O’Neill Area Chamber of Commerce

125 South 4th Street O’Neill, NE 68763

US STANDARD

POSTAGE PAID

O’NEILL, NE 68763

PERMIT #4

Board of Directors

Chairman of the Board, Dave Laursen—O’Neill Car Wash

Vice Chairman, Trent Shoemaker—Revelation Wellness

Treasurer, Joel Steinhauser—Tri County Bank

DIRECTORS

Bob Ogden—Ogden Hardware Mark Mahony—Reiser Insurance

Holly Cole—AseraCare Hospice Terry Miles—Holt County Independent

Scott Poese—KBRX Val Dempster—The Evergreen

Megan Heiss—Blush Boutique and Tan Dan Krugman—Biglin's Mortuary

Lauri Havranek—President/CEO - 125 S. 4th Street—O’Neill, NE 68763

Phone: (402) 336-2355—FAX: (402) 336-4563 Email: lauri@oneillchamber.com

FACEBOOK: O’Neill, Nebraska Chamber of Commerce - www.oneillchamber.com

2019

The long month of January is behind us, thankfully! That cold weather was brutal! Here

we are into February already. February is the month of love. Be sure to spread the love

this Valentine’s Day. Flowers, candy, jewelry, special dinners and above all HUGS are a

great way to celebrate! Hand out hugs on February 14th and make lots of people smile!

February is also Heart Month. Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men and women in

the United States. Every year, 1 in 4 deaths are caused by heart disease. The

good news? Heart disease can often be prevented when people make healthy

choices and manage their health conditions. Communities, health professionals,

and families can work together to create opportunities for people to make healthier choices. Let’s

all do something to make O’Neill a healthier place to live, work and play!

A big thank you to everyone that joined us for the Murder Mystery Dinner for the annual

banquet. Thank you to Cindi Barnes of Bank First, committee chairwoman, Megan Heiss of Blush

Boutique, Val Dempster of The Evergreen, Mark Mahony of Reiser Insurance and Scott Poese of

KBRX for all of your hard work and energy to make the evening a success.

Given any thoughts to the 2019 St. Patrick’s Day Celebration? The theme for this year is “Slainte”.

“Cheers” in Irish is sláinte which is pronounced a bit like “shawn-che”. Start planning your parade

entry now! You will find a 2019 Parade Entry Form inside. Notice will go out when the t-shirts are

available for purchase. If you have an event that you would like on the Official St. Patrick’s Day

Celebration Poster, please get it to me right away. I would like to have them ready to be

dispersed by February 20th. Details of events already on the schedule inside!

NEW BUSINESSES THE CLOVER

WAYNE STATE COLLEGE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS AND

TECHNOLOGY BRUNER, FRANK,

SCHUMACHER, LLC

MEMEBRSHIP RENEWALS SHAMROCK NURSERY - CASEY’S GENERAL STORE - SUBWAY

FOX’S FOOD PLAZA/TACO JOHNS - MCCARTHY ABSTRACT AND TITLE

WM. KROTTER HOME AND APPLICANCE - EDWARD JONES, ADAM CADWELL

NEBRASKA PUBLIC POWER DISTRICT - EDWARD JONES, RANDY HUPP

St. Patrick’s Day Window Decorating Contest

The Irish Walk of Fame would like to invite all businesses in O’Neill to

participate in the St. Patrick’s Day window decorating contest. Show

your Irish Pride by “greening up” your storefront windows. This year’s

theme is “Slainte! Cheers to Your Health” Windows must be decorat-

ed by March 8th. Winners will be announced Wednesday night after

the Irish Walk of Fame Induction Ceremony.

1st Place: $200 in Shamrock Bucks,

2nd Place: $100 in Shamrock Bucks

3rd Place: $50 in Shamrock

Judy Stauffer retired from NPPD on January 4th after 47 years of service to the company and our community. Congratulations Judy! Enjoy your retirement! Thank you for all your years of hard work.

The Clover is now open at 408 East Everett Street! We are so happy to welcome

these creative ladies to our Chamber of Commerce Family. The Collaboration

of Bekah Gartner, Brittani Sterns and Amber Wanser has brought three artistic

photographers together in one business that can cover any kind of photography

needs. They can also do graphic design, web design and makeup artistry. The

ladies specialize in maternity, newborn, family, seniors, engagement,

weddings, business professionals, branding or anything else you may need photos for. These

ladies offer periodic mini sessions for holidays or professional photos.

Also available at The Clover is a stylish modern community event space for private parties such

as bridal or baby showers or other small events, classes and creative work. You can reach The

Clover at theclover@theclovercollab.com or contact Bekah at 402-336-8629, Brittani at

402-661-9970 or Amber at 402-394-8962. Check out their website at www.theclovercollab.com for

more information. Welcome Bekah, Brittani and Amber! Thank you for bringing your business

to our community.

Do you, your

business or

organization have

an event you

would like on the

2019 St. Patrick’s

Day poster?

Please get the

information to me

by February 15th.

I want to get the

posters put

together and

printed the week

of the 18th of

February. Here is

what I have so far:

WEDNESDAY, March 13, 2019

5:30 pm – Irish Walk of Fame Presentations at the corner of 4th and Douglas 6:00 pm – Painting of the World’s Largest Shamrock

THURSDAY, March 14, 2019

5:30 pm – Rueben sandwiches will be served at the community center for a free will offering 6:30 pm – “Miles From Dublin” will perform a free concert featuring traditional Irish and Celtic Music at the O’Neill Community Center sponsored by the O’Neill Friends of the Library

FRIDAY, March 15, 2019

5:30 pm – Dodgeball Tournament at the O’Neill High School Gym sponsored by the O’Neill Satellite Rotary Club 7:30 pm – Tom Sadge as Neil Diamond at the O’Neill Community Center, sponsored by the O’Neill Chamber of Commerce and the Holt County Visitors Committee 9:00 pm – Dance featuring the Outback Variety Band at the O’Neill Community Center, Sponsored by the O’Neill Chamber of Commerce and the Holt County Visitors Committee

SATURDAY, MARCH 16, 2019

8:00 am – Registration opens for the 40th Annual Shamrock Fun Run at St. Mary’s High School Gym, 400 North 4th Street, sponsored by the O’Neill Rotary Club 9:00 am - Green Eggs and Ham Children’s Literature Festival at O’Neill Public Elementary School sponsored by Building Blocks for Community Enrichment 10:00 am – 40th Annual Shamrock Fun Run starting by St. Patrick’s Catholic Church 11:00 am to 2 pm or Until Gone – Mulligan Stew Feed at the St. Patrick’s Parish Hall 11:30 am – Omaha Pipes and Drums Performance on the World’s Largest Shamrock Noon – Studio 5 Dance Academy Irish Dancers Performance on the World’s Largest Shamrock 12:30 pm – Crowning of the St. Patrick’s Day King and Queen following the Irish Dancers 1:00 pm – St. Patrick’s Day Parade with the theme “Sláinte”, the Irish word for “cheers”, which is pronounced “slawn-che 4:00 pm – Donkey Basketball at the O’Neill High School Gym sponsored by the O’Neill Lion’s Club

Miles From Dublin will perform on March 14th

Enjoy authentic Irish music for the St. Patrick’s Day festivities on Thursday March 14

th, 2019. Miles From Dublin is a band that has been

performing together since 2009 at bars and concerts near their hometown of Kearney,

Nebraska. They perform traditional Irish and Celtic music with the guitar, banjo, mandolin, bouzouki, flute, whistles, saxophone, melodica, percussion, and vocals. The O’Neill Friends of the Library is sponsoring this free concert at the O’Neill Community Center. Rueben sandwiches will be served at 5:30 for a free will offering. Enjoy your favorite beverages at the cash bar provided by the O’Neill Knights of Columbus. The band will begin playing at 6:30 p.m. Join us for a fun evening of great food, music and fun!

QUESTION

HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO PLAY THE AMBASSADOR

GOLF TOURNAMENT ON A FRIDAY NIGHT THIS YEAR?

Please email the chamber office with your answer at

lauri@oneillchamber.com

Photo Courtesy of Shirley Cobb—KBRX

Photo Courtesy of Shirley Cobb of KBRX

America’s Canine Educator, Tom Davis, is coming to O’Neill all the way from Upstate Canine Academy in Clifton Park,

NY February 28-March 3!! He is working with a family February 28 and March 1 (please call (518) 406-5559 if you

would like to see about scheduling personal sessions with him on those days as well). Saturday, March 2, he is giving

a freewill donation lecture in the O’Neill Community Center (big room) beginning at 9 a.m. Tom will talk the first

hour about canines and share his extensive experience and knowledge. He will work hands-on with dogs from the

shelter and community for the remaining 3-4 hours (depending on how many dogs we have for him to work with).

We encourage everyone to attend!! He will discuss canine safety, responsible canine ownership, training tips, being

a leader to our canine pals, and address problem behaviors. If you would like Tom to work with your dog, please

contact Amy Moore at 402-336-8788. He specializes in major behavioral cases, so please call if you need help with

your dogs, there is a limited number of spots available, and please do not brings dogs if it isn’t prearranged. Lunch

and beverages will be provided for a fee to raise money for expenses with extra money going to HCAS and possibly

toward the purchase of a pet CPR mask for our ambulances to carry. March 3 Tom is giving a 6-hour Pet Tech CPR

class in the Cubby’s conference room for the standard fee of $110 per person. Please contact the Holt County Animal

Shelter at (402) 336-5435 or Amy Moore at (402) 336-8788. We ask the fee to be paid upon registration by February

23 to HCAS (cash, check, or PayPal), limited spots available.

Please stay tuned to flyers, radio, and social media for more details as we get them. The event came upon us quickly

and we are still gathering sponsors and donations. If you are interested in sponsoring or donating to the event

please contact Holt County Animal Shelter at the above number.

News and

Events from

the Holt

County

Animal

Shelter

On Thursday, January 24th, the O’Neill Chamber of Commerce welcomed Nebraska Made to our Chamber Family. This unique business is

owned and operated by Christina Schaffer. All of the products offered in this shop are from Nebraska craftspeople. If you are looking for a

gift for any occasion, be sure to check out Nebraska Made! Did you know it takes 6 weeks for a bar of soap to cure? Find the answer to this

question and many others about Christina’s homemade lotions, soaps and bath bombs when you stop by!

Here is what Christina has to tell us about her business:

“Nebraska Made is a store in O’Neill Nebraska that features the artistry and craftmanship that Nebraska has to

offer. There are 28 handmade/handcrafted vendors currently in the store from all over the state. Nebraska Made

Owner Christina Schaffer creates handmade soaps, lotions, bath bombs, sugar scrubs and more that are made

with simple, sustainable ingredients that are healthy for your skin. Also featured in the store is home décor,

upcycled furniture, candles, koozies and glassware, jewelry, cedar décor, keychains, wooden toys, embroidered

items, unique lamps, and much more made from these crafters from all over Nebraska.

I enjoy being able to feature Nebraska talent and give crafters a place to display and sell their items to all of our

customers. Shopping small business and shopping local are vital to communities in keeping with productivity and

growth. I am proud to be a small business owner that is helping

other talented small businesses grow”.

WILD WEST MURDER MYSTERY DINNER - FRIDAY, JANUARY 25, 2019 The O’Neill Chamber of Commerce hosted a Wild West Mystery Dinner for the Annual Banquet. Please enjoy some photos

from the evening courtesy of Terry Miles and Amanda Sindelar of the Holt County Independent

Emcee - Scott Poese

Invocation by Pastor Mike Durre

Retired Business Owners - Steve and Margaret Reiser

Former Mayor Bill Price Community Service Award - Josh Treptow

Customer Service Award Patty Durre

O’Neill Ambassador Award - Beau Scheuth

Biglin’s Mortuary 2nd Place—Table Decor

Great Plains State Bank 1st Place - Table Decor

Best Costume Winners Men—Jesse Havranek with his horse

(Conner Ames) Women—Julie Becker Owens