It’s that time of year again at the Syracuse-Wawasee Chamber of Commerce with its membership drive kicking off immediately. And with it comes revisions to the membership levels, which open up new membership opportunities.

During its monthly meeting Oct. 1, board members approved a new level of membership that will be tacked onto the new nonprofit level membership: individual membership. Both individual and nonprofit membership will appear as “First Mate Level” on the chamber’s tiered membership chart, offering opportunities for nonprofits and individuals, who may not have storefront or business, to join the chamber.

Also on the topic of membership, board members were told ad sales for the map/brochure the chamber is sponsoring began Oct. 1. The brochure will highlight businesses in the Syracuse area, plus various activities, that highlight the theme of eat, shop, play and stay.

The events task force is also actively creating plans to further that theme with Chad Jonsson, task force chair, noting in his report they were discussing a possible winter carnival. Ideas for the event include snowmobile races, a polar plunge, ice or snow sculptures, a 5K run and ice skating. The task force is also working on Holiday Magic, scheduled for Nov. 22.

Discussion began in regards to the creation of an assistant executive director position to help Executive Director Tammy Cotton as the chamber continues to grow. The topic will go before the finance committee, which will determine the feasibility of creating such a position at this time.

In other chamber news:

• Cotton is looking for businesses willing to have their windows painted green for Wawasee High School’s homecoming, Oct. 17. She stated students would do all the painting during the week of Oct. 13 and then clean up after homecoming.

• The chamber welcomed a new member, Syracuse-Wawasee Trails.

• Two nominees were approved by the board and will be mailed out to chamber members along with their banquet invitations.

• Cotton received approval to attend the Creating Vibrant Communities workshop in Munster. Cotton and board member Kathy Boyts had previously attended a similar workshop hosted in Delphi.

• During the meeting, Ernie S. Rivas, local veterans’ employment representative with WorkOne, gave a presentation to the chamber about Operation Job Ready Veterans, a program that aims to help veterans transition from the military to civilian life.

• Board member Larry Biller will be approaching Wawasee High School Principal Mike Schmidt about hosting a chamber meeting at the high school in the future.

Next chamber meeting is at noon Nov. 5 in the chamber office.