Athy Chamber

One of the simple things we must do is to keep positive and another thing we must do is to promote, advertise and show off our town and our businesses. Each year the town of Athy hosts many festivals and this year Athy Chamber has decided that a simple way to keep positive and to promote our town and our businesses is for all our businesses to hang flags at festival time representing each of the 4 major festivals (Tri Athy, Kildare County Show, National Ploughing Championships and the Ernest Shackleton Weekend School).

Over 100 flags were sold in the run up to the recent successful Tri Athy and they brought a colour and attraction to our town. This week flags will be sold representing the upcoming County Kildare Show. Athy Chamber in another simple procedure is hosting a competition, Windows Sparkle, during each of the 4 festivals asking businesses. The idea is simple coinciding with each of the above high profile events, Athy Chamber is asking every business to decorate their shop windows with images, symbols or emblems which represent the event taking part in Athy. During the recent Tri Athy, over 20 businesses decorated their windows with themes, images, symbols or emblems representing Tri Athy. There is no entry fee, Prizes are given for the best windows during each festival and Parchments are given out to all participants.

Yesterday, Thursday night, 11th June, 2009, in Clancy’s Bar, the prizes for the Tri Athy Windows Sparkle competition were announced. The St. Vincent’s de Paul shop came first, Clancy’s Bar was second and the Gem Newsagency won third prize. Each winner received a gift from a local craftsman and next week’s competition will see prizes from another local craftsman. The prizes for next week’s competition will be given out on Thursday the 2nd July, 2009 at 9 p.m.