By Mary Jo Coulehan | Pagosa Springs Area Chamber of Commerce
This year’s Adventure Raffle has been modified some, but it is here and has some exciting prizes.
Tickets for this year’s raffle go on sale Thursday, Aug. 3, at the Archuleta County Fair. We will have a booth at the fair where you can purchase your tickets. Online ticket sales will be available soon. Tickets will remain on sale until Dec. 16, when the winners will be drawn at the Old Fashioned Christmas event at 6 p.m.
The huge grand prize, a Polaris RZR and towing trailer, will not be included in the raffle this year. Instead, we have created more opportunities to win some great adventure items which will be of interest to visitors and locals alike. This year there will be five chances to win. Ticket prices will remain the same at one chance for $5, three chances for $10 and seven chances for $20.
The first prize is a stunning Kona Remote Mountain e-bike. The second prize will be an Alpacka Raft – Mule model with pump and paddles as well as two guided fishing trips in the area. There will be two third-place prizes which consist of five unlimited Wolf Creek Ski Area passes and a season soaking pass to The Springs Resort. The fifth prize affords the winner a $1,000 shopping spree to Ski and Bow Rack.
With all the adventurers here in our community, who wouldn’t want to win one of these prizes and for such an affordable ticket price? Until online sales are live, stop by our booth at the Archuleta County Fair Aug. 3-6 or the Chamber of Commerce from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. You have until mid-December to get your tickets, but don’t wait too long.
QuickBooks training
The popular one-on-one QuickBooks consultation sessions are back and will be held on Thursday, Aug. 17, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Chamber conference room.
These sessions are meant for intermediate users of QuickBooks, not novice or beginner users. If you have some experience with QuickBooks yet are experiencing a particular problem or problems with your set-up, inventory, invoices, reporting or the like, this one-hour, free session is for you.
There will be four slots available on an appointment basis. Should all slots fill up, we are looking to hold another session the following week on Aug. 24. With only four slots available at this time, you won’t want to miss this opportunity.
The sessions will be conducted with Nelly Burns, who is an accounting business owner, Small Business Development Center (SBDC) consultant and QuickBooks Pro Advisor and Trainer. Take advantage of this opportunity.
If you are interested in scheduling a free session, go to www.sbdcfortlewis.org/consulting. Scroll down and select “Request an Initial Appointment” or “Request Follow-up Appointment” if you have worked with the SBDC before, and then follow the prompts from there. If you go straight to the SBDC website, www.sbdcfortlewis.org, scroll down to the “no-cost, confidential one-on-one consulting” and follow the steps for new or existing clients. Click on the class and register for any of the open slots.
Burns can help you set up a better invoice or invoicing system, a better report to garner the information you need, a better inventory system or even setting up job codes so that you can run and understand your financials better and you can streamline your accounting.
Should you need more assistance, contact the Chamber at (970) 264-2360.
Knights of Columbus Duck Race
Don’t forget that there will be another free community event in Town Park on Saturday, Aug. 12. The annual Knights of Columbus Duck Race will take place along with a free community picnic.
All who attend will be treated to free hamburgers or hot dogs and the accoutrements. There will also be games for the children, live music with the RetroCats, line dancing and much more.
Of course, the day culminates with the ducks (plastic version) racing (or meandering) down the San Juan River. The ducks will be released at 3 p.m. Come out and enjoy the free food and music beginning at noon and then watch the ducks beginning at 3 p.m.
Ticket sales for ducks end at 2:30 p.m. You could win the grand prize of $2,000. The first three ducks past the finish line pay out $2,000, $750 and $300, respectively. After that, seven ducks will be pulled randomly for a share of another $2,000. Bring the family out for a day of food, fun and community spirit.
Archuleta County Fair
Speaking of community spirit, don’t miss the 72nd annual Archuleta County Fair happening Aug. 3-6. Each day is filled with activities, including the Tough Enough to Wear Pink Rodeo on Friday evening, Open Rodeo on Saturday and Kid’s Rodeo on Sunday. There are livestock shows every day as well as the exhibits and other events such as horseshoes, pie eating, vendors and Wild Man Phil.
The grand opening for the Hughes Pavilion is at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 5. You can also enjoy the 4-H Chuckwagon beginning at 4 p.m., followed by the livestock auction. Come and enjoy the tradition of our community at the Archuleta County Fairgrounds.
For more information, visit www.archuletacountyfair.com.
