Shop and dine local to create a buzzworthy holiday season – Shaw Local

With all that is creepy, crawly and spooky fleeing after Halloween, we welcome the magic of the holiday season to Batavia! We love to watch as our community transforms and embraces this time of the year with annual events, decorations and the renewed focus to support local businesses.

One option to keep your gift shopping and entertainment dollars in the community is to purchase Batavia Chamber Bucks. With more than 95 shops, restaurants and businesses accepting these certificates, your gift recipient will be happy to choose how to spend their certificates while they support local places.

Holiday Bucks are back!

Certain to create a buzz, we are excited to announce that once again Holiday Bucks are back for a limited-time promotion beginning Monday, Nov. 14. In-person purchasers at our office, 106 W. Wilson St., will receive a free match by the Batavia Chamber of Commerce – up to $50 a residence. In other words, the first $50 worth of Chamber Bucks purchased receive $50 Holiday Bucks at no charge. Holiday Bucks expire at the end of March 2023. There is no expiration date for regular Chamber Bucks. In support of our community’s businesses, the $5,000 promotion is a donation from the Chamber to inject money into the local economy.

Shop Small Saturday

On Shop Small Saturday, Nov. 26, a window/holiday display contest kicks off. Batavia MainStreet is coordinating the festive event in which downtown merchants and businesses decorate their windows, outdoor or indoor space. The public is urged to vote for their favorites via QR codes. Definitely check out the Chamber’s windows created by Patti Anselme, our special events coordinator!

Leading up to Shop Small Saturday, be on the lookout on social media for Shop Small videos that are similar to the Restaurant Madness videos released last spring. Shop owners will introduce viewers to the treasures they’ll find when visiting their downtown establishments. The videos are being produced by Andrew Schones of Both/And Pictures and subsidized by the city of Batavia in collaboration with the Batavia Chamber of Commerce and Batavia MainStreet.

To view these buzzworthy videos, visit the social media feeds of the sponsoring organizations and then like, follow and share the posts. Most important, stop by each of these merchants to shop and use their services. Our small businesses are counting on this support!

Last call for nominations for 2022 Batavia Citizen of the Year

The Citizen of the Year Award is given to a local resident whose service and dedication have made a significant contribution to the community. Criteria for the award are:

• The nominee must reside, or have their business, in Batavia or Batavia Township.

• The nominee must have assisted in an improvement or program of significant value to the Batavia community.

• The improvement must be made as a result of a personal commitment and not substantially as a result of their primary employment or public responsibilities.

• The nominee may not currently be on the board of directors of the Batavia Chamber of Commerce.

• The nominee does not need to be a member of the Batavia Chamber of Commerce.

• The contributions of the nominee to the community should be of an extraordinary nature.

Nominations should be made in the form of a letter of recommendation stating the reasons why the individual being nominated is worthy of this honor by Friday, Nov. 11. Nominations can be dropped off or mailed to the Chamber of Commerce office or emailed to [email protected].

Citizen of the Year is selected from the nominations by a panel of previous Citizen of the Year honorees.

For all the latest event updates and other news, follow Batavia Chamber on social media, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn. You also can text 478 CHAMBER or stop by 106 W. Wilson St. to visit us. Don’t forget to replenish your Chamber Bucks supply!