This month’s mixer was hosted by the great people at The Monthly Grapevine!

After enjoying the ambiance of the La Grande Event Center, visitors, Chamber members, local business people and residents were able to enjoy eating together and networking.  Then the raffle began and things got really interesting! It was an extremely popular event, with attendance reaching past the 80 to make it one of the year’s biggest mixers.

This month’s mixer was also sponsored by the Oakley Chamber Corporate Sponsors Cutino’s Tire Center & Feed Supply, the Oakley Grocery Outlet, the Oakley Press and Ridgewater Real Estate. Hosting an Oakley Chamber of Commerce Mixer is a great way to showcase your business and services to Oakley Chamber members, local dignitaries, invited guests, your clientele and people interested in joining the Chamber. Mixers are open to the public to increase visibility to the wider community. Mixers are an important social link for local area businesses.

The October 2013 Oakley Chamber Mixer at Ironhouse Sanitary District started with a facility tour for those who hadn’t seen the fascinating combination of drums, aeration pools, filters, and UV rays that produce industrial grade water from Oakley’s sewers. See this post for more details on ISD’s facility.

Some members had difficulty finding the main entrance to the facility, due to the fact that the official address is on Walnut Meadows Road, where you normally find a closed gate and a sign saying “Enter on Main Street.” To get to Ironhouse, you need to drive East on Main Street and make a left on Oakley Road just after Rose Ave. Next time we hold an event there, we promise to include the map above.

In spite of the fact that some people had to drive around for a while because their GPS or phone insisted on taking them to the back entrance, the event was well-attended. The Ironhouse board was represented by Doug Scheer, Mike Painter, and David Contreras, with Tom Williams playing host. Tom showed off the latest industry award that Ironhouse had received, and also demonstrated that although “flushable” wipes will flush, they don’t break down, so they cause no end of problems in sewer systems and in the wastewater treatment plan.

Roni Gehlke represented the Delta Science Center and promoted the Fish Tales fundraiser, for which David Contreras donated a ticket to be raffled off. (Your Humble Correspondent had a pre-existing commitment and couldn’t make it, which is a pity–I would have enjoyed hearing Chris Lauritzen, Bill Atthowe and Bob Atthowe tell stories about the history of the Delta.)

Erica Rodriguez-Langley came to represent Assemblymember Jim Frazier, who donated a bottle of wine to the raffle. (Susan Morgan was the lucky winner.)

For once Steve Harland of Good Scents Florist did not take home all the raffle prizes; they were fairly evenly distributed among those who bought raffle tickets.

Others present include Larry and Sabrina Jones from Larry Jones Doors, Jimmy and Brenda d’Amico from Black Bear Diner, Helen Raoufian from Travis Credit Union, Diane Lasher from Di’s Impressions, Simeon from Transamerica, Jake Barrit from DMR Reporting, Dr. Kristin Mattingly from Oakley Chiropractic, Darci Bowen from Sutter Delta, Dr. Margaret Stahler from Madrona Naturopathic Healthcare, and Lindy Beasley, representing Delta Living Magazine and new member Get2Work Staffing.

The September 2013 Oakley Chamber mixer took place in the healing garden at Sutter Delta, the employer of board member Darci Bowen. Sutter provided an impressive spread, and Cindy Thomas of Wine Shop at Home was on hand to serve the wine.

In addition to several of Darci’s colleagues from Sutter (including the woman responsible for the amazing raffle prizes), there were guests from the Oakley Press, the Monthly Grapevine, ECC Bank, Shadow Lakes Golf Club, Madrona Naturopathic, and Scruffy Dog Productions. Chamber board members Diane Lasher, Sallie Goetsch, Stefan Didak, Wendy Lou Turner, and Kristin Mattingly were also present.

The parking spaces have started to fill up at Oakley Executive RV & Boat Storage since the June 29th ribbon cutting, but there’s still plenty of space for anyone who needs secure covered storage for a boat or RV in Oakley. We got to see the security cameras in action (though the motion sensors don’t go into action until after closing time), and everyone who hadn’t yet had the grand tour had a chance to tour Bob Hayworth’s beautiful facility.

There were more than twenty people in attendance, including both long-time and prospective members. Mayor Kevin Romick dropped in briefly at the beginning, but wasn’t able to stay. Travis Credit Union‘s Helen Raoufian brought her manager, and Judy Hester brought a guest. Both Fred Ginsler and Greg Robinson attended on behalf of the Press. Tom Williams from Ironhouse Sanitary District generously purchased the wine from Cindy Thomas of Wine Shop at Home on behalf of the Chamber. Board member Darci Bowen brought the usual enormous raffle prize from Sutter Delta. Both Wendy Lou Turner of Glow Wellness and Dr. Margaret Stahler of Madrona Naturopathic Healthcare mentioned Dr. Oz. Dr. Kristin Mattingly of Oakley Chiropractic had to leave early, but the raffle prizes she contributed were welcome. Chamber director Shirley Darling had good news about the Oakley Seniors. Larry Jones and his wife Sabrina contributed some nice raffle prizes, and Roger Strauss of SDG Architects was vibrant in bright orange. As usual, board member Stefan Didak took the photos and Chamber president Sallie Goetsch attempted to herd the cats.

It took a bit of effort to persuade everyone to go upstairs where the food (provided by La Costa) was being kept warm in the kitchen, but we relocated the raffle prizes and Cindy Thomas brought the wine up as well. The raffle was a great success, with several of Oakley Executive’s employees, particularly Liz, winning prizes–enough for a party, in fact.

Jane Crockett provided the best line of the night, when twitted about her pronunciation of the word “almond.”

“So what’s the difference between an ‘ahhlmond’ and an ‘a-mond’?” asked Fred Ginsler of the Press.

“Well,” Jane answered, “Kenny always said that they’re almonds on the tree, but when you harvest them, you knock the ‘ell out of them.”