NORTH BATTLEFORD - The Battlefords Chamber of Commerce continues to forge ahead through the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic.
They held their final board meeting of the year Tuesday, where they outlined some of their plans for the weeks and months ahead.
The indication from Chief Operating Officer Linda Machniak is that they hope to hold their annual chair’s luncheon again in either late January or early February.
Machniak said there is “lots to co-ordinate,” with invitations to be sent out and other tasks. As for the rest of the year, the plan is for a “more normal slate” of events in 2022, as Machniak put it, though she acknowledged that will depend on COVID-19 restrictions in place. There is also hope for a “Power Hour” event in March involving all of the area’s elected officials.
Previously, the Chamber had announced their intentions to bring back such staples as the golf tournament as well as the BBEX Awards in 2022. The BBEX Awards took a year off in 2021.
It is confirmed the monthly Chamber meetings will move to Tuesdays at noon beginning in February, a change from their current schedule which sees them held on Tuesday evenings.
Related to COVID-19, the Battlefords Chamber has been distributing rapid antigen tests to the general public and Machniak reported those are “flying off the shelves.”
They have been distributed at a drive-thru held Monday and Thursday afternoons between 1 and 4 p.m. outside the Chamber building on the Highway 16-40 junction, with members of the Battlefords North Stars on hand to help with the distribution of the test kits.
Machniak said people have been calling and asking for kits. “It’s been constant,” she said. One more drive-thru is planned on Thursday, before Christmas.
