Yorktown Indiana Chamber of Commerce

Monthly Meeting

May 18, 2021

Yorktown Town Hall

 

INTRODUCTION AND WELCOME: Matt Anderson, Matt Howell, Kat Knox Blankenbaker, Pete Olson, Greg Hinshaw, Greg Hinshaw, Keith Gary, Maureen Walby, Sarah McCord, Brendon Comp, Angie Rogers Howell, Nanci Perry, Mary Ann Stroeh, Tyler Ewing, Kristi Ingram, Amy Spangler, Rachel Tucker, Ryan Vaughn, Tracy Gregory, Julie Bering, Mark Goodpaster

 

QUESTION OF THE DAY: How are you honoring fallen service men and women on Memorial Day? Some said they were visiting cemeteries, others were having moments of silence, while others were decorating the graves of service men and women.

 

SECRETARY REPORT:              Approved as submitted

 

TREASURER REPORT:             Membership committee working on getting renewals. There is approximately $33,300 in the treasury for Chamber projects.

 

COMMITTEE REPORTS:

Four for the 4th – Pete Olson – The committee is in the final phase of securing sponsorships. The race will start on Vine St., with this being the 10th year for the race. All funds will be donated to trail expansion and have engaged the Yorktown School Foundation to assist with this event. The committee is hoping to enlarge the event with registration on Facebook for a one-time discount on entry fee.

 

EVENTS ON THE GREEN:

A successful concert was held on Friday May 14. The committee has borrowed a stage from the Parks Department and may lease it for the summer at a cost of $2,000. Motion to accept this expenditure carried. It was noted that Muncie Symphony Orchestra does not require a stage for their July 4th concert. Chamber members were encouraged to sponsor events on the green. An ad has been placed in Great Deals Magazine with all summer concerts listed.

 

SCHOOL REPORT:

Dr. Greg Hinshaw – Hinshaw reported that both drama and music departments are back in operation with spring band concert scheduled. Spring sports have done very well with construction underway for the new tennis courts, with completion expected by mid-summer. Middle School construction going very well, with projected completion date of January, 2022. Credit was given to all teachers who are heroes during the pandemic. Hinshaw reported very low staff turnover within the Yorktown school system, with recruitment and attention to retaining the best staff.

 

TOWN REPORT: – Pete Olson – The town council meeting discussed financial issues, as well as planning for the new roundabout at Nebo Road to begin in March, 2022. Sidewalk improvements are in process. The town is currently looking for more personnel for the volunteer fire department with a potential of 50 members, currently with about 25. Olson extended an invitation to recruit additional volunteers for the department. The Green project is somewhat behind but is operational. Olson thanked the Chamber for assistance with the concerts. The Ft. Wayne Children’s Museum will be presenting a program for K-5 children which will be a hands-on program. Olson indicated there had been a good turnout for the concert but with fewer in attendance for Walkabout Wednesday which will provide a DJ or smaller music groups for entertainment. There will also be food trucks available during the 5:30-7:30 time frame.

 

LUNCH AND LEARN – Brendon Comp – Comp indicated that interested participants could sign up for upcoming events through Shafer Leadership website. All programs are currently online and will be sending out emails to remind Chamber members of upcoming events.

 

PROGRAM: Matt and Angie Rogers-Howell – Farm House Creative – The World of Podcasting –Good Girl Gone Boss – Podcasting has been around since the mid-2000s and there are currently approximately 700,000 active podcasts with more men listening than women.

 

People listen to podcasts because they are easy to listen to, especially in the car; they increase our knowledge base; can be listened to anytime; and you can do other activities while listening. Podcasts can reach the audience in a different way and can be in contact with more people.

 

Creating a podcast is a means for creativity. One must decide why they want to create a podcast and what does the creator want to talk about. Creating a podcast requires a plan, a theme, and a title. An interview should be about 20-30 minutes and will require editing and recording. Matt and Angie indicated that you must be prepared to record, edit and to hear yourself talk a great deal.

 

The Howells indicated that during the COVID pandemic that podcast consumption worldwide increased but in the United States it decreased. The US home tended to watch more video and other types of media. The Howells have also worked with Podcast “live” shows watching others record. The “Audacity” software has been used for editing which has proved easy and successful for the Howells. Statistics were mentioned for improvement of businesses but no hard data on hand at the present time. Spotify is becoming popular in the podcast business.

 

The Howells send emails to promote upcoming guests with more than 1,000 emails on their list, with more than 100 podcast listeners. A question-and-answer period followed the presentation.

 

ANNOUNCEMENTS: Kids in the Meadow Program will a. gain be offered in the part this summer on Mondays beginning June 6. There will be approximately six churches involved in this program; The Farmers’ Market will begin on Friday, May 21 with more than 60 vendors. The Yorktown Farmers’ Market will be networking with other farmers’ markets to provide more vendors and a larger selection. Young Entrepreneur Day will be held featuring young people with businesses. The goal of the Yorktown Market is to have 50 consistent vendors; ReMax Realty is expanding into the Yorktown area.

 

TIP OF THE MONTH: Mark Goodpaster – Information on cicadas. The insects will be coming any day. These winged creatures surface every 17 years are known for their noise and the fact they eat tree roots. There are more than 60 known species of cicada. Generally, the temperature must be about 64 degrees for the insect to wake up. They shed their exoskeleton, lay their eggs, and then die. The insects have a rather menacing appearance with blood red eyes however, they are not poisonous or harmful.

 

MEETING ADJOURNED – Next meeting June 15, 2021 – Yorktown Town Hall Building.