By Justin Aufdermauer
Executive Director
Happy thanksgiving everyone! I hope you have a wonderful day planned to enjoy all there is to be grateful for. In my house that definitely means enjoying a turkey dinner and spending quality time with family.
We have another tradition here in Tillamook that happens the Saturday after Thanksgiving called Small Business Saturday. This nationwide movement encourages folks on the day after Black Friday to shop small when doing their Christmas shopping. Our downtown district has really taken this concept and run with it, and all over town on Saturday you’ll find great deals and a full day of family friendly events.
The Chamber has helped coordinate and market these events to encourage participation. Here is a quick rundown of events taking place this Saturday:
Gingerbread House Building Competition at YoTime: Join Yo Time and friends this Small Business Saturday for the second annual Gingerbread House Building Competition! This was so fun last year that YoTime is more than excited to be hosting it again. Teams of four-ish (more or less, no big deal) are invited to register for the competition ahead of time. Each team is asked to bring $10 or a gently used sleeping bag, tent or tarp as an entry fee, which will be donated to CARE to assist folks in need this winter. Basic gingerbread house building supplies will be provided, but teams are encouraged to be creative and are welcome to bring their own supplies for personal touches. Teams are asked to arrive at 1 p.m. on Saturday, and the contest will kick off at 1:15. The building window will last 45 minutes, at which point a winner will be determined by audience applause.
Cooking Decorating at the Social House Cafe: The Social House Cafe has been under a renaissance of late, and this is an opportunity to check out the new direction of the familiar restaurant if you haven’t already. The cookie decorating will be happening all day, and promises to be fun  – and delicious – for the entire family.
Letters to Santa at The Dutch Mill: The only thing better than getting your requests in to the Big Guy before the Big Day is getting a complimentary ice cream cone! Children are invited all day to come write and mail their letters to Santa (The Dutch Mill will have a mailbox on hand that ships directly to the North Pole) and they’ll get a free ice cream cone for participating. Plus, rumor has it they’ll have some food specials that day as well so this might make a good stop for lunch.
Holiday Pop Up Market on Third and Main: The Tillamook Revitalization Association is hosting a holiday pop-up market inside the Beals Building on the corner of Third and Main from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday. They will have vendors (some of which you haven’t seen since the Tillamook Farmers Market) selling all kinds of hand-made, locally crafted goods that make perfect Christmas gifts for family, friends or yourself.
Wreath Fundraiser on  Second Street Plaza: Tillamook Early Learning Center is having their second annual wreath sale fundraiser, and is teaming up with Small Business Saturday! Pre-order your local handcrafted wreath ahead of time for pick up by contacting TELC Board CHair Julie Hurliman at (503) 913-3869 or jahurliman@msn.com. There will be a limited number of these beauties for sale on SBS, but you’ll want to stop by and scoop yours up early if you don’t get a chance to pre-order.
Brunch and Bloody Mary Bar at Pacific Restaurant: Chefs Nelia and Phil have begun plotting what will be guaranteed to be a memorable meal – just what you need to gear up for a lovely day in downtown Tillamook! Reservations are not required; stop by anytime between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m  for a world class buffet and a tour of the Bloody Mary Bar. Pacific Restaurant will also be offering an all day special on gift cards: purchase a $100 gift card for only $80 (not valid to use on Small Business Saturday).
We hope you’ll come downtown and join us downtown to support these establishments and start the Christmas shopping season off right. It’s also the perfect opportunity to enjoy our new sidewalks, parking spaces, landscaping and wonderful new curb appeal of downtown.
To make sure you are in shape for a full day of shopping after the big feast, be sure to join Tillamook Motor Company at the corner of Fifth & Main for the annual Tillamook Ford Turkey Trot on Friday the 23rd ! Walkers will travel down 5th to Carnahan Park and back. The trot starts at 9 a.m. with an entry fee of one can of food (or more) that will benefit the Tillamook County Food Bank.
These events and more information about activities, specials and sales on Small Business Saturday are available on the Tillamook County Small Business Saturday Facebook page, or contact our Downtown Event Coordinator, Sierra, at sierra@tillamookchamber.org