BY JEFF CHUDZINSKINorth Country This Week

CANTON -- The St. Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce will receive $15,000 for branded merchandise and local souvenirs to bolster tourism promotion efforts. 

County legislators approved the funding during the June 2 full board meeting. 

Officials said the funds will be used to procure local souvenirs and unique merchandise they hope visitors will purchase to commemorate their visit and experience in the county. 

"A line of branded merchandise specifically designed by St. Lawrence County artists will promote tourism brand for the County as well as supporting and promoting the local talent and artistry of the region," officials said. 

County officials said the funds will also help support local artists through the purchase of locally produced artwork and souvenirs, allowing the county store stock inventory and provide merchandise sales on site at the Visit STLC Visitor Center, as well as through an online store. 

Chamber officials said they hope the products will generate "a direct tourism-driven revenue stream to offset costs, which could potentially provide options to continue improving the investment in the visitor center to make it more sustainable for the County." 

County officials said they hope the efforts will continue to expand revenue generation through the exclusively licensed merchandise and hope to someday expand beyond "a single physical location" throughout the county, including various retail locations. 

Though the measure received no direct comments from legislators before being unanimously approved, Chairman David Forsythe did note he recently questioned chamber leaders regarding the analytics of the chamber's web traffic. 

"I wanted to know what the top three hits are, what people are looking for or searching for. As of today I still don't have an answer," Forsythe said. 

Despite not having that information, Forsythe said he would still vote in favor of the resolution. 

Chamber officials are gearing up for a busy summer, with numerous events scheduled for the next several months. 

Most recently, the chamber hosted their annual tourism dinner, awarding the Tourism Destination Marketing Award to the Seaway Visitor Center at Eisenhower Lock, a distinction that will be presented to Director Amy Stark and staff at the annual tourism dinner at the Freighthouse Restaurant.

The Best Western University Inn will also be awarded the Best to the Guest award.

Chamber Director Ben Dixon recently told Massena town board members sponsors were still being sought for a number of events this summer, including the following: 

• Car-B-Que on Saturday, June 21st, at Fort La Presentation in Ogdensburg.
• Business After Hours Networking event on June 24th, from 5-7pm at JJ’s on the River (Hosmer’s Marina business) in Ogdensburg. Additional Business After Hours events will be scheduled at various locations around the county.
• Massena Community-wide Garage Sales on June 28th & June 29th.
• Canton Community-wide Garage Sales Saturday August 2nd & Sunday August 3rd.
• Craft, Food & Wine Open Air Market on Saturday, September 20th, at the St. Lawrence Power & Equipment Museum in Madrid.
• Non-Profit Conference on Wednesday, September 17th, at the Best Western University Inn in Canton.
• Annual Dinner on Wednesday, October 22nd, at the GranView in Ogdensburg.
• Craft, Food & Wine Holiday Market – location and date to be determined.

“Chamber events, while just one element of our extensive programming, provide multiple benefits to our members, businesses, non-profit, service organizations, and communities of St. Lawrence County. Through them, we provide networking, exposure, education, commerce, tourism attraction, and quality of life opportunities," Dixon said.

For more information on these upcoming events or sponsorship opportunities, please contact Laura Pearson at Laura@slcchamber.org or 315-386-4000 ext. 6 or visit our website at: www.SLCChamber.org.