Red Cloud Tourism & Commerce launches Covid-19 Chamber Bucks Program to help local businesses

Red Cloud Tourism & Commerce is pleased to announce a COVID-19 relief program to help get cash flowing through the local economy. Thanks to a generous donation from the Willa Cather Foundation and the Red Cloud Area Chamber of Commerce, consumers can now get a 50% match on any Chamber Bucks that they purchase.

Chamber Bucks work the same as cash and can be accepted by any Red Cloud or Guide Rock business. Thanks to the 50% match program, if someone purchases $100 worth of Chamber Bucks, they will receive an additional $50 in Chamber Bucks to spend at local businesses. Put another way, you can now spend $100 on Chamber Bucks to get $150 to spend at Hometown Market, Village Pharmacy, Fat Fox’s, The Corner Nook, and any other local business willing to accept them. Since Chamber Bucks are only available in $10 increments, you must purchase Chamber Bucks in multiples of $20 to get the full 50% match. Contact Adam Vetter at 402-746-2251 or avetter@bankonheritage.com or visit him in person at Heritage Bank to get your Chamber Bucks! 

With many major events being cancelled or adjusted in 2020 due to COVID-19 concerns, the Chamber officers and the Cather Foundation wanted to find a way to keep cash flowing in the community. While locals did an excellent job shopping locally during the quarantine period of the pandemic, the community is going to miss out on an infusion of dollars from outside of the community that it typically receives during the Alumni Weekend, the Cather Conference weekend, and from local tourist attractions being closed. A typical Cather Conference visitor, for instance, spent $653.18 at local businesses and lodging establishments during the 2016 Spring Conference with $422.06 of that going to non-Cather related businesses. READ THE FULL STORY 

Potter Block Hotel Project will soon be seeking investors and can already accept charitable gifts  

Plans continue to progress to bring a 27 room boutique hotel to downtown Red Cloud. Organizers are now legally able to solicit investors for the project and have been able to accept donations through the Willa Cather Foundation as part of that organization's "Campaign for the Future" for quite some time. If you are interested in learning more about the project please contact Red Cloud LLC Board of Managers President Jarrod McCartney at jmccartney@redcloudnebraska.com or at 402-746-4065 for more information and to obtain a copy of a Private Placement Memorandum, a 10 Year operating pro forma, and a brief Case for Support once those documents are all available. You may also contact any member of the Heritage Tourism Advisory Committee for more information (Gene Horne, Ashley Olson, Dennis Hansen, Jay Yost, and Liz Rasser). Investors must be accredited and investments start at $25,000. 

Donations of any amount are also welcomed. The project will be financed through a combination of  investor dollars, philanthropic contributions, and bank loans. Donations made to the Willa Cather Foundation's "Campaign for the Future" are fully tax deductible and will be utilized by the organization to make an equity investment in the project. You may contribute online (just make sure you indicate that you want your donation directed to the Potter Block Hotel Project) or by contacting Ashley Olson, Executive Director of the Willa Cather Foundation. 

***Please note that the renderings above and below are conceptual and that further refinement will be made during the next phase of architectural work***
  

The Corner Nook Opens Red Cloud Location

The Corner Nook opened June 1st in the former Taylor Drug Building located at 345 N. Webster St. The store is owned and operated by Nicole Mackin and Cassie Himmelberg and is their 2nd location in Webster County (the other is located at 560 W. Gage St. in Blue Hill). Be sure to follow The Corner Nook  on Facebook. You can stop in for a coffee, a smoothie, frozen lemonades, a variety of specialty drinks and a variety of clothing and boutique store items, including locally produced items on consignment. They also kept Dr. Amy Springer's books on the shelves and have plenty of comfy places to sit and even have a game corner with plenty of things for kids to do. We hope that the Corner Nook is part of the fabric of downtown Red Cloud for years to come. If you are interested in a downtown storefront, please contact Jarrod McCartney at jmccartney@redcloudnebraska.com and he will set up a tour of available properties or put you in contact with property owners. 

Red Cloud Farmers Market, Juan's Tacos add variety and charm to the Red Cloud shopping and dining scene at the City Park 

1,147 acre grassland adjacent to the Willa Cather Memorial Prairie protected forever thanks to conservation easement