Winter has unleashed its wrath upon us! It’s no secret Mother Nature has been quite temperamental all year. Remember the days of spring, summer, fall and winter? Yeah, good times right? It seems like lately we can get at least three of the seasons in any given 24-hour period. The early snowfalls and later-than-usual Thanksgiving has more than a few of us off our game. Handing trick or treat candy out in the snow was a new one for me. I don’t quite remember that ever happening before.
Trying something new from time to time makes us grow and expand as humans. It gives us a chance to experience something that could hold great potential. This year’s holiday schedule brings us another chance to try something new. The Chamber of Commerce hosts our Chamber Christmas party. It’s a fairly simple event that lets chamber members get a relaxed taste of the festivities before the holiday crunch takes hold of our schedules. Hosting the Chamber Christmas party at the newly renovated Monroe Arts Center will be just the start we need to begin the official holiday season.
With all the fantastic events that take place to kick off the Christmas season being held in the first weekend of December, we are filled to the brim with great holiday related experiences for everyone. We get to experience Main Street Monroe’s lighted Christmas Parade. The Optimists and Wisconsin Bank and Trust are hosting Santa and giving all of our little ones a chance to get some face time with the fella from up north. It’s been awhile since I’ve visited Santa; I may just have to stop in and see if I can get a couple things on my wish list. Turner Hall is providing the Old World Christmas market and is one of the very few places I know of that has a candlelit tree. It is so beautiful. I encourage you to stop in to see.
The Monroe Theater Guild is also bringing us Beauty and the Beast. This was a staple in our home for a solid decade. It will be great to see this come to life. With two weekends to catch one of the performances, I am sure it will be a show to see.
One really great new thing that I want to share a word about is an upcoming event that focuses on young entrepreneurs. Angela Mayer, owner of The Image Boutique. located at 128 W 8th St., recently opened a space for people to hold workshops or painting classes, along with a fun environment for birthday parties and more. This year Angela is holding a kids-only vendor event. “Kid Biz” will be held on Sunday, Dec. 15 from noon to 4 p.m. It’s an opportunity for our youngest and most creative entrepreneurs the take center stage and sell their one-of-a-kind designs to shoppers. Angela has always been a strong supporter of the Monroe business community, and I think this is a great way to get our children involved in creativity and also learning the basics of business. So if you are looking for a chance to see what the future of Monroe looks like, stop by Kid Biz and support these future business leaders. If you happen to have a budding maker in your house, give them a chance to experience business creation.
If you would like any details about any of these events, feel free to contact the organizations directly or, if you like, contact the Chamber of Commerce and we can go over the details. I hope you go out in Monroe and find a new holiday experience that turns into a tradition, and I hope everyone gets a chance to experience some magic this year. It looks to be the most wonderful time of the year! Enjoy life’s blessings and be the reason someone smiles today. It’s amazing what it will do for you.
— Melissa Even is the executive director for the Monroe Chamber of Commerce. She can be reached at melissa@monroechamber.org.
