I hale from Saskatchewan, which has its own hail, lots of it, they insure it. They also have mud…rich, ooey, gooey, squish between your toes mud, Saskatchewan Gumbo it’s called. . So it was with great enthusiasm that I got involved when the chamber announced they were putting on a mud run. Kathie and I drove around searching for large empty lots and calling complete strangers asking to use their land.  All was well until directed to their legal departments; that muddied up the waters very quickly. We went back and forth slinging mud with the legal departments, ending up with mud on our faces when we had to cancel the first run date. We continued to wallow with the lawyers and they muddled along wasting time again. At this point in time, we decided to pack up our mud pies. Once we gave up our mud quest, light bulbs went off in our heads and we followed the path of enlightenment to the Orange County Fairgrounds last November. We were all aglow watching and participating in an Electric Run. Watching thousands of participants lit up like Christmas trees from head to toe, stroller to trike, moms and dads, toddlers to teens, and fun seekers from far and wide, it was, well quite electrifying. We knew we had to bring this illuminating experience to Redlands, and so we have.  December 14, 2013 is the date for The Chamber Night Light Run.  The committee is all pumped up and working hard to make this a bright spot in the holiday season. So gather your friends and beam as a team, paint up your face and get your glow on.  Mark December 14, as a “Save the Date”.  THIS IS GOING TO BE FUN!

Our ever vigilant chamber of commerce was once again at the forefront of gathering the troops (This time it was our wonderful nonprofit community) to battle some city council members who wanted to stop waiving the “hard cost” fees for local non-profit organization putting on special events in Redlands. While the chamber understands and even applauds an effort to save the city money, this was clearly a case of not seeing the big picture. By not waiving the hard cost fees some of our longtime events, The Christmas Parade, The Bicycle Classic, The Run Through Redlands, The Fourth of July Spectacular, and even the Redlands Bowl summer programs, could be severely impacted. The increased costs could even shut down some of these long standing events. There could be a real loss of revenue to the City, fewer scholarships would have been distributed, and less money reinvested back into the community if that were to happen. Without having to “storm the Bastille” on Sept 3 Council Meeting, the item in question has been postponed but could rear its ugly head again in the future. The chamber will continue to monitor the issue and will keep you posted.

In the meantime, enjoy what is left of the summer and as the Happenings would sing….  “See You in September”.