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Chamber of Commerce
Board of Directors
Executive Committee
Erika Travinski
1st Vice Chair
Jessica Bettencourt
Immediate Past Chair
_________
Board Members
Angela Chviek
Rich Eichacker
Steve Gardiner
Rich Suitum
Michael Wales
Michael L. Wales Painting Co.
Jim Donahue
Honorary Board Member
Counsel
Padgett D. Berthiaume
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Welcome to CROSSROADS EVENTS!
We are midway through March and just a few days from the return of spring! You will find lots of opportunities to learn, play and celebrate in this issue. How about a walk, hike, bike or paddle? The Last Green Valley's 5th Annual Spring Outdoors program begins next week. Fantastic feasts, live music events, a free home buyers night, galas and dinner auctions, educational workshops, Klem's Annual Fishing Expo, a Community Shred Day, and many more await you in March's Crossroads EVENTS. The Chamber is offering a Brown Bag Seminar "Free Business Software Training for Your Employees" presented by Gail Farnsworth French of QVCDC on the 31st. Free for Members! Our next Fun at Five networking event takes place at Sturbridge Porterhouse with Dave's Pest Control sponsoring on April 13th. We hope to see you there!
WANTED: Your Spring and Summer Events!
We rely on you to share with us and our community your news and events. Whether your business employs thousands or you are a one-person operation, Crossroads is your platform to share your latest news and happenings. Thank you for emailing us your press releases, links and photos for inclusion in
Crossroads!
Keep posting your events to our online events calendar! We love to share them!
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Free Business Software Training
for Your Employees
Presented by Gail Farnsworth French
Tuesday, March 31 at Noon
Chamber Conference Room
46 Hall Road, Sturbridge
FREE for CMS Chamber Members, $15 for non-Members.
Space is Limited! Please RSVP.
Feel free to bring your lunch. Use our microwave to heat it up! Relax, learn and grow with us!
Companies need to be up-to-date with the business software they use (Microsoft Office, Adobe) for internal and external business activity. Quaboag Valley Community Development Corporation can help!
Come to the CMS Brown Bag Seminar on March 31st to learn how your employees can be trained for free through our contract on the Massachusetts Training Exchange!
You'll learn about the eligibility requirements, business registration process and details of the computer classes that are offered in Ware.
Gail Farnsworth French, Training Manager for QVCDC, will present the details. You'll leave knowing what you need to know to get free training slots for your employees!
About Quaboag Valley Community Development Corporation
Quaboag Valley Community Development Corporation is a member-based, non-profit organization committed to economic development and helping small businesses grow and prosper. Serving the 15 towns of the Quaboag Region and Southern Worcester County, QVCDC and its partner organization, Quaboag Valley Business Assistance Corporation (QVBAC) offer many programs and services with a focus on community and economic development and supporting small business in our region.
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NETWORK WITH YOUR CHAMBER
Fun at Five!
Monday, April 13
5:00-7:00pm
Sturbridge Porterhouse
407 Main Street, Sturbridge, 508-347-2700
Meet us at Porterhouse for April Networking!
Sturbridge Porterhouse offers classic world cuisine using contemporary techniques and ingredients in a casual environment. Chef Ken and his staff are passionate about providing great food and an amazing atmosphere to their guests. The menu features mouthwatering steaks, chops and burgers cooked to perfection. You will also find a fantastic selection of wines and beers on tap, a decadent dessert menu, even a piano bar upstairs, along with beautiful amenities throughout and a friendly and helpful staff.
Porterhouse is the brainchild of Chef Ken Yukimura, who also operates Sturbridge Seafood.
Check out Porterhouse's revamped menu with lower cost options for dinner, lunch and at the bar.
Their outdoor patio will be open soon!
Register for Fun at Five by
email
or phone.
508-347-2761
Cost is $12 for Members who pre-register,
$15 at the door, or $20 for non-Members.
We look forward to seeing you!
Thank you
to our
April Fun at Five Sponsor!
Dave's Pest Control has been providing both homeowners and commercial property owners with complete pest control services throughout the Worcester County area for over 45 years.
Our missions are to set the standard of superior service in the Pest Management Industry that exceeds customers' expectations, and provide an enriching, fulfilling and rewarding environment for our team members while supporting
the community.
113 Main Street, Sturbridge, MA
TOLL FREE: 1-800-400-6009
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SAVE THE DATE!
CHAMBER of CENTRAL MASS SOUTH
GOLF CLASSIC
June 25, 2020
9:00am Shotgun Start
Heritage Country Club, Charlton, MA
To Benefit The Chamber Scholarships & Charities Fund
STAY TUNED...MORE INFO COMING SOON!
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Remember... MEMBER TO MEMBER!
We THANK YOU for KEEPING IT LOCAL...
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Last Chance to Apply!
2020 CMS Chamber Scholarships
Deadline for Applications is April 1.
The Chamber of Central Mass South typically awards three $1000 scholarships per year. Scholarships are disbursed directly to the student upon presentation of grades from first semester completed after the award is announced and a
minimum 3.0 GPA attained.
Students must be a resident or student within the towns served by the Chamber of Central Mass South. (Southbridge, Sturbridge, Charlton, Spencer, the Brookfields, Warren, Wales, Holland and Brimfield.) For more information call 508-347-2761.
The Chamber does not discriminate against an applicant because of race, color, sex/gender, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, or homelessness.
Please return the completed application, transcript, recommendations and student essay
by April 1, 2020 to:
Scholarship Committee
Chamber of Central Mass South
46 Hall Road
Sturbridge, MA, 01566
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Present a Brown Bag Seminar,
Host or Sponsor Fun at Five in 2020
The Chamber's Education Committee is currently planning our schedule of Brown Bag Seminars for the first half of 2020. Typically 1 hour long, these seminars are intended to attract intimate audiences of 5-30 people. Seminars are held at the Chamber office on the 4th Tuesday of the month at noon.
Presenting a Brown Bag Seminar is a great way to shine a spotlight on your business and the services you offer. You create the lesson plan, we do the rest including creating the invitations and promoting your seminar.
We are now planning for the months of
May and June. If you are interested in sharing your expertise with your fellow Chamber Members while promoting yourself and your business, we would love to hear from you!
Just drop Alix a line with the topic you would like to present and your preferred month to get the ball rolling!
Email Alix at alexandra_mcnitt@cmschamber.org
Host or Sponsor a Fun at Five
The Chamber is also planning its schedule of monthly networking events for the year. If you are interested in hosting or sponsoring a Fun at Five, contact Alix and she'll give you all the details. Our next opening is May's Fun at Five.
Call or email Alix for more info. 508-347-2761
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E-Alert!:
Coronavirus Information that Employers Need Now
Additional resources that we've added to the toolkit include:
Business Pandemic Checklist
Communicable Disease Policy
Information about the virus continues to update hourly, and so does the impact on businesses and employers. As developments unfold, EANE will continue to keep you posted. Please continue to look for updates on the
Emergency Response Preparedness Toolkit.
If you have further questions, contact EANE's hotline toll-free at 877.662.6444.
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Harrington Auxiliary Presents "A Story of Survival"
Diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis as a child, Lynne Grden was unable to participate in normal childhood activities and had to rely on oxygen for life-giving sustenance. (Photos courtesy Lynne Grden)
The Harrington Auxiliary is pleased to announce a special event on April 22, 2020 at Cohasse Country Club featuring Lynne Grden, who will speak about her lifelong struggle with Cystic Fibrosis and arduous journey leading to a lifesaving double lung transplant.
Grden was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis at the age of five and faced many medical complications and physical challenges throughout her life. As her medical condition deteriorated, she lost her ability to speak and function independently and subsequently was placed on the donor list for a double lung transplant. Several attempts throughout the years to secure an appropriate match were thwarted and Grden eventually entered hospice care.
However, in 2015 a suitable donor was found and Grden was urgently flown to Cleveland Clinic where she underwent lengthy, but successful, lung transplantation surgery. "I got to start my life over," said Grden. "Before I was so focused on just trying to breathe."
During the last five years, Grden has engaged in physical activities once unimaginable. She hikes, swims, travels and fulfilled a dream to visit Italy where she climbed Mount Etna.
Grateful for the expansive community support she and her family received throughout her life and especially during her many hospitalizations, Grden now devotes much of her time as a volunteer and spokesperson for New England Donor Services (NEDS). She regularly shares her story of perseverance, resilience, faith, love of family and community, and hope for the future. Grden has inspired audiences at various community events, in hospitals, at medical conferences, high schools, church groups and professional organizations.
"A Story of Survival" recounts the obstacles Grden faced and overcame, thanks to an organ donor and a supportive medical team. In addition to relating her personal story, she will present alarming statistics that clearly indicate the importance of organ donation and dispel long-held myths and misconceptions about the process. The Auxiliary will make a donation to NEDS.
The Harrington Auxiliary invites the general public to attend Grden's presentation "A Story of Survival" on April 22, 2020 at Cohasse Country Club in Southbridge. Admission is $25 and includes light dining options. A cash bar is also available.
The event begins at 5:00 p.m.; the presentation starts at 6:00 p.m. Registration is required; walk-ins will not be accepted. The deadline to purchase tickets is April 13. For tickets or more information, please call Harrington Hospital Volunteer Services at 508-765-6472 or email
Auxiliary@harringtonhospital.org with Story of Survival in the subject line.
Harrington Auxiliary, established in 1932, is a non-profit organization of dedicated and impassioned volunteers whose mission is to support and enhance the excellent services provided by the Harrington HealthCare System.
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2020 Exhibitor Application for Massachusetts Building at The Big E
Mass Department of Agricultural Resources invites Massachusetts businesses and organizations to apply for the opportunity to exhibit in the Massachusetts State Exposition Building at The Big E, September 18 - October 4, 2020. The mission of the Massachusetts State Exposition Building is to showcase Massachusetts agriculture, culture, commerce and tourism through informational, educational, promotional and retail exhibits. It is an opportunity to showcase and sell to over a million attendees that come through the Massachusetts Building.
Interested applicants are encouraged to review the exhibitor guidelines and application, and submit a completed application by 4 pm on Friday, March 13, 2020
.
For more information, please contact Fran Pearson, Building Manager at
Frances.Pearson@mass.gov
at 617-655-3511 (cell) or 617-626-1748 (Boston Office).
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SAVE THE DATE TO SHRED!
COMMUNITY SHRED IT DAY
SATURDAY, APRIL 4 | 9AM - 12PM
SOUTHBRIDGE CREDIT UNION
@ OUR LENDING CENTER (155 MAIN STREET, SOUTHBRIDGE)
AND HOBBS BROOK BRANCH (STURBRIDGE)
Shredding is a quick and convenient way to dispose of your information in a manner that provides added security against IDENTITY THEFT - and it's great for the environment as they are recycled. Stop by with your documents and have them shredded on site.
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Norcom Mortgage is on the hunt for licensed and experienced Loan Officers.
Do you have 2+ years of MORTGAGE EXPERIENCE?
Do you have a solid knowledge of FHA, CONVENTIONAL & VA LOANS?
*WE ARE NOW OFFERING REVERSE MORTGAGE LENDING*
INTERESTED?
CONTACT KRISTEN WALTHER
774.241.0770
LEARN MORE BY VISITING US AT
Please share this information with your friends and colleagues
who may have an interest!
Thank you!
This is not an offer to make a loan or to make a loan or any particular terms. All loan applicants must qualify under underwriting requirements and satisfy all contingencies of loan approval. Rates and terms subject to change without notice. NMLS ID #71655 (www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org)
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Cornerstone Bank Hires VP/Mortgage Loan Officer
Cornerstone Bank is pleased to announce that Robert Peritz, NMLS #
697311, has been appointed the new VP, Mortgage Loan Officer of its new Loan Center located at 45 Lyman Street, Suite 20, Westborough.
Mr. Peritz joins Cornerstone Bank with over 20 years of experience in the mortgage industry, most recently serving as VP, Sales Manager for the Central and Western Massachusetts markets at United Bank. Prior to that, Mr. Peritz spent 15 years with Citizens Bank in positions of increasing responsibility, holding the titles of Senior Loan Officer, Sales Manager and CRA Loan Officer.
A graduate of Western Connecticut State University in Danbury, Connecticut, where he earned a BA in Finance, Mr. Peritz has strong personal and community ties to the Central Massachusetts area. A sports enthusiast and hockey coach, he particularly enjoys taking family vacations with his wife and three children.
"Bob has a solid background in mortgages; it's an area he's focused on for much of his career," said Cornerstone Bank President & Treasurer Todd M. Tallman. "We look forward to having him as part of our team in helping customers choose the mortgage that best meets their homebuying needs and financial situation."
"I'm extremely excited about joining the team at Cornerstone Bank," said Mr. Peritz. "I consider it a great opportunity to help members of the community achieve their homeownership dreams in ways that are most beneficial to them."
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"In like a lion, out like a lamb"
-Proverb on March
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PLEASE CONSIDER GIVING THE VENUES BELOW A RING
BEFORE ATTENDING TO BE SURE EVENTS HAVE NOT BEEN CANCELLED
OR POSTPONED DUE TO COVID-19. THANK YOU!
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You're Invited!
Our Bright Future Inc. is excited to announce our first annual
"March To The Future Gala" event on March 14, 2020 at 5:30 p.m.
This event will be hosted at The Knights of Columbus, 1017 Riverside Drive, North Grosvenor Dale, CT. Dinner will be served to all guests along with a cash bar and great music. Come participate in our silent auctions, raffle baskets, and more!
Guest Speaker: NBA Hall of Famer
Tom "Satch" Sanders!
Learn more, get tickets, donate or sponsor:
www.ourbrightfutureinc.org/gala-night
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260 West Main Street, Route 9, West Brookfield, MA
Rich with history, the
Salem Cross Inn
is a restored 18th century farmhouse
nestled on 600 acres of New England countryside.
A Wedding Wire Couples' Choice Award
and
The Knot Best of Weddings Award recipient for 2020.
Fireplace Feasts! March
13, 14, 15, 20, 21, 22 & 28
Take a trip back in time and enjoy our 1700's colonial inspired feasts,
prepared on the open hearth of a great fieldstone fireplace.
Make your reservations
online or call Salem Cross Inn at (508) 867-2345.
Fireplace Feasts run through April!
Easter Dinner at Salem Cross Inn
Sunday, April 12, 2020
Easter is a great time to get together with family or friends and enjoy a home-cooked feast, and what better place to spend it than here at Salem Cross Inn!
Visit our Facebook page
for updates (including weather), event photos and future menu postings!
March
Thursday & Friday (Lunch & Dinner) - 11:30am to 9:00pm
Saturday (Dinner) - 5:00pm to 9:00pm
Sunday (Dinner) - 12 Noon to 8:00pm
Closed for vacation March 29 at 3:00 through April 9th
Hexmark Tavern:
MARCH
Thursday & Friday - 4:00pm to 9:00pm
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Events at Old Sturbridge Village
Maple Days at Old Sturbridge Village
March 14, 15, 21, and 22
The Village is open from 9:30 am to 4:00 pm.
Cost: Included with standard daytime admission or Village membership. SAVE $2.50 per Adult, Senior, or Youth standard daytime admission ticket by purchasing your tickets online instead of at the door! Cannot be combined with other discounts.
For many at Old Sturbridge Village, the first whiff of spring isn't the aroma of spring flowers - it's the smell of wood smoke and maple syrup, a sure sign that the sap is rising and spring is on the way. Join us for "Maple Days" select dates in March, when the Village's working sugar camp demonstrates maple sugaring as it was done in early 19th-century New England.
See the entire sugar-making process, from tapping the trees to "sugaring off," and learn why maple sugar was more commonly used than maple syrup in early New England.
Costumed historians will also cook period foods made with maple products and the potter and cooper will make maple related items.
Womens' History Weekend at Old Sturbridge Village
March 28, 2020 - March 29, 2020
The Village is open from 9:30 am-4:00 pm.
Join Old Sturbridge Village as we acknowledge and celebrate extraordinary and everyday women in the early 19th century. Our costumed historians will explore the diverse and unique roles of women through storytelling and performance. Come and learn about 19th-century midwifery, the life of an Irish immigrant, and listen to letters from the abolitionist Grimke Sisters. Visit the historic houses of OSV to learn more about how women ran their households and managed the essential work of childrearing, gardening, cooking, laundry, sewing, and more. Join us in the gardens for talks on Indigenous plants and the role played by women in medicine, and for gardening demonstrations showing how the work of food production was carried by women of the past. Beyond the domestic sphere, we will explore the issues surrounding gender, freedom, and rights all occurring during the 1830s.
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Quinebaug Chess Club
Saturdays at 9:30 am at Jacob Edwards Library
The Quinebaug Chess Club meets on Saturday mornings, at the Jacob Edwards Library, Southbridge. This drop-in club is held in the reference area of the Library, and has lessons tailored for children and adults. All are welcome to attend!
Instructor Ben Marinelli will lead attendees through chess strategy, and guests will be able to test their skills using available game boards. For those who wish to time their play, four newly acquired clocks are also on hand.
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Holland Community Center Events
March 16, 11:30am-5:30pm: All Day Craft Day
We had so much fun the last time, we decided to do it again. Thanks to the generosity of the Friends of the Holland Community Center we're able to bring to you another all-day craft day. This time around you'll have the chance to make a small side table, votive lanterns, a clothespin cross, and a 3-tiered table stand. You can make just one, or make all 4, depending on how much time you have. With so much to choose from and to do, we are asking for donations to help recoup the costs of supplies. If you would like to join us for lunch, please sign up for both events.
March 18, 1:00-2:00pm: Alzheimers - The 10 Signs
If you or someone you know is experiencing memory loss or behavioral changes, it's time to learn the facts. Early detection of Alzheimer's disease gives you a chance to begin drug therapy, enroll in clinical studies and plan for the future. This interactive workshop features video clips of people with Alzheimer's disease.
March 23, 1:00-2:00pm: Duane Carlson
Duane is formerly a DJ, and with his smooth voice and over 260 songs in his repertoire, he is sure to make you feel like dancing while he sings hits from the 50s and 60s.
March 25, 1:00-3:00pm: The Lion King
Simba idolizes his father, King Mufasa, and takes to heart his own royal destiny on the plains of Africa. But not everyone in the kingdom celebrates the new cub's arrival. Scar, Mufasa's brother -- and former heir to the throne -- has plans of his own. The battle for Pride Rock is soon ravaged with betrayal, tragedy and drama, ultimately resulting in Simba's exile. Now, with help from a curious pair of newfound friends, Simba must figure out how to grow up and take back what is rightfully his.
Holland Community Center, 40 Brimfield Rd, Holland, 413-245-3163
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