Morton Matters Newsletter
 August 2017
In This Issue
Parade Marshal
Chamber 101
Leadership Women
LEAP
Morton Named Safest City
Festival Registrations
Pumpkin Festival Wins Awards
Help Out at Festival
Pumpkin Store Online
But a German Hat
Online Auction
New Members
Fourth Fridays
Business Briefs
Brave Launch
Morton Community Foundation News
Morton Tourism News
Save the Date
Business After Hours
   
417 West Jefferson Street

August 31
4:30 - 6:00 pm
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Chamber Board Members
Jacque Austin
Paul Beckman
Brian Cross
Jamie Durdel
Nick Esser
Justin Ferrill
Barbara Heer
Craig Hilliard
Shelly Hunt, Treas.
Mary Jane Johnson
Cathy Kemp
David Mills
Tim Mueller
David Zern, Pres.
Alissa Williams, Vice Pres.
2017 Calendar
2017 150% Club
A Brush of Color
Aaron Miller, Real Estate Broker
Ackerman Family Farms
Alltrust Financial Management
Apostolic Christian Restmor
Barbara Heer, Broker
Brandon Wood Retirement Center
Captivation Dance by Kaleigh
Carius Dairy Queen
CMFS
CORE Construction
Country Financial
Craig Barley
Crossroads Concrete
David Mills CPA LLC
David W. Kinsinger DDS
Deputy Duct, Div. of ATC Insulators
DSM-H LLC
Heartland Veterinary Clinic
em.bel.lish hair design
IT360 Inc.
JA ROECKER Architecure/Structures
Jay Fox Insurance Agency
Jim Maloof Realtor
Jm Yordy
Keach Architectural Design
Kennel Lake Sportsmen's Club
Knapp Johnson Funeral Home
Kuhl Insurance
LaFiesta Mexican Restaurant
Le Nails & Spa
Lennie's Quality Meat Shop
Lighthouse Buick GMC
Liquor Station
Littlefield & Lovell Orthodontics
Marie Fisk, Realtor
Markley's Pest Elimination
McDonald's of Morton
Merlin Birky
Mike Murphy Ford
Mike Yordy Excavation
Mohr & Kerr Engineering & Land Surveying
Morton Buildings
Morton Collision Repair
Morton Dental Center
Morton Family Dentistry
Morton Financial Services
Morton VFW
Oak Lawn Estates
PC Doctor Computer Consulting
Peoria Area Association of Realtors
Ranson & Ranson Dental
RMH Foods
Schooner's of Morton
Season's Gastropub
Stephens Electric
The Iona Group
The Prassas Co./Morton
Towne Center
The Whisler Agency
Tri County Cleaning Systems
Two Men and a Truck
Village of Morton
Villas of Holly Brook
Walmart
Web Services Inc.
West Central IL Bldg & Construction Trades Council
Witzig Financial Services
Wm. Aupperle & Sons
Yinlun USA Inc.
Yogi's Super Liquors
Phil Kuhl Named 2017 Parade Marshal
The Chamber is honored to announce the 2017 'Das Pumpkin' Festival Parade Marshal, Phil Kuhl! Dave Zern and Aaron Miller presented Phil with the award at Morton Rotary Club on July 27.  
Learn More About Your Membership
chamber101
Chamber 101
August 8 from noon to 1 pm
Chamber Office
FREE to Chamber Members

This one hour, informal get together includes a review of free member services, promotional opportunities, and our events and programs.  We encourage all new members, new managers, and current members who would like a quick reminder of their member benefits to join us! Lunch will be provided.
Leadership Women Special Evening Session
August 8
Evening at Kemp 208
5:30 - 7:00 pm

Join us at Kemp 208 for a special evening session that features a cooking demonstration by Executive Chef Jeff Madden. He and Cathy Kemp will also be speaking. Doors open at 5 pm for networking, and program starts at 5:30. Cathy and Jeff's bios and photos are at www.kemp208.com. Seating is limited so register early! Meal included in price of registration. Cash bar. 
LEAP - Social Media Strategies
August 22
8:00 - 9:30 am
Chamber Office
FREE to Chamber Members

Tammy Finch of Web Services will show how to make social media "connect" for your business and how to access content, along with new tools, tips and ways to not only use but integrate social media into your business and marketing strategy. 
Morton Named One of Illinois Safest Cities
The SafeWise Report ranked Morton as one of the 50 Safest Cities in Illinois for 2017! To identify the safest cities in Illinois, they reviewed the 2015 FBI Crime Report statistics and population data. Morton ranked #41.
Register for Expo or Parade Now!
The Morton Pumpkin Festival has some great opportunities to showcase your business including the Business Expo and the Parade. Registration is open at the following links:

  
Go to www.mortonpumpkinfestival.org to view all the registrations.
Pumpkin Festival Wins Awards!
The Morton Pumpkin Festival has recently won not one, but two awards for Best Festival!

Journal Star Media awarded first place to the Morton Pumpkin Festival for the "2017 Best of the Best, Peoria's Original People's Choice Awards" in the festival category.

Peoria Magazines has recently announced the
winners of their second annual "Best of Peoria"  awards.  Morton Pumpkin Festival was voted Best Festival.


Help Out at Pumpkin Festival!
Volunteer PF
We count on over 2,000 volunteers to make the Pumpkin Festival a success. We thank everyone who has already signed up! If you have not signed up, and you and your co-workers, friends, or family would like to help out, visit the link below to secure your spot. There are openings for the Pumpkin Grille, Pancake Breakfast, and the Sweet Shoppe.

Pumpkin Store Online Opens August 18
Starting August 18, you can go to the online Pumpkin Store at www.mortonpumpkinfestival.org to order your official Pumpkin Festival t-shirts and more! Orders can be picked up at the Chamber office or can be shipped anywhere in the continental United States for a flat shipping rate of $6. Breakable items such as mugs cannot be shipped. 
Buy a German Hat and Help a Family
Project Pumpkin is the endowment fund the Chamber launched in 2013 to provide free access to the Pumpkin Festival to local families in need. To contribute to the fund, you can purchase German hats for $2 at the Pumpkin Store, which opens August 18 online. Businesses who would like to purchase 12 or more hats for their staff or clients can place an order in advance by contacting Marty at [email protected].

100% of the proceeds from these sales go to support this fund. Direct contributions to the fund can also be sent to the Morton Community Foundation.
Online Auction to Benefit Project Pumpkin
An online auction for the painting "Das Pumpkin II" by local artist Krista Carlson will open on August 14 at www.mortonpumpkinfestival.org!  Proceeds from the auction will benefit Project Pumpkin. The auction will end at midnight on August 31!

Krista Carlson Art is located in Jefferson Street Studio and Gallery at 206 West Jefferson Street in Morton. Call 309-202-3225 or find her on Facebook.
Chamber Welcomes New Members for July
Classes in fine arts and artisan crafts for all ages.

All-Pro Floor Care
Commercial truck mounted steam extraction cleaning for carpet & grouted tile. Air duct cleaning. 24/7 water mitigation.
Fourth Fridays - Tazewell Art Loop
  The next Fourth Fridays event will be on Aug ust 25.  You'll find local art, mingle with the artists, view featured exhibits, take in performance demonstrations, hear live music and entertainment, explore local shops and restaurants and so much more.

When you post #MortonFourthFridays with a photo or video of your Fourth Friday stops in Morton on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter you'll be entered in a drawing for a $25 Chamber Check! 
Business Briefs
The Center for Prevention of Abuse now offers services for victims of human trafficking in Central Illinois. Heartland Human Care Services (HHCS) is partnering with The Center through an award with the Office of Victims of Crime (OVC) to provide a comprehensive array of services for all human trafficking victims - both sex and labor - identified within the Peoria, Tazewell, and Woodford Counties.   
Brave Launch Business Accelerator
The Illinois Small Business Development Center, at Bradley University, is again offering the first of its kind in the area, business accelerator, to work with startups, small businesses and corporate innovation teams. 

Visit the Brave Launch website for more information.
Morton Community Foundation News
by Scott Witzig

There are over 55 different endowed funds at the Morton Community Foundation (MCF). Following is a listing of some of our more recent endowed funds, and their purposes.
You can make tax deductible donations to any of the funds either with a check or online. One check may be split between any number of different funds. You just let us know which fund(s), and we'll distribute your gift however you like. Check out these funds by clicking HERE .
Morton Tourism News

The Morton Tourism Association  will hold a meeting at 8 am on August 18 at the Tourism Office. Everyone is encouraged to come and hear about the great events happening in Morton and share ideas on new events.