I hope everyone is surviving the cold snap today!  Thanksgiving is in a couple of weeks and Christmas follows right behind.  I know Christmas season has already started for the retail businesses and I hope your open houses all went well.   Our November monthly Board meeting was last night and below are the highlights:   We are donating $500 to Christmas Wishes and the Salvation Army.   For Giving Tuesday (December 2nd) we are going to guarantee a total of $250 to the following member non-profits, B&GCNN, Richmond County Family YMCA, Healthy Harvest Food Bank, JArt, and Menokin.  When our Facebook post goes up announcing the donations, if the post gets over 200 shares, we will add an additional $250 to each non-profit.  The Haven & Garfields received $250 during the Christmas in July Grant, but will be included in the additional funds.  We hope that some of our businesses are willing to help our member non-profits as well this holiday season!   We are still planning our December Annual Meeting.  As soon as we have confirmed plans, we will let you know.   Our Speaker Series starts back up in February 2026 with NNK Tax & Acccounting, Glen Sydnor, to update us on important information you need to know about this year's tax season.  As soon as we have finalized plans, we will let you know!   SHOP LOCAL & WIN- please make sure to respond to the Shop Local & Win Participation survey no later than Monday, November 17th.  We would like to make sure everyone that wants to participate is included. https://forms.gle/FXsmfCSwnGxCfQSv7   Christmas Decorating Contest registration is due by December 11th!  Judging for homes & businesses is December 12th.  Enter for free today at:  https://www.wrccoc.com/christmas-decorating   If you are interested in joining our Board for 2026, please reach out.   Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.   Sara Carroll President WRCCOC

Congratulations to John Vontano for winning the People's Choice Award with over 100 likes on his Mustang's picture!

Happy Fall Ya'll!  October has been a whirlwind month!  We are so thankful to all of our members and sponsors that supported us through Warsaw Fest 2025.  It was the smoothest event I have run over the past 10ish years.  We really couldn't do it without all of you!   Here is a run down of our meeting last night...  We approved a $500 sponsorship for Christmas Town   We have begun planning our December Annual Meeting.  Please mark your calendars for December 8 th  at 6pm.  Location is still yet to be determined.   We are excited to be up to 70 Members for 2025!  Every year our membership grows, which helps us to keep this going.  We are thankful to each of you for your contributions!   We went over the budget for Warsaw Fest 2025 and we are happy to announce that this year was a success.  We didn't see as much turn out due to the weather, but it didn't keep everyone away.  We are praying for a sunny day next year!  A big shout out to the RHS Beta Club and the CBGS students for coming out in full force this year and helping!  We are donating $100 to each organization!   Shop Local and Win is coming up Nov 24th – Dec 19th and we want to thank YOU for being a Warsaw-Richmond County Chamber Member this holiday season.  This year, we plan on giving away $25 gift certificates good at any participating business through our Facebook contest featuring Richie the Elf.  This program would be similar to County Bucks.  You will turn in gift certificates you received to the Chamber and we will send you a check for the total amount.  The certificates would be good through March 2025 and you will be able to submit the certificates for payments up to 3 times during that period.  Specific details on reimbursement will be emailed to those that agree to participate. Shoppers will present the coupons when paying.  Spends like cash on goods and services, with NO change given if the full value is not spent.  It has no "cash back" value. We hope you will participate this year! Please click on this link to let us know if you would like to participate. https://forms.gle/rc4g8CNmw7etxeQ97     We are gearing up for the Christmas Decorating Contest as well.  So start planning your decorations so you can win!  Business entries win a free membership to the Chamber for 2026 and we are still discussing what we will give to Residential winners!  As soon as we have our registration up and online, we will share all the details!   We received a request from Mr. Bruce Callis Jr regarding the weather station that used to be operational in Warsaw and how we can get it back to be operational so we can get on the TV weather maps.  We are going to do some reaching out to find out more information!   Just a reminder that Main Street Program is hosting Trunk or Treat on Friday, Oct 31st.  If you need more information, contact them at wrcmsp@gmail.com   Thank you to Lieutenant B. M. Radden for attending the meeting last night.   We are looking for a couple of new Board Members and all it takes is at bare minimum and hour each month to attend our meetings.  Please consider coming out and joining the Board to help support our local community and businesses!   As always have a wonderful month!  If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to reach out.   Sara Carroll President WRCCOC

We apologize for the delay in the Baby & Beauty Pageant Winners Official Announcement. The list got mixed into our left-over Warsaw Fest Guides and we didn't find it until yesterday evening. We are just so happy that it didn't get thrown away by accident! Congratulations to all the winners! 0-6 Mo Girls 1. Idabelle Snellings 2. LakeLynn Blackwell 0-6 Mo Boys 1. Chosyn Phipps 2. James Uphold 3. Leopoldo Beltran 7-12 Mo Girls 1. Ezra Lynae’ Comer 2. Sydney Lousie Carroll 3. Madelyn Meany 7-12 Mo Boys 1. Jackson Morse 2. Jaylen Bryce Hence 3. Dax Jenkins 13-18 Mo Girls 1. Raelyn LaRochelle 2. Hadleigh Sams 3. Everly Morris Honorable Mention- Alexis Sharpe 13-18 Mo Boys 1. Tyler Fisher 2. Aries Martinez 3. Kayden Taylor 19-24 Mo Girls 1. Judith Greifzu 2. Thyri Carey 3. Novah Sandy Honorable Mention- Everly Thompson 19-24 Mo Boys 1. River Simpson 25-35 Mo Girls 1. Norielle Sumiel 2. Wynter Phipps 3. Bailey Rubinchak Honorable Mentions: Kenzie Doublin & Paisley Wright 25-35 Mo Boys 1. Khylo Moore 3-4 YR Girls 1. Kinsley Mae White 2. Kai Reign Elmore 3. Eliana Rae Byrd 3-4 Yr Boys 1. Jaxen Isaac Day 5-6 Yr Girls 1. Nellie Chatham 2. Debbie Ahava 3. Daisy Bynum 5-6 Yr Boys 1. Grayson Alexander Carroll 7-9 YR Girls 1. Khloe Hayes 2. Quinn Ball 3. Bethany Oakes

We are so thankful to those that entered into the parade! We know the weather wasn't the best but it was mostly dry! We hope that next year we have more entries, it is free to enter! Below are the Winners of our Warsaw Fest 2025 Parade. Please contact us to arrange pick up of your trophy! Grand Marshall’s Award: Best Presentation of Theme Westmoreland State Parks Mayor’s Award: Best Non-Commercial Entry April's Little Blessing Childcare Judge’s Award: Best Overall Entry April's Little Blessing Childcare Chamber of Commerce Award: Best Commercial Entry C &F Bank Youth Award: Best Youth Entry Showtime MMA Marching Bands 1st Place: Lancaster High School 2nd Place: Rappahannock High School Best Appearing Fire Department Richmond County Volunteer Fire Department Engine 1

We are excited to officially announce our September After Hours. Make sure to RSVP so we can make sure we have enough crabs and all the fixings. The only thing we ask is that you bring your own beverage of choice and your appetite! Please RSVP at this link: https://forms.gle/ytCBANraqKYXm4p1A We are excited to have the team from Virginia Clean Cities to join us and tell us about the project they are working on with Bay Transit and Dominion.

School has begun and summer is winding down.  Our August Meeting was a productive one!  We had no donation requests this month.  We have penciled in Friday, September 19 th  as the date for our After Hours Networking Event.  We will be sending out invitations shortly!   We are super excited about our new Speaker Series.  Deborah Newman is going to be speaking about Social Media and Networking.  We are meeting at Big City Chuckwagon on Monday, August 18 th  at 6pm.  The cost is $15 at the door, which includes dinner.  Please register to attend: http://bit.ly/46bVaZp   Warsaw Fest 2025 is moving along smoothly.  We are less than 2 months away from the big day!  We will be sending out last minute sponsorship and vendor forms to those that haven't signed up yet.  The online registration links for the Parade, Baby & Beauty Pageant, and Car & Truck Show are now live.  www.wrccoc.com/warsaw-fest   We are still looking for submissions for our Warsaw Fest 2025 Guide Book Photo Contest.  Please enter here: https://www.wrccoc.com/guide-book   We are also still looking for volunteers to help the day of Warsaw Fest.  Many hands make light work!  If you have a few hours of time that day, please click here to sign up.  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ICz0OVUWe1kwq1fwAcwqen6AZCVMNqADqr0tNuGZSlc/edit?usp=sharing   And... drumroll please... what everyone has been waiting for, the winners of the Christmas in July Grants We had to make some tough decisions.  We had 9 entries.  3 were non-profits that we will be reaching out to about Giving Tuesday in November. 4 will be receiving $250 Garfield's Rescue, Inc for a new commercial grade washer/dryer The Haven Shelter & Services, Inc- Shoppe for Haven's Sake for barricades & signage The Beauty Bungalow, LLC for a hydrodermabrasion machine Relish Restaurant & Wine Bar for a new sign for Meads on Main 2 will be receiving $500 I Spy Kids Boutique & Consignments for their interior renovation Feather Your Nest for awnings & signs We want to thank everyone that applied and we hope that next year we can give away some more grants to help our members!     We continue to look for new Board Members.  If you are interested in joining us, please reach out!   Our next monthly Board Meeting and FINAL Warsaw Fest 2025 Planning meeting will be September 8th.   Have a great August!   Sara Carroll President WRCCOC

We hope everyone had a wonderful 4 th  of July!  Next year commemorates the 250 th  Anniversary of America and we might have some ideas brewing!   Our Board Meeting went smoothly Monday-   We approved a $250 Sponsorship for Garfield's Rescue event coming up   We set a tentative date of September 19 th  for our September After Hours Networking Event/Crab Feast!   We’re excited to announce the launch of our new Speaker Series on August 18th at Big City Chuckwagon! Join us for an inspiring session with Deborah Newman as she shares powerful insights on leveraging social media and networking to grow your business.  This incredible training is open to everyone—just RSVP to reserve your spot.  The event is $15/person- includes pizza and a beverage  (please note: adult beverages will not be available).  Click on the link for more details and to register:  http://bit.ly/46bVaZp We continue to accept Christmas in July Grant applications.  Only members can apply, click the link for all the details and to register.  Christmas in July | Warsaw-Richmond County Chamber of Commerce We gave away 2 family 4 packs of Richmond County Fair entry tickets on Facebook.  Kayla Ward and Jackie Hinson won! Patrick filled us in on the VA Chamber Right to Work Advocacy group that is forming.  If you are interested in helping to support the continuation of the Right to Work in Virginia, please reach out to us and we can get you  more information on how you an get involved! Warsaw Fest 2025 planning is moving along!  We want to thank everyone that has already sponsored Warsaw Fest 2025!  If you haven't yet completed your membership or sponsorship, please click on the corresponding links below: Join or Renew Now | Warsaw-Richmond County Chamber of Commerce   Sponsorship Opportunities | Warsaw-Richmond County Chamber of Commerce   We have finalized the Warsaw Fest "map" and letters will be going out to businesses & residents on Main St, Belle Ville Ln, and Hamilton Blvd regarding street closures shortly.   We are looking for volunteers to help the day of Warsaw Fest (Saturday, October 11, 2025).  We have created a Google Sheet to sign up for a "job" and a time to help.  We need help with the Chamber Tent, Kids Zone, Judging the Pageant & the Parade, and monitoring Trash.  Please consider signing up for at least 1 shift.  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ICz0OVUWe1kwq1fwAcwqen6AZCVMNqADqr0tNuGZSlc/edit?usp=sharing We have released a photo contest for the front page of the Warsaw Fest 2025 Guide.  We would like to ask you to submit a photo you have taken of the Warsaw or Richmond County community.  It needs to be a picture that captures the essence of our community.  The photo must be vertical in layout.  Submissions will be accepted at the link until September 1, 2025.  https://www.wrccoc.com/guide-book   The winning photo will be featured as the cover photo and the photographer will get a short bio in the guide. We want to thank Brittany Claybourne from the Haven for joining us at our Board & Warsaw Fest meeting!  Our Meetings are open to members or potential members to come and see what we do!  We would love to have you there!  We are still looking for 3 people to join our Board!   Our next Board & Warsaw Fest meeting will be August 11th, 6pm, at Town Hall   Have a wonderful month!   Sara Carroll President WRCCOC

Precision Glass & More, LLC. began in 2010.  Sally Pitts and her husband decided to open their own glass shop. At the time, Sally had almost 18 years of experience, with a current total of 33 years of experience.  Her husband, David, had 10 years of experience with a current total of 25 years of experience. Sally started her business with very little working capital and has grown it into a successful shop.  She worked in the current building under the leadership of Jimmy Poates who taught her the glass industry. He sold Warsaw Glass during a time that she was in another career after a difficult loss of our daughter. In 2011, Jimmy approached her after the new owner vacated the building and asked if I was interested in purchasing the building. To make a long story short he worked with them to purchase the building, and they moved back to where everything began for Sally. Sally and David live in Richmond County where she has lived her entire life.  In her words, “I will say that hard work does pay off. It certainly is not always easy but if you work hard, you can achieve goals that you didn’t think possible.”

We had a great time Monday night at our June After Hours Networking. A huge shout out to Old Rappahannock Brewing Company for the amazing pizza and beverages! We can't wait to share all of our exciting news about upcoming events!

Happy June!  We hope that your summer is starting off great.   WRC Chamber of Commerce Board Meeting:  We approved a donation to the Northern Neck Arts Festival of $300.  The Festival is this weekend at the Belleville home.  For more information click on the link!  Northern Neck Fine Arts Festival | Warsaw, Virgina | Art Festival      Our June Networking Event will be held Monday, June 16th at the Old Rappahannock Brewery.  If you haven't already please RSVP at:  https://forms.gle/XvZzDkQrQ5wG25VP8 We are super excited to be starting a new Speaker series to be held in August.  Our Board wants to provide information you need to improve your business!  For our first speaker, we have lined up Deborah Newman of Petit Taway, Inc. to help our members with ways to improve your online presence.  Dinner will be available for a fee.  This will be a member only event.  Once we have the final details, we will email our members an invite. We can't wait to provide this great resource.   The Town of Warsaw Council meeting is Thursday, June 12th.  The agenda has been posted on their Facebook page.  https://www.facebook.com/townofwarsawva   We have decided to totally change how we do Christmas in July  this year.  We want to focus on our members and what you need.  We are going to roll out our Christmas in July Grant  program.  We are going to be offering up to $2000 in matching grant funding to members for related business "improvement" expenses (furniture, equipment, signage, etc), excluding payroll and operating expenses (utilities, rent/mortgage, etc).  We will send out a link to apply for the Christmas in July Grant  with more details by the end of June.  The grant will be open for applications from July 1, 2025 thru July 31, 2025.  Grant winners will be chosen at the WRC Chamber of Commerce Board meeting in August.   Warsaw Fest 2025 Planning Meeting:   Planning is moving along!  We want to thank everyone that has already sponsored Warsaw Fest 2025!  If you haven't yet completed your membership or sponsorship, please click on the corresponding links below: Join or Renew Now | Warsaw-Richmond County Chamber of Commerce   Sponsorship Opportunities | Warsaw-Richmond County Chamber of Commerce   We are going to be releasing a photo contest for the front page of the Warsaw Fest 2025 Guide.  Please be on the lookout for that information on Facebook!   We are looking for volunteers to help the day of Warsaw Fest (Saturday, October 11, 2025).  We have created a Google Sheet to sign up for a "job" and a time to help.  We need help with the Chamber Tent, Kids Zone, Judging the Pageant & the Parade, and monitoring Trash.  Please consider signing up for at least 1 shift.  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ICz0OVUWe1kwq1fwAcwqen6AZCVMNqADqr0tNuGZSlc/edit?usp=sharing   I want to thank Mr. Charles Spivey for joining us at the Chamber meeting.  We want to invite everyone to come and join us at a meeting.  The more voices we have the more we can grow!  As always, if you have any questions or concern, please let me know.   Have a wonderful day!   Sara Carroll President WRCCOC

Pictured Left to Right- Connie Rosemont, Executive Director for Menokin and Sara Carroll, President WRCCoC ​ Menokin is the site of a historic ruin and a 500 acre park with public trails and kayaking, located on the ancestral homelands of the Rappahannock Tribe in Warsaw, VA. This National Historic Landmark was the home of Francis Lightfoot Lee, signer of the Declaration of Independence. It was also the home of many enslaved people who's descendants are now part the Menokin Descendant Collective. We are currently preserving the 1769 manor house, that has fallen in ruin, in a unique way by supporting the missing portion with glass walls. ​ In addition, we are a Chesapeake Bay Gateway, a part of the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail, and members of the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience, Blue Star Museums, and Museums For All.