June 2026 Alliance Newsletter

GREATER KOKOMO DOWNTOWN ASSOCIATION

THE STRAWBERRY FESTIVAL IN DOWNTOWN KOKOMO

A local tradition with regional impact

Thousands of people visited downtown Kokomo on Friday, June 5 for the 28th annual Kokomo Strawberry Festival.

Spanning 10 blocks and featuring more than 240 vendors, the festival brings visitors downtown to shop, dine, explore local businesses, and experience everything Kokomo has to offer. For many attendees, it serves as an introduction to downtown Kokomo and helps showcase the ongoing momentum and investment taking place in the heart of the community.

The festival is also the Greater Kokomo Downtown Association's largest fundraiser, generating support for downtown placemaking initiatives, beautification projects, public events, and efforts that help create a vibrant and welcoming downtown year-round.

Watch a recap video of this year's event here!

THE 2026 STRAWBERRY FESTIVAL BY THE NUMBERS

7,500

Pieces of shortcake locally prepared by Tastefully Indiana

4,500

Pounds of strawberries from Moore's Pie Shop

350

Gallons of ice cream
from Scoops Ice Cream

400

Large containers of
whipped cream from Meijer

240+

Event vendors, including more than 30 food vendors

264,340

Number of Facebook users reached by festival content

Full day of fun planned for July Fourth

Saturday, July 4, 2026, brings a full day of patriotic festivities to Kokomo. In celebration of America's 250th birthday, you'll find family activities, downtown celebrations, a community walk honoring veterans, baseball, and fireworks.

Here's all that's planned:

Ice Cream Social: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. | Seiberling Mansion

Enjoy free ice cream, tour the historic mansion, and celebrate Independence Day with family and friends.

Stars, Stripes & Summer Nights: 1 to 4 p.m. | Downtown Kokomo

Celebrate in downtown Kokomo with shopping, local vendors, art, community activities, and more. Many downtown businesses and restaurants will be open throughout the event. Interested in participating as a vendor or organization? Visit bit.ly/kokomo250 for information and registration.

America 250 Celebration Walk: Assembly at 3:45 p.m. | Walk begins at 4 p.m.

Gather at the corner of Sycamore and Main streets near First Farmers Bank & Trust for a community walk to Kokomo Municipal Stadium. The walk will feature local veterans, Kokomo Police and Fire Department veterans, residents of Jackson Street Commons, and the

Kokomo Park Band. Community members are invited to participate or cheer along the route.

Kokomo Creek Chubs Game: 6:20 p.m. | Kokomo Municipal Stadium

The Kokomo Creek Chubs take the field for a special Fourth of July home game. Veterans will be honored during pregame festivities, including a giant American flag display. Game tickets are required and may be purchased in advance or at the stadium.

Fireworks Spectacular: Following the game | Kokomo Municipal Stadium

Cap off the celebration with a fireworks show over Kokomo Municipal Stadium. Community members without game tickets will be admitted to the stadium for fireworks viewing beginning no earlier than 9:45 p.m.

Learn More: For more information about Kokomo’s America 250 celebration and summer events, visit greaterkokomo.com/summer2026.

INVENTREK TECHNOLOGY PARK

The Drive finalists begin prep for competition

The 2026 Drive Competition is officially underway. After selecting this year's finalists, Alliance staff is now working closely with each entrepreneur to strengthen their business plans, refine their financials, and perfect their presentations ahead of the live competition on Oct. 15.

Presented by Inventrek Technology Park, The Drive is a Shark Tank-style business pitch competition that gives Howard County entrepreneurs the opportunity to compete for a $10,000 grand prize to help grow their businesses. Over the coming months, finalists will receive coaching and guidance as they prepare to pitch their ideas before a panel of judges and a community audience.

MEET THE 2026 DRIVE FINALISTS

Adrean Lamberg

A handcrafted candle and wax melt company focused on clean, non-toxic products inspired by self-care and healthy living.

Lamberg plans to expand production capacity through a dedicated manufacturing space while continuing to grow both Brix & Co. Candles and her BENTLY. skin & bath brand.

Whitnie Mitchell

A downtown Kokomo boutique offering modest, faith-inspired clothing and accessories designed to help women feel confident in every season of life.

Mitchell hopes to expand the business through custom embroidery and permanent jewelry services, creating new revenue streams and future wholesale opportunities.

Claire Cooper

A boutique that celebrates individuality through ethically sourced products and support for local artisans.

Through the Elevated Hippie Collective, the business plans to expand private-label products, strengthen wholesale distribution, and create growth opportunities for makers throughout the region.

Registration filling up fast for Canva 201 workshop

Only a few spots remain for Canva 201: Designing with Confidence, set for 1-2:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 30 at Inventrek Tech Park. This hands-on workshop will help participants move beyond the basics by learning how to customize templates, create polished on-brand designs, and use simple branding techniques to make marketing materials look more professional and consistent.

Attendees are encouraged to bring a laptop, their logo file, and brand colors if available. Register soon before the remaining seats are gone.

Get full event details here.

GREATER KOKOMO VISITORS BUREAU

Kokomo to host national softball championship

In conjunction with Grand Park in Westfield, Kokomo will host the 2026 Alliance Fastpitch Championship Series (AFCS) on July 13-31. This prestigious national softball tournament will play tournament games, championship games, and the All-Star Game utilizing Kokomo High School Softball Stadium and Championship Park. The All-Star Game will be held at Kokomo High School Softball Stadium and streamed on ESPN+ on Sunday, July 19.

Over 400 teams are currently registered to attend ranging from 10u-18u age groups, with over 90% of the teams coming from out of state.

Teams and families will stay in local hotels, patronize local restaurants, and support area businesses throughout the tournament — all of which will generate a significant economic impact for the community.

The Greater Kokomo Visitors Bureau will be providing hospitality and financial support for the tournament and has been helping organizers to coordinate logistics to ensure a successful event.

Community calendar moves to new home

Our online community events calendar has a new home. You can now find upcoming Kokomo-area events, festivals and activities at events.visitkokomo.org.

The calendar is maintained by the Greater Kokomo Visitors Bureau as a free resource to help residents and visitors discover what’s happening across Kokomo and Howard County. By gathering events in one place, it helps local organizations promote their activities while making it easier for people to explore the community and support local events.

Be sure to update your bookmarks and stay connected with everything happening in Kokomo.

Check it out here

GREATER KOKOMO CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

Bringing new ideas back to the Kokomo Chamber

Greater Kokomo Chamber Manager Courtney Butler represented our organization last week at the 2026 Indiana Chamber Executives Association (ICEA) Annual Conference in Michigan City.

The annual conference brings together chamber professionals from across Indiana to exchange ideas, learn best practices, and explore new strategies for strengthening their organizations and the communities they serve. Through keynote presentations, breakout sessions, and peer networking opportunities, attendees gain valuable insights that can be applied to local chamber programs and member services.

By participating in professional development opportunities like ICEA, Courtney continues to bring fresh ideas and innovative approaches back to the Greater Kokomo Chamber, helping ensure we provide the best possible resources, advocacy, and support for our members and business community.

Podcast features local business success stories

The Alliance is helping tell the stories behind Kokomo's business community through the Spotlight Podcast, hosted by Chamber Manager Courtney Butler and Economic Development Manager Caitlin Sheets. Each week, new episodes feature conversations with local entrepreneurs, small business owners, and community leaders who are building, growing, and investing in our region.

Produced in partnership with the Hoosier Heartland Indiana Small Business Development Center and Vision Studio, the podcast offers insights, resources, and inspiration for anyone interested in local business and economic development.

New episodes are released weekly and can be found here.

Join us at the June Small Business of the Month
reception at BMM from 4-4:30 p.m. Thursday, June 18

UPCOMING CHAMBER EVENTS

8:30-9:30 a.m. Friday, June 26

Inventrek's Shared Drive

700 E. Firmin St., Kokomo

Whether you're a new member looking to get connected or a long-time member wanting to re-engage, join us to help maximize your Chamber membership.

Learn more

7:30-8:30 a.m. Friday, July 10

Location TBD

Enjoy a cup of coffee, connect
with fellow community members,
and stay informed about the latest developments in Kokomo.

Learn more

Kokomo Rescue Mission
Engagement Center

4:30-5 p.m. June 23

321 W. Mulberry St., Kokomo

Details

Kinship PACE
Kokomo

4-4:30 p.m. June 24

3734 S. Reed Road, Kokomo

Details

KOKOMO CONFERENCE CENTER

Conference center signage installed downtown

The Kokomo Conference Center reached another major milestone with the installation of its exterior signage, giving the community its first look at the facility's permanent branding.

The new signage now prominently marks the downtown venue, increasing visibility and building excitement as preparations continue for the center's opening. Located in the heart of downtown Kokomo, the conference center is expected to attract meetings, conferences, banquets, and special events that will bring visitors from across the region and beyond.

The Kokomo Conference Center is scheduled to begin welcoming events later this year and is already accepting inquiries and bookings for future meetings and gatherings.

Learn more about the venue here

Timelapse: From empty lot to downtown landmark

The transformation of the Kokomo Conference Center is one of the most exciting developments in downtown Kokomo's recent history, and now you can watch it happen in just a few minutes.

This newly released timelapse video captures the project from its earliest days as an empty lot through months of construction and progress toward completion. The footage offers a unique look at the scale of the investment and the remarkable changes taking place in the heart of our community.

Click the video above to watch the Kokomo Conference Center take shape and see how a vision for downtown Kokomo is becoming reality. You can also view the video here.