CHAMBER MEETINGS/EVENTS:Aug. 14 Chamber Board, 4 p.m., DepotAug. 15 Tourism, 9:15 a.m., DepotAug. 18 Soggy Doggy Days, 1-4, Lions PoolAug. 20 Workforce, noon, DepotAug. 22-24 Willow Brook Open HouseAug. 22 Back-to-School Reception, 3:30-5:30, Trinity LutheranAug. 28 AmbassadorsSept. 2 Chamber offices closed Visitors Center open 12-4 p.m.Sept. 3 Leadership, 12:15 p.m.Sept. 6 Haunted Atchison season begins

This Week in

Aug. 13 - Aug. 20, 2013

Notes from thePresident

“If we don’t change, we

don’t grow. If we don’t grow, we aren’t really living.”

— Gail Sheehy

We are sure experienc-ing change here at the Chamber! We introduced you last week to our two newest staff members. Both are already working with and for our members and welcoming visitors to Atchison in great fashion.

This week we are sorry to lose Jason Nichols who has been our Communica-tions Director and Trolley Manager for the last five years. Jason has done a fantastic job and been a terrific member of our team. He has been a valu-able asset and we will miss

200 S. 10thP.O. Box 126 913-367-2427Atchison, KS 66002 www.atchisonkansas.net

Atchison County Fair

Younsters tend to their livestock during the swine show (above) and bucket calf competition (right) during the Atchison County Fair in Effingham last week.

Photos courtesy Steve Caplinger/The Newsleaf

Sales tax rate change

TOPEKA - On July 1, the state sales tax rate decreased from 6.3 to 6.15 percent.

The Department of Revenue sent out postcards alerting retailers of the change, posted the information on its website and posted a reminder on the sales tax payment portal which is used by 94 percent of all retailers.

Visitor Information Centerseeking volunteers

The Atchison Visitor Information Center and gift shop is looking for volunteers. Volunteers play a critical role in welcoming visitors to Atchison, providing directions and giving information to visitors about our many local attractions. If you would like to help make Atchison a more welcoming city and help the Atchison Area Chamber of Commerce in a variety of exciting projects, please contact Tourism Coordinator Angie Parker at 913-367-2427 or send her an email at tours@atchisonkansas.net. We have shifts to fill from 9 a.m. to noon on Mondays and Fridays, but can work around your schedule.

Free Labor Law postersavailable for Chamber members

Thanks to a generous donation from Coby Cullins and MO-KAN Underground, the Atchison Area Chamber of Commerce will offer free 2013 Labor Law posters to all of its member businesses.

The State of Kansas made some changes to the laws, so all businesses will need new posters this year.

Stop by the Santa Fe Depot at 200 S. 10th Street to pick up your set of two posters.

Cullins, the owner of MO-KAN Under-ground, recently purchased the Atchison Strate-gic Storage Facility, also known as the Atchison

Caves, and renamed it Citadel Caverns.

Seasonal work available during Haunted Atchison season

If you’re intrigued by the excitement of Haunted Atchison season, consider doing some part-time work as a host or driver on the Haunted Trolley Tour.

Hosts manage the audio production, add other tidbits of information and make visi-tors feel welcome. Drivers must have a valid CDL and airbrakes endorsement.

Please call Angie Parker at 913-367-2427 for more information.

Chamber logo available

The Atchison Area Chamber of Com-merce logo is available for all member businesses for use on websites or promo-tional materials. Call 913-367-2427 or email trolley@atchisonkansas.net for available formats.

Labor Day drunk driving enforcement crackdown

Aug. 16 - Sept. 2

Drunk driving continues to take a terrible toll on the nation, killing almost 10,000 people each year. In 2011, there were 9,878 fatalities on America’s highways in which drunk drivers or motorcycle riders were involved. That works out to about an aver-age of one fatality every 53 minutes. Labor Day holidays are particularly dangerous for encountering drunk drivers. During the Labor Day holiday in 2011, 138 people were killed nationwide in crashes involving driv-ers or motorcyclists whose blood alcohol concentrations (BAC) registered at least .08 or higher. It is illegal in all 50 States, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico to drive drunk.

That’s why local law enforcement agen-cies in Kansas are banding together to get drunk drivers off our roads by aggressively conducting the enforcement crackdown.

him. But he has a tremen-dous opportunity and this is the right move for him. His last day is this Friday.

If you know me very well, you know that my cup is always half full. So, I went to work to find some-one that would be able to fill that position. I am happy to say that we have a new Communications Director hired. Erin Venable actu-ally started today! We are very fortunate to have her and are anxious for you to interact with her. She is full of energy and will bring her creativity and a new, differ-ent perspective.

Change can be a very good thing. We’re excited about the three new addi-tions here at the Chamber. Stop in and say hello…introduce yourself…you’re going to like working with them!

In case you are won-dering, Mary Jane is still here…and very busy! The Fall schedule is FULL of fun, exciting things to do in Atchison! Stay tuned for details!

Have a great week!

CHAMBER NEWS

Upcoming classes at The Artist Box

Visit The Artist Box at 731 Commercial for an exciting variety of classes this month! For more information, call 913-367-2427 or visit www.theartistboxllc.com.

Here’s what’s on tap:Saturday, August 17• My Little Pony day: Learn to draw & paint your own pony. Any

time from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. $5.Saturday August 24• Origami Corner Monster Bookmarks: Any time from 9 a.m.-3

p.m. $5.00Saturday August 31• Recycled Art Project: Make a squirrel. Any time from 9 a.m.-3

p.m. $5.

Upcoming events at Atchison Library

Tuesday, August 13• Twisted Stitchers Needle Craft Club @ 6:00 Beginners to Advanced• Atchison Co. Genealogy Society at KFC @ 6:30Wednesday, August 14• Café Boheme @ 6:00 Open mic and special coffeesThursday, August 15• No Story Time

Store front grand openingat Reckless Designz

Visit the Chamber’s newest member, Reckless Designz, and celebrate the grand opening of their store front at 732 Kansas Ave.

Reckless Designz offers custom screen printing, vinyl graphics, signs, banners, semi door lettering, promotional items and more!

Call 913-367-2222 for quotes or questions.

Ladies Night at Gateway to Kansas Shops

Join Gateway to Kansas Shops for Ladies Night on Thursday, August 15, from 5:30-7:30. Just$10.00. Grab the girls and come on down. Visit the Hawaian Tropics with Cheryl from Atchison Travel Center. Eat, drink and do the “Hula”.

Shop the 65 vendor booths, A-Town Boutique, The Book Nook and the lovely Christmas area on our lower level!

Hope to see you all there! Register for door prizes throughout the fun-filled evening!

MEMBER NEWS

Get your season passes for an exciting year coming to Theatre Atchison!

We’re excited to announce our line-up for the 2013-2014 season! This is our 30th year of entertaining Atchison audiences and providing quality programs for youth. We truly appreciate your support. Here is our line-up of shows and dates for our 2013-2014 season:

• Bye Bye Birdie: Sept. 20-22 and 27-29• It’s a Wonderful Life: Dec. 6-8 and 13-15 • On Golden Pond: Feb. 14-16 and 21-23 • Big River: April 4-6 and 11-13• The Dixie Swim Club: May 30 – June 1 and 6-8Each season membership includes five show passes and entitles

you to many benefits, including the “Flex-Tix” advantage: use your show passes at your convenience. You may choose to use two, three or four tickets for a single show when treating friends to live theatre, or use a single ticket for each show of the season. It’s your choice! Just call us at your convenience to reserve seats for the performance date you want to attend. We track the number of tickets you use throughout the season. Your member benefits also include free bever-ages during intermission at our productions and discounts on Sum-merstage, class/workshop tuition, and special events.

We appreciate and value our members and contributors. Your con-tinued support makes our programming possible. We look forward to seeing you at the Theatre!

Season ticket forms are also available at the Atchison Area Cham-ber of Commerce, 200 S. 10th St.

Huge savings at Willow Brook!

We are running a STORE-WIDE SALE at Willow Brook! Making room for our new Fall & Halloween Collection... 30% off ALL items originially priced at $100 or LESS.* (*Excludes Crabtree & Evelyn Products) Sale ends Saturday, August 17, 2013. All sales are final. No discount on previously purchased items, layaway items or gift cards.

Support your Community Blood Center

The Community Blood Center is the sole provider of blood to Atchi-son Hospital and depends on the support of our community to help meet the daily need for blood. To meet this need, the center needs to collect 580 units of blood each day.

Please take time to donate at the Atchison Community Blood Drive from 12:30-6 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 16 at the First Baptist Church, 1640 Riley St. Register to win a disney family vacation!

MEMBER NEWS

Safe Kids report finds teens are at greatest risk for pedestrian injuries

Topeka – School supplies are bought and backpacks are ready. Par-ents have planned how their kids will get to school. But one thing parents might not think to do is talk to their children about walking there safely, particularly their teenagers. Here’s why it’s important: teenagers are now the most at-risk youth for pedestrian injuries, according to a study by Safe Kids Worldwide and FedEx

The report “Walking Safely, A Re-port to the Nation”, released in 2012, revealed that while walking safety has improved overall for children since 1995, there are still a staggering number of children hit by cars. More than 61 children are injured every day severely enough to seek medical attention. More than 500 children are killed every year in the U.S.

Interestingly, the most at-risk age group has shifted since 1995 when 5-9 year olds sustained the most injuries, to today when teens are at greatest risk. The death rate among older teens is now twice that of younger children. In the last five years, injuries among 16-19 year olds increased 25 percent over the previous five years. Today, 14-19 year olds account for half of all child pedestrian injuries.

“The work we have been doing with younger kids has clearly been ef-fective,” said Cherie Sage, Safe Kids Kansas. “But this new trend impact-ing our teenagers is disturbing.”

One suspected cause of this dis-turbing trend is distraction, since the increase in teen injuries seems to correlate with the prevalence of cell phone use, both among walkers and drivers. A recent study issued by the Consumer Product Safety Commis-sion (CPSC), also finds an alarming trend in injury risk involving distract-ed walkers.

“With approximately 75 percent of 12-17 year-olds owning cell phones, it’s important to talk to your children about putting phones away and paying attention when walking,” said Sage.

Back to School: Reading, Writing and… Walking?