Beer tents, kids’ activities, live music, exciting entertainment, and amazing food and drinks with a garlic twist all band together to make this year’s Garlic Town, USA a can’t-miss, end of summer bucket list item.

embers of the Southwestern Vermont Chamber of Commerce are confident that the region is a good place to do business, and report financial conditions as good or better than the year before the COVID pandemic, according to the results of a member survey conducted by the Chamber last month. According to the survey results, 94 percent of respondents said Southern Vermont is a good place to have a business or organization.

Joining the Southwestern Vermont Chamber has never been easier! As the #1 business and nonprofit organization in Southwestern Vermont, the Chamber promotes, leads and advocates a unified effort, on behalf of its members, to maintain and improve a healthy business climate and rewarding quality of life for the entire Shires of Southwestern Vermont region. Here are the top 9 reasons to join the Southwestern Vermont Chamber.

Garlic Town, USA will once again take over downtown Bennington on Saturday, Sept. 2. Formerly known as the award-winning Garlic Fest, Garlic Town celebrates all things garlic, Vermont and community. The event is produced by the Southwestern Vermont Chamber of Commerce.

Women can do it all. We might feel like imposters much of time, winging our decisions. We sometimes get overwhelmed trying to balance work and home. But we have mentors who have helped us overcome the challenges, and nobody works harder than we do. That was the message Wednesday from some of Southern Vermont’s women leaders, speaking to about 130 mostly women from throughout the county at the Inn at Manchester’s Celebration Barn.

Although the day started with a steady rain, by the time the gates opened for the thirteenth Homebrew Festival produced by the Southwestern Vermont Chamber and Hopridge Farms, the weather had turned and the rain had stopped. Cloudy with a high of 50 degrees, the loyal crowd enjoyed a large variety of amateur brew at the festival in downtown Bennington, Vermont this past Saturday.  The festival topped out at over 500 attendees, brewers, vendors, sponsors and volunteers.

The Southwestern Vermont Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with presenting sponsor Berkshire Bank, will host the second annual Women In Leadership Luncheon at the Inn at Manchester Celebration Barn from noon to 2 p.m. on May 17.

Vermont Business Magazine The brews will flow once again as the Southwestern Vermont Chamber of Commerce and Hopridge Farms partner together to produce the thirteenth Homebrew Festival and competition. Saturday, April 29th at the Bennington Sports Center in downtown Bennington, brewers will go head-to-head to be named the best homebrew in the land.

Bennington County hugs the New York State line so closely that it has, in the past, sort of suffered an identity crisis: Is it part of Vermont or a suburb of Albany? Perhaps this is no longer a question. Post-COVID, Bennington appears to be flourishing. And flourishing with it is the Southwestern Vermont Chamber of Commerce, in no small part because of its executive director, the extremely young and popular Matt Harrington.

“This year, through the generosity of our lodging partners, the Holiday Inn Tours raised a little over $5,000,” comments John Burnham, executive director of the Manchester Business Association and producer of the event. “It was a year of firsts and records being broken. It was the first time offering online ticket sales and sixteen lodging properties participating from Dorset to Bennington. Records were broken in the number of guests welcomed over two consecutive weekends and the most money raised exceeding $5,000 which will go to food cupboards and shelves across the region. We couldn’t have done any of this without the support of our local lodging partners.”

The area’s biggest event of the year went off without a hitch, as the neighborhood just south of Bennington’s “Four Corners” on Main Street was transformed into Garlic Town U.S.A. from Saturday morning into the early evening hours.

On Saturday, September 3rd Bennington, Vermont will once again transform into “Garlic Town, USA” in celebration of all things garlic and agriculture! Garlic Town, USA, formerly known as the award-winning Garlic Fest and produced by the Southwestern Vermont Chamber of Commerce, announced that the festival will return to downtown Bennington for the 2022 Labor Day weekend.

In coordination with the Southwestern Vermont Chamber of Commerce and HireAbility, May Job Fest: Bennington will take place on the lawn at Deer Park

The Southwestern Vermont Chamber of Commerce will dedicate the Chamber Memorial Park on Wednesday, May 25, at 5:30 p.m. The community is invited to join.

The Southwestern Vermont Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with Berkshire Bank, will host the inaugural Women In Leadership Luncheon at the Wilson House in Dorset on Wednesday, May 11 from 12 to 2 p.m.

Spring cleaning isn’t just for your windows and your garage. Let this time of year inspire you to tune up your business as well! Implement these ten tips, tactics, and tools to freshen up your online marketing and coast into year-round business success.

85% of businesses and organizations indicated they were either optimistic or very optimistic for their business in 2022 according to a recent Southwestern Vermont Chamber poll.

The Chamber’s annual membership meeting, promoted as the biggest night for businesses in the region, took place digitally on Thursday January 27, 2022 and featured a dazzling array of musical performances, wine sabering, annual awards, a digital sparkling wine toast, virtual door prizes every 15 minutes, budget approval and visionary speeches by both President of the Board of Directors and the Executive Director.

The Vermont Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (VACCE) held their annual conference this year with a focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) training. Twenty-nine chamber directors from across the state attended the education conference and completed more than eight hours of training.

The Shires of Southwestern Vermont Destination Marketing Organization (DMO), in partnership with the Southwestern Vermont Chamber of Commerce, will launch a fun, scavenger-hunt-like social media challenge for travelers and residents alike this upcoming holiday season. #dashingthrutheshires