By China Cassidy During the Holbrook Chamber of Commerce meeting last week Chamber Secretary Colleen Marsh announced that The Friends of the Holbrook Animal Shelter is starting work on a new play area for the dogs at the animal shelter to include shade structures and a bench. Marsh noted the group is still looking for volunteers and that while there is always a need for donation of cash or other necessities, The Friends of the Holbrook Animal Shelter posts updates regularly on their Facebook page to inform the public of their specific needs. Marsh said some of the things they are in need of currently are, bleach, laundry detergent, dish soap, pellets for cat boxes and kitten food. Marsh expressed that there is always a need for monetary donations to cover medical and other unexpected costs and encourages anyone who would like to donate, do so in small reoccurring increments as every donation is tax deductible. Chamber events and dates that are on the schedule include the Oct. 3, Virtual Old West Fest; Nov. 1-6, Virtual Taste of Holbrook and Community Awards; Dec. 3-5, Festival of Trees; Dec. 5, Annual Parade of Lights; Dec. 5-18, Light up Holbrook; and Dec. 14-25, 12 Days of Christmas. Janet Dean said that whether the events will actually happen is still to be determined pending any changes from the local, state or national guidelines. Regarding the virtual events, Tafoya clarified that as of right now, they have decided to go through with the Old West Fest. “I think it is still going forward, but not as involved as we originally planned. The sheriff is still going to be doing the lockup and (the chamber will post to) Facebook Live throughout the day as part of the fundraising that we usually do during the Old West Fest,” offered Tafoya. After most businesses that provide entertainment were shut down because of the pandemic, some community members began brainstorming about how Holbrook could possibly host a drive-in movie theater. Chamber Director Tafoya announced shortly after that the chamber was in fact seeking options to host a drive-in movie experience. As of last month, they had purchased a screen but had yet to secure a venue and speakers or other means of providing sound. Board member Tara Young clarified that some of this year’s expenditures will include the projector and the FM transmitter, which will not only be used for the drive-in movie experience, but for many future events done by the chamber. Tafoya added, “We will do the drive-in experience at the fairgrounds. It will be limited entry. First day we will pre-sale tickets so if there is a great interest, we’ll go a second day.” The dates of the drive-in movie experience are not yet determined. Tafoya provided an update that $7,731 was the chamber’s account balance at the end of July. Tafoya also reported that the Please Buy Local Campaign has been extended to Labor Day because many businesses had to close when the campaign started due to COVID. The chamber has been struggling to gather a quorum, leading Marsh to ask, “What are the rules of the working session or a time where we can take action on something?” After back and forth discussion, Marsh clarified the reason for her question saying, “The reason I’m asking is something needs to change. Either the meeting times or the quorum because this isn’t going to work and we don’t know when COVID is going to allow us to meet in person. We’re not having enough participation on these calls, so I think we need to talk about a better working model and make some decisions.” The next meeting for the chamber is still scheduled for 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 16.
