By Liz Gordon-Hancock

Guests at the October 11 breakfast meeting of the Bluffton Area Chamber of Commerce enjoyed breakfast prepared by the Twisted Whisk Café and sponsored by the Chamber.

CHAMBER REPORT

BACC Director Jim Enneking introduced two new chamber members:

• The Brat Wagon, food truck selling homemade bratwurst.
• State Farm Insurance agent Jason Cox, who is taking over from Ed Reichenbach, using the same location and staff.

Enneking noted the Chamber is seeking sponsorship for breakfasts, as well as the annual Blaze of Lights parade and activities. 

Tony Pinks, Chamber board member of 6+ years, has resigned. Dana Rieman, Citizens National Bank, is taking his place. 

The Arts & Crafts Festival, in parallel with the Fall Festival on September 28, was a big success. The craft show had over 70 vendors, and over 2,000 visitors attended the event in the high school gymnasium. The Chamber thanked Kiley Rutzler, Event Pro Connections, for organizing this year’s event.

Upcoming chamber events:

• October 14 – Voting kicks off for the Scarecrow decorating contest downtown
• October 25-26 - Final Discovery Days
• October 29 - Business After Hours at 1861 Wine Lounge
• November 1-2 - Downtown Holiday Open House
• November 14 - Jingle Bell Stroll
• November 30 - Blaze of Lights and After Blaze party on Vine St

Enneking noted this year’s Blaze of Lights parade theme is “Holiday Movies.” The Chamber is hosting the After Blaze party on Vine Street again this year, involving five food trucks, live music, heated tent(s) and cash bar(s), made possible by sponsorships, such as Lisa Wenger, CCR Realty and Greenhorn. Sponsorship for both the Blaze and After Blaze party signup deadline is the end of October. The Residential and Business Decoration Contest is also coming up. 

MEMBER ANNOUNCEMENTS

Jessica Hermiller, director of Bluffton Public Library, reported that the library will once again hold a holiday silent auction. The library is seeking donations from area businesses and thanks those who have already donated items or services. 

Greg Denecker, superintendent of Bluffton Schools, invited anyone who has ever played, marched or twirled on Harmon Field to attend the 100-year anniversary event on October 18. This event includes a parade down Main Street at 5:30 p.m. (which was originally the Homecoming parade but was postponed due to inclement weather). 

Fire Chief Jon Kinn shared that there will be information sessions on the income tax ballot issue to support Bluffton Safety Services including Monday, October 28 at 6 p.m., directly before the Village Council meeting.

The Fire Department has set the tentative date of November 16 to hang garlands downtown.

PROGRAM

The main program was a presentation by Cody Doyle, from the Lima/Allen County Regional Planning Commission (LACRPC). LACRPC is a service agency which seeks to understand and address the needs of the region, and serves in an advisory capacity to community decision makers who rely on the data, analyses, and planning recommendations, which are provided by the Commission. Doyle shared that planning is a balancing act between farmland preservation and development, whether that is economic, residential, commercial or industrial development and city versus county. 

Village Administrator Jesse Blackburn commented that Bluffton benefited from Regional Planning’s involvement not only in creating the Bluffton Beyond Tomorrow comprehensive plan, but also for with Complete Streets Policy and ODOT funding for repaving of Main Street and SR 103.