Washington Chamber of Commerce: A Year in Review

Our Ambassadors attended a total of 29 ambassador events for 2021. Ribbon Cuttings are available to all businesses in the community at no charge when a significant event such as an anniversary, expansion, or grand opening occur:

Washington Co. Extension Office: 100 Year Anniversary Ribbon Cutting & Alive After 5

H&R Block: New Location

KCTC: Alive After 5

Washington County Communications Center: New Location

L&D’s Bar & Grill: Grand Opening

New Attitude: 20 Year Anniversary

City Hall: Remodel

Paneless Window Cleaning: Alive After 5

Boho Bailey Boutique: Grand Opening

Hospice of Washington County: Ground Breaking

WCDC: 50 Year Anniversary Alive After 5

The Mercantile: Grand Opening

Stellar Nails: Grand Opening

Wooden Wheel Vineyards: 10 Year Anniversary Alive After 5

Central Park Antiques: Grand Opening

LET’s Center: Alive After 5

Little Ducklings Daycare: Ground Breaking

Archer Appliance Electronics & Washington Auto Center: Alive After 5

Jersey Mike’s: Grand Opening

Rural Roots Salon & Boutique: Grand Opening

Jaz It Up Boutique: 15 Year Anniversary

Jacqueline Arreola LLC: New Location

Washington Area Performing Arts & Events Center: 5 Year Anniversary

Horak Insurance: Alive After 5

Paws & More Animal Shelter: New Addition

Little Ducklings Daycare: Grand Opening

Vetter’s Culligan: 75th Anniversary Alive After 5

Beatty & Peterseim Funeral Cremation & Monument

Boxcar Treasures: New Location & 5 Year Anniversary

Washington Summer Classic

First weekend in June

Washington’s summer kick-off with festivities highlighting local agriculture, business, food and music! Here is what you can expect in 2022:

This year we are celebrating big with Ridiculous Day 75th Anniversary and bringing our Flightline Live concert downtown following the parade.

Thursday: Thursday Night Live Kick-off (June 2)

• Celebrates Farmers’ Market, live music, local food and Ridiculous Day Sidewalk Sales begin!

Friday: Family Day (June 3)

• Celebrate family with children’s activities, games, live music and a movie in the park.

Saturday: 75th Annual Ridiculous Day (June 4)

• The state’s longest running Ridiculous Day. Features retail bargains, family games, food vendors and the 75th Anniversary Ridiculous Day Parade featuring the Antique Tractor Parade!

Saturday: FlightLine LIVE! (June 4)

A concert celebration featuring high-energy music from local musicians, Aces & Eights. NEW LOCATION: Central Park, Washington for 2022.

Chamber Bucks

2021 was a record breaking year for local Chamber Bucks circulating in our community. Nearly $44,000 of Chamber Bucks were distributed in our community. If you factor that 68% of dollars spent locally stay here, the amount of Chamber Bucks purchased in 2021 equals a $30,000 investment that keeps circulating in our community, supporting schools, jobs, community services and our community members.

The Chamber encourages you to utilize Chamber Bucks, which are gift certificates that can be spent in most Washington businesses. They stimulate the local economy and provide flexibility on where they can be spent. Purchase Chamber Bucks at the Washington Chamber of Commerce and spend them around the community!

Candlelight Tour of Homes & Christmas Lighting

First Weekend in December

For the winter of 2022, we are excited to have 3 homes lined up: The Ola Babcock Home (Clay Whisler), Pat & Jenny Morgan, Brian & Tracy Strabala and 2 businesses, Hills Bank & Repurpose It. We are still looking for 2 additional homes to join us for this annual holiday tradition. In continuation of newer events developed in 2020, be sure to watch out for our Washington Wonderland: Holiday Light Decorating Contest for businesses and homeowners. Contact the Chamber to enter this contest, maps will be available for the driving tour the weekend after Thanksgiving.

Craft Shows

Craft Fair: Spring Edition (Saturday May 7th)

32nd Annual Fall Craft Fair (September 10th)

Visitors to our square can enjoy strolling & shopping the many vendors with an assortment of crafts, handmade goods, clothes, food and our regular downtown retailers open during this event.

Educator Appreciation Breakfast

The End of summer

The annual back to school breakfast will be served to faculty members of the Washington Community School District, St. James School and Kirkwood Community College. The committee is planning a NEW Teacher’s Night Out in winter of 2023 to supplement their classroom supplies.

Artfest

In 2021, the mural on the side of the historic State Theater was created and installed from a partnership between the Art Committee, Hotel/Motel Funds, Washington County Riverboat Foundation, LET’s Center for Healing & Creative Arts. Stay tuned for this year’s Artfest details and ways we can continue to grow the arts in Washington.

Government Relations

The Chamber of Commerce's Government Relations Committee helps to plan and implement Legislative Briefings and Candidate Forums. We encourage legislative action that promotes business growth, local economy and strong communities. We are a non-partisan organization and do not endorse any candidate nor are we a part of the US Chamber of Commerce. Save the dates for our Legislative Briefings, always held the 3rd Saturday in January – April.

Leadership Washington

Leadership Washington is a nine session program designed to educate civic-minded individuals about current issues and concerns which face the Washington Area. The nominees get an inside look at Economic Development and Finance, Education, Health/Recreation, Business, Industry and Media, City and County Government, Agriculture, and County History.

The program helps to build, strengthen, and educate current and future leaders in our home town. Our next session begins in late summer and is filling up fast. Contact the Chamber if you’d like to get a coveted spot in next year’s class.

We started our 32nd Leadership Washington session in September 2020 and graduated 24 people in 2021 from the Leadership Class.

Members of the Leadership Washington Class of 2021 were Adam Richards, Amy Kleese, Brynn Bennblossom, Daryl Russ, Dawn Dickey, Diane Rinner, Heather Wiles, Jennifer Wharton, Jeremy Gugel, Jordan Hesseltine, Lance Sobaski, Larry Northway, Liz VanDyk, Meg Nagel, Mekenzie Edwards, Melissa Goodman, Noah Postin, Patty Elliott, Shamus Altenhofen, Shauna Orr, Tammy Stewart, Tammy Valentine, Tarah Bean and Tim Anding.

Golf Events

Men’s & Ladies’ Chamber Golf Fun Days

Second Thursday & Friday in June

Oktoberfest Golf Tournament: Birdies, Beer & Brats

Set for a Friday in September.

This will be a four person scramble featuring all things Oktoberfest, including beer tastings on each hole. Last year was the first year we hosted this event and we had a blast!

Thursday Night Live

Thursday Nights from June to Mid-August

Local artists/groups performed during the eleven week free summer music series in Central Park. The music complements the Farmer’s Market and is followed by the Washington Municipal Band.

Oktober Madness/Hocus Pocus in the Park

A very successful and expanded month-long event offering the community safe and fun holiday activities for all ages. On October 8th, 2022 save this date for candy booths, family activities, costume contests, free meal, pony rides, hayrack rides, a magician, and cap the night off with a Halloween movie in the Park from Main Street Washington!

Choctoberfest

Last year the Chamber partnered with Washington County Hospitals & Clinics V-I-Pink “The Breast Event of the Year” for a combined Chocolate Walk/Breast Cancer Awareness event downtown Washington. This year, we will continue this partnership and host the event on Thursday, October 13th downtown Washington.

Welcome Center/ Visitors & Tourism

The Chamber of Commerce has been staffing a volunteer-operated Welcome Center since 2013, keeping the doors of the Welcome Center open to visitors & tourists. Each year, volunteers donate time that values around $64,000. The Chamber’s tourism efforts offer many advantages to Washington’s local economy and growth.

Ongoing Tourism Activities:

• The Chamber website hosts an average of 28,000 monthly visitors, with events and community calendar consistently being one of the top five pages viewed. Visit us at: chamber.washingtoniowa.gov

• The Visitors & Tourism Committee attended networking meetings with the Eastern Iowa Tourism Association.

• We provide driving and walking tour brochures for the town and Elm Groove Cemetery.

• Our Welcome Center sells local tourism merchandise. Some of these products are: Historical books, postcards, throws, clothing, DVDs, CDs of local artists, and more.

• The Chamber partners with the Southeast Iowa Union and KCII to keep the community informed of Chamber activities.

• We provide the “Monthly Community Calendar,” which is a free service offered to all of the community as a monthly email newsletter of community events. E-mail your events to us two weeks prior to ensure that it makes it to the e-blasts.

• We place Washington advertisements with Travel Iowa, Eastern Iowa Tourism Association, Kalona’s Seasonal Community Guide, Southeast Iowa Union, KCII, Our Iowan Magazine, and other widely distributed tourism publications.

• We give out business referrals with first priority given to Chamber members.

• We maintain a brochure rack that features flyers and brochures from Chamber member businesses, clubs and organization, as well as Iowa maps and other tourist information.

• We distribute full color community brochures, a full color city map, and 1000’s of professionally designed community magazines. All of which promote our town and businesses.

Hotel Motel Fund

Funding from the area hotel motel tax is invested back into the community in a variety of ways. Funds raised from the hotel motel tax are ear-marked for tourism, and the committee has been busy planning for future events and programs that include community murals and electric car charging stations.

Partnerships & Organizations

Brighton Chamber of Commerce, Eastern Iowa Tourism Association, Iowa Association of Chamber of Commerce, Kalona Chamber of Commerce, Main Street Washington, Mid-America Chambers of Commerce Executives, Travel Federation of Iowa and Washington Economic Development Group.

Resident/Business/Visitor Contacts

• Offer Welcome to Washington Packets and community relocation packets.

• Answer tourism requests.

• Answer requests from students doing school projects on Washington and Washington County.

• Work with local businesses to secure buildings for new and expanding business ventures or find possible buyers for open businesses/buildings.

• Continue to work with individuals interested in opening new retail/service businesses.