By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
NUTS ABOUT RIPON
Chamber hosts quintessential Ripon event
spade
Ripon Chamber of Commerce Chief Executive Officer/President Tamra Spade enjoys a wall along Main Street.

The bees aren’t the only buzz in Ripon this time of year.
Social media is filled with messages that people are “coming home” as the Ripon Chamber of Commerce queues up the quintessential Ripon event — the 56th annual Almond Blossom Festival Feb. 23-25.
Tamra Spade, the chief executive officer/president of the 300-plus member chamber, relates how browsing Facebook as the fourth weekend of February draws nears there are numerous posting about former residents and valley residents making plans with Ripon homeowners along the parade route to gather in their yard for what has become a community reunion.
“Ripon markets itself,” Spade noted.
It’s a bit of modesty given how the chamber since 1923 has not just promoted business and economic development but has planted the seeds and nurtured efforts such as the Almond Blossom Festival in a successful bid to sharpen Ripon’s sense of community. The city, itself, wasn’t incorporated until 1945.
The fostering of community is why the chamber’s membership rolls have a liberal sprinkling of individuals and families.
And with 95 years under its belt, the organization has stepped up its game by moving to 104 S. South Stockton Ave, right off the Highway 99 exit to downtown with its trademark paver streets, walkable sidewalks complete with an old-fashioned street clock, flower plantings courtesy of the Ripon Garden Club, and architecturally pleasing storefronts that are home to thriving traditional small community downtown businesses and a sprinkling of more trendy stores along with restaurants.
“We plan to have a sign (on the south side of the building) to greet visitors when they come to downtown,” Spade said.
The location has also been a boon already to getting the chamber more day-to-day exposure after years of being in the former bank of Stockton building just beyond the western edge of downtown on Main Street.
“We’ve gotten new members because of our location,” Spade noted. “They see us and stop by to chat.”
Spade intends to work to parlay the higher profile into both a stronger chamber and a stronger community.
Other valley towns often struggle with making their downtowns destinations for their residents and nearby communities but not Ripon.
One reason why is the partnership the chamber has helped forge with the city while working with downtown concerns whether they are government issues such as zoning and streetscape and promoting its membership businesses to staging events such as Brews & Brats, the Fourth of July, the Christmas parade, Soaring Over Ripon, as well as the two festivals that serve as bookends to start and end the street fair season in the Northern San Joaquin Valley — the Almond Blossom Festival in February and Main Street Day in mid-October.
Spade was born in Phoenix before moving to Turlock with her family. Her mother Sharon Silva headed up the Turlock Chamber of Commerce for 17 years. After Spade graduated from Turlock High she earned a communications degree at California State University of California at Stanislaus.
She worked as part of the district staff for Anthony Cannella who is now a State Senator prior to accepting the top job at the Ripon chamber 5½ years ago.
Spade has lived in Manteca and Bay Area communities such as San Jose and San Francisco.
It was while she was in San Jose she realized that she wanted to raise her children in the valley and not the Bay Area. It wasn’t a knock against the Bay Area and its schools — far from it.
She missed backyards and BBQs. As for San Francisco it was often a daily chore to remember where she had parked her car when she got home often times having to leave it three blocks away.
“To me, it was the schools, the family orientation, the low crime, and the people,” Spade said of what brought her back home.
And while the chamber is working to get more jobs in Ripon so residents don’t have to deal with the commute grind over the Altamont Pass, the business organization wants to nurture and protect what makes Ripon appealing.
And part of that is fielding calls people have that are looking for services and goods to chamber members who not only collect sales tax critical to helping fund municipal services but also that support community endeavors whether it is Babe Ruth baseball, church groups, civic organization, and such.
Spade noted the Ripon chamber does significantly more events than other chambers in the region. While part of it is to help fund the staff that supports and advocates for business members, it is also by design.
“We don’t make money on some events like the Fourth of July,” Spade said. “Some people ask why we do it. I don’t want to have to go out of town to Modesto or Manteca to enjoy fireworks on the Fourth.”
And neither do many Ripon residents which is exactly her point.
It does mean she works many holidays but it’s worth it to Spade because it helps solidify the appeal of Ripon.

Almond Blossom Festival
has 115 vendors so far
As for next week, there are already 115 vendors lined up for the Almond Blossom Festival at Mistlin Sports Park on River Road where almond orchards are now starting to bloom on three sides.
The deadline for vendor entries is today. Fun run entry forms, vendor applications, and other festival information can be found at the chamber website at www.riponchamber.org
The Ripon Chamber of Commerce event includes:
uQueen coronation on Thursday, Feb. 22, at 7 p.m. at the Ripon Community Center.
uCarnival rides at Mistlin Sports Park on Thursday, Feb. 22, from 5 to 10 p.m. ($1 ride night); Friday, Feb. 23, from 4 to 11 p.m.; Saturday, Feb. 24, from noon to 11 p.m.; and Sunday, Feb. 25, from noon to 5 p.m.
uVendors, food and entertainment at Mistlin Sports Park on Friday, Feb. 23, from 3 to 8 p.m.; Saturday, Feb. 24, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; and Sunday, Feb. 25, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
uFun run on Saturday, Feb. 24, starting at 8:30 a.m. at Stouffer Park.
uDiaper Derby on Saturday, Feb. 24, from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. in the Ripon High North Gym.
uParade on Saturday, Feb. 24, at 1 p.m. in downtown Ripon.