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Discussion of new locatin for Skijoring dominates LVCC meeting

The Lincoln Valley Chamber of Commerce began making plans to relocate their annual skijoring event to a new location.

At the Chamber of Commerce meeting Thursday, Nov. 8, Bill Cyr offered to let the organization use his hayfield at the corner of Highway 200 and Beaver Creek for the event this year.

At 45 acres, the location is about three times the size of the Lincoln Rodeo Grounds and offers ample room for parking and for the skijoring track.

Cyr warned that the site lacks plumbing and electricity, neither of which should prove to be a major issue. The LVCC has routinely supplied portable toilets for past events. Last year, when the LVCC began evaluating other possible sites for the event, Scott Ping the past director on the Skijor America board, told the chamber most riders bring their own generators with them.

The LVCC will have to supply generators for the public address and timing systems.

"We'll go check it out," LVCC president Laurie Richards told Cyr. "I think right next to the highway is ideal."

Cyr's field was one of three locations the LVCC had looked at last year. The Baldy Mountain Ranch hayfield near the Sheriff's substation provided more space, but has less public visibility. The Ponderosa Snow Warriors clubhouse was also looked at, but Ping noted concerns about parking space, the distance from town and access by spectators, contestants with large horse trailers and emergency personnel.

Cyr offered up the location at no cost, with the stipulation that the LVCC covers them under their insurance policy and provide a few plugs for B&C Horses and Scapegoat Mountain Outfitting during the event.

Although other locations were looked at, the Lincoln Rodeo Grounds were still considered the best option, but the need to move the event arose recently after word reached the LVCC that the Lincoln Rodeo Club would no longer allow them to rent the Rodeo Grounds for the event. According to a text exchange with Doug Richards, Rodeo Club President Lenny Creech cited "too much damage and no cleanup" from the last event as the reason for denying use of the grounds.

It's a claim the Chamber board and other volunteers disputed. "We did clean it up. It did look nice. But that's their choice," Laurie Richards said. She assured Cyr everything would be taken care of on his property.

"I've been involved with the cleanup; I'm not worried one bit," Cyr said.

LVCC secretary Jill Frisbee nevertheless requested that the Cyr's make a list of everything they will need to see in terms of the cleanup.

Horses are currently pastured in the field, but Cyr said the LVCC was free to install snow fence to start building up drifts, and said once the horses are moved out in December they can get to work with plowing and setting things up.

Cyr said he and his sons would also be available to volunteer as pickup men for the event.

Despite the need to relocate, Richards called skijoring an "amazing event for Lincoln."

"Not only does it give people something to do, but when businesses are struggling in the winter, every place is full," she said. "It'll be a great weekend for the businesses."

Following the discussion on the location, the directors voted to spend $500 on an advertisement for Skijor Lincoln in a new magazine being developed by Ping. Plans call for the magazine to be sold at skijor America events around the country.

The main concern was how much it would benefit the community, since Lincoln's event falls early in the schedule. The projected $15 cover price of the annual magazine also raised questions, but since the ad would promote Lincoln in general as well as Skijor Lincoln, they felt it would be a good investment for a comparatively low cost.

In addition to skijoring, the LVCC discussed the Lincoln Community Benefit.

The final tally of fundraising wasn't available at the meeting since some receipts and expenses had yet to be finalized, but a rough estimate put the proceeds from the benefit at about $15,000. The silent auction brought in more than $5000 and the live auction accounted for another $4600. Following their custom of the last few years, the LVCC also opted to match the $521 in tips earned by this year's servers, the Lincoln High School class of 2022.

In other business, this holiday season will see the return of "Light up Lincoln," the Chamber's annual Christmas lightning contest.

"We got yelled at for not having it last year," treasurer Erin Dey said. The LVCC opted to forego the contest last year after only three businesses and three residences entered it in 2016.

The LVCC will seek individual judges, independent of the board, to judge the lighting displays.

The meeting wrapped up with a discussion of the Chamber's website.

The site, which was redesigned in 2014, allowed individual chamber member businesses to log in and update their own business profiles, events and promotions. However, many of the business have not done so for a variety of reasons. Likewise, some links in the Chambers main site have since broken, and the site itself hasn't been updated in some time.

Director Susie Gehrig suggested getting Ron Gibson, who has volunteered to work on the site, a list of the priorities that need to be addressed. She said if necessary, they may need to look at spending money to hire someone to maintain it, since in today's business climate, the website is the face of Lincoln to the online world.

"I think that's something that should be a priority for the Chamber and where our money should be going, to help the businesses we're representing." Gehring said.

 

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