As I turned my calendar from August to September it was bitter sweet. Another wonderful summer was had by all. I am excited about the upcoming months. September brings leaf peepers, end of season canoe treks and a beautiful hike to the summit here in the Western Mountains!

September also brings our annual fundraiser Stash for Cash. Your tickets are available for purchase at a reduce price if you are a non-profit entity allowing you to share in on this great community event. Call the office for ticket purchase and pick up.

We as the chamber are very proud to bring several organizations together to better serve you the chamber members and its River Valley residents. Through these efforts we are proud to bring great networking opportunities that show case who you are and what you bring to the region.

Thank you to all of the local business who called to have us showcase their business; Coos Canyon Rock and Gift Shop and Maine Made Furniture.

I am pleased to say we had you in mind when we joined efforts with; Black Mountain of Maine and the Town of Dixfield to offer our 5K last month as it was very successful and has become part of the three 5k series races which started out with the June race that began at the Hosmer Field Complex. The River Valley Chamber of Commerce and the River Valley Rotary Club have joined forces to hold this Annual three part 5K series. If running is your thing; we want you! The third leg of our three part 5K Series will be on October 16th. It will take place at Black Mountain of Maine (the Trail race) as part of Oktoberfest. Look for discounted rates for the 2012 races if you decide to take part in all parts of the series!!

We are looking for you our Chamber members to send us your updates; special events, sales, customer appreciation and other as they occur so we can share this information on our web site. Call today to share your ideas with Peter!

We welcome the newest directors, Kerry Burgess of the Dead River Company and Sheila Delamater and Ronnie Hanson of ERA Worden Realty. Have a voice in your community; join our Board of Directors. Community Leaders come in a variety of forms and it is what makes up a wonderful team. Call today to see what it is that you can do to support this team. Pick up your application to become a director. Take pride in your community and get involved today.

Laurieann Milligan

President, River Valley Chamber