Much of this month’s newsletter is focused on the third annual Portage Perch Fest and Gran Prix. The city and our chamber are working together to make this event a huge success. Please take the time to volunteer a couple of hours by contacting the Chamber Office. We also welcome you to sponsor the event at any sponsorship level which will in turn benefit your chamber and the workings of the festival and of course we invite you to take part and attend all aspects of the event.
Six months ago, conversations included how to deal with twenty inches of snow. The weather is again on most of our minds, this time turning to dealing with near one hundred degree temperatures. Though many of us are uncomfortable with both extremes, we should never forget how good we really have it. The car is only hot for a minute and the walk from the car to the office is short and we most definitely sleep in comfort at night. We should never forget to check on those less fortunate and on family and friends throughout these extreme conditions. I had forgotten, and possibly you did as well, that seven hundred people died in Chicago in 1995 because of a summer much like the one we are experiencing now. Big cities are better prepared today, but sometimes those living alone are not. A few minutes of our time in checking on others could make a huge difference in the lives of our neighbors.
Things are hot at the chamber as well. Our new chamber directories and community profiles have arrived. The final plans are being worked on for the Summer Perch Festival and Gran Prix. The banquet and awards committees are now meeting and meetings continue for the Annual Chamber Network Night in October. It is hard to believe the last holiday of summer is only six weeks away and school starts back in just four short weeks. Have you taken advantage of the summer to enjoy time with family and friends? If not, don’t let the summer slip away without putting your children, grandchildren, spouse or friends in a car and enjoy a day at one of the many Northwest Indiana Attractions. “Don’t forget to enjoy today. It is the one that has been given to you.”