Household $35 Friend $100. Premier Memberships starting at $250.00. Preserving our past to ensure our future. Promoting the visual and performing arts and add-ing value to the life our community. Please make checks payable to the MCPA, 222 E. Blue Earth Ave., Fairmont. All donation are tax deductible.

“Business Briefs” is a complimentary service provided by the Chamber for chamber members. Please limit your information to one paragraph of about 100 words. Example: expansion, new employees, awards, monumental anniversary, etc… A photo or logo can be included. NO Direct Advertising.

Chain of Lakes Yacht Club(507) 23Chain of Lakes Yacht Club will be holding a Beach Bash on Saturday, July 9th starting at 4:00pm. Open to Yacht Club Members and Non-members (Adults only). Gerhardt’s Catering will be serving food and drinks, so please no outside coolers after 4pm. Games will include Yard games beginning at 4:00pm as well as the first ever Yacht Club Scavenger Hunt from 4:30-6:00pm. The hunt will be done by boat (no cars allowed)! Decadence Inc. will be providing musical entertain-ment beginning at 8:00pm. Cost is $15 to cover food, games, and entertain-ment for the night. Pre-register online at www.chainoflakesyachtclub.com.

The Martin County Youth Foundation grant applications are now available. The mission of the Martin County Youth Foundation is to acquire, manage and distribute funds to enhance the lives of youth in Martin County. Grants will be made to qualified, non-profit orga-nizations including those with 501(c)3 status, public agencies, units of government, and churches that will address important community youth needs. Funds received can be used for youth program costs and support materials.

Interested groups may pick up grant applications and guidelines at the Fair-mont Chamber of Commerce, 323 East Blue Earth Avenue or fill out the appli-cation online at www.martincountyyouthfoundation.org. The deadline for sub-mitting the grant applications is September 15th. Return completed grants to Martin County Youth Foundation, P.O. Box 826, Fairmont, MN 56031 or drop off at the Fairmont Chamber.

Fairmont Area Chamber of Commerce is helping small businesses grow their pres-ence online with a Let’s Put Our Cities on the Map workshop, which will feature a lesson about the “Get Found on Google Search and Maps” program. The work-shop will be hosted on July 14th, 2016 at Southern Minnesota Educational Campus - Room 012 beginning at 9:00 am.

Let’s Put Our Cities on the Map is a pro-gram designed to empower communities to support their local businesses and encourage them to get on the map. Businesses that have complete busi-ness information online are twice as likely to be considered reputable by consumers. When people can find info about local dentists, dry cleaners, and your business, our community becomes even stronger. Let’s Put Our Cities on the Map is part of Google’s Get Your Business Online program and aims to bring community members, business owners, and civic leaders together to help small businesses succeed on the web.

MCYF Grants Google #OnTheMapBy: The Martin County Youth Foundation

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Chamber Events Monday, July 11th - Noon Pork Masters Meeting

Tuesday, July 12th - 4:00 p.m. Pork Cook-Off Meeting

Thursday, July 14th - 9:00 a.m. Get Found on Google Seminar

Wednesday, July 20th - 3:30 p.m. Ambassadors Meeting / Ribbon Cuttings

Monday, July 25th - Pork Masters Golf Outing

Tuesday, July 26th - 9:00 a.m. Social Media Breakfast

Wednesday, July 27th - 7:30 a.m. Board Meeting

Thursday, July 28th - Noon Fairmont Area Life (Brain Gain) Meeting

Core Values: We value for our members, employees and community: integrity in all we do, collaboration with all our stakeholders, growth and development for our members, recognition of accomplishments, effective communication, and doing all things efficiently and in a fiscally responsible manner.

Wouldn’t it be nice to have the windows of your home sparkling clean!

Please allow us to give you a free estimate.You will be pleasantly surprised!

Call Now! Matt Petrowiak at (507) 236-5207

Professional Window CleaningInsured

Residential &Commercial

CleaningYour Professional Jeweler

Since 1954Full Service-In House Repair

Fine JewelrySovell Jewelry

Jessica & Steve SovellGemologist • Goldsmith

WORKFORCE CHALLENGES (Continued from page 2) The benefits of The Annual Pork Masters Golf Outing, a joint venture between the Cham-ber’s Agri-business Committee and Pork Produc-ers of Martin County, may go largely unnoticed. Pork producers and suppliers from three states are brought together to network and form allianc-es. They eat at restaurants, stay in our hotels and shop in area stores while visiting the county that ranks among the top ten in the nation in Pork Pro-duction. This event also helps fund the Ag Schol-arships.. Emerging leaders in are invited to attend Leadership Martin County, a program that high-lights personal strengths and extends knowledge about local services, organizations and businesses.

Participants are asked to make a commitment to attend a day-long session ev-ery month Sep-tember through

May. An instructor from Riverland College leads the morning session that precedes themed tours that stretch into late afternoon. In-depth lessons with guest speakers from specialized fields focus on government, economic development, educa-tion, healthcare, quality of life and more. The City of Fairmont brought to life a com-mittee that encourages people to relocate to Mar-tin County to live, work and raise their families. Recently they were awarded a grant to employ platforms, both online and through traditional means to attract new residents. The Fairmont

Area Life program, otherwise known as Brain Gain identified paths to reach candidates who would entertain a notion to move to the area, they are:• Communication with alumni• Connecting with those who are here, whether visiting or looking for career opportunity• Reaching out online through social media strate-gies, personal connections and through a dedicat-ed website that showcases our area using videos, photos, testimonials, job offerings, etc. The above snapshot is a mere fraction of the ways that our board and staff engage with oth-ers to strengthen Martin County. Our world here at the Chamber is constantly changing to meet the needs of local business. We are not perfect and our work will never be finished. Though our strengths lie in education and workforce, the only way our staff is able to make a difference is with the support of businesses, volunteers and valued partners. Many of you contribute your time, tal-ent, resources or dollars and for that we are truly grateful. Please accept our thank you! For those who are curious about YOUR Chamber of Com-merce, I invite you to correspond with me! I am willing to listen and to work with you. One last note to those in business. Please join us for the next Social Media Breakfast. During this hour-long, free seminar, instructor Randy Martinson to be held July 26th at 9 am you will learn how to drive traffic to your store. Call the office or visit fairmontchamber.org and click on “Social Media Breakfast” in the menu to register.

Energy rebates for your business.

minnesotaenergyresources.com 866-872-0052

The smart move for your bottom line.

WELCOME NEW MEMBER

Prairie LakesTransportation

Core Values: We value for our members, employees and community: integrity in all we do, collaboration with all our stakeholders, growth and development for our members, recognition of accomplishments, effective communication, and doing all things efficiently and in a fiscally responsible manner.

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Member Celebrations with Ambassadors

RIBBON CUTTING AT UHD CLINIC IN FAIRMONTUnited Hospital District (UHD) has opened a new clinic in Fairmont. The extensively remodeled building will accommodate primary care and orthopedic services for residents of Fairmont and surrounding areas.

RIBBON CUTTING AT PRESENTATION COLLEGEPresentation College announces the addition of Wil-liam (Billy) Potter as the Fairmont Campus Director. Billy is working to expand program offerings and pro-vide more flexible class schedules in Fairmont.

RIBBON CUTTING AT PC JANITORIALPC Janitorial is now under new ownership. Congratu-lations to Kyle Muklebust and family of R&S Cleaning! PC Janitorial will continue to offer great products and services for the janitorial industry.

We know injuries sometimes happen at the work-place. Our philosophy at The Center For Specialty Care is to get the injured worker feeling better fast. We call it Fast Trac. We will work with employers to develop a partial return to work program while we get the worker to their maximum function in the work place.

The Center For Specialty Care offers pre-employ-ment services including:

• Medical Physical • Drug Testing • Spirometry (Functional Lung Capacity) • Pure Tone Hearing • Pre-Employment Physical Therapy Evaluation• Functional Capacity Evaluations

What we offeryour business.

717 S. State St. • Fairmont, MN • (507) 238-4949435 S. Grove St., Suite 3 • Blue Earth, MN • (507) 526-5191

www.centerforspecialtycare.com

The Ambassador Committee of the Fairmont Area Chamber of Commerce is offering a $1,000 scholarship to a Martin County student in a Busi-

ness related field entering their Junior or Senior post secondary year in a four year college or their final year in a technical college. The scholarship will be awarded after a review of grades to con-firm achievement of a 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale. Scholarship applications may be picked up at the Fairmont Area Chamber of Commerce office lo-cated at 323 East Blue Earth Avenue or fill out the application online at the Chambers website at www.fairmontchamber.org. Applications are due at the Chamber office by July 8, 2016.

Last Chance for 2016 Ambassador Scholarship!

1304 Blue Earth Ave., Fairmont, MN

507-238-4786

Mark Hawkins

Specializing in searching for

the vehicle you want.

507.235.5547info@fairmontchamber.org

8Fairmont Summer Playground ProgramCommunity Education & Recreation

Join this new, FREE, Summer Playground Program this summer for arts, crafts, games, creative play, and more! The program, sponsored by the City of Fair-

mont and ISD 2752 Community Education and Rec-reation, will be held at several parks in Fairmont under the supervision of Kayley Shoen and Allison Moeller from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday starting June 14th till August 11th. Parents are encouraged to pre-register at CER and/or on the first day at the park to fill out the registra-tion form. Grades 1–6. Youth 6 and under should be accompanied by parent or older sibling. For more in-formation, please contact CER at 235-3141.

Program Schedule & Locations.1ST AND 3RD WEEK OF MONTH

Tuesday - Gomsrud ParkWednesday - Lincoln ParkThursday - Veterans Park

2ND AND 4TH WEEK OF MONTHTuesday - Sylvania ParkWednesday - Ward Park

Thursday - Amber Lake Park

1307 ALBION AVE., SUITE 102FAIRMONT, MN

PH: (507) 238-4228

111 E. 6TH ST.BLUE EARTH, MNPH: (507) 526-2020

VISION CARE

Paul Seibert, O.D. James Busche, O.D.

CONTACT LENS

For complete list, see the CER Web Store at fairmontareaschools.portal.rschooltoday.com. Register online with MC/Visa. For more information, contact CER in the Fairmont Elementary School Door 15A, 714 Victoria Street, Fairmont; call 507-235-3141; or Email rdauer@fairmont.k12.mn.us.

Feature your business ad in full color for

only $60 per monthwith your annual contract or $75 per month.

The next Social Media Breakfast will be held on July 26 from 9 to 10 am at Southern Minne-sota Educational Cam-pus, 115 S. Park St., in Fairmont.

During this free seminar, instructor, Randy Martin-son will show you how to drive traffic to your store.

Marketing is changing and it is more important than ever to embrace the tools that are available for busi-nesses. Are you leaving money on the table by not embracing social media?

Visit our website at www.fairmontchamber.org to register. Thank you Lakeview Methodist Healthcare for sponsoring our June seminar!

Event sponsorships are being accepted for July, August and September events.

Social Media Breakfast - July 26th

www.fairmontarealife.com

Helping Kindergartners Succeed!“Stuff for School” provides new school supplies for all students entering Kindergarten, whether attending private, parochial or public classes, in Martin County. Thank you to all of our sponsors and invite you to join contribute to local families. As we enter our 18th year we invite your tax deductible contribution made

payable to Youth First-Stuff for School. Youth First is a local 501(c)3 organization. Your tax deductible do-nation stays in Martin County. You may drop off your contribution to Fairmont Chamber of Commerce, 323 East Blue Earth Avenue or mail to the Fairmont Chamber of Commerce, PO Box 826, Fairmont, MN

56031. Thank you for your consideration from the Stuff for School Committee: Neil Benschoter, Diane Hendricks, Sue Hinz, Dave and Jo Kropp, Sue Moore and Michelle Rosen.