METAMORA – The Metamora Chamber of Commerce will hold just one membership meeting in 2027, its annual Swiss steak dinner on Jan. 20, 2027, members learned at the chamber’s annual meeting Wednesday, Oct. 21. The board will meet every other month beginning in February, and special meetings may be held if something of interest comes up.
Vice President Marianne Gleckler called the meeting to order with a brief welcome, the Pledge of Allegiance and prayer.
Cathy Mossing shared several announcements. The village has secured the purchase of the old Methodist church and is working with the Fulton County Land Bank on demolition, which the chamber hopes will take place this year or early next year.
The Road to the Rhine World War II re-enactment planned for next May has been cancelled. It appears the nonprofit group behind it will dissolve, so it will not be a future event.
Gleckler is working on the 2027 chamber calendar, and events, meetings and happenings should be sent to the chamber email by Nov. 1. The board would also like to create a Business Announcement page on the chamber website, where businesses and organizations can post anything from hiring to events to news.
The chamber and the village purchased brochure racks for nine businesses in town. Paper copies of events and newsletters are on display and are changed monthly. Members were encouraged to watch their email, the chamber’s most efficient way to reach them; the newsletter comes out every other month.
Upcoming events in Metamora include trick-or-treating in the village on Halloween from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., when the library will host a Trunk-or-Treat inside and outside and a Haunted Maze in the community room. The library’s special Veterans program is Nov. 7 at 10:30 a.m., with Metamora’s own Don Medley (Suchy) sharing his experiences in Vietnam; artifacts from the Vietnam and Korean wars will be on display at the library through Dec. 31.
Evergreen’s Veterans Day program is Nov. 10 at 9 a.m. at the high school, with refreshments beginning at 8:15 a.m. The MAVFD Feather Party is Nov. 24. Planter change day is Friday, Nov. 27, beginning at 9 a.m.; anyone interested in helping can meet at the Village Shop on Mill Street. The Village Christmas Parade of Lights is Dec. 13.
Courtney Krieger welcomed the chamber’s newest member, Tony Tribble from Ballas Chevrolet in Swanton (formerly McNeil), who is in new and used car sales. Members approved the July minutes and the financial report.
Kim Smallman recapped the chamber’s year. The planter and bench project continues to receive rave reviews. With no sponsors this year, the chamber paid for the spring planting and fall decorations. Beroske’s did the spring planting, Hoen’s donated pumpkins for the fall decorations, and Bank 419, Big’s, the fire department and the village helped water the planters all summer.
Party in the Park was a huge success, with the Happy Birthday America Parade, the Happy Birthday America Drone Show and the Evergreen All-Class Reunion bringing in a larger than normal crowd. Suggestions for next year include featuring Metamora, Chesterfield and St. Mary’s, the high schools before consolidation, and honoring the 10-year classes. Because of a lack of workers and profits at the concession stand, the committee will go with food trucks in 2027. The chamber is open to bringing the parade back if a volunteer steps forward to run it.
Meeting speakers in 2026 included Cheryl Geer of C.A.S.T., the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority on small business grants and loans, and the Fulton County and Evergreen treasurers on the property tax issue. The chamber is always looking for speaker suggestions, and all meeting minutes and materials are on its website.
The scholarship program is now called the Community Service Awards. It strictly promotes community service and volunteering, with no post-high school requirements. The chamber will still give four $1,000 awards to seniors, one for cumulative hours and three from a random drawing.
In open forum, Jeff Truckor announced that Big’s will soon have a food truck, focusing on tacos and pizzas, which should be finished this spring. Cheryl Geer reminded members that C.A.S.T. can always use donations, especially this time of year; $25 gift cards to stores such as Meijer and Walmart are given out in December, and checks should be made payable to Metamora United Methodist Church with C.A.S.T. written in the memo.
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