September Chamber Courier 2026

SEPTEMBER S EPTEMBER ISSUE ISSUE

The Chamber Courier

The Monthly Business Publication for f r the Canton Area fo

Canton Friendship Festival

cANTON aREA cHAMBER OF cOMMERCE bOARD OF dIRECTORS

Executive E xecutive Board Board President: Maggie Connell - Edward Jones Vice President: Cade Fawcett - Ipava State Bank

Treasurer: Chad Murphy - Spoon River College Secretary: Renee Lewis - Jim Maloof Realtor

Board B oard o of fD Directors irectors Tanaya Krulac - COOK Medical Jason Gumbart - Apex Seed Company Alesia Shaw - Graham Health System Jacque Nelson - MidAmerica National Bank Brette Orwig - Orwig Auto Body Dee Clark - State Farm Insurance Greg Utsinger - Wa W lnut Tree Baking Company Walnut Julie Tarvin - Canton Union School District Nick Mayhew- Student Representative

Executive Director Seth klinedinst 309-647-2677 48 N Main St. Canton IL 61520

SethKlinedinst@cantonillinois.org

www.facebook.com/CACC61520

cantonillinois.org/chamber

Executive Director Report Seth Klinedinst September is here, and with it comes one of my favorite times of the year in Canton. As summer winds down and we head into fall, our community calendar continues to be full of opportunities to gather, support local businesses, and celebrate everything that makes Canton a great place to call home.

September also means the return of the Canton Friendship Festival, a tradition that brings our community together each year. I encourage everyone to get out, enjoy the festivities, and support the businesses that help make Canton such a special community.

At the Chamber, we are also entering a busy stretch of the year. Our Youth Leadership Academy will kick off another year this month, giving local students opportunities to explore careers, develop professional skills, and connect with the businesses and leaders right here in our community.

Behind the scenes, planning continues for several exciting projects coming later this year, including the Merry Mingle and Holiday Light Show. I am excited about the partnerships and ideas coming together to create memorable experiences for our community this holiday season.

As we move into fall, I encourage our members to take advantage of everything the Chamber has to offer. Attend an event, make a new connection, share your news with us, and let us know how we can help promote your business.

Thank you to our Chamber members, Board, Ambassadors, volunteers, sponsors, and community partners for continuing to support our mission. There is a lot happening in Canton, and I am excited about what the remainder of 2026 has in store.

Have a great September, enjoy the Friendship Festival, and I hope to see you around Canton!

Sincerely, Seth Klinedinst Executive Director Canton Area Chamber of Commerce

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CANTON AREA

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

UPCOMING PCOMING EVENT EVENTS

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CANTON PARK DISTRICT PRESENTS:

SAVE THE DATE FRIDAY NIGHT FRIGHTS OCTOBER 23, 2026

SATURDAY SPOOKTACULAR OCTOBER 24, 2026

JOIN US FOR THE NEW 2-DAY EVENT!

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Welcome

Spoon River Counseling & Wellness

The Canton Area Chamber of Commerce is excited to welcome Spoon River Counseling & Wellness as one of our newest Chamber members!

Led by Andrea Phillips and Nathan Gates, Spoon River Counseling & Wellness is dedicated to providing compassionate, professional counseling and wellness services to individuals, couples, and families in Canton and throughout the surrounding area. Their goal is to provide a supportive and welcoming environment where clients can feel comfortable working through life’s challenges, strengthening relationships, and focusing on their overall well-being.

Spoon River Counseling & Wellness is a great addition to our local business and professional community. Access to quality counseling and wellness resources plays an important role in building a strong and healthy community, and we are excited to have Andrea and Nathan providing these services right here in our area.

As a new member of the Canton Area Chamber of Commerce, Spoon River Counseling & Wellness joins a network of local businesses and organizations committed to strengthening Canton and supporting one another. We look forward to helping Andrea and Nathan build connections throughout the community, promote their services, and continue growing their practice.

We are pleased to welcome Spoon River Counseling & Wellness to the Chamber and encourage our members and community to learn more about the services they provide.

Welcome to the Canton Area Chamber of Commerce, Andrea, Nathan, and Spoon River Counseling & Wellness! www.SpoonRiverCounseling.com Andrea@SpoonRiverCounseling.com Nathan@SpoonRiverCounseling.com

(309) 647-2475 410 East Elm St. Canton, IL. 61520

Spoon River Partnership for Economic Development

Spotlight

The Spoon River Partnership for Economic Development (SRPED) is excited to welcome Sandy Wittig as its new Assistant Director!

Sandy brings more than two decades of experience in rural community and economic development to the position. Most recently, she served as Deputy Director of the Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs (IIRA) at Western Illinois University, where she worked with communities, local governments, economic development organizations, nonprofits, and business leaders throughout Illinois.

Throughout her career, Sandy has developed extensive experience in strategic planning, financial management, grant administration, marketing, event coordination, human resources, and organizational operations. During her time with IIRA, she managed more than $3 million in state and federal grant funding, helped develop grant proposals and budgets, coordinated statewide programs and conferences, and worked closely with community partners and government agencies.

Sandy is also no stranger to bringing people and organizations together. A major focus throughout her career has been building partnerships, identifying opportunities, and helping communities develop practical solutions that create lasting impact.

A Canton resident, Sandy is excited to bring her experience back home and continue serving the region through SRPED. She is passionate about strengthening Fulton County, supporting local businesses, developing community partnerships, and helping create opportunities that improve the quality of life for area residents.

Sandy holds both a Master of Business Administration and Bachelor of Arts from Western Illinois University.

Please join us in welcoming Sandy Wittig to the SRPED team! We’re excited to see the experience, energy, and knowledge she brings to our community!

S Support

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Local business owners sponsor school, youth sports, charities and community events

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Enj Enjoy n oy one-of-a-kind items and frinedly, personalized customer service you won’t find everywere everyw y ere else.

ENCOURAGES ENTREPRENEURSHIP Supporting small businesses helps local dreamers and innovators succeed.

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Job Opportunities

Part-Time P art-T Time C Custodian ustodian – F First irst P Presbyterian resbyterian C Church hurch o off C Canton anton Firrst P First Presbyterian resbyteria an C Church hurch o off C Canton anton iis ss seeking eeking a d dependable ependable P Part-Time art-Time C Custodian ustodian tto oh help elp m maintain aintain a cle clean ean a and nd w welcoming elcoming c church hurch ffacility. acility. T This his p position osition iis sa approximately pproximately 112 2h hours ours p per er w week, eek, ttypically ypically Monday, Wednesday, and Friday 8:00 AM–12:00 PM, with Pay Monday y, W ednesday, a nd F riday ffrom rom 8 :00 A M–12:00 P M, w ith ssome ome fflexibility lexibility iin n sscheduling. cheduling. P ay is $15 per hour. is $ 15 p er h our.

Responsibilities include general cleaning and upkeep off tthe church, kitchen and Responsibilities in nclude g eneral c leaning a nd u pkeep o he c hurch, iincluding ncluding k itchen a nd fellowship areas. felllowsh hip a reas.

For more orr tto apply, contact First Presbyterian Church att ((309) 647-1256 orr Forr m ore iinformation nformatio on o oa pply, c ontact F irst P resbyterian C hurch a 309) 6 47-1256 o firstprescantonil@gmail.com. firrstprescantonill@gmail.com.

Social S ocial M Media edia C Content ontent C Creator reator – S Spoon poon R River iver C College ollege Spoon R Spoon River iver C College ollege iis ss seeking eeking a c creative reative a and nd m motivated otivated S Social ocial M Media edia C Content ontent Creator att tthe Canton Campus.

This exempt Creator tto o jjoin oin iits ts tteam eam a he C anton C ampus. T his iis s a ffull-time, ull-time, e xempt position with an annual salary off $ $43,000–$45,000. position w ith a na nnual s alary rrange ange o 43,000–$45,000.

The Social Media Content Creator will help Spoon River College The S ocial M edia C ontent C reator w ill h elp sshowcase howcase S poon R iver C ollege through engaging digital content and social media while through e ngaging d igital c ontent a nd s ocial m edia w hile ssupporting upporting tthe he College’s communication and marketing efforts.

College’s c ommunication a nd m arketing e fforts.

SRC offers positive, work environment employee SRC o ffers a p ositive, tteam-oriented eam-oriented w ork e nvironment tthat hat ssupports upports e mployee development, along with great benefits—including Fridays off! development, a long w ith g reat b enefits—including F ridays o ff!

For more about position and how apply, F or m ore iinformation nformation a bout tthe he p osition a nd h ow tto oa pply, vvisit isit tthe he ffull ull jjob ob posting Spoon River College. posting tthrough hrough S poon R iver C ollege.

Police P olice O Officer fficer & C Certified ertified O Officer fficer T Testing esting The C The City ity o off C Canton anton F Fire ire a and nd P Police olice C Commission ommission iis sa accepting ccepting a applications pplications ffor or Police O Police Officer fficer ttesting esting ffor or b both oth n new ew a applicants pplicants a and nd e experienced xperienced c certified ertified officers. you're career serving and protecting officers. IIff y ou're llooking ooking ffor or a rrewarding ewarding c areer s erving a nd p rotecting tthe he Canton community, we encourage you apply.

Canton c ommunity, w ee ncourage y ou tto oa pply.

MEET OUR CHAMBER TEAM EXECUTIIVE COMMITTEE EXECUTIVE CO OMMITTEE

President Maggie Connell Edward Jones

Vice President Cade Fawcett Ipava State Bank

Treasurer Chad Murphy Spoon River College

Secretary Renee Lewis Jim Maloof Realtor

BOARD OF BOARD OF DIRECTORS DIR RECTORS

Alesia Shaw Graham Hospital

Jason Gumbart Apex Seeds Co.

Jacque Nelson MidAmerica National Bank

Tanaya Krulac Cook Medical

Dee Clark State Farm Insurance

Brett Orwig Orwig Auto Body

Greg Utsinger Walnut Tree Baking Company

Julie Tarvin CUSD #66

CHAMBER AMBASSADORS CHAMBER AMBASSADORS John Lemon PRESIDENT - Rise of Canton Samantha Braden, VICE PRESIDENT – Rhoades Real Estate Dr. Jacob Standard, SECRETARY – Spoon River Animal Clinic Amanda Ketcham, TREASURER – Spoon River College Joe Christian – MidAmerica National Bank Stephen Clark – Town & Country Insurance Brandy Cozad – Official Time Out Tama Duhs – Bank of Farmington Jake Green - Graham Health System Nick Wright - Country Financial Beth Wilson - Spoon River College

Fonz Hale – Bistro 101 Dave Lewis – Dave Lewis Studio, Ltd. Caleb Miller - Ipava State Bank Shawn Pardieck - Wee-Ma-Tuk Golf Course Amanda Reed – MidAmerica National Bank Dr. Abby Sherwood - Body In Balance Codi Swibold – Hy-Vee of Canton Dr. AJ Thum – Associates in Dentistry Bryce Vaughn – CEFCU of Canton Brad Beam - Spoon River Junction Winery Jeff Voice - Timbuk Tech

Contact: Seth Klinedinst at the Canton Area Chmaber of Commerce Office

150% Club members

Canton Community Concert Association

Rusty Melhouse

NICK WRIGHT BI

CHUCK TAYLOR

rB othe ig Sis Br t

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McCarthy & Jackson, LLC Attorneys at Law

150% Club members

Greg G reg G Glomb

of Fulton County

Dee Clark

150% Club members 150% club Individual Members

Scott Miller Phil Miller Tony Rolando Kevin Meade Kevin & Debbie Stephenson John Clark Harold Jump

Trinity Lutheran Church/Canton

Tom Conklin

2026

CANTON CHAMBER SPONSORSHIPS Annual Dinner Lead Sponsor $500 Supporting Sponsor $175

Chamber Golf Outing Thursday, March 19

Lead Sponsor $1,000 Cart Sponsor $500 Tee Sponsor $175

Canton Cruise In Lead Sponsor $500 Supporting Sponsor $175

Friday, Friday id May 15

October b 2026

Friday, June 19

Women in Business Program Sponsor $175

Holiday Lightshow Lit Display Sponsor $1500 Lead Sponsor $500 Supporting Sponsor $175 Month of December

Youth Leadership Academy Program Sponsor $350

The Canton Area Chamber of Commerce is committed to providing quality events & programs for our members and the community.

We know large events are what bring people together as a community and bring others from outside our community here to enjoy our town. Our goal is that these sponsorship opportunities are helpful and enable you to positively promote your business through the Chamber to those in our community and those who are visiting out of town. Contact the Chamber office for a Sponsorship sheet.

Call Us for more information 309-647-2677

For More Details visit our website cantonillinois.org/chamber

CHAMBER CHAMPIONS

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!