Next year’s Goose Festival will require a new host committee if the annual event is to see it’s 48th year as the Kindersley Chamber of Commerce bows out of hosting the event.

The Goose Festival weekend has become a tradition for many in the area, however, the Chamber said although they will support and promote Goose Fest, they will no longer be spearheading the event.

Rick Miller, president of the Kindersley Chamber of Commerce, stated they are refocusing their efforts and will look to enhance Kindersley’s small business sector by pooling their resources in ways, they feel, will be more effective.

“We have taken a whole new mandate on where we are business driven 100 per cent. We’ll support Goose Festival all the way along, what we are saying – is we need the businesses and our members to pick Goose Festival up. We will always support Goose Festival because it will always bring people into our town and that’s the mandate of any Chamber, to bring people to our businesses. However, moving forward, we will support and promote Goose Festival, but we will not run Goose Festival,” said Miller.

Miller continued as he said it will be the responsibility of the other areas in town including the Kindersley Mall, the east-side businesses and the downtown core, to take the reigns for the event next year.

“The individual areas will all host their own programs and will fill the Goose Festival weekend, again with our support and help through promoting.”

Goose Festival isn’t the only annual event that the Chamber will not be running this upcoming year. The Kindersley Trade Show, at this time, is not on the docket for the 2020 calendar of events.

Miller explained in the years previous, the trade show was mainly populated with out-of-town businesses and from a Chamber’s perspective, they want to be promoting local businesses, not bringing people to town to buy outside businesses products and services.

“For us to hold the trade show where 93 per cent of the booths are picked up by people out of town doesn’t make sense to us. If we have local businesses who are bringing new items, new stuff, new information and we have 97 per cent local attendance, then at that point we would for sure hold the trade show.”

Therefore, the fate of the trade show next year, if held by the Chamber, hinges solely on the participation of local small businesses and if they can get a commitment to fill upwards of 97 per cent of the booths with local businesses.

As for what is considered local, if that would solely be businesses from Kindersley, or if that 97 per cent would include surrounding communities such as Kerrobert and Eatonia, Miller said that is yet to be determined.

As the Chamber turns their focus away from the annual event, Miller shared what they are turning their focus towards.

“We are really going to be working with our businesses here and – right now, we have 26 stores looking for concession planning. We need to help them to find people who are looking to buy their businesses.”

Next year’s Goose Festival will require a new organizing committee if the annual event is to see it’s 48th year as the Kindersley Chamber of Commerce bows out of hosting the event.

The Goose Festival weekend has become a tradition for many in the area, however, the Chamber said although they will support and promote Goose Fest, they will no longer be spearheading the event.

Rick Miller, president of the Kindersley Chamber of Commerce, stated they are refocusing their efforts and will look to enhance Kindersley’s small business sector by pooling their resources in ways, they feel, will be more effective.

“We have taken a whole new mandate on where we are business driven 100 per cent. We’ll support Goose Festival all the way along, what we are saying – is we need the businesses and our members to pick Goose Festival up. We will always support Goose Festival because it will always bring people into our town and that’s the mandate of any Chamber, to bring people to our businesses. However, moving forward, we will support and promote Goose Festival, but we will not run Goose Festival,” said Miller.

Miller continued as he said it will be the responsibility of the other areas in town including the Kindersley Mall, the east-side businesses and the downtown core, to take the reigns for the event next year.

“The individual areas will all host their own programs and will fill the Goose Festival weekend, again with our support and help through promoting.”

Goose Festival isn’t the only annual event that the Chamber will not be running this upcoming year. The Kindersley Trade Show, at this time, is not on the docket for the 2020 calendar of events.

Miller explained in the years previous, the trade show was mainly populated with out-of-town businesses and from a Chamber’s perspective, they want to be promoting local businesses, not bringing people to town to buy outside businesses products and services.

“For us to hold the trade show where 93 per cent of the booths are picked up by people out of town doesn’t make sense to us. If we have local businesses who are bringing new items, new stuff, new information and we have 97 per cent local attendance, then at that point we would for sure hold the trade show.”

Therefore, the fate of the trade show next year, if held by the Chamber, hinges solely on the participation of local small businesses and if they can get a commitment to fill upwards of 97 per cent of the booths with local businesses.

As for what is considered local, if that would solely be businesses from Kindersley, or if that 97 per cent would include surrounding communities such as Kerrobert and Eatonia, Miller said that is yet to be determined.

As the Chamber turns their focus away from the annual event, Miller shared what they are turning their focus towards.

“We are really going to be working with our businesses here and – right now, we have 26 stores looking for concession planning. We need to help them to find people who are looking to buy their businesses.”

He shared that once a small businesses closes in a small town, it is very difficult to fill that void, therefore, the Chamber has found it to be high priority to establish, add and build up the small business sector within Kindersley.

“A strong business sector is a strong town,” said Miller, “We’ve seen so much trouble with small towns losing their business and we do not want to see that and we are trying to get out ahead of it and not get caught behind it.”

Currently, there are vacant business spaces within Kindersley that Miller said they are working to hopefully get filled. The Chamber is planning to be the economic development hub for Kindersley, said Miller, connecting not only customers to vendors, but also aspiring entrepreneurs with opportunities, either through a new business venture or with an existing one.

“Anything we can do to help promote new business and to help the succession of businesses as existing entrepreneurs look to retire, that is what our goal is and that is what we aim to do.”

Miller has been on the board of the Kindersley Chamber of Commerce for a number of years, however, recently moved into his new role as president and said he is excited about the new direction of the Chamber.

He shared that once a small businesses closes in a small town, it is very difficult to fill that void, therefore, the Chamber has found it to be high priority to establish, add and build up the small business sector within Kindersley.

“A strong business sector is a strong town,” said Miller, “We’ve seen so much trouble with small towns losing their business and we do not want to see that and we are trying to get out ahead of it and not get caught behind it.”

Currently, there are vacant business spaces within Kindersley that Miller said they are working to hopefully get filled. The Chamber is planning to be the economic development hub for Kindersley, said Miller, connecting not only customers to vendors, but also aspiring entrepreneurs with opportunities, either through a new business venture or with an existing one.

“Anything we can do to help promote new business and to help the succession of businesses as existing entrepreneurs look to retire, that is what our goal is and that is what we aim to do.”

Miller has been on the board of the Kindersley Chamber of Commerce for a number of years, however, recently moved into his new role as president and said he is excited about the new direction of the Chamber.