Kelleys Island Chamber of Commerce: An update

By JORDAN KILLAM

Kelleys Island Chamber

We’ve had almost a solid month of great weather and we’re seeing even more smiling faces visiting our beautiful island. The look of relief on the faces of business owners is great to see, as our season got off to a slow start due to bad weather in early June. We’re finally all having fun again!

July’s events smoldered

Kelleys Island Chamber Board President, Tina Callari, implemented a totally new event this year, “KI’s Got Talent”. We were faced with an opening in our schedule as we are not staging the Kelly Miller Circus this year, and an island-wide talent show seemed like it would do the trick!

The show attracted 19 entries. Each would-be contestant submitted a 1-minute video of their talent and those 19 were whittled down to 12. The day of the show, we had 11 contestants competing (one had to drop out due to unforeseen circumstances). We narrowed them down to a top three and they were placed after the final round. Here’s the breakdown:

Grand Prize: Lily Franks (who sang showtunes), winning a total of $2,000 donated by Remax Beyond 2000

First Runner Up: Grace Hanna (who performed aerial silk acrobatics), winning a total of $1,000 donated by Merrill Lynch

2nd Runner Up: Madison Holzwart (who sang pop and blues songs), winning a total of $200 donated by Angela Palladino

We would like to thank ALL who participated, including our contestants, judges, additional sponsors Alan Glazen and Northern Haserot, and everyone else who attended this creatively pioneering event. We look forward to staging this next year. Excellent first run, Tina!

This year’s Island Fest (July 19-21) commemorated the 50th anniversary of the famous Woodstock concert, held in 1969 in upstate New York. The event’s format was typical of festivals in years’ past, but with a special 60s era twist. Far out, man! Island Fest, as always, is great fun for the whole family! Sponsored by the Kelleys Island Chamber of Commerce, Island Fest featured Ohio Artisans, local crafters, food vendors, a beer tent, and evening street dances.

Saturday kicked off with a lively and seriously groovy parade, followed by afternoon live entertainment and our legendary fireworks show at dusk. Thanks to all who joined us downtown Kelleys Island at Memorial Park this year!

Film Fest 2019, made possible by our 2019 premier sponsor, Hancock-Wood Electric Cooperative, took place July 26-28 and included the following blockbusters:

Goonies (inside at town hall), sponsored by the Wolfe family

Mary Poppins Returns (outside at the ball fields), sponsored by Digger Schwartz

How to Train your Dragon (inside), sponsored by The Village Pump

A Star is Born (outside), sponsored by the KI Venture Resort

The Secret Life of Pets (inside), sponsored by Chicklet’s Closet

Bohemian Rhapsody (outside), sponsored by the Glazen Family

We owe a huge thank you to our sponsors for our events. Don’t forget, you can still donate to Film Fest, Island Fest Fireworks, KI’s Got Talent, or any other Chamber event by visiting KelleysIslandChamber.com/donate.

Our next big event of the 2019 summer calendar is Treasure Island Day, which will occur on Sept. 7. Attendees can spend the day seeking out treasures in this island-wide yard sale sponsored by the Chamber. It’s a great way to score some unique finds and see the island. Sellers can participate for a fee of $20 and will receive a kit that includes advertising, pricing stickers, a Treasure Island Day yard sign and designation on the official Treasure Island Day map. Maps will be distributed at the Island Market and Chamber of Commerce office at 9:00 a.m. on the day of the sale. each participant must purchase their own $5 permit from the Village Office. You must acquire your permit at least 48 hours prior to the start of the sale. Please be advised the Village will report any sale operating without a permit to the State of Ohio. If you’re interested in selling items, please register by visiting our site, www.KelleysIslandChamber.com under the events tab. Click on the Treasure Island Days event and scroll down to find the form.

Even More Fun!

August is filled with exciting events, too! Come on over to Kelleys Island to check out the following:
– The Justin Horseshoe Tournament @ the KI Wine Co. – Aug. 2

• Make-A-Wish Poker Run @ Docker’s Restaurant – Aug. 3
• Kelleys Island Historical Association Arts & Crafts Fair @ KI History Museum – Aug. 3
• Make-A-Wish Benefit Swim @ Portside Marina – Aug. 4
• KIPD Cops & Bobbers @ Portside Marina – Aug. 4
• Homecoming (Sponsored by the Kelleys Island Landowners Association) @ The Pavilion – Aug. 9-10
• KIPD 4th Annual Pig Roast @ Memorial Park – Aug.11
• International Student Dinner @ The Pavilion – Aug. 12
• Poker Run/Dice Roll @ Peeper’s – Aug. 24

To learn more about all our events this year, please visit www.kelleysislandchamber.com/events.