The Bruce Chamber of Commerce began their new year Monday forming a list of priorities for the organization to work toward.
The priorities, in no particular order, included a renewed effort on recruiting additional retail business, establish a program to help local businesses improve their appearance, and improved marketing efforts for Bruce and Calhoun County.
“We need to promote Bruce, not just at the time of the Sawmill Festival but year around,” President Joel McNeece said. “I believe we can work together with the Calhoun City Chamber and the town of Vardaman in creating a promotional plan for the entire county’s benefit.”
Other priorities included using the Bruce Museum to host showcases for local artists and to develop more fundraising opportunities to benefit the museum.
“I hope to meet with the Bruce Arts Council and work to establish a monthly or quarterly event at the museum showcasing the great talent that exists in Calhoun County,” McNeece said.
The chamber also prioritized designing new banners for Bruce to be hung on utility poles around town, expressed interest in establishing a sidewalk improvement program for the city and the possibility of bike paths.
In other news, it was announced things are progressing well for the 2015 Sawmill Festival scheduled for July 10-11.
Country Music group “Shotgun Billy’s” will be the featured group on Friday night. Secretary Carol Shoemaker showed the latest draft of this year’s logo featuring a log truck, trees and a saw blade.
“We’ve done something a little different this year that we’re really excited about,” she said. “We’ve had the gazebo featured for many years now and I think people are really going to love the new design for this year’s festival.”
She said the annual 5K benefiting the Bruce Museum will be a color run.
In his municipal report, Mayor Rudy Pope said they’ve had some issues with the city lagoon that are getting worked on now.
He said he is pleased with the paving around the square and that striping will be done this Wednesday, April 22 “so avoid parking on the square if possible.”
Mayor Pope noted the disappointment he and city workers had on discovering a water leak on the east side of the square shortly after the paving was completed forcing them to break up the new pavement. He said they received a lot of criticism on facebook, but that “if anybody can tell us where the next leak will be, we’d appreciate it.”
In the museum report, Shoemaker reported it is rented every Saturday but one leading up to the Sawmill Festival, but there are available dates after the festival.
Pres. McNeece said a handful of new exhibits are in the works for the museum including a Civil War display organized by the local Sons of Confederate Veterans chapter, a display honoring local Blues man Leo “Bud” Welch, and another showing the bell off the Mississippi Skuna Valley locomotive and related history.