Chisago Lakes Chamber Newsletter

Royal Credit Union

PH: 715-246-8030

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Chamber News & Events

• Chamber Luncheon - Thursday, April 11th from 11:30am-1:00pm.
• Location: Olinda Trail Apartments, Community Room
• Speaker: Summer Young, Young & Pevehouse Law, PLLC
• Food: Brinks
• Click here to join us. RSVP by, Monday, April 8th at 4pm

• Friday FIKA - Friday, April 12th from 8:30-10 am at the Chamber building. Enjoy coffee from Northwoods Roasterie, bakery treats/fruit, and make community connections!

• Chamber Board Meeting- Friday April 19th, 8:30am.
• Workshop: Tuesday, April 23rd from 8am-9am at the Chamber. Learn how to use the member portal in ChamberMaster! Bring your laptop and log in, explore the features of how to upload events onto the calendar, promote your company's specials, register and make payments with ease, etc.

Did You Know:

As a member of our chamber, you have the ability to log in as a member to the Chamber Master portal and update information, post job openings, upload photos, advertise events, promote hot deals, etc. Just send an email to info@chisagolakeschamber.com and we will help get you set up!

We can highlight your business in the weekly newsflash and/or the monthly newsletter. The newsflash will highlight events coming up in the next week, and the monthly newsletter shares upcoming events for the month. Please email info@chisagolakeschamber.com by the dates below and send in PNG or JPG format. Any questions, let me know!

• Newsletter Deadline: 25th of every month
  
• Newsflash Deadline: Every Monday

April 2024

Happy Spring…again! Our winter has been mild but has shown up in full force when it did make its appearance a few times. The snow is melting, the birds are chirping and I have seen a few happy kids splashing in puddles outside the Chamber. I love that we are a lucky bunch to call Minnesota home because we get to experience all four seasons!

We had a great turnout for our Chisago Lakes Business Showcase and had a great time despite the snow the day before and after. We had a few changes that the vendors and visitors liked. I overheard a conversation where they thought it looked more open and inviting and that it was easier for vendors to check out the other businesses around them. Businesses supporting businesses is always a win in my book!

At the Chamber, we are starting to hear from visitors coming to our area for suggestions on where to eat, stay and play for their upcoming trips to the Chisago Lakes Area. Each town in the Chisago Lakes area has plenty of great shops and stores where you can find the perfect item for your home, or a gift for those you love. And there are so many wonderful places to eat! Stop in to any local eatery or bar and you'll find a warm atmosphere with the nicest people, ready to make you feel right at home. On that note, when was the last time you stopped by the Chamber with your brochures and information? We would love if you stopped by, said hi and replenished your stack of brochures or business cards. Let us know if you would like us to pick them up instead. We want to make sure we are supporting you during our busy season.

Our monthly luncheon is Thursday, April 11th from 11:30am-1pm. Olinda Trail Apartments is gracious enough to host while Summer Young from Young and Pevehouse Law, PLLC will be there to talk about new business laws, followed by networking. Please register by Monday, April 8th.

Sarah Soderlind

Executive Director

Click below to read the April City of Lindstrom Newsletter!

Almost Sold Out! Call today to make your reservation!

St. Croix Festival Theatre is partnering with Cahoot?! Physical Theatre Company, based in Minneapolis MN, and Frederic Arts for a free youth theatre workshop series in the St. Croix Valley. These workshops will be led by the professional arts education artists of Cahoot?! Physical Theatre Company.

Cahoot?! Company members will lead two workshops for ages 11+, one on Tuesday, April 2nd from 4:30pm-6:00pm at Frederic Arts located at 310 Lake Ave S, Frederic, WI and one on Thursday, April 18th at Festival Theatre located at 125 N. Washington Street, St. Croix Falls, WI from 4:30pm-6pm.

On April 2nd, Cahoot?! company members, Graham Haught and Emilia Bjork-Perkins, will lead a “Create-A-Character” workshop where imagery, movement, play and imagination will be used to develop interesting, wild and unique characters. The same techniques Cahoot?! uses to create the many wacky characters seen in A Red Herring (playing at Festival Theatre April 12th-21st) will be taught in this workshop.

On April 18th Cahoot?! company members, Jacob Timmons and Eric Jones, will lead a “Light & Shadow” workshop where participants will experiment and learn using flashlights and shadow puppetry in the style of Cahoot?!'s production of A Red Herring.

Cahoot?!’s guiding principles as a company read “At the core of our mission is a radical idea: theatre (and art) should be available to everyone. Our goal is to create high-quality productions available to the public in the community and without a price tag. By doing this, we hope to break down the barriers of location, income, and class to bring innovative theatre to everyone.”

Workshops and tickets are free of charge and are available for ages 11+. Availability is limited.

You can sign up for Cahoot?!’s workshops and reserve tickets to A Red Herring at festivaltheatre.org or through our box office (715) 483-3387.

Free Admission! Enjoy different classes and presentations, door prizes, swag bags at no extra cost!

Get your tickets before April 22nd and save $10!! Click here for tickets

Spring cleaning! Clean out those filing cabinents and support a good cause!

• Tuesday evenings - Cornhole league 6:30pm
• Wednesday evenings - Trivia from 7-9 pm
• Thursday evenings - Live Music starting at 6:30 pm
• Saturday- special events, check out the calendar to see what's happening!
• Click here to see all the April Events happening at the Loon!

Drop in for a group bodyweight strength class! undermuscled.com

Special Promotions! You can also check out hot deals on the Chamber website, click here! Current promotions listed below!

Chisago County Statewide Health Improvement Partnership Community Partner Award Grant Funding Now Available!

Community Partner Award grant applications are now open and will be accepted while funds are available or until July 15, 2024. Workplaces, schools, healthcare, and community organizations are able to apply for funding to support healthy eating, active living, commercial tobacco cessation or well-being! Learn more about the Chisago County Statewide Health Improvement Partnership (SHIP). If interested on how SHIP can support you or your organization, fill out the Project Interest Form to connect about your project proposal.

The Initiative Foundation is pleased to announce $1.1 million in grants for small businesses in Central Minnesota.

Thanks to the new PROMISE Act funded by the the Minnesota Legislature, one-time grants ranging from $10,000 to $50,000 will be awarded to businesses to invest in existing operations or planned growth.

The application closes at 4 p.m. on April 10. Apply here.

This program is not first-come, first-served; apply anytime before the deadline. Applicants will be able to access free technical support in preparing for and applying to this program. Awards will be announced and delivered in May. These grants will be competitive; not all businesses can expect to receive one.

This program drives fair economic recovery in our region by boosting small, rural, and minority-owned businesses, which face the largest barriers to accessing capital and resources. Thanks to the Minnesota Legislature’s investment, the Initiative Foundation will offer this program again in 2025. Flexible, low-interest loans also are available to qualifying businesses.

The Details

Businesses with $750,000 or less in gross revenue, and located in the Initiative Foundation’s region of 14 counties and two Native nations, are eligible to apply.

Priority will be given to businesses that …

• received less than $10,000 in pandemic relief grants from the government, and/or
• had a 10 percent or greater decrease in gross revenue, or any reduction in net income, from 2021 to 2022.

Additional consideration will be given to businesses that meet any of the following criteria:

• Located in a community or rural area of less than 20,000 population
• BIPOC majority-owned
• Majority-owned by women or veterans
• Can provide a plan for using the grant and financial projections that support continued operations.

Businesses can use funds for all regular current or past-due expenses, such as working capital, payroll, rent or mortgage, utilities, equipment, inventory, and more. Business can also invest in delayed repairs, upgrades, equipment, or areas of growth.

Read the frequently asked questions for more information. Click here to go directly to the Promise Act Page.