Co-hosted by the Meaford Hospital Foundation and Lite 99.3 FM, our guests were treated to the absoutely breathtaking Holiday Magic Light Trail at Blue Mountain Village. The plan was to have the party outside at the Village’s wonderful Snowdome Cocktail Garden, but the weather had other ideas. Luckily the team at Mother Tongue saved the day by inviting us to move the festivities inside, where they wowed us with their hospitality and delicious appetizers and cocktails (everyone’s still talking about the Cranberry Margaritas). Thank you so much to them for being so welcoming.

JD Moffat from Lite 99.3 FM and Vince Rogers from the Meaford Hospital Foundation announced an upcoming event that they’re working on, the “On Air for Healthcare” Radiothon. It will be happening on Lite 99.3 FM on December 21 from 9am-5pm, raising funds for Meaford Hospital to ensure that our community has access to the best possible healthcare, close to home. Stay tuned for more details.

BMCC Directors Gavin Leitch and Casey Thomson shared some Chamber news, in particular the exciting International Women’s Day Pitch Night that we have planned for March. Applications will open in early January for female entrepreneurs and small business owners to apply for the opportunity to pitch their ideas to an audience of potential investors and mentors at our IWD Gala. More information about the event and how to get involved is coming soon (you can also see the poster in the pictures below).

Thanks to our generous prize donors, some lucky winners went home with a prize pack from The Serendipity Candle Factory, two tickets to a production from Theatre Collingwood, ski passes from Blue Mountain Resort, and a voucher for a tree from the Thornbury/Beaver Valley Lions Club annual Christmas Tree Sale, happening at the Chamber building on Hwy 26 while supplies last. And we were thrilled to send one lucky draw winner home with a complimentary 2025 membership to the BMCC.

A huge thanks to our incredible members who braved the winter weather to come celebrate with us, and who are always the life of the party — we couldn’t do what we do without you.

Mike D’Abramo from Sklar Wilton & Associates shed light on the big-picture trends in Canadian demographics, consumer habits and business models that small businesses can anticipate to stay one step ahead in a changing marketplace. He then offered some regional insights and considerations, specific to the Blue Mountains business community and relevant to everyone in the room — no easy feat with an audience that included realtors, farmers, restauranteurs, shop owners, not-for-profit groups, media outlets, landscapers, an esthetician, an electrician, a cheesemonger, a Town Councillor and a wedding officiant. Thanks so much for sharing your time and talent, Mike, and for sparking such an engaging, timely conversation.

A huge thank you to the team at Bruce Wine Bar for providing such spectacular food and service, to BMCC Board member Casey Thomson for being our MC, and to Julie Card at MYCOLLINGOOD.CA for the wonderful photos of the event.

Co-hosted by the Clarksburg Village Association and the Marsh Street Centre, the evening was a celebration of the businesses and entrepreneurs who are such a big part of making Clarksburg wonderful. We kicked things off with some cocktails at the Marsh Street Centre’s back patio, accompanied by some delicious snacks from The Market on Marsh. Then guests explored the shops, galleries and service providers of Clarksburg, who graciously opened their doors to us for some night shopping, refreshments, tunes and a few very cool surprises. The evening wrapped up with some raffle draws, and lucky winners took home fantastic prizes donated by some of the participating businesses – thanks so much to reDiscovered on Marsh, Bayside Wellness on Grey 13, Skona Design, The Market on Marsh, The Clark Gallery/Two Crows, Riverside Press, and Kilby Gallery for your generosity.

Thanks to everyone who came — what a blast!

Shout-out to the BMCC 2024 Black Diamond Sponsors, JA Custom Homes and Blue Mountain Vildhus for helping to make these fun events possible.

The BMCC recently held our Annual General Meeting at Thornbury Village Craft Cider & Beer, and what an evening! We had an absolute blast, and that has everything to do with our fantastic members, who came out to have some fun, connect with other business leaders, and support the BMCC with their votes.

We were treated to delicious food from Thornbury Village Craft Cider & Beer‘s own kitchen, paired beautifully with their selection of ciders, beers and wines. Thank you so much to their amazing team, who always make things so smooth and easy – if you’re looking for a venue for your next event, definitely keep them in mind. Local favourite Sherri Jackson kept our toes tapping with her blend of folk, rock and blues tunes, and Helen du Toit, Artistic Director for the Blue Mountain Film Festival, told us about the exciting and eclectic lineup for this year, happening from May 30-June 2. Check out the film schedule and get your tickets by visiting www.bluemtnfilmfest.ca

BMCC Board President Gavin Leitch and Treasurer Glenn Gatcliffe told our members about what we’ve been up to and what we have planned, and with a lot of gratitude and no small amount of sadness we said goodbye to two outgoing Board members, Barbara Mary Weeden from Events for Life and Karen Ferri from TK Ferri Orchards. Thank you so much for all of your insight and support over the past few years; you will be missed!

Paul and Susanne, the owners of Pet Valu, and their amazing team welcomed us into their store to enjoy cocktails, appetizers and the musical stylings of the The Matthew & Richard Jazz Duo.

We heard about some of their exciting new products and services, and four lucky winners went home with some fabulous raffle prizes. The team from Georgian Triangle Humane Society updated us on the progress they’re making on building and opening their new 1,900 square foot facility in Collingwood, a vital project that we hope everyone will consider supporting by donating at www.gths.ca. Best of all, they brought a very special guest, the beautiful Gojiha, who is such a good boy and currently available for adoption.

We welcomed our two new Board members, Scott G. Fleming and Tarynn Lennox to their first After 6, and we were thrilled to see a lot of new faces as some new BMCC members came out to have some fun. Thank you to everyone who came, we are so grateful to all of our active and engaged members who help make these events such a blast. Thank you to Julie Card at MYCOLLINGWOOD.CA for always making us look so good with her photographs – you can see the full photo gallery at https://mycollingwood.ca/…/blue-mountains-chamber-of… And a special thank you to JA Custom Homes and Blue Mountain Vildhus, our 2024 After 6 Sponsors, for their support.

6 incredible local leaders as our panelists, 20 local artisans, vendors and community groups in our Night Market, and a room packed with inspiring and supportive people sharing ideas about inclusion and diversity — so many amazing people and organizations contributed to this powerful evening.

Thank you to Town of the Blue Mountains Mayor Andrea Matrosovs for being our engaging and insightful moderator, and for leading the first ever women-majority Town Council in TBM history. Thank you to our panellists, Samantha Jones from My Friend’s House, Sara Johnston from Hunson Homes and Press Market Collingwood, Patti Kendal from Blue Mountain Village Association, Tracey MacLeod from Breaking Down Barriers Independent Living Resource Centre, Jarvis Strong from Escarpment Corridor Alliance and 100 Men Who Care Southern Georgian Bay, and Carolynn Wilson from Sheffield Park Black History Museum for sharing their wisdom and experiences with us.

Co-hosted by MYCOLLINGWOOD.CA and The Corner Cafe & Grill, it was an evening of fun, food, music, cocktails and SO MANY DOOR PRIZES! Thank you so much to our incredible prize donors for their generosity and support: Blue Mountain Veterinary Services, Theatre Collingwood, The Serendipity Candle Factory, Georgian Hills Vineyards, Thornbury Ashanti and Events for Life. But that wasn’t all; Julie Card and MYCOLLINGWOOD.CA also bought and donated all kinds of amazing products from local businesses, and one very lucky winner went home with a $1,000 advertising package from MYCOLLINGWOOD.CA!

We were treated to music from Jayden Grahlman, delicious appetizers from The Corner and decadent desserts generously provided by sponsors Property Valet and Landreth Real Estate – thank you! We heard from Chamber Directors Gavin Leitch and Sean Landreth about what the BMCC has been up to and what we have planned for an exciting 2024. And guests got to find out a little more about the businesses and organizations who make up the BMCC by playing Member Bingo to win a free 2024 Chamber membership.

*Member Bingo answers* (from left to right by row):

Row #1: Mycollingwood.ca; Meredith Brown; House n’ Order (Tracy Marsh); Blue Mountain Veterinary Services; Alta Vista Planning Partners

Row #2: Property Valet; Theatre Collingwood; The Loft Gallery; The Cheese Gallery/ Cuisine; Kelly Gale Creative

Row #3: Thornbury Pharmasave; JD and Wendy Moffat (LITE 99.3); Town of the Blue Mountains; Pet Valu; Lighthouse Group

Row #4: Serendipity Soy Candles; Live Life Fit; Hospice Georgian Triangle; Beaver Valley Lions Club; Eva Landreth Real Estate

Row #5: NFP Insurance; Gerard Buckley; Lifestyles North (Steve and Marla Simon); Blue Thornbury (Sarah Beveridge); Georgian Hills Vineyards