You’re Invited to Tom & Shelley Campbell’s (Campbell Team, LLC and Shelley’s Floral Enterprise) 8th Annual Chili Cook-Off Celebration And Fundraiser for Fauquier County Food Distribution Coalition. This event will be held on Sunday, November 20 at 1:00 to 6:00 PM at the Briar Patch Bed & Breakfast, 23130 Briar Patch Lane, Middleburg, Virginia.  REGISTER NOW!

For those of you who know you make the best chili, side dish or dessert, here’s your chance to show off…

Prizes Given for: Most Creative Chili Name, Most Creative Chili Ingredients, Best Tasting Chili, Best Side Dish & Best Dessert.

Don’t cook? We need judges too. (Contestants and Judges please register above.)

Or just come and have fun. Family & Friends Welcome!  More information.

Please call 703-909-0074 (Tom’s Cell) or 540-364-3777 (Home Office) or email info@CampbellTeamLLC.com if you have any questions.

In Support of the Fauquier County Food Distribution Coalition, a local food bank, they’re collecting food or funds. Non-Perishable Food Item(s) greatly appreciated. Photos can be purchased for cans of food. Please donate generously – need is up and federal funding has been drastically reduced. 

Congratulations to Rainbow Therapeutic Riding Center who recently received part of a huge grant from the Potomac Hospital Foundation.  The “Mane” Experience project serves students with Autism and Intellectual Disabilities.  Rainbow Riding and Forest Park High School are partnering in this very special program.  Debi Alexander said, “This is a dream come true for Rainbow Center.  The board of directors President, Connie Covington, became involved with therapeutic riding 15 years ago as a special needs teacher in Fauquier County.  She brought her students to a farm in The Plains, Virginia and saw first-hand the miracle that occurs. Today, she is also the lead of our resource development team.  We have spent the past three years building a state-of-the art facility that includes an indoor arena to enable us to offer our services year round.  By working with the school system we can make our facility available to riders during the school day. These students are more likely to encounter barriers when accessing mobility-based learning opportunities than their typically-developing peers.  We are delighted to provide an environment where students can experience a sense of acceptance and personal accomplishment. Everyone will achieve their personal best with the support of our knowledgeable and caring staff.”

The Mane Experience project offers a wonderful volunteer opportunity Monday, Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 9:00 AM -1:00 PM.  Volunteers arrive early to catch, groom and tack the horses; and assist instructors to prepare the ring.  Sidewalkers are trained to participate in the lesson (Lessons are from 10 AM – 12 PM).  Volunteers also brush and release the horses after lessons and assist with clean up.  Individuals and groups (school children 14 and older, church groups, walking and civic clubs, corporate groups) who can commit to a seven week session should contact Rainbow Center (email rainbow@rainbowriding.org) to sign up for training.

You can also support Rainbow Riding by attending their 12th Annual Rainbow Center Winter Dinner, Dance and Silent Auction.  This fundraising event will be held on February 18, 2012 from 7 to 11 p.m.  For more information, please contact the Rainbow Center at (703) 754-6159 or rainbow@rainbowriding.org.  (Look for a flyer insert in our Nov/Dec Newsletter!)

Rainbow Riding is a non profit member of the Greater Warrenton Chamber of Commerce and is proud to say they put $.92 of every dollar raised to go back into the programs that benefit their students.   Rainbow Riding is truly living their motto “Helping children go places they never dreamed possible.”

News from the Enchanted Kingdom of Azuria…

Princess Genevieve and her Royal Followers are collecting clean and gently loved outgrown boys and girls costumes from October 1 – October 25.  Please drop off at Warrenton Chick-Fil-A or Warrenton United Methodist Church (behind Pizza Hut).   Then, join Princess Genevieve on October 28 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Tagaloo for the Halloween Bash to celebrate with games and other free activities for families.   All costumes will be donated to our local Boys & Girls’ Club (it’s a Royal Tradition now).

On October 18 from 7 to 8 p.m. at Warrenton’s Chick Fil-A, Princess Genevieve will be making an extra special appearance during Kid’s Nite.  Don’t forget to come in your royal jammies – anytime for a sweet evening of stories to send you off into dreamland. Watch this link!  (Support two Chamber members in one evening: Azuria Entertainment and Chick Fil-A!)

For more information, please contact Princess Genevieve at the Kingdom of Azuria (540) 272-6440 or via e-mail at 540-272-6440.

On October 25, 2011, Simply Pure Products is moving their headquarters to 7134-B Lineweaver Road in Vint Hill.  Simply Pure will continue to bring all-natural healthcare and beauty products to you and your family.   The new space will include a showroom, complete product line and an opportunity to learn the science behind these chemical-free products.  Barbara Weldon and team will host an Open House on Friday, October 28 from 4 to 8 p.m. and on Saturday, October 29 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.  For more information, please visit Simply Pure online at www.simplypureproducts.com or via telephone at (540) 313-6859.  Congratulations to Simply Pure Products on this great news and expanded production space!

September 29, 2011  Surrey Title, LLC is pleased to announce that Donna Dugas and Deanna Hammer have partnered to offer business settlement services in Virignia.  They have over 36 years combined experience in the settlement business,  coordinating and closing residential or commercial loans and are meticulous about the important details relating to land titles.  Customer Service, convenience, flexibility and mobility make Surrey Title stand out.  Surrey Title is located in Fauquier County and offers settlement services through-out Virginia.  For more information, please contact Donna at donna@surreytitle.com or Deanna at deanna@surreytitle.com.

On September 7, 2011 new GWCC member Kalis Development Corporation announced CVS renewed its lease for 8,740 square feet of space at the Warrenton Towne Centre.  The lease renewal is for five years.  The Landlord was represented by Renaud Consulting.  Nicholas Kalis, property manager of the Warrenton Towne Centre explained, “We are pleased CVS will continue to contribute to the success of this shopping center.”

FauquierNow.com went live just before midnight Sunday, Sept. 25.  The website seeks to provide an “open, transparent, safe public square” for the sharing of news, information and opinions throughout Fauquier County.  The husband-and-wife team of Ellen and “Lou” Emerson own and manage FauquierNow.com, developed with SiteWhirks in Warrenton.  “We want to provide a place for news and information that seldom gets wide distribution these days,” Lou said. “That includes information from businesses, non-profits, civic organizations, churches, schools, farms, recreational sports leagues and neighborhoods. We hope the community will provide about 80 percent of the content.”  A journalist with three decades of experience, Lou said he also will cover news, “where I can add value and/or speed.”

FauquierNow.com is a truly multimedia site, with the ability to quickly share text, graphics, photos and video. The site offers free people-to-people classified advertising and will develop an inexpensive licensing structure for businesses that want to place a high volume of ads in categories such as employment, rentals, real estate for sale and vehicles, Ellen said.  She also will handle display advertising sales.  The Emersons owned two weekly newspapers, The Fauquier Citizen and The Culpeper Citizen, until their sale to Times Community Newspapers in January 2006. They live on a farm near Warrenton, where Ellen grew up.

For more information, contact Lou at: LKE@FauquierNow.com or Ellen at: Ellen@FauquierNow.com.

Congratulations to Red Thread on their recent grand opening! Red Thread, a yarn and gift shop, is located at 10 South Fifth Street, Warrenton, Virginia, 20186.

A special thanks to Faith Maddox of Payne Maddox Photography for photographing the event. View the pictures here.

Celebrating your business in the news?  Have a Chamber success story testimonial?   We’d like to hear from you!  Please e-mail our office manager your testimonial/story at therese@warrentonchamber.org.