It’s the Vanilla Pig! The story begins here… On one hot summer day two women joined forces and found themselves dancing in the kitchen to 70s music. With flour in their hair and their moo-moos on, they laughed and became the “Sistas Yum Yum Treats”. This adventure lasted one Saturday. After selling all of their coffee cakes, they found themselves wanting to do more. So they decided to try their hand at crafting and give their inner creative side a way to bust out. After packing up the car with all of the crafts, they would travel to craft fairs and flea markets. This got old real fast and the quality of their crafts went unappreciated. Thinking out of the box, they began discussing the possibilities of finding a home for their lonely crafts. This would give them the opportunity to invite other local artists, and make one big happy family. It didn’t take too long for them to find that special place.

The “For Rent “sign jumped out at them and when they saw the little yellow cottage they knew that this was the beginning of what was going to be The Vanilla Pig. When entering The Vanilla Pig you are hit with a wonderful aroma and your eyes will wonder. They have over twenty local artists working with all different types of medium. There is quilting, glass work, knitted hats, copper jewelry, pottery, chocolates and much more. And let’s not forget that The Vanilla Pig has their crafted items for sale! Along with the Artsy stuff there is recycled house ware items, vintage ornaments and a lot more! At The Vanilla Pig their saying is “OINK FOR AN ARTIST”

Things move around and change at The Pig, it’s never a boring stop! The owners will take donations of house ware items such as small furniture, dishes etc. It’s also their practice TO BUY your stuff, because they are not a consignment shop. Artists and Crafters they welcome you to contact them; they are always looking for a unique, creative hand. However there might be times when they are not accepting merchandise. Please call and never just drop off items at their door. In January of 2012 The Vanilla Pig will be hosting workshops and Birthday parties.

The Vanilla Pig believes in supporting local non-profit agencies and charities. Every two months they will select a different organization to donate to. This month the chosen recipient is The Holy Trinity Food Pantry on Silver Lake Rd. in Dingmans Ferry. With the economy in the dumpster they have found themselves feeding 85 families which are about 350 people or more. It’s been very difficult for the pantry to service these families with all the government cut backs. The “donation Pig” is always in the store if you feel like helping out those in need this winter just stop by.

The dream has become a reality and the proprietors of The Vanilla Pig hope you enjoy their shop as much as they do. They want to throw out a special Thank you to all those who assisted in the creation of The Vanilla Pig! The Pike County Chamber of Commerce along with family and friends helped celebrate the Grand Opening last month and invites everyone to check out The Vanilla Pig is located at 1818 route 739, Dingmans Ferry, PA 18328, (570) 828-oink (6465). Email- thevanillapig@hotmail.com. You can also visit their facebook page.

GAIT TRC of Milford Celebrates New Logo

The Pike County Chamber of Commerce, supporters along with the staff of GAIT Therapeutic Riding Center located on Foster Hill in Milford, PA, unveiled the new sign with the new logo, Thursday, December 15th. Signs-on-Anything created this for GAIT TRC encompassing their new logo, name alteration, and affiliation with the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International organization, PATH Intl. The sign will be hung at the entrance of the GAIT facility.

The Executive Director and representatives from the Board of Directors, volunteers, staff, and horses were all present for the Pike County Chamber of Commerce as well as the Tri-state Chamber of Commerce, both of which GAIT TRC is a member, to help commemorate this day. This ends the celebrations of GAIT’s 16th year and begins the future of GAIT. These past 16 years have been challenging with moving horses and programs to Milford from Montague in 1998, the barn-destroying fire in 2005 and the purchasing of its current property in 2004. But through it all GAIT has sustained itself through grants, fundraisers, and donations from people who know that the horse can bring joy, organization, and a sense of freedom and independence to people with special needs.

As GAIT heads into its 17th year of operation in this area with its 9 horses, 3 instructors, 4 staff, 7-member board and over 100 (!) volunteers, we invite each of you to our Gala event coming up on September 22, 2012. Please watch for more information in the up-coming year. If you are interested in giving a year-end donation to GAIT, please contact us at 570-409-1140. Donations are tax-deductible. You may also visit our website, www.gaitpa.org and “like us” on facebook.

In the photo:

"Beau" is the name of the horse. His breed is a "paint horse".

People from Left to Right:

Gigi Kratzke, Administrative Assistant for GAIT; Sandy Stalter, GAIT TRC Board Member; Martha Dubensky, Executive Director and Founder of GAIT TRC; Jen Ewald, Volunteer;

Miriam Siegel, GAIT TRC Board Member and Treasurer; Deborah Fischer, GAIT TRC Board Member; Ed Walthall, Volunteer; Luisa Weinstein, GAIT TRC Board Member.

The Pike Chamber's Holiday Networking Party which is sponsored this year by Pike County Light & Power Company and will be held on December 15th at the Best Western Inn in Matamoras from 5:30p.m. to 7:30p.m. Cost is $5.00 for Pike Chamber members and $10.00 for non-members which include complimentary appetizers, cash bar, 50/50 raffle and door prizes. Everyone is welcome to bring your friends and business associates along with plenty of business cards and take advantage of this event to network your business, organization or upcoming event! You will have many chances to make new contacts and get more business no matter what industry you are in. Making those important face to face contacts at this festive holiday event is a powerful and affordable marketing technique that can help your business grow.

For further information contact the Chamber by e-mailing info@pikechamber.com or calling the Chamber office at 570-296-8700.

The Pike County Chamber of Commerce is excited to announce that a local business contacted the Chamber after seeing the initial article of the Holiday Ornament Event for kids in which the fee was suppose to be $7.00 per child. In keeping with spirit of the holiday season, James Campistrous of J-Angelo Event planning said they would sponsor the event so that every child that wanted to attend and make an ornament would be able to join the fun and parents wouldn't have to worry about another cost involved! The Chamber is very grateful to J-Angelo Event Planning for this generous sponsorship.

The Women in Business Committee of the Chamber is holding the Holiday Ornament Decorating event on Sunday, December 18th from 2:00p.m. to 4:00p.m. at the Best Western Inn in Matamoras. Thanks to J-Angelo Event Planning, all children can attend for FREE and can come into the festive atmosphere of holiday music and decorations, pick out a pre-made ornament and decorate it anyway they wish with the assortment of crafty ideas. Parents, Grandparents, Aunts or Uncles can now take a little time out of their busy holiday schedules and make the little ones feel special while crafting an ornament for their own tree or as a gift! The kids can sing along to their holiday favorites while doing their craft, having milk and cookies and then while their project is drying, they can sit and visit with Santa to let him know how good they've been all year and take pictures before they go! Reservations are suggested. Also collecting donations of new hats, gloves, scarves and socks for local kids in need.

For further information contact the Chamber by e-mailing info@pikechamber.com or calling the Chamber office at 570-296-8700.

The Pike County Chamber of Commerce would like to announce the upcoming Holiday Events for the month of December that are all open to the public.

The Annual Festival of Lights which is co-sponsored by the Milford Business Council & the Milford Lions Club will kick off the festivities on Saturday, December 3rd at 5:00p.m. on the front lawn of the Pike County Public Library and The Community House at the light in Milford. A celebration of everyone in the community will include refreshments, caroling, glow sticks for the kids as well as the historic lighting of the star on the Knob and the community tree. The grand finale will be the arrival of Santa on one of Milford's finest fire trucks along with a very cool team of reindeer. Afterwards, you can walk the town and visit the live nativity at the First Presbyterian Church and stop in the many shops & restaurants that will remain open late.

The Pike Chamber's Holiday Networking Party which is sponsored this year by Pike County Light & Power Company will be held on December 15th at the Best Western Inn in Matamoras from 5:30p.m. to 7:30p.m. Cost is $5.00 for Pike Chamber members and $10.00 for non-members which include complimentary appetizers, cash bar, 50/50 raffle and door prizes. Everyone is welcome to bring your friends and business associates along with plenty of business cards and take advantage of this event to network your business, organization or upcoming event! You will have many chances to make new contacts and get more business no matter what industry you are in. Making those important face to face contacts at this festive holiday event is a powerful and affordable marketing technique that can help your business grow.

And not to forget the little ones, the Women in Business Committee of the Chamber is holding a Holiday Ornament Decorating event on Sunday, December 18th from 2:00p.m. to 4:00p.m. at the Best Western Inn in Matamoras. For $7.00 per child, the children can come into the festive atmosphere of holiday music and decorations, pick out a pre-made ornament and decorate itanyway they wish with the assortment of crafty ideas. This could maybe be a nice outing with Grandma & Grandpa & the kids can sing along to their holiday favorites while doing their craft, having milk and cookies and then while their project is drying, they can sit and visit with Santa to let him know how good they've been all year and take pictures before they go! Reservations are suggested. Also collecting donations of new hats, gloves, scarves and socks for local kids in need.

For further information contact the Chamber by e-mailing info@pikechamber.com or calling the Chamber office at 570-296-8700

The Pike County Chamber of Commerce held its 17th Annual Community Awards Banquet on Wednesday, November 2nd at The Best Western Inn in Matamoras. It was hosted by the Pike County Chamber in partnership with the Service Organizations throughout the area.

Ten non-profit organizations were on hand to honor their own and to showcase their commitments toward the worthwhile work that each does in our community. The following people were honored: Kelly Paddock at Center for Developmental Disabilities, Marie Horsfield at Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice, Alice-Jane Loewrigkeit at the Milford Garden Club, Kim & Tim Smith at Milford-Matamoras Rotary Club, Laurie Hollenbeck at Milford Senior Care & Rehab Center, Jeffrey Wright at Pike County Advanced Life Support, Pat & Bill Crane at the Pike County Area Agency on Aging, Rosalyn Moon at Pike County Developmental Center, Robert Rohner, Jr. at Pike County Public Library and Rhoda Barr at Wayne/Pike Adult Literacy Agency.

The Pike County Chamber itself presented three awards: Chamber Director of the Year to Mrs. Philly Viscardo of Dingman Delaware Insurance Agency, Outstanding Business of the Year to Pike County Light & Power Company and Outstanding Volunteer of the Year to Mr. Paul Brislin.

The Chamber wishes to thank Art Ridley, Carol & Peter Markwalter and Zorianna and her staff at The Best Western Inn who helped make this another successful Chamber event. If you wish to learn more about the honorees and their organizations, please contact the Chamber office at (570) 296-8700 for the program booklet that was handed out that evening.