THIRD QUARTER 2024
The Fortuna Chamber of Commerce is a membership organization of individuals and businesses that come together to enhance economic growth through the promotion and support of our community, civic interests, and member businesses.
Fortuna Rodeo Board
Photo by Sandi Petersen
©2024 The Quarterly Newsletter is a publication of the Fortuna Chamber of Commerce. Entire contents are copyrighted. No article may be reprinted without written permission.
As we roll into the third quarter of 2024, I can feel the excitement brewing for the upcoming summer events including Rodeo week, Autoxpo, Hops in Humboldt and more! I love this time of year here in Fortuna! The sunny weather and friendly people make this town such a great place to live and work! We have a lot of great things happening here in the Chamber. We have restructured the Monday lunches to be the 1st Tuesday of every month starting in August, which we feel will add a lot of value to our members and the public who can attend. We are also working on adding new ways for our members to benefit by being a Chamber member! This organization relies on the support of its members so a huge thank you goes out to all our members and the people who support us! After COVID, the Chamber has been working towards rebuilding our offering to the members and community so this is a very exciting time to be a part of the Chamber. As you will see in this newsletter, our mem-
bers just voted in 3 new Directors to the Board and we appointed a new Ambassador Chair! We are stronger than ever and can’t wait to see what this next fiscal year brings! As always, we encourage you to get involved and hope to see you at this summer’s events!
Take care, Kristin Chambers
Open Daily 6am-3pm
Corner of 10th & Main St. Fortuna, CA 95540 (707) 682-6592
764 Redwood Dr. Garberville, CA 95542 (707) 923-7126
Café Fortuna is a micro-scale artisan coffee roaster located in The Friendly City of Fortuna, in the Eel River Watershed of beautiful Humboldt County, California.
Café Fortuna works strictly with Specialty Grade,
Top-Shelf quality coffees grown by small family farms in Latin America.
We are committed to supporting farmer equity, environmental responsibility and regenerative agricultural practices with each coffee selection, bridging the soil, farmer, and consumer together, one sip at a time www.cafefortuna.net (707) 499-8753
Soroptimist International of Eel River Valley is dedicated to improving the lives of woman and girls through service, leadership, and fellowship. For more info: soroptimisteelrivervalley.org
The local Kick Club
Cardio Kickboxing Club
Located at 715 South Fortuna Blvd. (Redwood Village Shopping Center)
Fortuna Mill Commerce Center
Build-to-Suit Opportunity
gy to grow its renewables portfolio and to become carbon neutral by 2040. Working together RWE will take the expansion of renewable energy to the next level and secure the clean energy future of tomorrow in the Americas.
New Humboldt County Business Park
Located in Fortuna, CA South of Newburg Rd./East of Hwy 101. wwwfortunamillcc.com
RWE
Securing the clean energy future of tomorrow.
americas.rwe.com
RWE is one of the largest global players in renewable energy and develops, owns and operates some of the most efficient, highest performing renewable energy projects in the United States.The company is bolstering its position as a top developer and operator for onshore wind, solar, battery storage and also as a preferred partner for communities, off takers and suppliers. Furthermore RWE has established a leading offshore wind development platform in the U.S., established off both the East and West coast.RWE has an ambitious growth strategy in the U.S. market. Plans include expanding its portfolio of onshore and offshore wind farms and solar assets, leveraging our strong U.S. development pipeline, while placing an increasingly sharp focus on innovative technologies such as storage and green hydrogen.In the U.S., RWE employs around 1,500 people and plays a key role in RWE‘s strate-
(707) 296-6018 www.sparklyladies.com
Asia’s Best
727 S. Fortuna Blvd. Located at Redwood Village Shopping Center (707) 682-6006 asiasbestfoods.com
Our Mission: We envision a community within which every cat and dog is cherished and has a loving home. We are making this vision a realty by providing affordable spaying neutering to prevent unwanted litters .
About us: Humboldt Humane is a nonprofit organization supported by community generosity. Our Clinic, Critters without litters is licensed by the State of California and staffed by licensed Veterinarians.
20years ago, a small group of FBID directors were trying to decide on a new event for Fortuna with $1,000 new event grant provided by the Fortuna Business Improvement District. The goal was to bring people into Fortuna for another event to help strengthen the business community. Those attendees would fill hotel rooms, eat at restaurants and the budget for putting on the event would be spent locally, putting more dollars into Fortuna.
It took two years of planning, organizing, and researching. During that time Eel River Brewing was amazing by helping us figure out what a beer festival should look like and getting other breweries to come and attend. All the breweries that attend Hops each year donate 100% of the beer to the event in hopes of people trying their craft and buying them in the future. To get started, first the event needed a 501c(3) sponsor. Fortuna Rotary and ESA offered to sponsor the event and Hops in Humboldt was a go. The very first Hops was held in 2004, in a small beer garden between the two playgrounds, at Rohner Park. We had 10 beers at best, all our local breweries and the rest brought by local distributors. It had a bluegrass theme with local bands and some random vendors.
the harder it was to plan and organize.
As the event progressed throughout the years more breweries were added. We tried different kinds of music, the Hops beer games and the Hops awards were added. Local food vendors started to make the event more unique and each year we saw great growth in attendance. The bigger it became
A long partnership was formed to provide safe transportation alternatives to attendees, so no one needed to drink and drive. We still partner with RTA to get people to the event from McKinleyville to Fortuna. They bring up to 6 city buses every year to pick up riders from Hops! We rent the city of Fortuna senior bus and it loops to 5 locations around Fortuna to get our happy Fortuna friends and hotel guests home safe. We encourage DD’s to come with drinkers and encourage folks to leave their cars if they have had too much.
Until year five Hops was an all-age event and featured homebrew tasting and brewing demos. The homebrew area was a favorite of the crowd. The
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J U L Y 1 3 t h2 1 s t 2 0 2 4 JULY 13th-21st 2024
end came when the ABC told it was not legal to serve beer to the public that was not made in a commercial facility. Surprisingly enough, the home brewers always had big lines and were some of the crowds favorites to sample.
By the end of year five we saw elbow to elbow room only in the festival and we knew we had outgrown our location. In year six Hops decided to make the move from the grass area of the front of Rohner Park to our larger home and current location on Bartow field. That year Hops also started the process of phasing out our sponsors and filed the paperwork to become our own 501C (3) non-profit.
With an amazing board of directors and a dedicated committee who works year a round, Hops in Humboldt is going on its 20th year.
The majority of our budget is put back into the community and spent with local businesses to make the event happen.
100% of the proceeds are given back to local groups each year who fall under our five grant categories: schools, youth groups, sports; senior services; drug and alcohol prevention and community projects.
In 2017 Hops started a scholarship fund and each year we give 5 x $1,000 scholarships to high school and college students who are from the Fortuna High School district. Since 2017 we have given away $27,000 in scholarships!
Current Hops Board/ Committee: John and Tina Taylor, Michelle Bishop, Sue Long, Tami Trent, Matt Eberhardt, D’Anna Quen, Angela and Kyle Conley, Carlos Diaz, Alice Rye, Kathy Rexford and Seth Crosswhite.
• The ESA ladies’ group who was original Hops sponsors with Fortuna Rotary were all over 60 and have been doing an Indian Taco booth at Hops for the last 20 years!!! They always come, always sell out and have a blast!!!
• Breweries donate 100% of the beer at Hops to get their product out to a new market. The hope is that attendees find a new favorite brew and go back and purchase it. If there is demand, a distributor picks up the brewery and distributes it in the stores here in Humboldt.
• Hops partnered with Fortuna Rotary, Wendt Construction, and the Fortuna Elem PTA to build the track at Walker Elementary (former South school). It was Fortuna Rotary’s major project that year!
• The Fortuna Fireworks Festival is the sister event of Hops. It was originally sponsored by Fortuna Rotary, Wendt and Hops in Humboldt. Hops gave seed money for several years until the event was able to sustain itself. Rotary provided
Starts July 9 th at 10am
insurance and Wendt all the logistical support! For 16 years and counting, the fireworks committee are all still Hops committee members too! Hops is the 501(c)3 who sponsors this event!
• Hops partnered with the Humboldt Area Foundation, the McLean Foundation and Humboldt Sponsors to create a 4-year program for youth from Fortuna High, East and Academy of the Redwoods with the goal of teaching youth how to start and run a non-profit. The group was
Youth Engaged in Philanthropy (YEP) and gave a total of more than $15,000 to various non-profits that the kids chose through a grant process!
• In 2011 Hops was named Fortuna Chamber of Commerce’s first ever NonProfit of the year.
• Hops has a mayor’s choice award named the Tom Cooke Memorial. For those that knew Tom, you would know that Tom likes his beer! As part of Fortuna Rotary, he was a big fan of Hops and poured for us at the 1st Hops in Humboldt
with the Arcata and Eureka mayor.
• For many years (before COVID) Hops gave the Fortuna Garden Club $2,000 a year to purchase the soil and flowers for the garden beds in downtown Fortuna.
• Hops works with the Fortuna VFW to provide security for the event.
• Hops spends over $50K a year to put on the event and uses local businesses to keep that money in our economy as well as filling hotels and restaurants with all the out-of-town breweries and attendees. Then all of the proceeds are given back to groups in the Eel River Valley.
• For all these years so many members of the Fortuna community have volunteered at Hops to help pour beer, take tickets and do various other jobs at the event. We couldn’t do it without everyone’s help!!! Thank you for all the support you have given us for 20 years of Cheers and Beers!
• Hops in Humboldt is August 24th! Tickets are available now at hopsinhumboldt.com/ tickets or you can get them in person at any local brewery, Eureka & Arcata Co-Ops and Beverage Plus.
Submitted by: Hops In Humboldt
Greetings Rodeo fans!! This year marks the 103rd annual Fortuna Rodeo. What began as an annual picnic held by the Stockman’s Association, a group formed to help, protect and promote local cattlemen back in 1916, turned into what is now the annual Fortuna Rodeo. The Rodeo had its first inaugural event in 1921. This event has deep history in Fortuna and the county of Humboldt which is thoroughly described in the 100th Anniversary Fortuna Rodeo book, In and Around the Arena, authored by Susan J. P. O’Hara and Alex Service. Pick up your copy to learn more at the Rodeo!
The Rodeo Board of Directors dedicated this year’s rodeo theme to American patriotism deeming it as 103 Celebrating America, the Land of the Free, to remind people of what this country was founded upon. No matter the challenges we face, we cannot forget how we began and the reason why we are the land of the free. To celebrate the meaning of this theme, the 103rd Rodeo will consist of 9 days of fun and laughter to forget about what is happening in the world while making great memories with friends and family. As in the past, there are events for everyone from the family friendly carnival, the annual Chamber Chili Cook-off, Rodeo events, BFO, and everything in between!
This year, the Rodeo Board selected Doug and Marilyn Strehl as its Grand Marshalls because the Strehl’s have always been in the forefront of promoting Fortuna and volunteering in many, many ways. Doug served on the Planning Commission, City
Council and Marilyn has sat on the Rohnerville School Board for decades. They were both instrumental in starting up the Fortuna Downtown Business Improvement District Association and are still involved today. They own and operate Strehl’s Family Shoes in Downtown Fortuna. Fortuna runs in their blood so is fitting that they are the Grand Marshalls this year! They unequivocally deserved to be selected for this.
To showcase the theme Celebrating America, the Land of the Free, talented oil paint artist, Erica
Brooks painted a cowgirl tipping her hat to the American Flag. Working with her was a wonderful experience and we couldn’t be more thrilled with this beautiful piece of art. As usual, the painting will be auctioned off to the highest bidder during the Saturday afternoon rodeo performance, so come on down and bid on this one-of-a-kind tribute to the Land of the Free!
We would like to remind attendees that we will be enforcing the clear bag policy so be sure to adhere to this requirement. Tickets to the events can be purchased online at fortunarodeo.com, where you can also find a schedule of events and learn what to expect at this year’s Rodeo. Additionally, due to safety issues, there will be no BFO VIP tickets sold this year.
The Rodeo Board would like to extend a sincere thank you to all our generous sponsors and dedicated volunteers who help put on this event, both past and present. If you would like to be a sponsor, reach out to Ben at Sequoia/Blue Star Gas and any volunteers interested in supporting this year can reach out to Kristin at the Fortuna Chamber of Commerce. All our sponsors and volunteers make the Rodeo the great and fun event that it is!
Hats can be purchased at Sport & Cycle, Fortuna ACE Hardware, Sequoia/Blue Star Gas, The Fortuna Farmhouse, Green’s Pharmacy and on the Rodeo grounds during Rodeo. Rodeo sweatshirts are being sold at Wild Cactus Clothing.
In closing – hope to see you and your family during
rodeo week. Fortuna Rodeo 103 Celebrating America, the Land of the Free! Happy trials, Shannon McWhorter, President
Congratulations and welcome to the incoming Board Directors for the 2024-2027 term!
Mavis Amen
The Fortuna Farmhouse & Famous Amens
I just want to say thank you to all who voted for me to sit on the 20242027 Fortuna Chamber Board of Directors. I am excited to sit with a great group of like minded people that want to support and grow our little community. With owning two small businesses in Fortuna, I am already active in several of the events that happen, but now being a part of the board I can help plan and fundraise to grow these events over time. I can’t wait to start working with all the other businesses in Fortuna and supporting their growth! ~ Mavis Amen
Laura Morris
I would like to express my sincere gratitude for the opportunity to join the Fortuna Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. I am excited to contribute to the Chamber’s mission of fostering economic
growth and community development. I am eager to collaborate. I am committed to bringing my experience and enthusiasm to the table, and I look forward to working together to support our local businesses and enhance the vitality of our community. Thank you once again for this incredible opportunity. I am excited to get started and to make a meaningful impact through our collective efforts. ~ Laura Morris
Kim Brown Cornerstone Realty
I am so thrilled to be continuing my time on the Fortuna Chamber Board of Directors. My expectations are high for this term and I am excited to work with the rest of the board to bring bigger and better things to our members and our community. ~ Kim Brown
Congratulations and welcome to the new Ambassador Chair!
The winner of the 2023 Fortuna Chamber Ambassador of the Year award, Kasandra Casselbury with Coast Central Credit Union, has accepted the role of Ambassador Chair for the coming term 2024-2025! We are thrilled to have her lead this awesome group of volunteers that help make our Chamber great! We welcome her to the role and please reach out to her anytime if you are interested in getting involved with our events or becoming an Ambassador! Our Ambassador Council is the heart and soul of the Fortuna Chamber!
Since 1990 is how long the Fortuna Redwood AutoXpo has been bringing excitement to the fourth weekend in July. The 2007 event was dedicated to the memory of Pete Perdew, and so we all worked extra hard to make it special. We think we succeeded and we would like to thank those who helped make it happen. Because of all of you, we were able to award scholarships again this year and plan to continue to do so in the future. Special thanks go to all the merchants and professionals who generously donated goods for prizes and funds for trophies. Your continued cooperation and enthusiasm is gratefully appreciated. We also thank the media for their excellent cooperation and coverage.
Our “Friendly City’’ nickname is well earned and the atmosphere it creates for visitors during AutoXpo is often remarked upon by our participants. We appreciate what our community does in support of our event. The small army of volunteers, many of whom have helped all seventeen years, always make us look good as they attend to the many tasks, not all of them fun, which are necessary to keep all our venues operating smoothly. From standing on a street corner during the Cruise on Friday, to helping with clean-up on Sunday
night, we would be lost without our volunteers throughout the weekend. And, of course, an army is always looking for recruits, so if you, too, want to be overworked and underappreciated, give us a call at (707) 572-7855 and get your name on the list for next year.
We cannot say enough about the excellence and cooperation of our police and parks departments. They are always there for us to make our vision a reality. They anticipate our needs and deliver on our wishes.
So, thank you Fortuna, for being such a great place to be all the time, and an extraordinary place to be during AutoXpo.
Taken from the Fortuna AutoXpo website
“Sow seeds of happiness wherever you go”
The River Lodge was decked out with memorabilia from the past 10 decades in honor of the Fortuna Garden Club’s 100th birthday in June. Club Members, along with Humboldt County and City of Fortuna Officials gathered to celebrate this momentous event with a luncheon catered by CC Market, an opportunity drawing, listen to a few speakers, and to reminisce the past.
For 100 years, the Fortuna Garden Club has been extremely active in our community. 1924 saw eight charter members set out with a mission-To Beautify Fortuna. They did this by charging 50 cents for annual dues and 25 cent lunches. In 1930, FGC sponsored a junior gardening float in the Fortuna Rodeo Parade and flower baskets hung from the light posts downtown for many years. Members watered the plants and took them home at the end of each season to be replaced with fresh baskets. During the World’s Fair in San Francisco, the club made a trip to San Francisco every two weeks to place flowers in the Hall of Flowers. Remember, this was in the 1930s when it took 10 hours to drive to San Francisco. In 1941 an industrious effort to plant Rohner Park began which continues to this day and FGC became federated with California Garden Clubs, Inc. In 1950s, Spring Teas became an annual event and the club started planting trees to honor past presidents. The 1960s were a busy
time. A flower show school was held, Campton Heights members joined forces with FGC, flood victims were assisted, and the beginning of the landscaping of the new City Hall started. In 1974, a city wide garden contest was held with the slogan “Gardens Galore in 74” and landscaping projects were made at schools in the area. The FGC’s first Standard Daffodil Show and Christmas Home Tour & Tea also began. In the 1990s, the Christmas Home Tour & Tea provided $2000 for the purchase of trees for the city, $1500 for restrooms at Rohner Park, and $500 for a charter life membership in the new Botanical Garden Foundation. A bench, picnic table and two gardens of shrubs and flowers were donated to the Fortuna Library. Support was given to the River Lodge Heather Garden project. A Blue Star Memorial was created at the Veteran’s Hall. Senior Center /Youth Gardens began. Trees and daffodils were planted community wide. A garden was created at the Fortuna Chamber of Commerce. The back yard of the Monday Club was improved with a new lawn, sidewalk, and a beautiful metal arbor and flowers. In more recent years, many FGC members have worked in multiple garden beds on Main Street, as well as City Hall, Fortuna Library, Fortuna Monday Club, and the Fortuna Veteran’s Building. More recently, a beautiful bench has been placed on the front porch of the Monday Club, to honor our 50 year member Mary Lou Goodwin.
Our garden ladies that take care of the flower beds, otherwise known as the “Gals working the Corners” are a vital part of maintaining Fortuna’s beauty. They have received awards and recognition from the City of Fortuna, the County of Humboldt and from local and California State Garden Clubs.
FGC has expanded its community support in recent years by adding Santa’s Sleigh, the Apple Harvest Festival, our new Senior Center, and Fortuna High School to the list. They have partnered with Fortuna High School’s Floral Design Class and the Garden Class on various projects as well as the “Every 15 Minutes” pro-
gram. Two $1000 scholarships are awarded to local graduating students each year.
The club meets the 2nd Wednesday of each month, excluding August. Meetings are held at the Monday Club, 610 Main Street in Fortuna. Meetings begin at 1:00 with refreshments, speaker presentations begin at 1:30, followed by the general meeting at 2:00. Stop by and attend a meeting. New members are always welcome! Please check out their site on Facebook.
Submitted by: The Fortuna
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