Win $6,500 in Chamber Bucks
Passport to Christmas Returns November 17 with $6,500 in Chamber Bucks
Passport to Christmas returns November 17 to December 24, 2026, giving shoppers a chance to win prizes while supporting participating businesses in Bentley, Blackfalds, Clive, Eckville, Lacombe, and Lacombe County.
This year, the Lacombe & District Chamber of Commerce is moving the program to the Open Rewards app. The change reduces paper waste and speeds up the process at the till, while keeping the same purpose: encouraging people to do their Christmas shopping close to home.
How to participate
Download the Open Rewards app and set up your account before the program begins. When you shop at a participating business, record your purchase in the app and have the business verify it with their digital stamp. You can also submit a photo of your receipt through the app.
Every $300 in eligible purchases earns one entry into the prize draw. Your purchases can add up across participating businesses, and you can earn multiple entries throughout the program.
Six shoppers will win Chamber Bucks:
- $2,500
- $1,500
- $1,000
- $750
- $500
- $250
Chamber Bucks can be spent at participating businesses, keeping those prize dollars in our local economy.
No smartphone? You can still participate
You don’t need to own a smartphone to take part. Save your receipts from participating businesses and ask a friend or family member to help submit them, or bring them to the Chamber office for assistance. Call us at 403-782-4300 before stopping by so we can make sure someone is available to help.
We encourage shoppers to download the app before November 17 so they’re ready for their first purchase. Watch our website for the participating business list and program updates.
Win $6,500 in Chamber Bucks
Passport to Christmas Returns November 17 with $6,500 in Chamber Bucks
Passport to Christmas returns November 17 to December 24, 2026, giving shoppers a chance to win prizes while supporting participating businesses in Bentley, Blackfalds, Clive, Eckville, Lacombe, and Lacombe County.
This year, the Lacombe & District Chamber of Commerce is moving the program to the Open Rewards app. The change reduces paper waste and speeds up the process at the till, while keeping the same purpose: encouraging people to do their Christmas shopping close to home.
How to participate
Download the Open Rewards app and set up your account before the program begins. When you shop at a participating business, record your purchase in the app and have the business verify it with their digital stamp. You can also submit a photo of your receipt through the app.
Every $300 in eligible purchases earns one entry into the prize draw. Your purchases can add up across participating businesses, and you can earn multiple entries throughout the program.
Six shoppers will win Chamber Bucks:
- $2,500
- $1,500
- $1,000
- $750
- $500
- $250
Chamber Bucks can be spent at participating businesses, keeping those prize dollars in our local economy.
No smartphone? You can still participate
You don’t need to own a smartphone to take part. Save your receipts from participating businesses and ask a friend or family member to help submit them, or bring them to the Chamber office for assistance. Call us at 403-782-4300 before stopping by so we can make sure someone is available to help.
We encourage shoppers to download the app before November 17 so they’re ready for their first purchase. Watch our website for the participating business list and program updates.
Spotlight on Tuscany Group Travel Promotion
We’re going to Tuscany in 2027, and you’re invited!
The Lacombe & District Chamber of Commerce has partnered with Shelley’s Sun & Sand Travel and Collette Travel for a group trip to
Tuscany, Italy, October 26 to November 3, 2027.
This 9-day trip gives you one home base in the Tuscan spa town of Montecatini Terme for seven nights, so you can unpack, settle in and
explore Tuscany without changing hotels every couple of days.
The itinerary includes Florence, Pisa, Lucca and San Gimignano, along with a visit to a family-owned winery, a cooking class and a cheese
farm.
Trip highlights include:
• 9 days in Italy
• 7 nights in Montecatini Terme
• Florence and Pisa
• Medieval Lucca
• San Gimignano
• Family-owned winery experience
• Italian cooking class
• Cheese farm visit
• 10 included meals
Dates: October 26 – November 3, 2027
Pricing: From CA$7,099 per person
This trip is open to anyone who would like to travel with the group. You do not need to be a Chamber member.
Shelley Cota with Shelley’s Sun & Sand Travel is our local contact for questions and bookings.
403-350-3259
shelley@sunandsandtravel.ca
See the full itinerary, pricing and trip details through Collette:
https://groups.gocollette.com/en-US/link/1461839
Booking #1461839
What Does the Lacombe & District Chamber Actually Do?
We get asked this more often than you might think.
What does the Chamber actually do?
People see our events. The Lacombe Trade Show is hard to miss, and so are the Business Awards Galas. You may have been to one of our
breakfasts, luncheons or Business After 5 events.
Those are the public parts of the Chamber. A lot of our work is much less visible.
Our phone rings with all kinds of questions.
A business owner is looking for a grant they heard about. Someone wants to open a business but doesn't know where to start. A company needs a
local service and asks if we know anyone. A member has run into an issue with a policy and isn't sure who to talk to.
Sometimes we know the answer. Sometimes we don't. If we don't, we'll try to find the person who does.
We spend quite a bit of time making introductions. After working with businesses throughout the area, you get to know who does what. When
someone calls looking for an accountant, caterer, contractor, marketing company or another service, we can often point them toward a local
Chamber member.
The same thing happens at our events, just without us making the introduction.
We host breakfasts and luncheons because it gives people a chance to meet other business owners. It doesn't need to be formal. You don't
have to introduce yourself to everyone in the room or hand out a pile of business cards.
Have breakfast. Meet a couple of people. Find out what they do.
That's enough.
We also hear what's going on in the business community.
When one business raises a concern, we listen. When we start hearing the same concern from several businesses, we know there's probably a
bigger issue.
That's where our advocacy work comes in.
We are connected with Chambers across Alberta through the Alberta Chambers of Commerce, so local concerns can become part of provincial
discussions.
We can't promise that a policy will change because we raise an issue. What we can do is bring the business perspective to the people making
those decisions.
Another part of our work is helping businesses find information.
Running a business means having to know about things you probably never expected to become an expert in. Grants are a good example. So are
employment rules, hiring, marketing, taxes and now AI.
When we keep hearing questions about the same subject, we try to bring someone in who knows more about it than we do.
That's where many of our breakfast and luncheon topics come from.
We're not interested in filling a calendar with events just to stay busy. We'd rather bring in a speaker who can answer questions our
businesses are actually asking.
Then there's promotion.
We share member news and events. We recommend members when people contact us looking for local businesses. We run Chamber Bucks to encourage
local spending. Our trade shows give businesses a chance to meet customers in person, and the Business Awards give people a chance to
recognize businesses and individuals in our communities.
Sometimes promoting a member takes five minutes. They send us something they're doing, and we share it.
It doesn't always need to be complicated.
The “District” part of our name matters too.
Our members aren't all in the City of Lacombe. We work with businesses in Blackfalds, Bentley, Clive, Eckville, Mirror, and Lacombe
County.
People don't really do business according to municipal boundaries anyway. You might live in Blackfalds, work in Lacombe and hire a company
from Lacombe County or one of it's communities.
That's normal here.
If you're already a member, use your membership.
Call the office when you have a question. Send us your news. Ask if we know someone who can help. Tell us if there's an issue affecting your
business. Come to an event when the topic is useful to you.
You don't need to attend everything we organize. You don't need to use every benefit.
Just use the parts that make sense for your business.
If you're not a member and want to know what membership would look like for your business, call us. We'll explain what's included, what it
costs and answer your questions.
No big sales pitch.
That's what the Chamber does most days. We answer a lot of questions, introduce a lot of people, organize a lot of events and spend a fair
amount of time figuring out who can help with something we haven't encountered before.
It's not always the stuff that makes it onto social media, but it's the work that keeps us busy.
It's Award Season in Lacombe & District, and We Want to Hear From You!
It's Award Season in Lacombe & District, and We Want to Hear From You!
There's a certain kind of energy that shows up in Lacombe every fall. Maybe you've felt it too. The leaves start to turn, the Chamber office gets a little busier, and business owners across town start whispering to each other, "did you nominate so-and-so yet?"
That's right. Nominations are officially open for our Business Awards season, and we could not be more excited.
Why This Matters
Every single day, small business owners across Lacombe & District are unlocking their doors, taking risks, and pouring themselves into work that makes our community better. Most days, nobody's cheering them on. Running a business is hard. It's easy to feel like no one sees the long hours, the tough decisions, and the quiet sacrifices that keep the lights on.
That's exactly why this matters. A nomination reminds a business owner that their work is seen. It reminds them they're valued. And honestly, it reminds all of us what's happening right in our own backyard. When we celebrate our own, people shop and invest closer to home, and that strengthens our whole local economy.
So if there's a business, a farm family, a non-profit, or a local hero who's been going above and beyond, now's your chance to say so.
Two Galas, Two Chances to Celebrate
This year we're hosting two celebrations.
The Lacombe & District Business Awards Gala takes over the Lacombe Memorial Centre on October 23rd with a Masquerade Ball theme. Nominations close September 1st, so don't wait too long.
Categories include Best Young Entrepreneur, Best Not-for-Profit, Best New Business, Best Small Business, Best Medium Business, Best Large Business, Best Home-Based Business, Best Business in Lacombe County, Community Champion, Employer of Choice, People's Choice for Customer Service, Lifetime Business Achievement, Farm Family of the Year, the Dawn Parent Legacy Award, and Digital Presence.
The Blackfalds Business Awards Gala follows on December 4th with a Winter Stardust theme. Nominations for this one close October 1st.
Categories there include Young Entrepreneur of the Year, New Business of the Year, Home-Based Business of the Year, Small Business of the Year, Medium Business of the Year, Large Business of the Year, Non-Profit Organization of the Year, Community Champion, Customer Service Excellence, Employer of Choice, Digital Presence, and a brand new one this year, Neighbourhood Favourite.
Some Inspiration, If You Need It
Not sure who to nominate? Think about the coffee shop that always remembers your order. The contractor who showed up early and stayed late. The farm family who's been feeding this community for generations. The business that quietly writes a cheque every time a local team needs new jerseys.
We've seen incredible stories come through these categories over the years. Businesses like Cilantro and Chive, who've given back more than $200,000 to local causes through their Burger of the Month program. Families like the Kraays, whose corn maze has been bringing this community together for over two decades. Businesses like Lacombe Ford, who show up for youth sports and charitable causes again and again without being asked.
Somewhere in Lacombe or Blackfalds right now, there's a business or a person doing something just as good, and they don't even know they're award-worthy yet. That's where you come in.
How to Nominate
It only takes a few minutes. Visit lacombechamber.ca for the full nomination criteria for each category.
Take a moment this season to recognize the local business owner in your life. It matters more than you think.
We can't wait to see who you nominate.
Our Airport, Our Future: Why the Lacombe Regional Airport Master Plan Survey Matters
The Lacombe Regional Airport Master Plan survey is open right now, and we want to make sure every business owner in our community takes a few minutes to fill it out. Here's why it matters.
More Than a Runway
It's easy to drive past the airport and not give it a second thought. But from where we sit at the Chamber, the airport is one of the most underrated assets our region has.
When a company is scouting Central Alberta for a place to invest, "there's a good airstrip ten minutes away" carries real weight. It means corporate aviation access. It means medevac and firefighting support when it counts. And every business based at the airport, from maintenance shops to flight training to aerial applicators serving our ag sector, means jobs and tax base for our region.
That's not a playground for a few hobby pilots. That's economic infrastructure.
What Success Could Look Like
We're not talking about becoming the next big passenger hub. Success for our airport looks like full hangars with a waiting list. Aviation businesses setting up shop right here. An asset that pays its own way and gives Lacombe an edge when investment decisions are being made.
Getting there starts with a plan. And a good plan starts with hearing from you.
Your Voice Shapes the Plan
The Master Plan will guide decisions about the airport for years to come. What gets invested in. What gets prioritized. What role the airport plays in our region's growth.
That's why the survey matters. Whether you use the airport every week or have never set foot on the property, your perspective counts. Maybe you see opportunity. Maybe you have concerns about noise or traffic. Maybe you just want to know the airport won't be a drain on municipal budgets. All of that belongs in the conversation.
Take Five Minutes Today
The survey is quick, and the impact is long term. If you haven't filled it out yet, now's the time!
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/LacombeAirport
Have questions about the Master Plan process or want to talk about what the airport means for your business? Give us a call or stop by the Chamber office. We'd love to chat!