By RHEA-FRANCES TETLEY

Staff Writer

One of the ways the chambers of commerce on the mountain help their member businesses expand their markets and get them more customers is through their mixers. The mixers are gatherings where the various business owners get the opportunity to meet each other. By bringing and sharing their business cards, they also get to talk with other business owners and talk about how things are progressing. This works especially well for those businesses where the owners are dealing with customers all day and at a mixer get to talk with others often in the same business and can compare how business in town is doing.

At last week’s Crestline Chamber mixer held on Aug. 31 at Leisure Shores Senior Center, they had a large buffet of appetizers, wine, beer and live music from the Mountain Music Makers, playing acoustic music of well-known songs, allowing conversation between those attending.

The basket raffled off during the mixer at Leisure Shores on Thursday.

There were also raffles and an auction throughout the two-hour-long event. The first two raffles were for T-shirts from Lake Gregory Tees, which has a booth each week during the Friday Night Market at Lake Gregory. The raffle basket, which included a carved circular sign from Bradley Strahle’s Rusty Nail Woodworks, was won by Brian and Cherie Bufcombe who have lived in the San Moritz area for eight years and are members of the Crest Forest Senior Citizens Club. The gifts had been donated by the merchants.

The bear auctioned off for $125 during Thursday’s mixer at Leisure Shores in Crestline.

At the end of the evening, Marci Collar, a member of the Crest Forest Senior Citizens Club board of directors, auctioned off a four-foot-tall, stuffed, acrylic black bear and pine tree holiday floor decoration. The auction was fun to watch as people tried to figure out how much they had bid. It was finally won with a bid of $125 by 15-year San Moritz property owner Terry Bollin. Later, he said that he just bid on it for the seniors to get more money to pay for the senior lunch program. But, upon close inspection, he was quite thrilled at the excellent bargain he had received and will proudly display it in his home this holiday season.

The seniors showed off Leisure Shores well, as they served the beer and wine in the Fireside Room and the Music Makers band, which is one of their activities that seniors may join, was in the main dining room area. The kitchen served up the food. The seniors are also the ones who sponsor the senior luncheon on Tuesdays and Thursdays in the San Moritz Lodge, which is located across the meadow from Leisure Shores; both are located on the eastern shore of Lake Gregory.

The Crestline Chamber of Commerce board members reminded the almost 100 who were attending that the building is available for rentals and the many activities and lessons they offer seniors in the mountain communities, including upcoming Duffy boat rides on Lake Gregory, a wine tasting event at Sycamore Ranch Winery, located in Dart Canyon, their quilting classes, bowling days, and reminded them of the art lessons that led to the beautiful art display that had been set up the day before at the luncheon.

Tiffany Milburn, office manager for the Crestline Chamber, reminded everyone that the first Saturday of each month during the summer season is the Corks & Hops craft beer and wine walk and invited everyone who enjoys wine and beer to the event.

The Crestline Chamber will be handing out a bingo-style card for Shop Small September that will create a bingo game with the opportunity to win season passes to Lake Gregory and many other fine prizes or cash. They will hold their next mixer at Sycamore Ranch.

For more information on the September Shop Small bingo activity, or to get a free bingo card, call the chamber office from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekdays at (909)338-2706 or see their website, visitcrestline.com.