Registration open for Member Appreciation Event

George Althoff
Executive Director

“Curtain up … light the lights … ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, welcome to Baraboo, Circus City!”
If you were going to script a TV program about Baraboo, could there be any better opening line? The Baraboo Area will take center stage on Wednesday, Oct. 15, when we host our annual Member Appreciation Night at the Al. Ringling Theatre. The event will culminate with the premier showing of the Discover Wisconsin segment featuring our wonderful community. Three days later, the show will air in 13 TV markets across five states as we showcase the many outstanding tourism attributes the area has to offer.

Front and center, of course, is Baraboo’s circus heritage, Circus World, and our many Ringling-related assets. But Baraboo is not just a one-trick pony. We have Devil’s Lake State Park and a multitude of other outdoor activities for tourists to experience. We have a historic and vibrant downtown that leaves visitors in awe. And we are home to numerous family-friendly attractions such as Ochsner Park Zoo and the Baraboo Children’s Museum. That’s a lot of material to pack into a half-hour TV show, but the Discover Wisconsin producers and editors did a wonderful job of capturing the essence and charm of the area.
I hope you will be able to join us for this special event, which will also feature an on-stage discussion with our producer, Lindsey Hayes, who is a Sauk County native. We’re strongly encouraging advance registration here. Admission is $10. The event will be catered by The Relish Tray Bistro and a cash bar will be available. Doors will open at 5 p.m., with the program beginning at 6:30 and the Discover Wisconsin show airing at 7 p.m. Hope to see you there!

Discover Wisconsin, which was created in 1986, is a travel series television program that encourages tourism across the state of Wisconsin. It features destinations, events and attractions throughout the state, and is the longest-running tourism series in the country. It has won five Emmy Awards, has more than 20 Emmy nominations, and has won 20 National Telly Awards. Discover Wisconsin reaches millions of viewers through a combination of network, cable, and satellite stations, and through its digital presence across various platforms including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and more.

BACC Foundation awards six grants
The Baraboo Area Chamber of Commerce Foundation, a 501(c)3 arm of the Chamber, has awarded six $1,000 grants to local nonprofit organizations.
The Foundation is supported by voluntary donations made by Chamber members. This is the first year of the Foundation’s grant program. The grant recipients are:

• Camp Gray for its Summer Camp program.
• School District of Baraboo for its Thunderbird Reads program.
• Hope House of South Central Wisconsin for its Community Education Project.
• Little Eagle Arts Foundation for its LEAF Artist Roster for Public Access Project.
• Baraboo Public Arts Association for its I’m Listening Interpretative Panel.
• Creative Alliance of Baraboo for its Improv Community Workshops.
  The Foundation has its own Board of Directors, comprised of President Dan Lewison, TRICOR Insurance; Vice President Nicole Marklein, Cross, Jenks, Mercer & Maffei; and Secretary Teddie Szydlowski, Community First Bank.