Join the Chamber of Commerce's $10 Challenge!

Photo of a previous 3rd Thursday event, courtesy of 3rd Thursday organizers.

Calling all Manchester residents!

We all enjoy gathering together as a community, year around. In the summer we have Third Thursdays; in the fall we all look forward to Halloween activities at the Gazebo, and as the holidays approach we are fortunate to have late-night holiday shopping and of course, Christmas in the Village! New this year, there will be live music downtown on Chicken Broil Saturday.

Who makes these events happen? The Manchester Area Chamber of Commerce is a small core of hard-working individuals with the interests of the local business community at heart, and they work hard to sponsor these special occasions. If you enjoy these events and want to see more, the Chamber invites you to take their $10 challenge.

"We're asking each family to donate $10 (or more, if they choose) to help fund our special events," said Sue LaRocque, board member and owner of River Raisin Mercantile. "It's easy! Just go to 48158.com and look for the $10 Challenge link on our home page."

Your support is needed to make these happenings continue. All you have to do is to donate $10 and the funds raised will go directly toward putting on these events — for you, your friends, and your family. If you prefer to make a cash or check donation rather than going online, it can be dropped off to the Chamber Treasurer, Tammy Melcher, at the Manchester branch of Old National Bank.

Currently, the Chamber is seeking vendors for the Third Thursday events which will be held June 15, July 17, August 19, and September 16, from 5-8 pm. Craft and small business vendors are needed to make these events a success. Please send a letter of interest to tammy.melcher@oldnational.com, to get put on the schedule.

Thank you for your support! And we'll see you in downtown Manchester soon!

For as little as $1 a month, you can keep Manchester-focused news coverage alive.

by Marsha Chartrand

Marsha Johnson Chartrand, a founder, writer, and copy editor with the Manchester Mirror, is a 50-year resident of Manchester. She has a long history of volunteer and community involvement.