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- Chief Highknocker
- You aren't local until you have at least three generations in the cemetery.
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35 comments:
Where'd you get $5.00?? Fireworks are pretty expensive these days - how many people do you think it would take giving $5.00 to pay for them??
I do believe the Chamber would love to accept any donation for the fireworks - not matter how much. Of course more is better but anything would be nice I would think. We will be celebrating Indepedence Day and it's a great way of remembering our troops who are out there risking their lives and remembering all of those who have lost their's to keep our country safe and free! Let's have a great firework's show!!!
I'm guessing it would take about 1500 people at $5 a piece to pay for any type of a decent show?
Would be nice if some of those folks who could give $500+ and not feel any pain for it would step forward, but except for a select few, big giving in GL doesn't seem to be on the top of anyone's list.
Maybe the city should increase the room tax in order to pay for fireworks. I am all for patriotism and supporting our troops, but spending thousands of dollars in a recession on any thing that is not absolutely necessary seems foolish to me. I would rather the chamber sent the money overseas to dig wells so that poor villages could have clean drinking water, something we take for granted here in the USA. Wouldn't you rather this money was spent on something truly important that would help other people?
I don't think sending money overseas helps us out at home....
There are plenty of needs to be filled here first!
That's fine. I agree. My point was that spending (?) over $5000 for 20 minutes of colored lights in the sky seems indulgent and wasteful. I would much rather the money was put to good use. It is time for American's to wake up and pull their heads out of their butts. We have to take care of this planet, and each other, and make it a priority. I am sure that our founding Father's could care less if we had fireworks on the 4th of July.
For those of you who are shocked and horrified at the idea of putting the money to good use, then the area communities could at least rally together for one fireworks show and save tons of money.
Chamber of what?
They left town years ago.
I don't know who you are but you are either ignorant or just plain stupid. There is so much going on down at the Chamber and those people are working very hard. From what I see - they are the only ones who truly care about Green Lake and aren't in it for themselves! Why don't you just keep your negative comments to yourself, since you obviously have no idea what is going on!
Getting back to the original post by the Chief, his idea is a very nice one. If everyone gave just a little bit...
Sadly, this idea of hoping that the "rich" people will dole out big bucks for every damn thing from fireworks to the Cornerstone project is pathetic and tiring. I am not rich, but if I were I would be sick to death of people coming after me for my money.
As far as ragging on the Chamber, that is a personal decision. I personally do not believe they are doing a good job. I am sure they show up for work and stay busy and do this and do that, but is it an effective use of money? That is the question. Of course, you can blame the economy for the lack of tourism, but the problem has been going on long before the recession hit town.
Agreed! They're ineffective at best. I understand that the director's hours are 9:00am to 4:30pm with one hour for lunch. Where do I sign up for a job like that?
Chief Ball Wacker or whoever you are - As I said - a lot of ignorance here on the part of some of the posters who have no idea what is going on at the Chamber.
Get your facts straight before you spread misinformation about good people who are doing far more for this community than you! I guess working for the Chamber members and community in the early morning, late evenings and weekends doesn't count for much to you? You have no idea the number of hours that are put in for the Chamber.
Meetings, marketing, event planning, handling numerous tourists on a daily basis on the phone and in the office, dealing with Members and all that entails along with putting up with all this CRAP from the community. You are the most ungrateful group I have ever read!
This is the most divided and negative community of bloggers - it's disgusting to me. It's no wonder businesses are folding left and right in this town - it's people like you that are bringing the town down - you and all of the satellite groups with their hands out that are trying to take money away from the place where it will do this community and it's businesses the most good - for what? A Soccer camp.. pleeaase. Yeah that's what's going to save Green Lake - give me a break. It's sickening. You are ungrateful snobs!
Read the Ripon paper and see what kind of stupidity is running rampant in your City Council. Enlighten yourselves before it's too late. Stop living in a dream world and catering to your emotions and try to put on some intelligence for awhile. Think about what you are saying.
Anonymous who said 'I am sure they show up for work and stay busy and do this and do that, but is it an effective use of money?' That statement is proof of the pudding that you have no idea what is going on or even what you are saying - what the heck does your statement mean - so they are working but they shouldn't be paid cause it's not worth paying someone for working - what is wrong with you?
"For those of you who are shocked and horrified at the idea of putting the money to good use, then the area communities could at least rally together for one fireworks show and save tons of money."
This would've been a really good idea in a steady economy but it is a FANTASTIC idea considering the current economy.
I understand there are a lot of bucks spent when they could've been spent on necessities. I think the same thing when I see people spending a sickeng amount of money on clothes, sports, and toys. But, community, togetherness, and patriotism play EXTREMELY important roles in creating solidarity and hope during such trying and divisive times, and 4th of July parades and fireworks are reminders of those who fought for the freedoms we take for granted.
I would like to see people stand up and salute every flag and veteran that passes them during a parade. I don't see people standing up, embracing patriotism, and crying crocodile tears for love of this country anymore. I've been made fun of at parades because I cheer on and support everyone participating in the parade, and for loudly telling my children to put their hand over their hearts while loudly giving them the reasons I am demanding they do so.
Only a few years ago, a veteran in a parade walked by me and said "thank you". HE said "thank you" to ME?????? I could never thank him enough for what he had done for this country; but, he noticed that me and my kids were the only ones around us that were standing with our hands over our hearts. God bless America :)
AMEN!
Whoa to anonymous blogger who's got her/his undies in a bundle. If you can't take a little criticism and respond to it tactfully, then perhaps no response would be better than the diatribe you spewed out there! Something on the blog must have really struck a nerve. But, relax already. Nobody wants a thankless job such as yours. It's all about perception...and you know the old saying, 'perception is reality'. So now everyone is perceiving that the chamber isn't taking care of it's part of the bargain. Not being in the chamber any longer I can't address that situation.
I would like to know what the new chamber director has done that is innovative and creative. The former chamber director made up for her lack of marketing savvy by working her butt off. Dusty was always in the middle of everything when it came to the festivals. At least that was everyone's perception.
Fly those flags on the front of every home, seconds after you wake up...to the moments before you go to bed!! As you are waiting for the fireworks to begin, and if you see someone sitting by themselves, invite them to share your family's "blanket" and share the magic of fireworks together!!! Oooohhhh! Aaahhhhh!
Rodney - I don't work at the Chamber, but I know the people that do and was offended at the unfounded & in my mind, undeserved critisism! I think the community should really give the new Director a chance, she's only been there a short while. Yes, Dusty worked hard and retired. Now lets give the new blood a chance to make a difference! More people should make a trip down there and see what is new and exciting. The ones that do, walk away with a new attitude, that's for sure.
Ah here we go on the chamber merry-go-round...
The blogger that could her knickers in a knot should take a pill and go relax.
Let's just look at their name for a second.... "Green Lake Area Chamber of Commerce".
Does that not imply that they should be working is support of local area commerce (businesses) as their main focus?
Instead they've spent the last 15 years hiding behind the notion that having a few two-bit festivals every year will help business....HA HA what a complete joke.
They close Mill st on a Saturday peak-season so that 10 kids can chalk in the street...what the heck does that do for businesses when vehicular access is cut off?
They keep themselves semi-occupied organising community events and do NOTHING for commerce. At least have the decency to rename yourselves and stop prettending to give a damn about businesses.
Darn right! Open up Mill Street for business traffic.
Let the kids do their drawings on the street and play dodge car. That'll bring in the traffic for downtown business!
Darn right! Open up Mill Street for business traffic.
Let the kids do their drawings on the street and play dodge car. That'll bring in the traffic for downtown business!
I have to agree with the previous post that running festivals seems to be the main function of the chamber. Ironic that the best festival Green Lake has is not run by the chamber (the August Art Fair) but organized and run by Guy Rossberg. Besides that, the 4th of July and Harvestfest are the only festivals worth attending here. While these festivals obviously bring people to Green Lake, there is not much to do here that would lure these folks back for another visit. The lack of retail is the main problem, of course. If I were a tourist and paid money to come and stay in Green Lake, I would be sorely disappointed. If you don't play golf or fish, it's pretty boring. There is a lot of controversy whether the room tax money should be divided amongst other groups or be given soley to the chamber. Until downtown gets renovated and spruced up, the chamber could spend $10 million a year to try to attract tourists here, and it wouldn't help. Downtown needs to be "fixed" before the problem can ever be solved. If you build it, they will come. Until then, it's all pretty much a waste of money.
Have any of you seen the commercials on TV from the Waupaca (Chain of Lakes) Chamber of Commerce? An ad like that is worth more than all the print ads in the world. In case the gals at the chamber didn't know this, magazines and newspapers are folding right and left because people don't read them any more. Why not join the new millennium and embrace technology?
Also, the money spent by the chamber and school on their half hour info-mercial was a waste. A one minute TV commercial would have been more effective. Sadly, the chamber really needs to learn more about effective marketing.
It is pathetic that their idea of attracting tourists is to have kids draw on sidewalks. Someone suggested that we give the new chamber director more time. She's been here a few years now and things have gone from bad to worse in my opinion. We need someone with some dynamic creative energy to shake things up around here.
Actually, I think it's only been about a year since the new chamber director came in. It seems like a thankless job. Pretty much a no win situation because you can't please everyone...or seemingly anyone in this town.
Talking about embracing technology, I think the chamber should have a contest that allows people to submit a video 'advertising' Green Lake. Everyone has heard of YouTube so why not give 'locals', or better yet, tourists who have fallen in love with Green Lake, a chance to tell others what's so great about Green Lake through a video submission. With the advances in technology this is something almost everyone has the capability of doing (even an 'older' person such as myself!)
After all...if the savvy use of technology and a slick marketing campaign can get an inexperienced candidate elected President of the United States of America it can't hurt selling our little town to tourists.
However, as other bloggers have stated, once tourists do come to Green Lake, there better be something worthwhile to keep them coming back and promoting the area to their friends and family as a viable vacation spot. The responsibility for that aspect of tourism falls squarely upon the shoulders of local merchants, restaurateurs, inn keepers and business owners and has nothing to do with the Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber is there to promote and advertise the area. If there isn't anything exceptional to bring tourists here, then you can't blame the chamber director, whomever that may be.
Hello Rodney,
Enjoyed your post but don't agree that the Chamber has responsibility only for marketing the area. They (by definition and by mission statement) should play a support role to businesses in more areas than just marketing. For example - researching and applying for the State and Federal funds which are available to all qualifying communities, and are made available for a variety of different projects, particularly for the development of tourism.
I'm not an expert in this, but here are some things that the Chamber ought to be proactively involved in -
- Creating a business plan for Green Lake and using it to apply for grant money from the State and Feds.
- Applying for TARP monies which are readily and widely available. An example of this can be seen in Door County, where their Chamber have been successful in applying for TARP funds for various projects aimed at stimulating the economy.
- Applying for grant money to fund incubator projects to attract new businesses to GL
- Applying for grant money to subsidize new business start-ups from State and private industry sectors.
- Negotiating with landlords and property owners to devise ways in which empty retail buildings can be leased, without the full impact of the rent burdening the retail store owner during the first two years of business (these programs are available).
- Setting up a small business resource center at the Chamber office, so that new business owners have ready and affordable access to faxing, computers, printing, legal paperwork, supports services etc....there's a large conference room at the Chamber office that could be put to good use.
- organizing workshops and training sessions where people can receive valuable training/support and resources to help them start up and run small businesses.
- Working with the State on pushing through projects like "Main Street Wisconsin", where the State provides funds for revitalizing downtown commerce.
- Working closely with Chambers from Ripon, Princeton, Berlin etc, to cross-promote and share resources. Instead of being in competition with surrounding areas, we should be in partnership with them. This can only come from local Chamber offices working together for the good of the community at large.
- Working with the City in developing a longer term plan to bring commerce (not just retail) to the GL area. This can't happen overnight, but unless you start the process IT WILL NEVER HAPPEN. Developing commerce in outlying areas will bring more blue-collar families to GL which will impact retail, support businesses, the housing market and much more. GL has a serious imbalance in the number of homes occupied seasonally, versus the number occupied year round. Creating business in and around the Town will go a long way to addressing the imbalances and restoring some prosperity to the area, it is a significant issue.
I could go on and on.
The lady at the Chamber is probably a real nice person and hard working to boot. But she's out of her depth in this position and is not receiving adequate support and direction from those around her. There is too much at stake to risk it all to a person with little or no marketing experience and business credentials. Dusty was an angel but she couldn't do what this town needed her to do. She created a job for herself in setting up these festivals and the board of directors stood by and applauded her hard work.
It's time to hand over the reigns to a business professional with a proven track record in handling these things. Yes, he or she will cost money, but look at the money the Chamber poured into Treacy Marketing Co from IL. Twenty five thousand dollars to design a backwoods logo (stolen from a beer advertisement) and spruce (pun intended) up the website....Over $100K spent in total, and on what? - a misappropriation of public funds if ever there was one. The money is out there, lets hire someone and start to change direction now. (I'm available, but you couldn't afford my bar tab).
DB
To DB: Why not appear at a Chamber meeting with your ideas? A posting on the blog is not enough. You sound intelligent and articulate. Share that talent and help the Chamber.
Yes, excellent blog from DB! Very informative and enlightening. I agree that GL needs a better qualified individual to perform this daunting array of tasks necessary to turn things around for our community. So many other things hinge on the success of the city, and I don't see that our needs are being met in a qualified manner. And also, I have to agree, the logo that the chamber dished out all that money for is disgustingly ugly. Even the sailboat was better than that! Why didn't the Chamber have a contest and ask for submissions? There is a lot of local talent out there!
We must hold the Board of the Chamber accountable. The director is only part of the problem.
Anonymous.....I've been to Chamber meetings and my views were not well received.
Shadow - I agree, but lets not make it a witch hunt. Look back only so as not to repeat mistakes, then move forward with new ideas and direction.
DB
Hmnnn...sounds to me like DB should have applied for the directors job when it was available last year. Darn good ideas.
Just to clarify on what I had blogged earlier - - what are the chamber directors qualifications and if she didn't have what was needed, who is to blame for the hiring. I believe most of the board members are business people from around town but if the present director does have the qualifications to do the job then the more important question is who made the decision to hire. If a flawed process was used in hiring Ellen then you can't really blame her. Need to go upstream to the true source of the problem.
PS to DB: A good bar tab never gets completely settled so anytime you'd like to 'tip' a few and discuss revitalizing Green Lake, drop me a blog. It's worth a few $$$ to get some intelligent dialogue going...I'd be happy to cover! And besides...this heat makes me darn thirsty!
In the event that DB is an attractive female, then Rodney's offer to meet for drinks is respectfully rescinded. Thank you.
Ooops...never thought of that. I will have to agree with Rodney's wife.
I agree with everything DB says and with the shadow. It is the chamber board who hires the director and because they did not hire a fully qualified person who can do all of the things that DB suggests (and many of these were suggested before Dusty retired) they are to blame.
AS a result, there are now 3 groups trying to do what the Chamber alone should be doing. Mary Rowley's new group was formed because why? What they want to do is exactly what the chamber should be doing. Why aren't they all working together? I'm not donating my money to any of these groups until they all join as one and get on the same page. Same thing happened a few years ago when the City Lights group was formed by business owners who were frustrated by the chamber and Dusty and Holly. It didn't work either. Again it is all about the people in this town not getting along. The GLO and Mary's group should be working thru the Chamber, and the Chamber board should be addressing this problem.
Just to update everyone on the current Wisconsin laws regarding fireworks.
Possessing or using for example firecrackers, roman candles, bottle rockets and mortors with out a valid permit is illeal. A permit can only be issued by a mayor, village president, town chair, or fire chief for the municipality you are in.
Legal fireworks are: sparklers no longer than 36", stationary cones and fountains, toy snakes, smoke bombs, caps, noisemakers, confetti poppers.
If you buy Fireworks and pay for a permit the permit is only good for the village or township it was purchased in and usually only good for the very property where you purchased the fireworks from.
just letting you know.
I appreciate that you have posted these rules regarding fireworks. Do these fireworks "stands" that pop up all over Wisconsin in summer explain this to the buyers, I wonder? Who issues the permits?
I personally think that fireworks are a huge waste of money! Cheap thrills I guess if you are of a certain mindset. I would venture to guess that 90% of the people who shoot off these things have not bothered to obtain a permit. With this lack of rain, there is an added fire hazard.
Also a good time to remind folks that burning trash is 100% against the law in Wisconsin. Period. I know that many Town of Brooklyn residents burn their trash because they don't have curbside pickup. Maybe if the DNR started slapping some hefty fines on people, they would stop. If you burn your trash, or know someone who does, please stop!
The fireworks were fabulous on the 4th. Thanks to the chamber and all those who donated to the fund. I met a lot of out of town people who thoroughly enjoyed our wonderful little town. I told them:"If you lived here you'd be home".
And they responded..."if I lived here, I'd move"
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