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CANTON — The Canton Chamber of Commerce met at Minnequa Park Thursday, Aug. 6, at noon to discuss COVID-19, upcoming events and more.
Those present at the meeting included: Kim Bailey of Chemung Canal Trust Company, Rachel Heitzenrater of the Canton Independent Sentinel, Leon English of the Village Improvement Association and Canton Garden Club, Robyn Cummings of the Bradford County Tourism Promotion Agency, Colleen Ritz of Stoll’s Flowers, Crystal Salsman of The Pregnancy Care Center, Amy Seeley of Canton Borough, Steven Lambert of Gannon Associates and Frank Watson of Watson Diesel.
The 2020 car show was unfortunately cancelled this year.
Robyn Cummings reported on behalf of the Tourism and Promotion Agency, stating that fall is the busiest time of the year for the agency.
The passport program is postponed to the spring of 2021, due to COVID and most event cancellations.
“New fliers and maps are out and they plan to expand on that because they just got new funding,” said Cummings.
The next tourism meeting is Monday, Aug. 17, at 5:30 p.m. Cummings said financially, the agency is doing fantastic and they expect next year to be the same. They renewed their annual contracts and with VisitPA.
She also mentioned how COVID has affected other tourism agencies and stated how lucky Bradford County was, due partially to its location of a rural area.
“Being rural will really play in our favor, and that is what we are capitalizing on,” said Cummings. “We have changed all of our strategies from this year to focus more directly on outdoor recreation.
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Leon English mentioned that the Village Improvement Association is considering discontinuing the club. Currently, they are taking a “hiatus” due to COVID. He also mentioned that the garden club will be moving around a couple of barrels that aren’t keeping flowers alive.
Crystal reported that the Pregnancy Center helped a couple adopt out of their Sayre branch recently. She also spoke about the weekly chalk contest in Canton, stating that so far, it’s been a success and donations are made to the Rialto Theatre. She said she is still seeking a sponsor for the last week. Gannon Associates and Stoll’s Flowers/Canton Garden Club filled two more weeks of sponsorship spots.
Frank reported a new sale between Watson Diesel and a Rochester, N.Y., business with his new Wingplow.
He also mentioned a planned “fall foliage ride” with details to be released in the future.
Upcoming events include planning a Halloween parade, Light Night and Small Business Saturday.
The next Canton Chamber of Commerce meeting will be Sept. 3, with time and location to still be determined.