A Newsletter of the Ashland Area Chamber of Commerce December 2015

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

♦ December 4-6: Children’s production of The Nutcracker Suite, Ashland High School Auditorium. For tickets, stop at Home Expressions, 116 E. Main St., or call 715/685-2755. www.acp-nutcracker.com

♦ Dec. 5: Customer Appreciation Day at Ashland area retail stores, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Shop local and save!

Ashland High School Choirs will be on Main Street from 10:30 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. singing Christmas carols. Garland City of the North Christmas Parade, 4:30 p.m., on Historic Main Street. Broadcast live on 93.3FM!

♦ Dec. 16: Christmas After Hours, 5 p.m., hosted by Memorial Medical Center at Link Family Smokehouse.

♦ Dec. 17: Flash Mob Sale at The Shoe Shack, 408 W. Main St., from noon to 2 p.m.

♦ Dec. 24: Christmas Eve. Many retail stores are open until 4 p.m.

♦ Dec. 25: Merry Christmas from the Ashland Area Chamber!!

Call the Ashland Chamber at 715/682-2500 for more information on any of these events.

Christmas Greetings! from Mary McPhetridge, Executive Director This year has certainly been a whirlwind of activities and business around Chequamegon Bay.

As we now clean up from a fantastic year, it’s time to get in some planning and prepare for an-

other great year. Thank you to all of the wonderful volunteers and generous sponsors who helped

us for all of the events — from the parades to the festivals and marathons. We appreciate you so much!!

We wanted to highlight some of our small retailers and tell their stories. (See BIZ BIOs insert!) They all have

terrific tales to tell. Many have been around for years while others are quite new, but they all have made a huge

investment in our community. And we appreciate the blood, sweat and tears that it takes to open a small business

in this day and age. The Internet is their biggest competitor and we ask that you try shopping Ashland and the

Chequamegon Bay area first. We have so many great stores to choose from that we hope you at least try before

clicking on the Submit Order button online or traveling to a big city. Many of our local retailers offer free gift

wrapping and they have extended their business hours for the Christmas season.

Chamber Dollars also make a great Christmas gift for anyone on your list! They are accepted at most Chamber

Member businesses and work just like cash.

Did you know that 68 cents out of every dollar spent at an Ashland business stays in our local community and

benefits so many other businesses? Our small retailers are very giving! They are the first to donate to benefits,

charities, fundraisers, and other community events. These small business owners are your friends, neighbors,

coaches, teachers, or fitness instructors. We are very fortunate to have the number and variety of businesses we

have in Ashland. Many communities our size are struggling to keep their small retailers. So please think of the

local businesses this Christmas season and throughout the year when you’re making purchases.

Customer Appreciation Day and the annual Garland City of the North Christmas Parade will both take place

on Saturday, Dec. 5. (See below for more details.)

Find yourself next to the water!

We wish you a Very Merry Christmas and a Joyous New Year!

News & Views

Business News

The Big Bundle Up Campaign, which benefits children being served by the Bad River Zhwenidig Domestic Abuse Program, Bad River Women’s Shelter and the Ashland New Day Shelter, runs now through Dec. 20. Donate brand new, warm, winter children’s mittens, hats, scarves, boots, snow pants, jackets, etc., to Bad River Lodge and Casino. For more details, call 715/682-7121, ext. 1249.

Remember a special person or pet with a “Love Light” this holiday season from Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College, 2100 Beaser Ave. Honorees will be commemorated during a 6 p.m. ceremony on Dec. 2. Lights will remain lit through early January. For additional information, call 715/682-4591, ext. 3113.

White Winter Winery, 68323 Lea St., Iron River, will hold a Dickens of a Dinner, a four-course Christmas-themed meal, on Dec. 4-5 at the winery. They also will host a Christmas Open House on Dec. 11-13 featuring samples, gifts, door prizes and more. 715/372-5656

Northern Waters Ophthalmology and Northwest Optical, 2111 Beaser Ave., will host a Holiday Frame Show on Dec. 18 from 1-4 p.m. Enjoy door prizes and refreshments, plus discounts on lenses and featured frames. Call 715/682-0311. See insert.

The Ashland Snowmobile Club’s 11th Annual “Cashing in on the New Year” Raffle tickets are now on sale and can be purchased at the Chamber. 1st prize is $2,000. There are a total of 20 cash prizes. The drawing will be held Jan. 9, 2016, at 7 p.m. at the Neighborly Bar. Only 200 tickets will be sold. Call 715/682-0638 for more information.

Sixth Street Market, 1413 W. 6th St., has a wide variety of holiday gift boxes available for purchase. Choose from ready-made gift boxes, such as their Breakfast Box or Meat Lover’s Box, or custom-make your own. Call 715/682-9608. See insert.

The Salvation Army has bell ringers in Ashland now through Christmas Eve at Super One Foods, Walgreens, and Walmart, as well as at the Washburn IGA. Please donate to the bell ringers’ bucket or volunteer to ring the bell. Call 715/209-1127 or 715/292-3697 to volunteer in Ashland and call 715/292-1715 to volunteer in Washburn.

Heartland Communications has teamed up with Coffey Oil (Ashland Holiday East and Lakeshore Holiday West) to help out The BRICK Food Shelf. The Magic Stockings will be at the Ashland Chamber and other area businesses in December. For every dollar you put into the Magic Stocking, Coffey Oil will match it up to $1,000! Call 715/682-2727 for more details.

Chequamegon Bay Golf Club was recognized Oct. 16 at the Dept. of Workforce Development’s 17th Annual Opportunities For Success Awards dinner in Hayward honoring businesses that recruited and hired job seekers with disabilities. CBGC was lauded for hiring many individuals from CEP for 35+ years, one of whom has worked at the golf club for 15 years. www.golfashland.com

Memorial Medical Center has added the Intuitive da Vinci Xi robot-assisted surgical system, the first hospital in northern Wisconsin and Minnesota to have this state-of the-art technology. The new system offers three-dimensional, high-definition visualization, while providing enhanced dexterity and greater precision and control for the surgeon. www.ashlandmmc.com

Help support the Ronald McDonald Family Lounge at the Essentia Health St. Mary's Newborn Intensive Care Unit. Now through Dec. 15, the Ashland McDonald's will have a Giving Tree at their location. Select an ornament from the tree, purchase the item, return it to McDonald's with the tag, unwrapped, and the items will be distributed to the children and families for the holiday season. Items on the Giving Tree are things like: toothpaste, baby wipes, a pacifier, blanket, gas card, etc. 715/682-5455

Stop in Red Bicycle Gift Shoppe, 308 1/2 9th Ave. W., for that one-of-a-kind gift! Our Christmas hours are Dec. 23, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. We are closed Dec. 24-25. We will be moving to 707 W. Main St. in January 2016. Date: TBA 715/292-5185

Contact the Chamber office with your Business News by the 20th of the month!

Highlighting Our December Christmas After Hours host

Submitted by: Memorial Medical Center, 1615 Maple Lane, 715/685-5500

www.ashlandmmc.com

Memorial Medical Center (MMC) provides birth to the end of life care so that the people of this region can achieve independent and productive lives right here in the Chequamegon Bay area.

We are a regional medical center that serves patients from seven counties in northwest Wisconsin and Gogebic County in Michigan. We have more than 60 full-time physicians and specialists on staff and over 400 employees dedicated to providing you the quality care you

deserve in a modern, technologically advanced facility … right here in the place you love.

Please join us for Christmas After Hours on December 16 at Link Family Smokehouse!!

Welcome to our newest Chamber members!Welcome to our newest Chamber members!Welcome to our newest Chamber members!Welcome to our newest Chamber members!

Adventure Vacations — Boat & Kayak Tours Karen Nicholas

104 Middle Rd., La Pointe, WI 54850 715/747-2100

www.adv-vac.com https://www.facebook.com/Adventure-Vacations-59075905967/

Sears Hometown Store Andy Lajcak

811 3rd St. W., Ashland 715/685-2736

www.searshometownstores.com/locations/ashland-wi https://www.facebook.com/SearsHTSAshlandWI

News & Views

Chamber News ♦ Each week, the Ashland Area

Chamber of Commerce highlights a business on Heartland Communications radio station WATW 1400AM with a free 30-second commercial. The chosen

businesses are also featured on the front page of the Chamber website, www.visitashland.com, and on the Ashland Chamber Facebook page. December’s highlighted businesses will be: Golden Living Center-Court Manor, Salmagundi, Best Western The Hotel Chequamegon, and Von Holzen Chevrolet-Buick-GMC, Inc.

♦ Congratulations to Kaeleen Ringberg of Ashland on winning

the Witches’ Night Out Grand Prize of $50 in Chamber Dollars!

♦ October’s Flash Mob Sale was held at A 2nd Look and the

lucky winner was Audrey Sibben of Mason who received $50 in Chamber Dollars. Congratulations, Audrey!

♦ Remember our local troops this Christmas season.

♦ The Ashland Chamber office has great Ashland merchandise

for the entire family. Shopping hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

♦ Important reminder: Chamber Membership renewals will be

mailed this month.

EPC News Dec. 5th is Customer Appreciation Day!

Many retail stores will offer extended shopping hours starting

Dec. 7. The Events and Promotions Committee would like to thank everyone for shopping local.

4th Annual Chick-uamegon

was a real ball!

Chick-uamegon 10K winners for 2015 were: 1st place, Cassandra Engel of Fredonia, Wis.; 2nd place, Rebecca Peterson of Duluth; and

3rd place, Alyssa Larsen of La Pointe. All of Ashland, the 5K winners were: 1st place, Sophie Mattson;

2nd place, Roz Larson; and 3rd place, Kristie Voldberg. Complete race results are online at www.chick-uamegon.com.

There also were prizes for the blingiest chicks, and the wackiest-dressed “guy volunteer.”

Please keep your sidewalks free of ice and snow.

Help make a child’s Christmas bright!

The 33rd annual Ashland Firefighters’ Toy Drive is under way. New, unwrapped toys or monetary donations are needed and may be dropped off at Walmart, the Ashland Fire Station,

300 Stuntz Ave., and other area businesses. For a complete list of drop-off locations, please call the fire station at 715/682-7052.

The deadline is Dec. 9 for signing up children (newborn to 14 years) to receive a toy for Christmas. Parents or legal guardians may call RSVP at 715/292-6400, ext. 2 or 3, to sign up their child.

The toys will be distributed on Dec. 18 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Bretting Community Center, 400 4th Ave. W.

Don’t forget the Christmas Cash Raffle, Dec. 1-31!!

Every ticket is eligible for every drawing! (If you win, your ticket is placed back in the bucket for the next drawing.) There will be 33 prizes awarded totaling $3,150 in Chamber Dollars!! Drawings will be held every day in December with the winners posted on our website, Facebook page, the Superior Choice Credit Union marquee and announced on the radio at WBSZ 93.3FM.

*Note: There will be two $500 drawings on Christmas Day and two $175 drawings on New Year’s Eve Day, so there is still time to purchase a ticket. Call the Chamber office!

It’s time to

fill out a

nomination

form for:

2016 Person of the Year

Please take a moment to reflect on who you feel has made a real difference in the Ashland area and nominate

that person.

Forms can be downloaded off the Ashland Chamber

website at visitashland.com. Fill out the form and return it to the Chamber office by

February 1, 2016.

Thank you for shopping local Ashland

this Christmas Season!!

Great Christmas gift ideas!

The Mural Committee would like to remind shoppers that this is a great time to purchase a name on a mural for that someone special on your shopping list. Their name would be highlighted on the Ore Dock Mural or the new mural, planned for completion in June 2016, highlighting the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore.

See insert for more information and an order form for this newest mural. To get a form for the Ore Dock Mural, go to the Chamber website, stop in the Chamber office or call Sue at 715/292-4573. Chamber Dollars are the perfect gift

for any occasion and they can be used at any of the more than 200 participating Chamber businesses. They come in denominations of $5, $10 and $20 and work the same as cash! We all win when you shop local!!

Presorted Standard

U.S. Postage Paid

Ashland, WI

Permit No. 5

Ashland Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors

Executive Board Members: Brad Lundmark, President Stacey Adams, President-Elect Gail Fox-Anderson, Treasurer Mike Hines, Vice-President Jeff Moravchik, Secretary

Members at Large: Todd Chingo Larry Nelson Shirley Moran Lisa Gervais Mark Gutteter

Ad Hoc Members: Pete Mann Keith Hilts Dale Kupczyk

Staff: Mary McPhetridge, Executive Director JoAnn Erickson, Office Manager Maribeth Monroe, Public Relations Stephanie Schluneger, Office Assistant

Phone: 715-682-2500 800-284-9484

Fax: 715-682-9404 Email: info@visitashland.com Web: www.visitashland.com

Christmas After Hours

Your December host:

Memorial Medical Center

Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2015 at 5:00 p.m.

Held at:

Link Family Smokehouse 30580 U.S. Hwy. 2

Join us for good food and a great time!!

If you are unable to attend, we encourage

you to extend this invitation to another

representative of your business.

Check out this month’s inserts:

♦ Biz Bios: New England

Store & The Shoe Shack

♦ Mural Brick & Image

Purchase Form: Apostle

Islands National Lakeshore

♦ Northern Waters

Ophthalmology and

Northwest Optical

♦ Sixth Street Market

Ashland Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors

Executive Board Members: Jeff Moravchik, President Mike Hines, Vice-President Rick Forsythe, Treasurer Mike BeBeau, Secretary, Past President

At-Large Members: Nancy Turner Gail Fox-Anderson Dave Martin Todd Chingo Tina Miller Lisa Gervais Brian Matthys

Ex Officio Members: Mary Garness Keith Hilts Dale Kupczyk

Staff: Mary McPhetridge, Executive Director JoAnn Erickson, Office Manager Candace Ferguson, Public Relations Kysa Granger, Customer Service

Phone: 715-682-2500 or 800-284-9484 Fax: 715-682-9404 Email: info@visitashland.com Web: www.visitashland.com www.travelashlandcounty.com

Ashland Area Chamber of Commerce

P.O. Box 746

Ashland, WI 54806