Czech Days is quickly approaching which means that you are running out of time to purchase your Vehicle Raffle ticket for 2018! Every year the Wilber Area Chamber of Commerce raffles off a new vehicle. In addition to winning a vehicle, we also draw for nine $100 winners. Tickets are only $100 and 375 tickets are sold each year so the odds are in your favor of at least winning your money back. Tickets can be purchased at Barnas Drug, Farmers and Merchants Bank (Wilber), First State Bank (Wilber), Frank’s Smokehouse, and Wilber Body Shop. All of the proceeds from the Annual Vehicle Raffle are put back into the Wilber Community.

Last year we were able to contribute to the Fine Arts Program at Wilber-Clatonia Schools to help them to purchase a new bass drum and spots lights for the auditorium, flowerpots for Main Street, as a start to sprucing up the Downtown area and new light pole banners.

In years past, we were able to help the American Legion with funds to replace trees in the Legion Park that had died due to disease, helped to fund the handicap accessible ramp at the Legion’s downtown location and donated to the youth football team to get them newer helmets to keep the kids safe.

Do not wait until the last minute to get your tickets. Once Czech Days rolls around, they typically go fast.

If you are not able to make the Czech Festival this year, the Wilber Area Chamber has some great events coming up through the fall and winter.

On August 25th, we will be having our 2nd Annual Pork In The Park BBQ Cook-Off. This will take place at the American Legion Park. Smokers will be able to start prepping at 7am that morning. Throughout the day, we welcome people to the park to check out all of the different smoking techniques and cheer on the smokers. At 3:00pm, the Golf Cart Rally registration will begin. There is no entry fee for this event. There will be prizes for five categories; oldest, newest, most modified, best decorated and most used and abused. Judging will begin at 4pm and winners will be announced at 5pm before the Alumni Band’s performance. We will begin serving the BBQ meal at 5:30pm and will serve until 8pm. Make sure you mark your calendars. This is an event you will not want to miss!

We also have the Annual Teacher’s Breakfast on August 11th for all teachers and staff of the Wilber-Clatonia Schools to welcome them back to school. Chamber members donate breakfast casseroles, door prizes and their time to make this event special for the staff each year.

October 31st we be our Downtown trick or treat. Businesses open on Main Street open their doors early to provide a safe trick or treating experience for local kids.

November 30th will be the start of our Hometown Holiday Event. This year’s theme will be ‘It’s A Marshmallow World In The Winter’. The night of November 30th will be our Community Tree Lighting. On December 1st we will have our annual Craft Show and visit with Santa.

Follow us on Facebook to stay current on all of our events.

Congratulations to all of the 2018 Wilber-Clatonia graduating seniors! We hope that you had a great day and wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors!

The Wilber Area Chamber of Commerce would like to let everyone know about all of the great things going on this summer. We have brought back some of our popular events and added a new one. Make sure you mark your calendars for all of these great events!

On June 2nd, Sokol Hall in Wilber will be hosting the Wilber-Clatonia Alumni Banquet. The Wilber Area Chamber of Commerce will be doing our 1st Annual Poker Run on June 1st for all of you that will be coming back to town and for all others that would like to join us!

Registration will begin at the Wilber Legion Park at 6:30pm. The Legion will have their Legendary Legion Burgers available for purchase. Fritz’s Bar & Grill and Fox Hole Tavern will also have food for purchase. The poker run will officially start at 7:00pm. The cost to participate is $20.00 for one hand per person (not per team) with the option to purchase a second hand for $5.00. Participants can also pre-register and get the second hand at no cost by emailing wilberchamber@gmail.com. We encourage all of our participants to shop local throughout the poker run. Chamber bucks will be given as prizes to the top three hands. Prizes will be 1st – $150, 2nd – $75, and 3rd – $50. Winners will be drawn at approximately 10:30pm at Fox Hole Tavern and will be based on standard 5-card poker hand rankings. We would like to give a HUGE thank you to our four sponsors of this event, Fox Hole Tavern, The American Legion Louis-Milan Post 101, T.J. Sokol (Wilber) and Fritz’s Bar & Grill. Without your participation this event would not be possible.

On July 1st, the Wilber Care Center will be hosting their annual Community Barbecue and Fireworks. This is always a well-attended event with music and entertainment for all ages. Bring the whole family out and enjoy the festivities!

Starting on June 1st, tickets will be available for our Annual Vehicle raffle. This year the vehicle will be a 2018 Chevrolet Equinox LS. Only 375 tickets are sold so get them while they last. Tickets will be available at the Wilber Republican, Barnas Drug, First State Bank, Farmers and Merchants Bank, Wilber Body Shop, Frank’s Smokehouse and Wilber Plumbing, Heating & Air.

All of you smoking extraordinaires, fire up your smoker’s as we plan to have the Pork In The Park barbecue cook-off and meal again this year! It will be on August 25th at the Legion Park in Wilber. We are still fine-tuning the details of this event but can assure you it will be a fun filled day! Follow us on Facebook for updates and more details.

Last but not least, the Wilber Area Chamber of Commerce hopes that everyone has a safe Memorial Day weekend.

We have some exciting things happening on the Chamber front this spring that we cannot wait to share! On May 1st, we are changing the look of our Chamber Bucks and making them even easier for you to purchase. Currently Chamber Bucks resemble monopoly money, with each color representing a different denomination. Starting May 1st, the Chamber Bucks will be in check form and can be purchased at Kalkwarf & Smith Law Office (basement of Farmers & Merchant Bank) and at First State Bank. Except for the look, there will be no change to you as the purchaser. When you purchase the Chamber Bucks, you will be provided a list of Chamber Members that accept the bucks as payment as you always have.

On May 4th and 5th, the Wilber Chamber will once again be hosting the Wilber Community Garage sales. Sales will start on May 4th at 7:00a.m. and will open for business through dusk that day. They will continue on May 5th, starting at 7:00a.m. and will conclude at 2:00p.m. Maps will be available on our website and at Casey’s General Store, Shop Qwik and Food Mesto. There is still time to get on the map if you are having a sale. Please contact Dee Drake at 402.239.3679 to register. The cost to be on the map is $5.00.

Just in time for Alumni weekend, we have a new event this year. On June 1st, we will be having our first annual Polka Poker Run. The poker run will start at The American Legion in Wilber. They will have their legendary legion burgers available before everyone starts out on their trek around town. Fox Hole Tavern will serve as the last stop on the run. The Chamber would like to thank the American Legion Louis-Milan Post 101 and The Fox Hole Tavern for serving as the main sponsors of this event. This will be a chance for all of you returning home to catch up with old classmates and see the changes to some of the local haunts. There will also be some great prizes for the winners! Follow us on Facebook and our website to for more details to come!

We would also like to congratulate Stephanie Krivohlavek and Carli Israelson on the grand opening of their joint venture, The Mind Body Center, where we celebrated them with a ribbon cutting last Friday, April 20th. Best of luck to the two of you!

Please continue to follow us on Facebook and our website for future events and updates!

Making Your Chamber Membership Work for You

Being a member in your local Chamber of Commerce has long been a way of networking with other business professions, providing exposure for your business and a means of support for your business.  The Chamber provides many outlets but the business gets to play a part in what they get back from their memberships.

Have a voice.  The Wilber Area Chamber of Commerce meets the 4^th Tuesday of every month at the Wilber Cultural Center.  Every current member is welcome to come to these meetings.  This is your chance to share ideas on how the Chamber could better serve our members or to tell us that you want a current event or initiative to continue.  Maybe you have an idea for a new event or initiative.  This is your time to share.  Meetings also give you a chance to meet other business members and share ideas.

Join a committee.  There are many committees within the Chamber.  Being on a committee not only gives your business further exposure but also, you, as a business professional.  Being on one of these committees allows you to be a decision maker in these processes.  A few of the committees currently in place are, Budget & Finance Committee, By-Laws Committee, Economic Development Committee and Events Committee.  This is only a handful of the important committees in which your voice can be heard.

Sponsor events.  Being a sponsor of an event is a great way to get your name and your businesses name out in the community.  With social media, your exposure is far greater than in years past.  Sponsoring events will also promote word of mouth.  The more people see your name and your businesses name the more they will spread the word.  You do not have to ‘break the bank’ to sponsor an event.  Sometimes all it takes is a small gift certificate or token to get people to come and visit your place of business or try your services to see what they have to offer.

Attend as many Chamber events as you can.  This is another great way to get your name and face out and about in the community.  People will see that you support the events and in turn will support your business.  This is another great way to connect with other business professionals in the Wilber Area.  It also gives you a chance to mingle with your potential customers and guests.

Sign up other members to the Chamber.  Tell your friends; talk with other business owners that you know. Support the Chamber by letting people know the things that we are doing.

The 2018 membership drive is underway.  If you or your business are interested in joining or just have questions for the Chamber, please contact us at wilberchamber@gmail.com.

Spring is in the air and the Wilber Chamber of Commerce has a promotion that is sure to get everyone excited about the season. On March 15th, we will be starting our Golden Egg Promotion. Participating businesses will have a golden egg hidden in their business with a registration form enclosed. If you find the egg, you will fill out the registration form and place it in the registration box within the participating business. Your name will be entered in a drawing to win one of two prizes, a spiral ham or a turkey. The more eggs you find the more chances to win you will have.

We ask everyone to join us on the Wilber Chamber Facebook page for a live drawing at noon on March 30th to announce the winner of this promotion. Our participating businesses are; 202 Hair Do, Saline County Aging Services, Barnas Drug, Casey’s General Store, C & G Auto, Downtown Family Vision, Farmer’s Co-op, Farmers & Merchants Bank, First State Bank, Food Mesto, Fox Hole Tavern, Frank’s Smokehouse, Fritz’s Bar & Grill, K & G Body Shop, Kalkwarf & Smith Law Office, Karen’s Salon, Shop Qwik, Western United Mutual Insurance, Wilber Massage & Esthetics, and Wilber Physical Therapy. Our members look forward to seeing all of the egg hunters.

On March 31st, the Legion Auxiliary and American Legion Louis-Milan Post 101 will be hosting their annual Easter Egg hunt at Legion Park.

Also coming up is the Annual Garage Sale Trail. In conjunction with surrounding communities, Wilber Chamber will be hosting a community garage sale. The garage sales will be on Friday, May 4th, from 7:00am through dusk and Saturday, May 5th, from 7:00am through 2:00pm. If you are interested in being on the map for the Wilber Community Garage sales, please contact Dee Drake at 402.239.3679 by April 30th. The cost to be on the map is $5.00.

The first weekend of June the Wilber Chamber of Commerce will be having its first ever Polka Poker Run. This will be a walking poker run around downtown Wilber, highlighting some of our local establishments. The planning of this event are in the beginning stages so please follow our Facebook page for updates on the date, time and specifics of the event.

The Wilber Chamber of Commerce would like to thank all of our members and the community members that patronize their businesses. Because of all of you, the Wilber Community will continue to grow and prosper!