Chamber Offers "Passport To Summer Fun"

So you never quite got around to filling up all the pages of your passport with stamps from exotic locations around the world. Not to fear, the Windsor Chamber of Commerce is offering as equaly as an opportunity to be had right here in town: the Passport to Summer Fun.

According to the Chamber's executive director, Jane Garibay, Passport to Summer Fun is a national initiative to promote local businesses and encourage support for those business. The trip to Ireland with the kids may have to wait another year, but visiting the best spots in town can be a blast as well, and it doesn't hurt that Passport to Summer Fun is designed to provide incentives as well.

The Passport to Summer Fun booklet looks just like a government-issued passport on the exterior, said Garibay; however, the inside is filled with pages dedicated to each participating restaurant and event in town. Consumers need only dine out at a featured restaurant or head to an attraction like the popular Concerts on the Green to receive stamps and start out on their way to becoming eligible to win one of the many attractive prizes.

This year, stamps on a Passport to Summer Fun can make consumers eligible to win a flat-screen television, an Amazon Kindle, $100 worth of gas and groceries, and a restaurant and attraction gift-certificate package.

There are ten participating attractions, including Brown's Driving Range, the Farmer's Market, Northwest Park, Summerwind Concerts and Reading on the Green.

Participating restaurants include Bart's Drive-In, The Beanery Bistro, Dom's Broad Street Eatery, Jim's Family Restaurant and the Tunxis Bar & Grille to name a few. You can even earn a stamp when you beat the heat by grabbing an ice cream cone at Union Street Ice Cream.

12 out of the 27 possible stamps are needed to qualify for prizes. Those who get all 27 stamps (two people achieved this last year, according to Garibay) will receive a $10 Chamber gift certificate.

Those interested can pick up a booklet at the Chamber of Commerce or any participating restaurant or attraction beginning Mon., June 13.

In order to win, passports must be registered. This can be done by calling the Chamber at 860-688-5165 or online. Then collect stamps at restaurants or attractions when dining out or having fun with friends and family. To be eligible for prizes, stamped passports (with a minimum of 12 stamps) must be turned into the Windsor Chamber of Commerce Tourist Information Center by August 31. The winners will be announced on Sept. 6 and posted on the Chember of Commerce website.