By Lesley Mansfield, President
I saw a crocus the other day in the garden and took a few moments to appreciate all that spring has to offer. fifteen minutes later, i was back out with my shovel, trying to manually remove the ice that stubbornly lingers in the shady part of my yard. My success was limited, but the warmer weather and rain will soon wash it away and we’ll be returning to a land of warmth after a brutal winter.
Our annual black tie Community Awards Gala was held on April 11 at Granite ridge Golf Club (which was a sold out affair) and it was a magnificent event, made possible primarily due to our many business partners that spon- sored the evening. it’s always incredible to see those in our community who give of their time and talents to make our town the most wonderful place to live, work and play. Congratulations to all of the nominees and recipients – each of you deserves a round of applause from the over 100,000 people who call Milton their home. My thanks as well to our co- chairs Melissa deBrouwer and Melissa Janjevich and our Milton Chamber staff for organizing such a fantastic evening. We have a great team!
If you’re like me, you tend to reserve Saturday mornings from May to October for a trip along Main street to meet up with friends and to sample local produce, goods and other delicacies from over 40 vendors at our farmers’ Market including bacon-on-a-bun from our scholarship Café. this year, we’re opening up May 17 but if you can’t wait, take a virtual tour at www.miltonfarmersmarket.ca or follow us on twitter @MarketMilton. For those of you who have a young person in your life preparing to embark on his/her post secondary education in september, you can learn more about our Chamber scholarships (which are open until June 12) by visiting www.miltonchamber.ca/ about-chamber/scholarship-fund.
The Chamber is all about providing businesses with an opportunity to connect with each other, including our successful Business After Hours (BAH) events, Milton Young Professionals (MYP) or at our annual golf tournament (AGt…just kidding, we don’t have an acronym for this one). Our recent BAH event in March was hosted by partners Prosperity oNe Credit Union and the CNiB and our next BAH will be in May at Conservation Halton.
Our first Milton Business expo (along with a BAH) was held on April 22 at the Milton education Village innova- tion Centre on industrial drive. We were very pleased with the great turnout for this inaugural event, 40 companies pur-chased booths at the expo.
If you’re a young entrepreneur, professionals or senior college and university student, join the Milton Young Professionals group every third Wednesday evening to listen to some excellent speakers. on May 21, they’ll be at Hornby Glen with speaker Colin Best and sponsor Liz Kogan of Orchida Words. Eddieos Pourhouse and Kitchen on Main street will host the MYP group on June 18 – this event is sponsored by Dan Lefave.
Nothing says warm weather like our annual golf tournament – this year, we’re celebrating a quarter century of golfing at the Chamber on Tuesday, June 10 at Granite ridge. thank you to Carol Mcdonald, our golf committee chair, and her team. this tournament keeps getting better each year and should be a “must attend” event on your calendar.
Regardless if you’re new to Milton, here for years, or expecting visitors this summer, take a few minutes to review the Escarpment Country™ Visitors Guide in the newsletter. Milton is bursting at the seams with things to do and places to go!
Finally, we have two trips scheduled for Chamber members this year – our first is on May 5 to Ireland and the second is a September getaway to Prague and Budapest. Whether you want to kiss the Blarney stone or visit Prague Castle, both are stunning countries replete with history and unsurpassed beauty.
