Circus interested in coming to town

At the January Thermopolis-Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce meeting, CEO Meri Ann Rush reported about their 2022 Advertising Ala Carte and said there has been much progress and, “It’s going well.”

Under new business, Rush said that the nomination forms for the 2021 Business, Non-Profit Organization, and Citizen of the Year are being sent out. The Chamber Banquet is scheduled to occur in October.

Rush also said she received a call from Culpepper & Meriwether Circus and that they were wondering what dates to perform in Thermopolis. The circus was proposing they come on the July 4 weekend. But there was discussion that some residents might be out of town at the time and there might not be enough ticket sales to make it worth their time.

Also, part of the discussion was to see if another weekend could be an option for the circus. The Culpepper & Merriweather Circus was last here in Thermopolis in 2014. Chamber member Greg Willson moved that they request if there are other available dates with the fallback of July 2 as the date of the performance. The motion was seconded and passed.

For the director’s report, Rush updated the board about the National Civic Bee Pilot Program and said that it was “coming along really well.” Rush and the chamber discussed it and said they were looking forward to a press release coming soon.

Rush also announced she graduated from the 2022 Winter Institute with her IOM degree in Institution of Organizational Management. Rush studied for 96 hours and learned how to run non-profit organizations. Rush said, “It was a lot of fun but challenging getting there,” to her graduation ceremony in Tucson, Arizona. There were flights canceled and reworking the travel plan was necessary. Forty-one states were present and Rush said the opportunity for connections was significant. Rush added that WorkForce Service helped to contribute financially to her training and that they are not a chamber member-only benefit, but available to all.

Rush brought up the coming Governor’s Hospitality and Tourism Conference in Cheyenne and said that the costs to attend have gone up. Just to register to attend is $500 and Rush said she was leaning toward not going. Rush added that members of the Travel and Tourism Board might attend. Chamber President Howie Samelson expressed the importance of attending and Rush said that she can check with the Travel and Tourism Board.

Samelson also asked about the Hot Springs Foundation event at the VFW on Saturday, January 29, where there will be two comedians from Casper putting on a family-friendly show. Doors open at 6 p.m. and the performance starts at 7 p.m. Tickets are $20 and there will be a silent auction as well. Tickets can be purchased at Storyteller. The event is a fundraiser for the foundation to gain seed money for matches in applying for grants.

Rush brought up to the board that Chamber member Dood Jaussaud will be away for four to five months for training for his job as a Thermopolis Police Officer. Jaussaud was concerned about this absence. The board said that this is work-related and he will be excused.

The next Chamber meeting will be on February 10 at Big Horn Federal.