By Rebecca Adcock
“Good Communication is the bridge between confusion and clarity.” Nat Turner.
October stormed in and rolled through as quickly as the splash of color entered the leaves. With the speed of movement this month, I find myself pondering on communication.
For months, we have been cocooned in our own world during the pandemic without thought of needing to communicate plans, events, and functions. Now, as the world seems to have split open, our communication skills are a little rusty.
With the chamber, I find myself constantly behind in communicating events, which the office is informed of only days prior to, or not communicating goals and services well. I think we all need to pause for a moment and remember how to communicate with ourselves, each other, and our community.
The speed at which activities on the calendar filled in was astounding. The chamber was busy with our monthly ‘Lunch and Learn,’ with Karae Foddrell, focusing on customer service. The Stuart Spooktacular occupied a portion of the chamber’s time with meetings and related events. The Apple Dumpling Festival returned this month, with the 5K run/walk followed by the day festival.
The chamber office was open and busy for people to come purchase our 2021 Holiday Ornament and Bull Mountain Arts was set up decorating trick or treat bags. The office also was a hub on Fridays this month as we assisted the West Piedmont Planning District Commission with the food boxes for seniors. Vendors from the market dropped their goods at the office, where we packed them for STEP to distribute.
Fall is always the time I enjoy getting out and making site visits, not only to meet with our businesses but also enjoy the fall colors along the way.
November is here and it is a month where we seem to be able to catch our breath. We are hosting a ribbon cutting at the new Primitive Coffee Bakery & Antique Market in Meadows of Dan on Friday, November 12, at 12:30 p.m. For the chamber, the biggest items for November are Small Business Saturday, November 27, where we focus on shopping at local businesses for the holiday season. Hometown Christmas will be Friday, December 3 and Saturday December 4, with the Grand Illumination on Friday night and parade and other events on Saturday.
The chamber is bringing back our annual “Passport to the Holidays” to encourage visiting our shops in Stuart from Small Business Saturday on November 27 through December 4.
We are also working diligently with the Reynolds Homestead towards the opening of the Crossroads: Change in Rural America exhibit. This traveling Smithsonian exhibit will be housed in the chamber/CAC office in downtown Stuart, 334 Patrick Avenue, from December 4 through January 9. I hope everyone will take the opportunity to see the exhibit during the holidays.
New Chamber member for October 2021 was Mountain View United Methodist Church, Meadows of Dan, Virginia.
