Chinook's new 'welcome banners' set to go up in March
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Chinook Area Chamber President Sarah Pratt and former president Heather DePriest pose with an example of the new 'welcome banners' that are planned to be displayed in Chinook from east to west along Highway 2 and on Indiana Street in the downtown area. Plans call for 30 banners to be initially placed in March and future banners will be added.
The Chinook Area Chamber of Commerce has purchased 30 street banners that should be going up along Highway 2 and Indiana Street sometime in March. The banners are designed to attract attention and welcome visitors and travelers to the city of Chinook. Chamber members first learned some of the details about the program during the Chamber's annual banquet in January.
Jennifer Hellman, Chamber Secretary/Director of Communications, said she first got the idea for the banners from a magazine article. She added, "I began to bring up the idea of banners and how they could brighten the main streets through and in town. Chamber officers tweaked the idea to make it more affordable than the typical 'off the shelf' programs that are available. By doing our own design and printing we could also individualize the banners to our town."
Former Chamber President Heather DePriest created the banner design and then located a studio to produce the banners. Hellman said chamber members Larry Surber and Frank Pehrson will design and build brackets, then hang the brackets to utility poles and, sometime in March, add the banners. The banners are made of an acrylic material that is used on outdoor signs and other advertising media.
Funding to purchase the initial banners came from the proceeds of the 2016 Festival of Trees. Hellman added that future fundraising would allow for the purchase of additional banners to add along the main thoroughfares in town. Local businesses, families or individuals can buy additional banners to promote a business or organization. There are also special 'In Memory of' banners. Banners will display the logo of the purchasing business or group and the memorial banners will show the name of the honored person on the banner. Hellman said, "We hope to use proceeds from selling the new banners to keep the program going. Eventually, with enough financial support, we would like to do 'seasonal' banners that we could change throughout the year."
How to buy a
'welcome banner'
A banner bearing the name or logo of a business or group costs $100 per year. The 'In Memory of' banners are $175 and that provides a display banner for five years. To learn more about purchasing banners to be displayed along the main streets of Chinook, call Jennifer Hellman at 945-7978 or email the Chamber at info@chinookmontana.com. 'Welcome banners' are a great way to promote our town with travelers and tourists and show civic pride among our residents, organizations and local businesses.
