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HARTINGTON — The Hartington Chamber of Commerce had a busy and successful year in 2024.
The Chamber held ribbon cuttings for new businesses, new ownerships and even new buildings. The group also sponsored several community events.
“The Hartington community continues to amaze me with such a can-do attitude,” Chamber President Ray Sukavaty said during Sunday night’s annual Chamber banquet.
Sukavaty said the Chamber put on several events for the community, including the annual Easter egg hunt at Felber Park, Hartington Dayz in August and the “grandaddy of them all, Candlelight Christmas.”
The Chamber also hosted a new event this year. They worked with the schools to host a career fair at Hartington-Newcastle Public School.
“We had the opportunity to let these kids know that we have some amazing opportunities right here in Hartington,” Sukavaty said.
There were 20 local businesses and representatives from three programs at Northeast Community College represented at the event.
“We look to expand this offering to the students in 2025 with the event hosted at Cedar Catholic this next year,” he said.
None of these events could have happened without the help of so many volunteers, Sukavaty said.
He thanked the Bill and Karma Schulte family for their long-time help with the Easter Egg hunt.
Putting together the third annual Hartington Dayz event simply would not happen without so many people volunteering their time, he said.
Hartington Dayz kicked off with a fun run that was not just good for the participants, but area residents, too as the proceeds from that event benefited the Hartington food pantry.
A downtown vendor fair and food trucks, and city-wide garage sales and business sidwalk sales also helped draw people to town that day.
The day also featured plenty of other activities including a disc golf tournament at the Complex, a cornhole tournament, a car show at Arbor Care Center and a downtown street dance.
There were also several kid-friendly activities downtown such as the duck races, organized by the Hartington Fire Department, a Kid Zone with a bouncy house and games at Kruse Hardware, and the Touch a Truck event and foam party.
“That foam party was probably the hit of the day,” Sukavatry said. “It was very popular with the kids. I want to thank the city office crew — Brittni Benscoter, Miranda Becker and Casey Schulte, for making that such a success.”
The other big annual event here is the Candlelight Christmas celebration held each November.
In conjunction with the annual Holiday event, a shop local promotion was also hosted, where the Chamber gave five winners $200 each in Chamber Bucks.
This year's Candlelight Christmas event also featured traditional events, such as Santa and Mrs. Claus at the Senior Center, a silent auction at the library to raise funds for The Giving Tree and the food pantry, the bell choir at Trinity Lutheran, the annual Christmas lighting contest, the ever-popular baking contest, and the main event — the parade.
It also featured a few new events, such as the Grinch and Cindy Lou Who at the City Office and an Escape Room at Reps.
None of these events would have happened without so many willing volunteers, Sukavaty said.
“Thank you to each and everyone that pitched in to make these events happen in our community. Our community is better off for events like this. Your efforts don’t go unnoticed.”
Hartington is indeed fortunate to have such a great group of people willing to work to make the community a better place for all, he said.
“As we look back at our accomplishments of 2024 we should all be grateful for those laid the foundation for our chamber to become such a vibrant, healthy organization with members eager to serve our community,” he said. “With that in mind, we look forward to 2025 with open minds and hearts for opportunities to serve you even more.”
Sukavaty also took time to mention all of the ribbon cuttings the Chamber held in 2024.
New Hartington businesses in 2024 were Holan Title and Escrow, the Hartington Hotel, Spa 84, and Tierades. A ribbon cutting was also held at Security Bank’s new Highway 57 building.
Sukavaty also noted the community lost several important community leaders or business owners in 2024 including: Dave Konz, former Chamber President and owner of the Globe Clothing Store; Arnie and Rita Topf, former owners of Arnie’s Market; Lyle Vawser, former Cedar County Extension Agent; and former community volunteer and Senior Center Board member Carol Nordby.
