Leadership with the Lunenburg Chamber of Commerce have taken a different route for its August meeting, one that is set to bring more community members, more businesses together.

On Monday, Aug. 26, the chamber will meet at Rosewood Café and Tearoom to hold an evening social. The event will have hors d’oeuvre, tea and water free of charge, and adult beverages that can be purchased separately.

Whatever business could take place will be brief in favor of a more casual event where business owners, chamber members and other community members can connect.

Chamber Secretary Ashley Sweitzer described the upcoming social as an opportunity to mingle. It’s different from the regular meetings, held the last Thursday of the month at noon. Sweitzer said the new time and venue is meant to yield new chances to reach different businesses.

“We’re really excited about this, and we hope that it’s going to be a good turnout,” Sweitzer said.

If you’re a business owner and haven’t attended chamber meetings in the past, this could be a great way to connect with businesses in a more relaxed setting. Maybe you’re a prospective business owner, or have wanted to learn more about a certain industry, such as running a restaurant, a clothing store or working for a particular organization.

This social could be a great way to step in someone’s shoes, to gain important knowledge about the industries, to get to know area businesses owners and put faces, experiences to names.

I commend Sweitzer for organizing the social and creating a new event with the goal to connect with the community.

Look out for the Lunenburg Chamber of Commerce. In addition to hosting the Little Roy & Lizzie Show and sponsoring the July 4 parade in Kenbridge among other events, its members and leadership offers a lot of support to area businesses. The monthly lunch meetings with guest speakers are excellent, also.

Emily Hollingsworth is a staff reporter for The Kenbridge-Victoria Dispatch and Farmville Newsmedia LLC. Her email address is Emily.Hollingsworth@ KVDispatch.com.