Welcome everyone to Midday magazine for this April 23rd, 2024. Have your host James with you. I am looking forward to being joined in part two at 330 by a good friend Amy from the Family Center.
Looking forward to talk with her right now in studio. We got our friend Lacey ailing events and engagement director with the Heart of Wisconsin Chamber of Commerce. Lacey, good to see you.
Good afternoon, James. Thanks for being here and as you do from time to time, Lacey, you brought a friend with you.
Yes, it's my favorite thing to do. Yeah, we want to welcome Tonya here. Tonya coming to us from the leadership class. Tonya, thanks for being here.
Excited to be here today. Appreciate the time. Thanks. We'll talk with you more in a moment. Lacey, I know that we've got a lot to cover.
We want to get right into it because you guys are so busy over there and do want to send a shout out to you and your team at the chamber doing such great work in this community.
And one of our favorite events is coming up lunch by the river, gather by the gazebo. All these great events coming up.
Yes, coming up quick. It's this year has flown by. I was just thinking about it. It's going to be it's going to be may soon. And I'm like, oh, my goodness.
When did that happen? I know. I don't really remember March or April really like being a full month, but here we are.
I don't I don't remember like yesterday. The time is a flat circle. Let's just see. Yeah.
I think the weather and like the winter that it hasn't really felt like wintery. I think that's part of it. It's not taking as long as we thought.
But yes, absolutely. We're planning lunch by the river. I'm still looking for entertainers for July 11th August 1st and August 8th.
So if you are interested, please reach out to me at communications at Wisconsin Rapids Chamber.com as well as I have a few just a handful of sponsorship dates left.
So I have an exclusive sponsorship for May 30th July 18th and August 15th. So they are the only sponsor that would be at that event.
You can have a booth. You can have swag. You can have if you want to educate. If you want to use, you know, use that time to kind of reach a lot of different demographics.
Absolutely. I think it's a great idea to come down. And then we also have some co-sponsored dates. So you would be sharing that date with other businesses.
And that is July 11th August 8th August 22nd and August 29th. So please reach out if you have any interest in kind of showcasing your business there.
Getting down during the lunch hour time and, you know, just hanging out with co-workers, doing some fun activities. We want to have a lot of outdoor games this year.
So please reach out. We're trying to wrap this up so I can get the flyer out and get marketing started. So please reach out to me for lunch by the river.
Lacey, I know that years of doing this, I've heard from a lot of people who have been whether it's a co-sponsor or the single sponsor of one of these events.
And here, how much they talk about this, not only how it helps their business, but it helps get them out there and reach people that maybe they wouldn't reach otherwise.
Is there feedback or is there kind of comments that you've heard over the time you've been doing this about why it's so great to be a part of an event like lunch by the river?
Yes. And I mean, with it being an event that's been going on for over 30 years, I think it's a great way to, if you haven't had time to kind of get out, you know, bring your team out.
I love walking around and doing the Facebook live, introducing your team if you have any upcoming events, if you have any like any changes, things like that that you want to, you know, share with everyone in this area as well as there's different, you know, different kind of food trucks, free activities.
It's a free event. So come out if you want to just, you know, have to fun with your family. Obviously the kids are going to be out.
So we are, we have a lot of fun plans. August 1st is going to be a kids day. So I'm trying to gear that as a lot of different, you know, little entities in this area, a lot of nonprofits that work with kids, as well as activities for event for the event.
So please reach out. I would love the more the barrier to be honest, as well as we are still looking for some food vendors for all dates.
We have a couple that are going to be there for all dates, but we have a couple that we're trying to fit in for certain ones, but I would like to have closer to five to seven food trucks at every single date.
So I have three secured for every single date. And then I have like three more that are going to be, you know, once or twice a month, kind of just depending on when they can, you know, come down here.
But I really, really want to have different things. So please reach out as well as I've made some contact with some other fun entertainment ideas.
So I'm just waiting to hear back from them, fingers crossed that we can have something different. Hopefully they have some availability and we can, we can do something fun.
I think that'll bring down a lot of people.
Otherwise, Lacey stuck with me showing up down there doing like monologues and juggling. I mean, the monologue thing might be all right, but I'm not a good juggler, like I've never juggled.
I don't know why I would go down there and do that, but I will just so that we have invent just so we have something going on over there.
We have a lot of great entertainers, a lot of good people out there that might not think that you might be doing something that would be fun for that, but imagine the setting of lunch by the river and imagine you doing this act of whatever it is there.
I bet you it fits. Reach out to Lacey and find out.
Please reach out to me at 715-422-4859.
One last note I had on this Lacey and this is your fault because you brought up what you brought up and you were talking about this.
I think you brought up a great point. We have so many great businesses around here that have different events in the summer.
What a great way to help promote that event by being a part of lunch by the river. That's a great idea.
I think it's a huge thing, especially with the recreational outdoor things. I don't have a problem with having booths of other things that are going on in the upcoming months.
I think it's good to show everyone what our community has to offer, so what a better way.
The cranberry blossom festival craft and vendor opportunities, the parade itself, so many opportunities with that one coming up as well.
We are almost a little bit over half full. Very exciting for that. I want to get different vendors. I want to get different things going on there.
I would love to have some live music there. I think it will be fun to bring everything together.
Obviously, with the parade this year, we're going to do all things cranberry, so it will be the first time we're having a theme.
Which I think will help some businesses that are like, I don't know how to decorate or I don't really know what to do.
I think we'll obviously do some prizes and do some judging. That will be fun as well as obviously the craft and vendor fare.
Please reach out if you have interest. We have availability for 12 by 12 booths and 12 by 24.
It doesn't have to just be some kind of craft. We've had people where we've had bird watching groups come and educate.
I think that education is definitely important and that's a great way to reach a lot of people.
That is also a free event for the public. We get a lot of traffic there.
Please reach out if you're interested. If you make little things or if you have things that you think, oh, this would be fun.
Reach out to me. I'm not going to tell you and nothing is a bad idea.
I want to do different things. There's a lot of 3D printers, a lot of dried foods.
I think that's a great way to showcase all the entrepreneurs that this local area has to offer.
This event, well, especially with the Chamber, but a lot of our nonprofits and our businesses around here have some great local events that we look forward to given certain seasons.
Especially in summer when we're all itching to get out and everything.
I don't think it's a stretch to say that this is our signature event.
That this is the event in our area that almost everybody knows about.
It is certainly, if not the most popular, one of the top two, three most popular events we have in this area.
It's been gone around for a long time. It is well established up and down the state to have your business a part of that.
When you know that news outlets are going to be covering it and having footage of it.
When you know that the local people are going to be popping around and checking it out as you mentioned, it's a free event.
If I got a marketing budget, this is one of the main things I'm using it for.
Is this event?
Absolutely. We have sponsorships available for this event as well.
And then with it being leapier, it also falls on the state trap shooting weekend.
So I think almost all the hotels in this area are sold out for that weekend.
And I think probably the aquascares the next month.
So definitely a lot of things going on during the summer.
We also still have some availability for gather by the gazebo.
I'm looking for one sponsor for August as well as entertainment for that event.
And then food vendor like I would like to have one exclusive food vendor for that.
For all those states and obviously gathered by the gazebo is June 11th, July 9th and August 13th.
Rome is such a huge area right now.
It is just blowing up.
I've been taking a lot of calls with having apparently we're having some local talent coming to Rome.
And they want to record.
So they were like, they were calling the chamber to ask, you know, where can we record?
Where is a good place to get a sunrise or to get a sunset in the Rome area?
So that area is definitely getting really, really popular.
So I think if you're a local business, especially if you have some ties to Rome or the Nikusa area,
I think that's a great way to kind of showcase your business out there.
The Rome farmers market is going to kick off next month and I'll be there once a month.
Really excited for that as well as rendezvous in the park, which is in the Kusa.
And then we are looking for entertainment for that event.
I have been trying to reach out to some people that are more local.
So schools, I would love to have the kids come down from each school.
So we're kind of in talks right now for that as well as a July food vendor.
I've been trying to get some different stuff.
I really want people to come to these events and I want them to have fun.
I want it to be a safe place for younger kids, older kids, and their parents to be able to all have fun.
So if you have any ideas for activities, if you have some things that you have going on.
If you have, I would love to have martial arts or taekwondo.
I would love to do some different kinds of things.
Get the kids active. I think that mental health is something that we need to be focusing on.
And I think that the boxing and the martial arts, the taekwondo, I think all of those really help.
So I would love if hopefully someone's listening and they can chime in someone's ear
because I really, really want to have something like that out there.
It's a really good point.
I was a knucklehead growing up and I would have been even worse without boxing.
Without boxing, I wouldn't have had no structure.
It's a good point about martial arts and those things.
It's always great to have that.
It's nice to touch on mental health wherever we can, whatever the topic is.
You brought up a couple of really great things there, Lacey, that I wanted to touch on one.
If anybody's looking for anywhere to record something, I think I can think of a place
or two where we could do some recording.
When we get a chance to talk about the Rome area, we have to take it.
That you are so right about this.
With San Valley and so many other things going on over there, that area is only growing more and more.
My family and I, when we first moved here, we moved to the Rome area,
lived there for my first couple of years in this state and loved that area so much.
It's so cool to see what's happening over there.
So when you're a part of something like one of these events that we're talking about,
gathered by the gazebo rendezvous in the park or something like that,
you're getting into that area.
You're putting your name, your business in that area, which is blowing up and growing.
And as anybody around here knows, especially from what I just said,
you got a lot of transplants. You got a lot of people coming from out of state sometimes.
And maybe your business gets seen by somebody from there and you just never know where that leads, where that goes.
Absolutely. And I think a lot of people are very like, oh, what's trending?
What's trending? It's Rome.
If you're wondering what's trending, it's Rome.
That's the area that you should be focusing on.
If you are wanting to get in somewhere, they have the farmer's market.
They have a lot of businesses that have kind of just been popping up.
And they're local, they're people that they care about this community.
They are invested in this community.
They're raising their families here, especially with, I mean, San Valley,
they're getting a lot of people out there that are famous,
that are coming here to golf.
And so they're coming to this area. They're seeing this area.
They're seeing those, you know, those flyers when they're staying here.
So they're seeing your business.
So I think it's great to get out there.
I think we only looking for one sponsor for that one.
That one grew really, really great.
And we had to switch something because they weren't available to be there.
So that one's just the August 13th date.
But it's a great area, especially the Rome farmers market.
If you are a local food vendor, if you're trying to get in somewhere,
I think food market, you know, in Rapids and Acusa.
And we have so many places for you to go out and make an impact.
And you just have to, you know, get out there.
Smile. Talk to people. Get excited.
Be passionate about your business. Share your why.
And I think that you will find that people really do,
people really do care.
Yeah, definitely.
We're speaking with Lacey Ailing,
events and engagement director with our heart of Wisconsin,
chamber of commerce.
And Lacey, one of the things we are going to talk about today
and focus on a little bit, it was the community leadership
and team leadership celebration and sponsorship opportunities for that.
Yes, we have. So we have six.
So if community leadership and team leadership,
we have three awards for each.
One, I believe, is almost full for the awards.
But if you are interested, please reach out to Laura.
That's Workforce at Wisconsin Rapids Chamber.com.
She has the best contact information for the award sponsors.
But you would essentially be on that.
You're on there forever.
So that someone is going to be given that award,
be the like the most improved participant,
or the business that made a huge impact.
When they went and visited,
there was a lot of dates that we went to all these different businesses.
So we're going to recognize them for letting us come in,
sharing things about their business,
taking the time out of their day.
Some of these businesses were closed.
And they opened specifically just to let in myself,
as well as my community leadership,
and then the cool team leadership.
So definitely great to show that you support the leaders in this community.
You support what we're doing.
What the Chamber is pushing for and to keep that talent here.
So definitely reach out to Laura.
If you're interested in sponsoring that,
as well as there's some other sponsorship,
kind of little other little things you can do.
But the award is the big one for that one.
So definitely reach out.
We're going to have food.
It's going to be a dinner.
We're going to recognize everyone that has participated.
And you brought in Tonya here to talk a little bit about the leadership class.
And Tonya, thank you again for joining us.
I appreciate the time.
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
What field do you come from?
What business do you work at?
I actually work at bank account corporation.
We are actually located in Rudolph.
And we do with anyone's businesses where we print computer checks,
laser checks, envelopes, personal checks.
I actually run the personal check in the area.
Right on.
Shout out to them.
And we always like supporting our local businesses.
And a big thank you to them for letting us mower you for a little bit here and everything.
Tonya, what did you take from the leadership class?
How much did you enjoy it?
It's actually very interesting because growing up in this area,
I've always been around the area, but I never knew much about the community
and the heart of Wisconsin program.
I didn't know much about it.
So it's really neat to learn and what actually comes involved into the community
to get out of the community.
Yeah.
So you already touched on it a little bit,
but I imagine that people as well,
you got to run into that you probably haven't met before
and made connections that you wouldn't have made otherwise.
Yes, there's definitely a group of people,
especially in our area and our group that we're with.
You get to learn about all these different companies and areas
that they have businesses that you don't always know about.
Was there anything that really stood out to you
about the leadership class that you really, really enjoyed?
It was the whole thing, just a great experience.
I just loved going around to the different areas
and stuff like I knew about mid-state
and seeing the new jail,
what the progress was really neat to know
and what all took into becoming that.
When it comes to the lessons, the things that you learn,
are there notes and different things
that you're going to be able to take from this
and you add to your field, add to your job as you go forward?
Yes, it's very interesting to learn different ways
to communicate in different ways, leadership can be done
and that I will take with me back to my work.
Is this something that you would recommend to others?
Yes, if anyone's interested in it,
it's a great opportunity to learn about the community
and skills to learn that you might not know.
Is there anything else you wanted to touch on
about the leadership class, Tony?
I think you covered it pretty good.
Yeah, you covered it pretty good.
And you did a great job, by the way.
Nice work.
Nice work.
Nicely done.
Lacey, I see why you brought Todd yet.
She's good.
She did a good job.
I know that you and I talk about the leadership class
and the teen leadership program a number of times
but this is one of those ones that I want to hit on
every time you join us.
I think it's important.
I think it's one of those things that stands out in our area
and stands out that the chamber does.
Absolutely.
And so earlier this month, I should say,
we went to Baraboo and toured their community
and it was wonderful to kind of see their impact
with even just the Ringling brothers and everything
that they have there.
It's very like, it's not a theme but you can feel
that that is something that they definitely,
they care about.
They know they're known for it.
They know that that kind of put them on the map
and they definitely ran with it.
So they have this, you can tell that it's kind of throughout.
It's kind of like weaved throughout their community as well as
they have a lot of the same things.
They, they were, you know, we're going through it.
The workforce, affordable housing, child care.
We're all going through the same thing.
So people are, when people think, oh, okay.
Well, it's just because you're living rabbits.
No, it's really, it's really an issue everywhere.
Housing, affordable housing is definitely an issue
that's going on everywhere.
Some of these counties, I think they're just more aware
of the things that they can do to get assistance
or to get those grants that we're not always aware of.
So I think it's great to go to other places,
see what they have to offer.
My favorite was probably the gun range.
We went and toured.
I thought that was really fun to kind of get in there
and see, you know, I think an indoor shooting range
is a great stress reliever as well.
So that was really fun.
And we also toured like the Save House warehouse type company
where they made like little shoes for cows as well as
we went, we kind of got to go explore Baraboo
and then we got to see like their theater,
which was crazy.
Yeah.
The amount of craftsmanship that went into things.
Beautiful.
It's just so much time that we, that you could see
that like the skill level from the carving,
you know, to like the velvet, to everything was like gold
and it was so beautiful.
There was like hand painted, like the eight brothers
and their sister.
It's crazy the amount of time that is spent in that.
And they're making sure they're taking care of it.
And I think if you take just like relationships,
just like jobs, if you take care of things, they last.
Yeah.
And that's something that I think they cherish that.
And you can tell that they care.
And I think when you go in there, it just makes you like,
oh my goodness.
Like this isn't Wisconsin.
Some of the stuff that was in there, they modeled it off after
like Italy and other places.
And I think that that was an hour and a half drive from us.
And I've never ever heard of it.
So I think just knowing all the things that this town,
this community, that this, especially with this group
that has to offer, it's crazy the amount of information
and knowledge that I know I've gotten.
And I work at the chamber.
And I still didn't know about a lot of this stuff.
As well as watching the participants evolve from our first meeting
and like how we were all kind of like,
it took time to just build those relationships.
And now I think it's going to be hard to not see them every month.
I think it's going to be hard when we're like, okay, now what,
we need, like now we're going to have to figure out a way
to like go get lunch with these people.
I'm more spend time with them because I think they have definitely
like, it's so funny.
And you find people that you don't think that you necessarily
would have gotten along with.
Or people like, you know, it's hard to make friends when you're older.
So I think it's, it's really fun to be in this, you know,
type of situation where you can network.
I've been emailing back and forth with Mariani to try to, you know,
because cranberries are such a huge thing here.
So now I finally have a contact there.
Very cool.
But yeah, definitely reach out if you're interested.
The cool team leadership is also open for registration for next year.
That's sophomores for any, you know, rapids, pit spell,
and the kusa assumption, you know, root off any of that, any of that area
that you think you live in.
You definitely reach out if you are, you know, private school,
public school.
We want those kids to stay here.
So we should show them what we have to offer.
When as we're wrapping up, got about a minute left.
One of the, just give a shout out to the new website.
You guys have a wonderful new website.
Encourage me everybody to check that out.
Go to Wisconsin RapidsChamber.com.
Wisconsin RapidsChamber.com.
Bookmark that page and check it out over and over again.
It's a good way to keep on the date.
Everything going on in our community.
And Lacey and people have followed questions about some of the events
we talked about or the community leadership or team leadership groups.
How can people get in touch with you?
Yes, absolutely.
Please reach out.
We all have our phone numbers linked to our, you know, our website.
But also you can always just call the chamber office and that's 715-422-4852.
And then our, all of our information, you can just kind of go right to us.
But definitely reach out.
We'd love to talk to you.
Yeah.
Tony, thank you again for joining us.
Appreciate the time.
Thank you for the invite.
It was awesome to be here.
Always good to see you, Lacey.
We'll talk again real soon.
Thank you.
And we'll have more Midday Magazine coming up right here at 97-5FM1328MWFHR.
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