by Shelly Schlumpf

Executive Director, Puyallup/Sumner Chamber of Commerce

It’s almost summertime and the Chamber is excited to announce a new program we are creating to promote Sumner and Puyallup to visitors.

It’s a tourism concierge program that will train volunteers about great places in our communities to eat, shop, visit and stay overnight. And the overnight piece is critically important because we want them to rest up and start all over again the next day.

So I ask you, “Do you like to talk?” “Are you enthusiastic about the place where you live or where you grew up?” “Would you like to learn more about the region?” “Would you like to share that information with others who are visiting?” If so, then this new Chamber program is a great opportunity for you and we’d love it if you participated.

If you’re wondering what we could possibly be “training” volunteers about, I’d be hard pressed to name all of it in this column. It is just plain fun to represent two communities because each one is different and offers unique experiences for visitors.

Sumner’s historic downtown is very walkable and offers everything from the Ryan House Museum to Heritage Park to the many unique stores with great customer service. Add to that the wonderful local restaurants that serve everything from Rhubarb Pie to pizza to filet mignon, and you’ve definitely got something to talk about.

Agriculture has a big history in our valley and there’s still a lot to talk about with that topic as well. In addition to our history of hops, rhubarb and daffodils, a visitor could drive down the road a piece and see Windmill Gardens, VanLierop’s Garden Market or even Secret Tea Gardens for high tea in a historic Sumner mansion.

But let’s say a visitor needs a new pair of sandals or sunglasses (don’t laugh….the sun will come out again……eventually). There are several places in our communities for that as well.

Now if they like to bike or hike or if they’d like to attend one of our downtown events or visit one of our local churches for a Sunday service, rent a car to go to Mt. Rainier, visit historic sites or go antiquing and want to know the best trails or antique stores in the area, that’s where our concierge training is critical.

We want to make their time here as enjoyable and visitor friendly as possible, so our concierge volunteers need to know as much information about the region as possible. The bonus is that it’s fun and you get to work with and meet great people to share what you know and learn.

So put June 13 on your calendar and meet us here at the Chamber office at 323 North Meridian in Puyallup at 10 a.m. for a cup of coffee and a lot of great conversation. You can volunteer as little or as much time as you’d like. We look forward to making new friends and sharing an opportunity to better link our local businesses to our communities.

See you on the 13th!