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!

2017 Great American Eclipse – Do you have plans to view in Wilber and Crete?

You have read it in previous articles, you have seen it on Facebook, seen it on TV and heard it while listening to the radio but do you know the span of the phenomenon that is coming through our town?

On August 21st a total solar eclipse will make its path through the United States for the first time in almost 40 years. Wilber and Crete are two of the most prime viewing locations in the state of Nebraska at 2 minutes and 36 seconds of totality, only 4 seconds shorter than the longest totality in Illinois of 2 minutes and 40 seconds. The last total solar eclipse that was viewable in the United States was February 26, 1979 when darkness fell on the states of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana and parts of North Dakota. This time around it is our turn to witness the darkness!

What is a total solar eclipse? A total eclipse of the sun, also known as “totality”, occurs when the Moon lines up perfectly in front of the Sun completely blocking the Sun from our view. In order to safely view the eclipse, you must wear special glasses. No one should ever look directly at the Sun without proper eye protection. Sunglasses will not provide this level of protection. The partial eclipse will last approximately 90 minutes before and after the eclipse beginning at 11:36:46am. The drop in temperature and the sky darkening will signify the totality approaching. If any part of the Sun is visible the glasses must be worn.

The Wilber Chamber of Commerce in partnership with the Crete Chamber of Commerce will be hosting the Saline Solar Shadow, a weekend long event celebrating this once in a lifetime event. OSI certified glasses are currently available for $1 a piece by Wilber and Crete Chambers at Food Mesto, First State Bank, Farmers & Merchants Bank, Downtown Family Vision in Wilber and The Crete Chamber office, Ace Hardware, Heath Sports and Great Western Bank in Crete. Saline Solar Shadow t-shirts are also available for pre-order by contacting Heath Sports at 402.826.5187 or by visiting our website at www.wilberchamberofcommerce.com.

Czech Days is also right around the corner and as always we are having our annual vehicle raffle. This year we will be raffling off a 2017 Jeep Cherokee Latitude 4×4. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at Fritz’s Bar and Grill, The Wilber Republican, Barnas Drug, First State Bank, Farmers & Merchants Bank, Frank’s Smokehouse, Wilber Body Shop, Wilber Plumbing, Heating, & Air, and Western United Mutual Ins. or by mailing a check to; Wilber Chamber of Commerce, Attn: Vehicle Raffle, PO Box 1164, Wilber, NE 68465 (please include your phone number if not on the check).

With everything that Wilber has to offer in August, there’s no better time than now to visit our historic town!