Hello Winter- We hope everyone is doing OK after this last big round of snowstorms, wow! Plumas County received historic levels of snow, which was much needed due to our recent very dry summers.

               We would like to begin by welcoming our new Chamber Members: Feather River Tourism Association, Grocery Outlet, Adventure Monkeys and Breanne's Adventure Traveling.

               Cheryl attended the monthly Plumas County Chamber Coalition Zoom meeting on February 1^st. We are still working on hashing out details of how the four Plumas County Chambers can work together to maximize our member benefits, maintain our individual community identities, and strategize for long-term growth. Discussions included activities by the Lost Sierra Chamber of Commerce with a new tourism website they’re working on, and talks about the EDA Grant information Cheryl provided to each Chamber.
 
 

               On February 2^nd we held our monthly Board Meeting via Zoom. Topics discussed included the installation of new public restrooms downtown; a location has been identified but an extraordinary amount of work will need to take place to make that happen. Project funding continues to be an issue. Our Chamber is in the process of getting a new cell phone; this has been an issue for over two months and is still in the works. The Tour of Honor representatives contacted our Chamber to advise us that the Veterans Memorial at Dame Shirley Plaza has been selected as a tour site. Touring season runs from April through October, so we anticipate a large influx of motorcycle riders during that time.

               Another topic discussed at our Board Meeting was hosting a “Business Week”. Kevin Trutna, President of FRC and Chamber Board Member, had participated in a Business Week in Chester some years back and felt it was a good method of outreach. Business Week would involve partnering with the three Supervisors who represent parts of Quincy, the School District, Sheriff Todd Johns, etc. and do a walking tour of Quincy area businesses to meet with business owners and managers. We hope to put something together for mid-September.

               Our “Beer, Brats and Buzz” themed public meeting and community update is still on and we’re shooting for mid-October.

               February 3^rd Cheryl attended the hotel/motel meeting at Nakoma to discuss potential future action with lodging providers throughout Plumas County. Attendance was slim but discussions are proceeding.

               February 4^th the Groundhog Fever Festival had an excellent turnout and was a huge success. The weather was clear, even with a little rain at the end of the event. Our local celebrity, Chuck Wood, saw his shadow and predicted another six weeks of winter. The winners of the Chili Cook-Off were announced: People’s Choice- Feather River Food Co-op, Judge’s Choice- Chill Out (Dale Hays and Shawn Adams) and Best Decorated Booth- Big Daddy’s Guide Service. Plumas Performing Arts spearheaded the Honorary Mayor race this year in a fundraising effort for the performing arts pavilion that Tristan McMichael first began developing as his Senior Project at QHS. Red Powell, retired QHS teacher and long-time Quincy resident, won the race with over $5,000 in votes and was elected as Honorary Mayor for 2023.

               We have begun our fundraising efforts for the flower basket project. The baskets will be brought in mid-May and hung throughout downtown Quincy and in front of various businesses in East Quincy. If you would like to donate to this project, please make your checks payable to Plumas Arts and mail them to PO Box 600, Quincy, CA 95971. You can sponsor a basket for the entire season for only $300, which entitles you to a plaque with a brief message or honorarium placed beneath the basket. Your donations may be tax-deductible, so please consider contributing to our efforts to beautify Quincy! Sponsorship forms are on our website at www.quincychamber.com/flower-baskets.

               Our next Board Meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, March 8 that 7:00 am on Zoom. Our next Quincy Business Roundtable is scheduled for March 15^th at 5:30 p.m. This month’s topic is "The Power of Your Visual Brand." There has already been a lot of interest in this class and class size is limited. Pre-registration is required, so visit our website at www.quincychamber.com/workshops or email us at info@quincychamber.com and we’ll add you to the list!