Busy month ahead but we’ll git ‘er done

By George Althoff
Executive Director

As the calendar turns to June, we’re picking up the pace a few notches here at the Baraboo Area Chamber of Commerce. Coming off a successful celebration of Baraboo and West Baraboo being designated as an Ice Age Trail Community, we’re now counting down the days to two of our biggest events of the year – our annual golf outing fundraiser on June 6 and the Big Top Parade on June 24. To put it in cyberspeak, our “bandwidth” is being tested. And there is no time for “buffering.”
Your trusty staff of four – me, Ben Bromley, Kristi Feld and Michele Feld – have things under control. But we would not be able to pull off these events without help from dozens of volunteers. For example, the golf outing was planned with assistance from Ed Kothbauer, Jasmine Schoenoff, Brandon Wegner and Melody Byl. As for the parade, the Big Top Parade Committee has been meeting for months to put together what will be another outstanding event. Special thanks to Nanci Caflisch, Doug Hill, Scott O’Donnell and Dave SaLoutos for their leadership on the parade committee.
June also marks an uptick in the number of visitors who stop in at the Chamber. Each week, dozens of out-of-town tourists drop by looking for literature and guidance on the many wonderful things we have to do in the Baraboo area. Kristi and Michele are on the front line for most of those inquiries, and they do a fabulous job of taking care of the visitors’ needs. They talk about our lovely and vibrant downtown and the many one-of-a-kind shops we have to offer. Or about the numerous wineries, breweries and restaurants we have. Outdoors enthusiasts and conservation lovers get to hear about the likes of Devil’s Lake State Park, the International Crane Foundation, the Aldo Leopold Foundation and the Baraboo Riverwalk.
We do our best to represent the interests of our members and “sell” visitors on why they should spend their time and money in our community. Of course, when you have a superior product, it’s much easier to make the sale. We have that superior product here in the Baraboo Area. And in Kristi and Michele, we have two expert salespeople to go with it.