Jim and Carole LaVigne of Edgewater Home and Garden hosted a Community Appreciation Day on July 7 and contributed 10% of their sales from the day to the Pauquette Park Pavilion Project, which is being coordinated by the Portage Service Club Association.

Accepting the check on behalf of the PSCA are Mike Hurd, George Beasley and Gary O'Hearn, with Jim and Carole LaVigne of Edgewater, Nancy Beasley and Marianne Hanson. Donations can be mailed directly to the Portage Service Club Association at P.O. Box 1, Portage.

Taste of Portage Market Fair; Last Call for food vendors!

The Tastiest Weekend of the Year is almost upon us as the The 27th Annual Taste of Portage Market Fair gets underway Friday evening August 24 and continues on Saturday, August 25. Sample tasty food items from our food vendors, listen to some great live music, check out the car show and bring the youngsters to enjoy some super kid's activities and shop the sidewalk sales!!

For a complete schedule of the weekend's events, click here !

Those interested in being a food vendor at the Taste of Portage who have not yet turned in an application should contact the Chamber at 608-742-6242 by August 3rd.

August Chamber Business Luncheon

The Portage Area Chamber of Commerce is offering another way to network with your fellow Chamber members and make those important connections that can help you in your business or career. Bring your business cards, brochures, or anything you wish to share with other members.

Luncheon Information

Melody Brooks Taylor, Executive Director for the Museum at the Portage, will talk with us about the Museum and their displays for this season. The History of Portage is captured here with unique artifacts, photographs and more. You will get to explore the history of our community.

 

Location: Museum at the Portage, 804 MacFarlane Road

Time: Lunch at 11:30AM, Presentation at Noon

Cost: $10 cash or check at the door for lunch

Date: Tuesday, August 7, 2018

Please reserve your seat by calling the Chamber office

at 608-742-6242 to register. Seating is limited!

 

Welcome New Members

Oliver Motors

315 South Boulevard Baraboo, WI 53913

Del Morter at 608-355-9440

With over 30 years combined experience in the automotive field, Oliver Motors offers

exceptional value in all services and vehicles, from late model low mileage to budget choices. 

Durwards Glen Retreat & Education Center, ORLG, Ltd.

W11876 McLeisch Rd. Baraboo, WI 53913

Jennifer Fuller at 608-356-8113

Dedicated to the preservation of our unique natural beauty, historic past and spiritual heritage offering pastoral grounds, affordable accommodations, conference rooms, and meeting places for the greater community to use for education, spiritual growth, and life enrichment activities.

The Portage Flooring Store

201 E. Wisconsin St. Portage, WI 53901

Katie Lashway at 608-768-5055

The Portage Flooring Store is the go-to showroom for all of your floor covering needs.

Our owners, sales team, and installers are from the area, trained by the manufacturers, striving

to provide quality products that you can trust and we can stand behind.

ZeFit Portage

120 E. Cook St. Portage, WI 53901

Chase Ballweg at 608-370-1203

24-hour fitness center offering personal training and fitness classes in downtown Portage!

Retirement Specialists

311 E. Wisconsin St., Suite 108 Portage, WI 53901

Kelly Krueger at 608-697-8282

Turning 65? Retiring? We help you make sense of insurance choices.

Text PACC to 51660

to receive information about upcoming Chamber events

Looking for a Hot Deal? See our list?

Check out our Hot Deals webpage for deals our Chamber members are

offering. Have a Hot Deal of your own you want others to know about? Post

your deals on our webpage and join the Hot Deal brigade! There is no charge

for posting a Hot Deal, so post away!

If you have questions, call the Chamber office at 608-742-6242 to get started. Click here to see the specials that are currently running!

Friends of the Portage Library Book Sale

It's time for the Friends of the Portage Public Library 2018 Annual Book Sale! Get great deals on books and videos! A members only preview kicks off the event on Wednesday, August 1 from 6pm to 8pm with memberships available at the door.

Public hours are Thursday, August 2 from 9am to 8pm, Friday, August 3 from 9am to 5:30pm and Saturday, August 4 from 9am to 1:30pm (where items are $1 per bag).

The library is located at 253 W. Edgewater St. Call 608-742-4959 for more information.

Ribbon cutting for County Admin buildings

Celebrate the new county Administration and Health & Human Services Buildings and the newly remodeled Courthouse on Saturday, August 18 with an open house/ribbon cutting ceremony.

A program to start the event will be held at the Market Square parking lot at Noon with a ribbon cutting at each of the three locations: Administration Building at 112 E. Edgewater St.; Health & Human Services Building, 111 E. Mullett St.; and the Courthouse at 400 DeWitt St.

Downtown Walking Tour

Enjoy the last downtown walking tour of the summer on Saturday, August 4 at 10am. Join local historian Judy Eulberg as she takes you on an engaging tour of this charming historical district.

This free tour departs from the Portage Chamber office at 104 W. Cook St. and lasts about an hour. We look forward to seeing you on August 4!

For more information, call the Portage Chamber office at 608-742-6242.

Kwik Trip named Convenience Store Chain of the Year

From Convenience Store Decisions: Honesty and integrity, respect, humility and innovation. These are the words that define Kwik Trip…and it shows.

The La Crosse-based convenience store chain exemplifies what it means to be a “people company.” It is fully committed to guests, co-workers and its vendor partners, not as a strategy to grow the business, but because it’s the right thing to do. When this is your core mission, greatness surely isn’t far behind. The chain serves as a shining example of how to serve others and for this reason Convenience Store Decisions is proud to honor Kwik Trip as the 2018 Convenience Store Chain of the Year.

The company will be honored on Oct. 8 at Stratosphere Theater in Las Vegas.

“Our business model is pretty simple and boils down to two things: For Kwik Trip to be successful, we need to take care of our co-workers and our co-workers need to take care of our guests,” said Don Zietlow, Kwik Trip’s founder and CEO.

With its commitment to retail excellence comes national attention. So far in 2018 Kwik Trip was the voted No. 1 Top Workplaces in Wisconsin by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. It placed No. 65 on Forbes’ List of Best Places to Work in the U.S., and was the No. 3 ranked gas station by GasBuddy. The chain also received a national award from the Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation (CSAVR) for its strong commitment to employing job seekers with disabilities.

Kwik Trip has three convenient locations that serve Portage.

Business Tax Questions Answered

Get your Business Tax Questions answered by accounting and legal professionals. This one day class taught by expert CPA's and Attorney's will give you the answers you need. Business Tax Basics will teach you the basics of federal and state taxes including what record keeping, deductions you can take and how to hire a service provider that fits your needs. The experts will also take you through the pros and cons of the different entity types from both the legal and financial aspects.

 

The class is scheduled for Wednesday, August 22 from 8:30am to 2:30pm at Grainger Hall, 975 University Avenue, Madison. The cost is $110 (includes lunch). To register, click here.

VIBE Salon

VIBE Salon and Spa has become #34 out of the top 100 Surface Salons! They could not have achieved this without guests that believe in the Surface products as much as VIBE does! Surface provides great education so VIBE Salon & Spa can provide guests feeling happy and healthy with beautiful looking hair and skin.

Surface is high performance, salon exclusive hair care that respects personal health and the earth, providing the education and support necessary for salons and their guests to thrive. For more information, contact VIBE Salon & Spa, 218 W. Wisconsin St., at 608-742-8423.

Register now for tumbling, dance

The studio that is taking Portage by storm, Laura's School of Dance, is offering dance and tumbling to students ages 3 and older. Register in person August 9 from 3pm to 5pm or August 22 from 5pm to 7pm.

Classes fill on a first come basis. Look for new instructors and a remodel of the new studio coming in 2018/2019. There is still time to try something new in our summer session, August 6-9. Forms online at laurasschoolofdanceportage.com.

Classes begin September 17th! For more information, call Laura's School of Dance, 201 E. Albert St., at 1-866-DANCE56 or email [email protected]

Dance with the studio with the most experience! Our dancers have performed at Disneyland, regularly attend classes at Joffrey Ballet and dance Center in New York City, danced with the Rockettes and been seen on the TV show Dance Moms! Offering more opportunities that any other studio!

Veteran's Open House at Pizza Ranch

Come to Pizza Ranch and meet some special Veterans and the 1000th Veteran to be gifted by the Veterans Pay it Forward Project on Thursday, August 2 from 11am to 5pm.

There will be free Cactus Bread and coffee for visitors to this Open House and $1 from every buffet will go to the Veterans Pay it Forward Project. Pizza Ranch is located at 2905 New Pinery Road. For more information, call 608-566-1750.

Office space for rent

Recently remodeled suite of 3 offices and a large storage room centrally located with ample parking at 242 W. Cook St. in downtown Portage is available for rent. The cost is $700 per month with all utilities included, a shared bathroom with other tenant and a total of 550 square feet of office space.

Please contact Mark Udulutch at 608-617-3384 or [email protected].

Sunflower Festival at Creek Bed Country Farmacy

Oil seed sunflowers bloom and begin to turn their heads to start drying their seed after only about 12 days. This window when the sunflowers are most beautiful is when Creek Bed Country Farmacy holds their Sunflower Festival.

This year's event will be held on Saturday, August 4 from 10am to 5pm (rain date is Sunday, August 5). They are open every day from 10am to 5pm for the remainder of the bloom.

Admission is free for the festival, with a suggested donation to the local FFA is suggested. You will be able to walk through the sunflowers, pick them (for an additional cost), take pictures (for personal use) & just enjoy the view. Feel free to bring in a picnic on the non-festival days.

There will be local crafters and artisans, hay rides, ice cream, brats and hot dogs and more! For more information, call 608-635-8798. Creek Bed Country Farmacy is located at N2767 Mountford Rd., Poynette.

Kiwanis Ride to Read Bike Ride Fundraiser

Please join the Portage Area Kiwanis Club on Saturday, August 11 for their Metric Century "Ride to Read" fundraiser pedaling through scenic Amish country. The proceeds of this fundraiser are used to purchase books for children.

The cost if you pre-register is $25 and day-of registration is $30. The fee includes continental breakfast, refreshment stops in route, light lunch, detailed route map, a complimentary gift to the first 125 riders, and SAG wagon if needed. The four bike route options of 15, 30, 45, and 62 miles (metric century) are carefully marked and mapped on low traffic roads through Columbia, Marquette and Green Lake Counties. For more detailed information about the ride and to register, click here.

Zona Gale Celebrates Friendship Village

The 27th Annual Zona Gale Celebrates Friendship Village event is Saturday, August 18 beginning at 10am at the Museum at the Portage, 804 MacFarlane Road. 

A pie and ice cream social on the lawn of the Women’s Civic League Home, 506 West Edgewater, along Wisconsin River, is scheduled from 2pm to 4pm. Come and enjoy a fun-filled day!

Jewel on the Hill celebrated 200 years

Many toasts were raised to the history of the Fort Winnebago Surgeons Quarters at the Celebration Bicentennial Banquet hosted by the Wisconsin Society Daughters of the American Revolution (WSDAR) at the Best Western on July 20.

Many WSDAR members were on hand for the banquet, including Denise Doring Van Buren, First Vice President General - National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, who led those gathered in the toasts during a reading of the history of the FWSQ.

Francois LeRoi, a fur trader, built the cabin and occupied it until the military bought the cabin in 1828, with Army Surgeons occupying it from 1834 to 1845. An interesting note, Jefferson Davis was stationed at Fort Winnebago as a young lieutenant. The WSDAR bought the cabin in 1937 and finished restoration in 1954.

For those who have not been to the FWSQ, or if it has been awhile, maybe the 200th Anniversary of this Jewel on the Hill will inspire some to take a tour before the season is over.

Touched Twice looking for volunteers

Touched Twice Portage/Columbia County is happening on Saturday, September 15 from 10am to 2pm at the Columbia County Fairgrounds. Volunteers and donations are needed. Click here for the registration/pledge form.

Touched Twice Clinics offer a range of services. At the Portage/Columbia County event, the plan is to provide (upon availability) medical care through diabetes screenings, blood pressure readings, health education and referrals; chiropractic care through adjustments and manipulations; dental care through screenings and cleanings; spa services through haircuts and mini-massages; financial counseling; family photographers and many more services. For more information, call 608-742-1300.

HIAH Book Signing & Author Talk

Learn a little more about John Kinzie's mother, who was taken into captivity by the Seneca Indians in 1799. Author Janie Lynn Panagopoulos, author of "Little Ship under Full Sail," will be visiting the Historic Indian Agency House (HIAH) to do a book signing and talk about her book on Saturday, August 18 from 1pm to 4pm.

The research she has done for the book will be information that is new to the Agency House and an interesting new story about our John. Reservations are appreciated by calling HIAH, 1490 Agency House Road, at 608-742-6362.

Madison College-Portage Open House

Explore Madison College's Portage campus and see what they have to offer you on Wednesday, August 8 from 3pm to 6pm! This event is free and open to the community. Take a campus tour, enjoy light refreshments, participate in hands-on classroom activities and enter for a chance to win a $400 scholarship.

No need to register, so drop by at your convenience. Madison College - Portage is located at 330 W. Collins St. For more information, call 608-745-3100.

Portage Lions 'Stuff the Bus'

The Portage Lions Club School Supply Drive 'Stuff the Bus' will be collecting school supplies and books for students of the Portage Public Schools at the Portage Wal-Mart.

August 2 4pm-7pm

August 9 4pm-7pm

August 11 10am-2pm

Think of these students when you shop and leave your donation with the Lions that day.

Text PORTAGE to 51660

to receive information about upcoming Portage events

A ribbon cutting was held at Wisconsin Network Solutions, 1 Main St., to celebrate this new business location.

They support all your computer repair and IT-related needs, even contact with outside vendors, giving business-owners a single point of contact to resolve any problem, no matter what needs attention.

For more information, call 608-745-6789.

August Chamber Meetings & Events

4 Downtown Walking Tour at 10am

7 Chamber Business Luncheon at Museum at the Portage at 11:30am

15 Ribbon Cutting at Retirement Specialists 9am

24-25 Taste of Portage Market Fair in Downtown

Join a Service Club

Rotary - Meets Mondays at Noon at Dino’s Restaurant, 2900 New Pinery Rd.

Lions Club - Meets the 2 ^nd and 4 ^th Wednesdays at 5:30pm at Dino’s Restaurant, 2900 New Pinery Rd., summer month meetings change locations

Kiwanis - Meets on Wednesdays at Noon at Pizza Ranch, 2905 New Pinery Rd.

Optimists - Meets on Tuesdays at 7am at Dino’s Restaurant, 2900 New Pinery Rd.

Elks - Meets 2nd & 4th Tuesday at 7pm; 4th Tuesday only during July and August

Women's Civic League - Meets 2nd Wednesday of the month at Dino’s Restaurant, 2900 New Pinery Rd.