Florence Area Chamber of Commerce member Apex Helicopter wants to elevate the Chamber by bringing up to 25 new members onboard. The pilot program is available exclusively for the first 25 new members on a first-come-first-served basis. “This very generous contribution lowers the barrier for up to 100 new Business Partner level members to obtain a very valuable membership,” said Chamber president/CEO Bettina Hannigan. “It is a tremendous testimony to the value of membership if one member wants to essentially pay half the membership free for 100 new members so they can join and start benefitting and growing their businesses.” A Business Partner pays $225 per year and receives an estimated $800-plus per year in direct benefits. As membership levels increase, so does the value of the membership up to an estimated $18,000 in benefits. “This is a huge act of support,” said Hannigan. “Apex Helicopter just demonstrated in a […]
Currently the State has required all restaurants to close to dine in. These amazing restaurants are offering the delicious food as take away! Please support our restaurants so they can stay in business. We’ll want to dine in again! Download the list here.
Florence, Oregon’s Coastal Playground, has made a number of adjustments to its annual holiday festivities to comply with COVID-19-related regulations while still offering some festivities to preserve commerce in the small town. Postponed to next year are Santa’s celebrated arrival, hayrides on Bay St., the mayor’s tree lighting, the cocoa and cookie trails, and live music. This year, in their place the Florence Area Chamber of Commerce is inviting those who shop to vote for the best decorated of the XX participating shops and galleries, then drop off their ballot to enter to win a “swag bag” full of goodies and certificates from Florence-area merchants. The free ballot is available beginning November 27 at FlorenceChamber.com under the events tab. Completed ballots are due December 26 at the Chamber’s Visitor Center, 290 Highway 101 in Florence, to be entered for the drawing. “Everyone needs to just stop shopping online for generic […]
The chamber will be marketing “Shop Where You Play” to our regional market and “Shop Where You Live” to our local market to drive customers to both retail and businesses looking to expand their sales and connections this holiday season. This is FREE and will be a safe and warm traditional holiday activity. Shoppers and potential customers will be able to download or pick up a FREE passport to check out each DECOR location and vote on their favorite. The winner will receive a trophy and then we’ll draw from the ballots and pick a shopper winner to receive the “Swag Bag”. If your organization would like to participate please fill out this form and return it to Mitzi at events@florencechamber.com, or to the Visitors Center at 290 Hwy. 101.
Halloween is a time for creativity and thinking out of the box! That is why it has always been my favorite holiday. The same reason why I love my job at the Chamber. For being innovative means we are all able to experience new things! While Covid-19 mandates and safety measures have required the cancellation of trick or treating across the country including our own Old Town tradition on Bay St. here in Florence, there is still fun to be had. As a NW native, planning outdoor activities have always been a challenge. No more than Halloween night. One year it could be 70 degrees and clear, the next year bitter winds and freezing tempatures required heavy coats over my child’s carefully chosen costume. Leading to tears because my son’s Buzz Lightyear wings won’t fit and my daughter’s Princess butterfly wings would now have to be left behind. More years […]
The eye-popping work of local photographer Rodger Bennett is the newly installed art exhibit at the Florence Area Chamber of Commerce’s Visitors Center. The Chamber features a different local artist’s work on a rotating basis. “There are some smaller pieces up right now, with an eye toward adding decorator images,” said Bennett. “There’s a Zebra suite that I really like and a few foliage shots that are really pleasant to look at. We’ll rotate some images in and out over the next several months to keep the display fresh and interesting.” “We are delighted to have Rodger’s stunning work for our seasonal display at the Chamber’s Visitors Center,” says Chamber president and CEO Bettina Hannigan. “Traditionally he has been our winter exhibitor and his work has brought so much joy to many of our visitors.” All pieces will be for sale and customized sizes and media are available to order. Rodger […]
From the empty sample cups of Florence’s cancelled Wine & Chowder Trail and Great Glass Float Giveaway Weekend bubbled-up a tasty, revised Florence Chowder and Glass Float Trail that spans the entire month of October. Florence is home to the most amazing chowders—clam, crab, other seafoods—we can’t not celebrate them. So, in place of the annual Florence Wine & Chowder Trail Weekend, we’re inviting locals and visitors to sample chowders and find glass floats all month long in October! Participants can get their free chowder ballot and glass float maps starting September 30th at the Chamber, 290 Highway 101 in Florence, at participating merchants, or click here. Nearly 10 participating chowder-makers will offer a cup of their finest for only $3. For the glass float trail, shoppers can visit nearly 30 merchants in Historic Old Town Florence, and many other places around town, to spot the opulent objects d’art placed […]
The Florence Area Chamber of Commerce is looking for the best amateur or professional photos of the fun, frolic, famous attractions, iconic buildings, and beautiful scenery of Oregon’s Coastal Playground. The winner will collect a $250 cash prize and have their submitted photo featured in the Chamber’s resource guide and other printed marketing pieces, on their website, and in social media. A panel of Chamber members will decide the winner. The winner will be announced the week of December 14th 2020. Deadline for entry is November 30th 2020. For more contest information, entry forms, and image release waivers visit FlorenceChamber.com/2020PhotoContest, call 541-997-3128, or e-mail Contest@FlorenceChamber.com. “We call this place Oregon’s Coastal Playground for a reason,” says Bettina Hannigan, the Chamber’s executive director, “so we’re looking for outstanding amateur or professional photos that convey our coastal playground theme. So download your best photos from you smartphone or camera and send us […]
The Florence Area Chamber of Commerce announced its selection of “Rhody Wonderland” submitted by Janell Morgan of Florence, as the theme for the 114th Rhododendron Festival. To help promote the annual event, the Chamber’s board of directors is holding a logo design contest. The board is requesting a design that incorporates the event’s name, dates, location, theme, and familiar elements from around the area. Contest rules are available here and at the Chamber’s visitors center, 290 Highway 101. Deadline for submissions is November 15, 2020. The winner will be announced November 23 and receive a $250 cash prize and carnival passes. Their work will be seen across a multitude of media that promote the event which runs from May 12 thru the 16th, 2021. “With Rhody Wonderland” as our theme for the 2021 Rhododendron Festival, it opens the door to a wide variety of fun ideas,” says the Chamber’s executive […]
The long-running event, held during the long holiday weekend in October, is produced by the Florence Area Chamber of Commerce and has drawn nearly 1000 visitors each year. “We waited until the last possible moment to finalize this decision, but it’s the right thing to do,” said Chamber president/CEO Bettina Hannigan. “The Wine & Chowder Trails have been growing in popularity, drawing people from all over and beyond Oregon. But as with our annual Florence Rhododendron Festival, which was cancelled for the first time since WWII, COVID-19 has taken another victim.” Hannigan said the chamber’s board of directors is working toward hosting the event in the spring of 2021 or as soon as safely possible. The event features more than a dozen top Oregon wineries and a dozen of the best local chowders. A decision on the Florence Holiday Festival, held during Thanksgiving weekend, is pending. “As a chamber of […]