Chamber of Commerce Chatter

Hello August!! Wasn’t it just Memorial Weekend a couple of weeks ago? The summer has gone by so fast again this year. With the heat the past few days I think we are all ready for a break from the high temperatures! Congratulations O’Neill on a wonderfully successful Summerfest 2026. WOW!! What a celebration it was! So many events and activities for people of all ages. We had new and added events this year that were well received and enjoyed by many people. Now, we start looking towards 2027. We didn’t have any storms this year but Mother Nature tried to cook us out. Didn’t work!! We moved forward with our electrolyte drinks, water and lawn chairs and still had lots of fun. These celebrations require LOTS of help and volunteers to make everything all happen. THANK YOU to all the city departments, businesses, committees, organizations and groups that stepped up to give people memories they will never forget. THANK YOU to all the sponsors and volunteers that made all the events possible. We can’t do it without your support. The community came together and welcomed a couple thousand visitors, and I am so proud of making O’Neill a destination for the 5 days! THANK YOU to my chamber rock star team that kept the office and beyond running like a well oiled machine. Hannah Firley, Tammy Tienken, Shelly Campbell and Mari Lieb, we appreciate you beyond words! It takes lots of hours pulling everything together and helping me to stay on task when I am being pulled in different directions! Brady Firley and Danny Havranek, thank you for being our ‘support staff’ throughout the week! All of the hard work and dedication to making our community a place that people want to be, was worth every minute! Would you like to see something added to the 2027 Summerfest Celebration? Start now! Form your committee, secure your venue, get your fundraising started and make it happen! We welcome new and exciting events each year!

 

Seems like the kids just got out of school and they are already preparing to go back! Teachers, students, staff, parents are all getting ready for the new schedule change for fall. Fall sports will be kicking off soon. Get those stadium seats out and go support all the kids participating! The kids appreciate the community support! Remember to watch for the kids walking and riding their bikes to and from school too. For some, this may be a whole new experience so be on extra alert in the mornings and afternoons!

 

We have a couple events coming up here in August and September. O’Neill will be hosting the High School Rodeo on Sunday, August 30th. There will be lots of extra people in town for the event. Carney Park will be overflowing with pickups and trailers on Saturday night as the contestants and their families will be coming in on Saturday night from Bloomfield. Be sure to welcome all these people to town!

 

The Irish ‘Toberfest Bags, Brew and BBQ will be coming up on Saturday, September 12th. The event has been moved back to the O’Neill Community Center for 2026. Be watching for your opportunity to sponsor this event. You have a couple of months to work on those recipes so you are ready for the competition!