Through the Holyoke Chamber of Commerce, I have had the opportunity to see how my community is interlocked through the Commonwealth Assets. The Holyoke Chamber of Commerce offers many resources for the community through the website and Facebook page. During COVID-19 the Holyoke Chamber was a huge part of helping local businesses by providing a sense of place through a grant and Help Holyoke Relief Program. These two resources allowed several businesses to pay their employees and cover expenses that they currently could not afford to pay. The outcome of these programs was a tremendous help to the community and it reminded the community that we appreciate and value our local businesses.
The Holyoke Chamber also created a retail scavenger hunt as a way to help people begin to see what our businesses have to offer. There were also special locations that people could visit in order to win a bonus. The two locations in the local museum and library. Our local museum has a lot of history and information to provide to the community but it can often be overlooked and the goal of the scavenger hunt is to reintroduce people to its significance within the community. For the library, it has taken a significant hit due to COVID-19. It provides all kinds of resources for people but it also is a great part of the community. During the summer its biggest program is the summer reading program for kids and due to COVID-19 that sadly did not happen. At the time of the scavenger hunt, the library was reopening to the public so it was the perfect time to notify the community that their library is available to enter.
The most exciting event for our community during this difficult year is that we were able to host our local county fair to almost it’s near extent. The fair took place this past weekend had all kinds of fun activities for people to partake in especially children. One of the most exciting events was that the fair was able to have it’s Bulls Gone Wild. It was a huge hit and was absolute an amazing way to end fair. Fair was such an amazing way to find happiness and joy during a time that has been difficult for so many people. It brought a form of normalcy to the community and was a create way for people to fun.
