Exciting Events Happening in 2012!

After working at the Pullman Chamber part-time as the Assistant Tourism Director, I accepted the brand new full-time position of Event Coordinator which went into effect January 1, 2012. There were many reasons why the Pullman Chamber decided to upgrade the part-time position to a full-time Event Coordinator, but a big reason is because our events have all been growing bigger and better every year! Here are some of the highlights of what is happening in Pullman in 2012!

April 7th - Cabaret - In The Sky with Diamonds
- Cabaret generates over 30% of the Pullman Chamber of Commerce's operating budget.  Without the great success of Cabaret, we may not be able to provide some of our wonderful programs and events.  Returning again this year will be auctioneer Austin Booker.  Austin has promised us another entertaining event and will work to raise more money in a shorter period of time so we can dance into the evening to The Senders! Call the Chamber today to reserve your seat!  And if you are interested in showcasing your services or business, please print the donation form and mail or drop it off by March 15th to ensure you are listed in our program for the event.


May 31st - National Lentil Festival Poster Unveiling and Wine vs. Brew Tasting
- This is the 13th annual Poster Unveiling event, but only the 2nd year that it has featured a Wine vs. Brew competition! The poster artwork is done and you won't be disappointed!! Be one of the first people to see the Poster for the 24th National Lentil Festival and get your very own poster signed by the artist! Tickets are $35 to attend this fun event at Palouse Falls Brewing Company! Reservations must be made in advance, so don't delay!

July 4th - Pullman's 4th of July Celebration
-  Don't miss the fun, food, music and fireworks in Sunnyside Park! The evening kicks off with a BBQ in the picnic shelter, followed by performances from local entertainment and the, of coarse, the fireworks show at dusk choreographed to music! Games for the entire family happen throughout the evening plus cotton candy, popcorn, pie and ice cream! Come join the fun!

July (Dates TBD) - ArtWalk
- Participating Businesses and local artists come together for a city wide celebration of arts and culture in Pullman, Washington. Get ready for some summer fun and watch for more details about the event dates, participating businesses and artists!

July 26th - Preliminary Lentil Cook-Off
- The Legendary Lentil Cook-Off is always a highlight of the festival! You can help narrow down the contest recipes by being a judge, a recipe cook, or event volunteer for the Preliminary Lentil Cook-Off! This event narrows down the recipe entries from 50 to the top 6 - so don't miss your opportunity to be a part of this fun and important occasion!

August 17 - 18 - National Lentil Festival
-  The 24th annual National Lentil Festival is going to be the biggest and best EVER! Kick off your weekend at the Friday Night Street Fair situated in the heart of downtown Pullman. The Street Fair features free lentil chili, live entertainment and fun games and activities for the kids. Not to mention vendors selling their wares and a microbrew tasting tent for those over 21. Then continue the fun on Saturday morning with the pancake breakfast and parade located in downtown Pullman, followed by an abundance of activities in Reaney Park including athletic events, kid’s area, more vendors, live music featuring Tyrone Wells, the Legendary Lentil Cook-off and the Microbrew Tasting Tent! This festival has something for everyone, so bring your friends and family and join us for the biggest party on the Palouse!

ALL Cougar Football Home Games - First Down Friday Night
- Kick off your WSU Football experience with a celebration hosted by the Pullman Chamber of Commerce! Each Friday before home WSU Football games come join us for music, food and fun and be a part of the Mike Leach era of WSU Football! Each event will feature something different, but the theme will be the same – GO COUGS!!

November 8 - Chocolate Decadence
- Participating merchants welcome shoppers to the start of the holiday season by offering FREE chocolate samples and other holiday treats.Visit our website to read all about the inaugural 2011 event!

December 1 - Holiday Fest
- Join us on Saturday December 1, 2012 in Pine Street Plaza for the annual tree lighting ceremony, free holiday entertainment, hot cocoa and cookies, and a visit from Santa!

Would you like to be a volunteer to help put on these fun events? Please contact me at events@pullmanchamber.com or call 509-334-3565!

Amberly ~ Event Coordinator

Lentils, Lentils, Lentils

I have in the past several years sent lentils from the Palouse to various friends and family members. Add a National Lentil Festival Cook-Off cookbook and you have an unusual and interesting gift. I now receive phone calls asking for more lentils. I recently sent lentils, a cookbook, and various Lentil Festival items to my daughter in Utah. She and her group used them in a Cultural Class for a regional presentation. They served Mango Lentil Chili and Caramel Lentil Brownies Sprinkled with Sea Salt (recipes from the Cook-Off cookbook) and let everyone know about our wonderful and unique Lentil Festival. The class loved the lentils and they received a 100% on the assignment! I am once again sending lentils, this time to Alaska. If you haven't been into the Pullman Chamber of Commerce Office you should stop in and take a look at what we have for sale or you can visit http://www.lentilfest.com/shop/ to take a look. We would love to see you and visit for a bit!
Debbie~Office Manager

Putting out the Welcome mat

Well, the invitations have been addressed and sent in the mail. I am talking about our new Visitors packet! This initial mailing is 422 pieces sent all over the United States. (For some reason there is a lot of interest in the town of Waukesha, Wisconson - go figure!) This particular bulk mailing saved the Chamber over $600.

This is the first of many invitations for visitors to come to our area. As Tourism Director for Pullman, my job is to develop a business plan for tourism development and marketing. Coordinate a tourism effort, provide continuity and theme in the marketing messages and ultimately get everyone in the community on board. It takes a village to acheive ultimate success as a destination!

So now it's time for Pullman to put out the Welcome mat. Our community must create a good first impression. Remember, it costs a whole lot less to bring the same visitors back again than it does to keep getting new ones. Clean, well kept, inviting entrances to both the City and individual businesses is key. 70% of sales at wineries, golf courses, restaurants, lodging and retail shops come as a result of curb appeal.

Take a step back and look at your business entrance from a visitors stand point. Is your building in good repair, painted and tidy? Is any landscaping trimmed, full of color and free of debri? (Can't say enough here about flowers!) Are your signs well placed and easy to read? Are your frontline employees friendly and welcoming? By creating an outstanding first impression you make visitors want to open the covers of the book. Working together on this attractive "Welcome Mat"  we can increase our City's perceived value. The greater the perceived value, the more visitors will spend, the longer they will stay and the more likely they are to come back.

And that is good for everyone!

Vicki Leeper
Tourism Director

Pullman Farmers Market

I attended an advisory board meeting for the Pullman Farmers Market this week and am getting quite excited for warmer weather and the produce that the spring brings.  I especially love the early 'greens'.
The board is currently made up of the market manager and several of the vendors.  Fran, our market manager, is doing an awesome job of bringing everyone together to plan for the coming season. Longer hours were discussed this week and approved to start 1/2 an hour earlier than last year.  The markets' hours will be 3:30-6:00pm on Wednesdays starting in mid-May.
The Pullman Chamber of Commerce sponsors and supports the market.  2012 will be the 4th season for our market and it continues to grow.  I suspect this season will be no different!

The market is located at what we refer to as "the Spot Shop Lot". The city owned parking lot is on 240 NE Kamiaken.  The City has been very generous in allowing our use and Alan and staff with the Parks and Rec department has been more than helpful in getting us the information booth, bike rack, and a locked box to keep our belongings in.  It takes the cooperation of many to bring your weekly market to Pullman, and without them we'd be lost!  Thank you.
The vendors are charged a small fee for attending and providing us with their great produce, however the fees don't come close to covering the current expenses of the market.  It's imperative that we have a market manager that understands the community, the vendors, the challenges, and the future of our market.  We don't compensate Fran nearly enough for all she is doing to help our market grow, but she is willing to put her heart and soul into it, and for that we're very grateful.  Signage, a portapotty, marketing and entertainment.  These all take money and time.  The chamber will support the market again this year, but continue to strive for a self-sustaining market through grants, sponsorships and donations.
New to the market last season were 'community nights'.  The board continues to look for ways to involve the community and educate our student and resident population about the weekly market.  Community Night involved having non-profit groups share space with our vendors to educate the public about their services.  It was a great fit and we will continue to offer them in 2012.  We continue to look for other ways to include residents who may have cut flowers to sell or other garden 'extras'.
The Pullman Transit System has added a bus stop at Pine Street Plaza (between Taco Del Mar and Thomas Hammer) that will better serve the market as well.  The new route will be called the Loop Route and will have service from Walmart on Harvest, Bishop Blvd, Main St, Transfer Station, Grand Ave to Stadium Way, Stadium Way to Main St, Main St. to Grand, and Grand back down to Community Action Center and then to Walmart. It will run on approximately 20-25 minute loops. It will run from 3:40pm to 9:15pm Monday through Friday. 
The board is currently updating the 2012 vendor application and should be ready by February 15th.  It can be found on our website at www.pullmanchamber.com
I'm looking forward to seeing what our local farmers have been up to this winter....I've heard from some that they're pouring over the new seed catalogs in search of the best for our community!   I can't wait!
Marie~ExDir

Tyrone Wells is coming to the National Lentil Festival!

Tyrone Wells is coming to the National Lentil Festival August 18, 2012!! 


Singer/Songwriter Tyrone Wells continues to win over fans across the nation with his powerful voice, heartfelt songs and engaging live shows. The Spokane, WA native began to hone his song-writing craft after moving to southern California, performing in coffee shops and building a fan base one convert at a time. Tyrone released two albums with Universal Republic, Hold On in 2006 and 2009's Remain. The 2010 independently released EP, Metal & Wood spent three weeks at #1 on the iTunes Singer/Songwriter album chart. Tyrone's newest album Where We Meet is set for release March 6th, 2012, with a nation-wide tour to follow supporting the album.


Tyrone's Career Highlights
- Metal & Wood - 3 weeks #1 - iTunes Singer/Songwriter album
- Metal & Wood - #14 - Billboard Heatseekers Chart
- "Running Around In My Dreams" - #1 iTunes Singer/Songwriter song
- "More" - #13 - AAA radio
- #1 record at KINK (Portland), WXRV (Boston) and KXLY (Spokane)
- Top 10 record at KTCZ (Minneapolis), WRLT (Nashville), WMMM (Madison), KRVB (Boise), KPTL (Des Moines), KWMT (Tuscon)
- Cover of Pollstar Magazine
- "Sink or Swim" - Promos for season premiere of "Grey's Anatomy"
- "Running Around In My Dreams" - End title for film "Something Borrowed"
- "More" - Promo for A&E's "Intervention"
- Over 50 placements in Film/TV, including "American Idol," "One Tree Hill," "Vampire Diaries," "Private Practice," "Rescue Me," "Ghost Whisperer," and "Cold Case"


To find out more about Tyrone Wells and listen to some of his music, visit www.tyronewells.com or "Like" him on Facebook at www.facebook.com/tyronewellsmusic.

Stay up to date with the latest information about Tyrone Wells coming to the National Lentil Festival!! "Like" us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/LentilFest or follow our blog at www.lentilfest.blogspot.com!

~Amberly, Event Coordinator

As the Office Manager I spent the last several months of 2011 working on our new Membership Directory. What a fun and challenging project! With a lot of help from Robyn at The Daily News and the input of the staff here at the office, the finished product is a wonderful Directory full of very helpful information. If you have not seen it yet stop by the Chamber to pick up a free copy or give us a call and we will get some out to you. I am always open to suggestions so let me know what you would like changed for next year.
Debbie~Office Manager