News

To Business Owners whose Business is Negatively Affected by the Virus

Please share your story of economic loss from the COVID-19 (coronavirus) with both the Small Business Administration and with the Texas Travel Alliance TODAY.

In order for Texas businesses to become eligible for emergency, low-interest bridge loans from the SBA to help you pay immediate costs such as your mortgage and payroll, a business from each of Texas’s 254 counties needs to show the SBA it has been negatively affected by the COVID-19 (coronavirus).

Here is what you can do to help: please email this Economic Injury Worksheet to: TDEMPARecovery@tdem.texas.gov 

Additional information from the U.S. Small Business Administration about Economic Injury Disaster Loans can be found here.
https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela/Information/EIDLLoans

Sending in this form will not financially obligate your business in any way. When the declaration is granted for the SBA emergency loan program, applicants will receive information on how to apply for their loan.

Denice Harlan, PCED, IOM

Executive Director

In a world where news/entertainment/information is at our fingertips 24/7/366(leap year) we have been inundated with the coronavirus updates.  Some news stories are factual, many are not, and we are being told things that in some cases are not based in fact. 

The information that is attached to this email is meant to help calm fears and provide a helpful guide. There is a wealth of information available to you online. I highly recommend checking the CDC website and the Texas Health and Human Services(https://www.dshs.texas.gov/coronavirus/) websites.

We are providing updates from the CDC, TDHS, Governor Abbott, SBA, and others who have information regarding the COVID 19. The safety of our community is of utmost importance at this time, therefore we are postponing the March 17th Casino Night event. We are going to schedule later in the year after we get the all clear from state and local officials.  As other event information becomes available we will pass it along to you. 

We are maintaining communications with the US Chamber, SBA, Congressman McCaul's office, the CDC, and others. 

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prepare/index.html  

Remember to Wash Your Hands!

Denice Harlan, PCED, IOM

Executive Director

We are happy to see the warm weather for 'Spring Break'! This is a nice change after several years of cold spring breaks. And of course the time change is already upon us and that just adds to our joy! Well for some it is a joy, for others a pain.  Time change is uncomfortable for a lot of us. 

Finally, we are glad to announce for the Lee County Fair Association the entertainers for the upcoming Lee County Fair on May 14th through 16th...

Friday, May 15th will feature Sam Riggs

Saturday, May 16th will feature Pat Green

Lee County Youth Fair Board members will have season passes available soon! Watch the Lee County Fair Association - Giddings, Texas  facebook page for announcements.

We hope you have a wonderful weekend and happy SPRING BREAK! 

Let us know if you have questions about our upcoming St. Patrick's Casino Night.

Today is the first day of the rest of your life! Make it a great day. 

Heading out to the Lee County Jr. Livestock Show today to take a few pictures and to look at all the animals.  The parents and kids work so hard to prepare for this week. The words that come to mind are commitment, perseverance, preparation, and determination as the culmination of weeks and months of hard work come to an end. 

This is what builds good employees, business owners, leaders, and citizens. All of those traits will come in handy in the future as they prepare for the job market and careers. 

Thank you to every parent and student who makes the decision to raise animals or bake cakes or submit their art. The journey you are taking is worth it! Our community deserves the best and when we prepare our children for the future we all win!

WE HAVE MUCH TO BE GRATEFUL FOR TODAY! 

WE LOVE OUR COUNTRY

WE LOVE OUR LAND

WE LOVE OUR FAMILIES

WE LOVE OUR ANIMALS

WE LOVE GOD

THANKFUL TO LIVE IN RURAL TEXAS, THE REAL TEXAS!

Greetings 

The month of January is already nearing completion and we are glad to see the beautiful sunshine. The Chamber Cats move from sunbeam to sunbeam each day. Old Nicolas truly enjoys the sunshine coming through the front window of our office. The little gray Angel cat enjoys her outside time each day. 

Happy Sweet 16 Nicolas!

Did you notice the beautiful flowers that are posted at the front door by the porch? Altman Plants graciously donated the pansies and Lee County employee Travis Gunter moved the concrete planters and filled them with soil and pansies to make a beautiful, welcome porch area. We appreciate Altman Plants and Lee County for supporting the Chamber in this way.

Thank you ALTMAN PLANTS and TRAVIS GUNTER!

Finally, the Complete Census Count Committee is meeting to organize our community to ensure that we count everyone in Lee County. There are lots of good reason to complete a census form - 

1. More representation in Washington, DC

2. More money for highways

3. More money for schools

4. Companies use the data to determine where they will open their next store/office. (ex. Walmart, HEB, Amazon, Chick Fil A, etc.)

Also, you will not receive a Census form if your mail is only delivered to a PO Box. 

We look forward to Fabulous February which is just around the corner.

Denice Harlan, PCED, IOM

Executive Director

We are well into the Christmas Season and really loving all the Christmas music.  We love the decorations around town too. Check out all the lights on the Courthouse in the evening and it really shines.

This weekend we will celebrate at the Courthouse with Santa but first stop by Andaman Southern Thai Cuisine at 4:30pm for their ribbon cutting. Todd and Chonthica Lackner are excited to welcome you their family restaurant. After the ribbon cutting you can sample some Thai cuisine favorites like the Bacon Fried Rice. 

Next stop is the Lee County Courthouse for a visit from Santa. Check out all the fun activities that are available. 

From the Courthouse to Blue Santa you will have a fun weekend.

Every night we take bets on whether the weather man/woman is going to get close to correct on the next days temperatures.  The term "climate change" literally means the weather is gonna change. 

And we live in Texas! So it can change multiple times in a day and we know that having a coat, blanket, and flip flops in the car are a necessity. We are prepared for anything that may happen. Blue northers are probably the biggest extreme we face in Giddings.  And if you are like me, you look forward to it so that you can pull out the Big Pot and make soup, stew, or chicken and dumplings. 

At our house we always make a huge pot of deer chili.  Ask daughter number 2 about chili at our house.  She still hates it today! That makes me smile a little bit. 

NEW MEMBER ANNOUNCEMENT -

Janda Monument Company joined the Chamber! We want to welcome Jacob Janda, owner to the Chamber family. We look forward to the open house and ribbon cutting on November 26th. More details to follow!

Have a wonderful week, and stay warm!

Denice Harlan, PCED, IOM

Executive Director

Temperatures are cooler than planned in our area.  The weather has been a little crazy and not predictable. It sure did make Halloween costumes much more comfortable than wearing something that is too hot and scratchy.  The local businesses got into the spirit of the season.  If you saw local citizens in costume it was because they were competing for best costume. The Nitsche Group always does a great job of keeping things interesting. The creativity and imagination that goes into their costumes is amazing. Surfer Bob and Tarzan were having a great time.

It seems hard to believe but it is time to Fall Back from Daylight Savings Time.  We have become so used to the days being longer and it is light when we get off work. Next week will be a huge adjustment as the days are shorter and it is dark when we leave work. 

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This weekend the traffic will become backed up through town and the deer hunters will be heading to the hill country and their deer leases.  Please be patient at the red lights, in restaurants, and around town. There are several things that are happening this weekend.  Circuit of the Americas, deer season opens, college football and our local businesses are ready to help you find the trophy sales you have been searching for around town. Check out Ashley's Attic and Gourmet Divas this weekend. They are ready to help you find your trophies!

Denice Harlan, PCED, IOM

Executive Director

Greetings

The flags are flapping in the wind today as the atmosphere gathers energy for the upcoming storms.  We still need the rain and we hope it is gentle and slow so the ground can soak it up. Our prayers go out to all those people around the Dallas area who were hit by the tornadoes and high winds. 

Finally, you have probably realized that we only have nine more Saturdays before Christmas! That means the Christmas decorations will start showing up and the shopping for gifts will become less leisurely and more selective.  Check out all of our local businesses for those unique and special gifts. Shopping local is one of the best ways to support your community, helping to ensure all of our businesses can continue to support our non-profits, youth, and other civic organizations. Take the time to visit businesses in and around Giddings to find exactly what you are looking for in a gift. 

Have a great day!

Denice Harlan, PCED, IOM

Events

Schultz Texas Properties and State Farm Open House and Client Apprecitation Mixer - 246 E. Austin, October 24, 4:30pm

St. Margaret's Catholic Church Fall Festival - October 27 at the Silos on Hwy 77. Serving begins at 11:00am

Lee County Youth Center Krispy Kreme Donut Fundraiser - $10 per dozen. Order by October 27. 542-4100
Pickup on October 29 from 7-10am

Personnel Services Lunch & Learn - DISC Assessment by David Deviney. RSVP by Monday, October 28, email Donna@psstaffing.com. Lunch and Learn October 30, starting at 11:15am at Blinn College, Room 120.

Greetings!

Kelita and I have had a super exciting and challenging week.

• Tuesday - Met with Andrew Ross from Congressman McCaul's office. We discussed a possible visit in the future and some other opportunities to visit with their office. 
• Wednesday - Celebrated Support Your Chamber Day 
• Thursday - Took a location scout from The Walking Dead TV series all over town to photograph some empty buildings(Lee County Peanut Mill, old hospital, etc) to have in case any of our cool old buildings might work for a scene or the series. We gave lots of history and talked about all the films that have been done here in the past. His comment - WOW, the streets are very wide here! He is a cool guy!
• Friday - Doug Giddings and his family were here for a short visit and lunch over at City Meat Market.

If you have a chance drive over to the parking lot behind City Meat Market and next to The Secret Garden...

The City of Giddings Street Crew was over there clearing and making it look nice. The City Street crew does a great job and we are very thrilled with their efforts.

We also noticed the the Courthouse has started putting the Christmas Lights out. We will start dragging out our stuff soon! 

Sip & Shop Christmas Market is over 75% sold on booth spaces.  We are well on our way to maxing our sales out for the show. REminder - We will need help that morning to set up. You can sign up now or later. It is always fun to see a new venue come to life. 

Hope you have a great weekend!

Denice Harlan, PCED, IOM