(PHOTO BY JESSE DAVIS / THE VILLAGE REPORTER)
MIXED DRINK MIXER … Members of the local business community mix and mingle during a Chamber After Hours event held Wednesday at Oncore Brewing by the Swanton Area Chamber of Commerce in conjunction with the Swanton Rotary Club.
By: Jesse Davis
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
jesse@thevillagereporter.com
Oncore Brewing in Swanton played host to a once-common event now resurfacing in the community – a chamber after hours with the Swanton Area Chamber of Commerce.
According to chamber Executive Director Delray Busch, the events were sidelined due to the outbreak of COVID-19, which also impacted a large number of similar, membership-based organizations.
“My hope and intention is to bring them back both to connect our local businesses and show each other what Swanton has to offer,” Busch said Wednesday. “We have 33 different people here from many different walks of life and I’m so excited to bring them back.”
Busch said she specifically wanted to hold the first return of after hours at Oncore. “They do so much for our community, and they are a great family owned business, so we’re just happy to be here,” she said.
Oncore co-owner Sheena Baker, who is also on the chamber board, said she was thrilled to host the event. “It seems to be going great; everybody seems to be happy. I have a nice crowd here, I’m really happy,” Baker said.
The brewery recently held a ribbon cutting with the chamber to celebrate the launch of a new cocktail menu, which she said was going “fantastic.”
“It’s definitely helping keep us afloat and keeping us where we need to be going with the economy not being so nice right now,” she said.
Wednesday’s event was run by the chamber in conjunction with the Swanton Rotary Club. Rotary President Shannon Shulters said they hoped the event would help both organizations boost membership.
“We’re maybe a membership of 14 people right now and it used to be – before COVID – about 40. So once COVID hit it took a hit on a lot of the organizations that are membership based. So now it’s trying to figure out how do we get more people involved,” Shulters said.
“Everybody wants things to be done in their towns and their villages, their cities, and it requires people to be involved.”
Busch said the chamber’s membership rolls have been improving, with roughly 40 new members joining in the last year.
“It has been a labor of love; however, people are really excited to see our village doing things and growing, from these type of events to our coffee and conversations each month on Friday mornings,” Busch said.
There are also several block parties scheduled for this summer, with official dates and details yet to be released. The next Coffee and Conversations is set for 9 a.m. on Friday, February 28, from 9 to 10:30 a.m. at CK Sweets Coffee & Bakeshop.
For more information on the Swanton Area Chamber of Commerce, visit SwantonOhioChamber.com.