FAIRMONT– The Fairmont Area Chamber of Commerce is kicking off the start of its busy season with a selection of events and programs next week.

Starting on Tuesday, Sept. 10, the Chamber will host one of two candidate forums.

“It’s important for our community to know the candidates and where they stand on issues before they vote,” said Chamber President, Kandi Menne.

The Chamber has invited all local and state level candidates– whoever will be on the Martin County ballots.

“People can attend in person, we always encourage that. We will have notecards for them to submit a question the night of the forum,” Menne explained.

The questions will be read by volunteer mediators.

At 6 p.m. on Sept 10 four candidates at the state level will take to the podium for a live Q and A. They are Marj Fogelman and Jon Wilson, running for District 21B and Bjorn Olson and Marisa Ulmen, running for District 22A.

At 7 p.m. the Martin County Commissioner candidates will have the opportunity to answer questions. They are Michael Anderson and Kevin Kristenson for District 1, Joe Loughmiller and Michael Schutz for District 3 and Tyler Ask and Billeye Rabbe for District 5.

Starting at 6 p.m. on Monday Sept. 16, the Fairmont City Council candidates will have their turn. Menne said 11 of the 12 have confirmed that they will be there.

Candidates include: Joe Kallemeyn, Britney Kawecki and Michele Miller for Councilmember- At Large; Amber Hansen, James Kotewa and Jodie Whitmore for Ward 2; Randy Lubenow, Edward Patsche, Terry Riggs and Tom Winter for Ward 3 and Wayne Hasek and Todd Smith for Ward 4.

Menne noted that the Chamber is holding the forums earlier this year than past years because more people take advantage of early voting now so they wanted to make sure people could get educated prior to voting.

The forums will be broadcast live on the local government access channel (12 or 13) and will also be rebroadcast. A list of dates and times can be found online at fairmont.org/forums/.

On Wednesday, Sept. 11, The Chamber will host its first Bureau 14 of the season. Bureau 14 is the Chamber’s premier networking opportunity. It takes place beginning at 5:15 p.m. the second Wednesday of the month from September through May.

“Each meeting is held at different Chamber member venues,” Menne explained. “There’s a social hour, dinner and updates from our evening hosts and we also have updates from the Chamber, city of Fairmont, Visit Fairmont, the county and the Fairmont Area School District.”

The evening is capped off with words from a featured speaker who is generally an expert in the topic of choice. On the first meeting in September, it will be held at Tami’s on the Ave. and the topic is challenges facing daycare providers. The speakers will be Shea Ripley of Building Blocks Learning Center and Childcare and Vicki Geerdes, a licensed in-home daycare provider.

The next day, Thursday, Sept. 12, the Chamber will host its second annual Sip n’ Shop. Last year, for the inaugural event, 17 businesses participated and this year there are 21.Businesses participating will offer either an alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverage and many often offer snacks and registration for prizes.

“There are 11 locations downtown and 10 that are not downtown,” Menne said.

She said they are offering a shuttle service again which will take people to the locations that are not within walking distance, though she said people can opt to drive, too.

In addition to helping people get into some local businesses to shop and learn what they all have to offer, the event serves as a fundraiser for the Christmas holiday lights around Fairmont.

“We’re raising funds to get some new ones and also decorate some additional parts of the community that don’t have any lights,” Menne said.

Last year just over 100 tickets were sold and Menne is hoping they will sell more this year. Tickets can be purchased now for $20 at either the Chamber office or online at fairmontchamber.org. They can also be purchased on the day of the event for $25.

Last but not least, on Sept. 24 the Chamber will hold its first Lunch & Learn at noon at the Best Western.

Menne asked that people sign up online because the Chamber will be providing lunch to attendees so they need to know how many to plan for.

The event is put on through the Minnesota Chamber. For the first one, Energy Smart efficiency specialists will be providing consultations to business leaders.

“If you can cut your consumption even by 10 percent or more, that in the long run will help you save. There’s a lot of simple steps that can be taken, along with some drastic ones,” Menne said.

While the Chamber has held social media breakfasts in the past, Menne hopes that business professionals see value in the Lunch & Learns.

“We’re hoping to do them quarterly with different topics,” Menne said.

The event is free for Chamber members and there’s a small fee for those who are not. Everyone is welcome to attend though registration is strongly encouraged.

All in all, Menne and her staff are excited for all of the events and programs that the Chamber has coming up.

“When I took over this position I really wanted to be more relevant in the business community and the community as a whole. I think the more that we can offer, and that people take advantage of, helps everyone be proactive and learn,” Menne said.