Local businesses will have their time to shine at the Cassopolis area’s first business appreciation reception.
The Main Street Committee and the Cassopolis-Vandalia Area Chamber of Commerce are teaming up to host the business appreciation reception taking place at 5:01 p.m. June 1, at Turtle Lodge, 501 N. Broadway St. The event, which is free and open to the public, is meant to showcase local businesses and all that they have done for the community.
“There’s going to be food, fun, music and just a lot of opportunities to network with local business owners and business managers,” said Steve Meyer, president of the Cassopolis-Vandalia Area Chamber of Commerce.
The goal of the event is to thank local businesses for the time, money and energy that they contribute to the community, Meyer said.
Local businesses have been particularly integral in helping to put on community events such as the fall and summer festivals, which is something that both the Cassopolis-Vandalia Area Chamber of Commerce and the Main Street Committee want to recognize, Main Street Committee President Ben Anderson said.
“Every time you put these events together, you need funding. We go out and ask our local businesses for sponsorship or to donate things to us, and they’ve been really good about that,” Anderson said. “We can’t just treat them like donation foundations and constantly ask them for things and not be able to give anything back.”
Members of the Main Street Committee have wanted to host similar events thanking local businesses in the past, but they have been unable to do so on their own. The help of the Cassopolis-Vandalia Area Chamber of Commerce is what made the businesses appreciation reception possible, Anderson said.
“It works out perfect that they wanted to do this, and we wanted to do this,” Anderson said. “It’s all coming together right at the right time.”
The business appreciation reception marks the first time the Main Street Committee and the Cassopolis-Vandalia Area Chamber of Commerce have partnered for an event.
“We are just letting everyone know that we, as the two main groups in the community, can work very well together and see what we can do to help out local businesses,” Meyer said.
Though the event is meant to celebrate local businesses, the public is welcome to attend.
“The public has benefitted from the events that these businesses have contributed to,” Anderson said. “They’ve had a good time at the expense of the businesses in town. Now, they have the opportunity to come in and thank them.”
Finger foods and drinks will be served at the event. Local singer and member of the Main Street Committee Board Rick Drews will perform acoustic guitar and vocals. The Main Street Committee is currently looking into obtaining certificates of appreciation for the attending businesses, which will likely be mailed to the businesses after the event.
Turtle Lodge is donating space for the event at no cost. During the reception, the Main Street Committee will ask for optional donations to be able to compensate Turtle Lodge and owner Darin Boyles.