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Lucknow Chamber of Commerce

The Lucknow and District Chamber of Commerce is the unified voice representing business and professional people who work together to promote and develop trade and commerce for the betterment of the community.
This is the mission statement and they work hard to not only accomplish this goal plus many other important functions to promote our town and area.

The Lucknow and District Chamber of Commerce was established in 1993. Previously it had been a business association but evolved into a full-fledged Chamber of Commerce. Although there are recorded minutes from 1982 to the present there is evidence of the existence of a Chamber dating as far back as May 1949. (see article) There are an average of 50 members whose dues are used in many ways to bring in business and tourism and also for town beautification and promotion. It is surprising how many things are done by the Chamber.

They have annual events such as the Easter Egg Hunt ~ a big hit with the children, The Town-Wide Garage Sale ~ a draw bringing in many out-of-towners, The Christmas Tree Lighting and Carol Singing to get everyone in the Christmas (and shopping) spirit and the Free Skate at the Arena including treat bags when visiting Santa.

In the past they've hosted Garden Tours, Christmas House Tours, Agri Tours and Bridal Shows. They also brought a farmer's market to town. They are responsible for the kites, strawberries and cornstalks that decorate the light posts. Each year the ornaments and lights that glisten throughout the Christmas season are thanks to the Chamber.

Membership dues are also used to support the running and staffing of the Tourism Office. This valuable resource was initiated by the Chamber and each summer a student is responsible for greeting and helping many visitors to the area.

In 1993 an award was set up called the Citizen of the Year Award to recognize a group or individual whose generosity to the town through deeds or contributions, charitable works or business achievement help to develop and strengthen Lucknow. In 1999 this name was changed to the Community Service Award but the honour was the same. The recipient was chosen from submissions made by the public and voted on by the membership.

A yearly donation is made to the Horticultural Society who do an excellent job of decorating the main street with attractive flowers.

In February 1994 the Chamber was instrumental in bringing the ATM machine to the Bank of Montreal (see article) and also on June 26th 1999 they hosted the first Strawberry Festival by closing the street and serving pancake breakfast to everyone. The original budget was $150. and they made a profit of $441.07. Each year the festival has grown in size and events until 2001 when they joined with the annual Summerfest Slow Pitch Baseball Tournament and became the Strawberry Summerfest Tournament. In 2007 the budget was in the tens of thousands and the number of visitors in the hundreds. It has become a wonderful event bringing people and revenue to the town.

In 1996, the first Town Wide Garage Sale took place and has been going strong ever since.

In 2000, the first ‘Pitch In Canada' clean up was organized and volunteers spent the morning traveling around town cleaning up the accumulated garbage and refuse.

They also initiated an annual Lip Sync Competition in conjunction with Sidewalk Sale Days in August. This event has since been taken over by the Agricultural Society but is always a crowd favourite with stiff competition for the coveted trophy.

A representative attends the Annual Brochure Swap where local businesses send their promotional material to be distributed throughout South Western Ontario.

There have been seminars on grants available to businesses for apprentices and the importance of customer service.

Like many of the organizations in this town, they try to do their part to keep Lucknow the vibrant and thriving place it is today.

Pat McKillop
Past President, Lucknow and District Chamber of Commerce