Claremore Collective is the group for young (and young-at-heart) professionals in Claremore. Their motto is Together for the City, and they’re working hard to make all kinds of dreams come true for the citizens of Claremore.
They have had several public surveys for the people, and took the results to draw up their goals for the year. The three areas the group is focusing on are Claremore Lake Trails, Downtown Development, and West Bend Green. (West Bend Green is the grassy area in front of the Claremore Expo; the long-term plan is to develop that area into a space full of local retail and dining opportunities, especially catering to the RSU population.)
Monthly events held by the Collective include Think Tanks and Monthly Mixers. May’s Think Tank featured guest speakers Dr. Larry Rice and RSU Athletic Director Chris Ratcliff providing university updates. June’s speaker was Liberty Shere, who spoke about entrepreneurial program 1 Million Cups.
The Monthly Mixer is always a good time! Typically held at North Block Common, the networking event features snacks, drinks, and plenty of mingling. The May event was a Quatro de Mayo theme, with food provided by El Azteca. In June, instead of the traditional happy hour, the group hosted a kickball tournament at RSU. It was a lot of fun (even though the gold team should have won).
New leadership is selected each year in the Collective. Currently, Ben Lepak serves as the Crew Leader Chair, with Matt Ballard serving as Co-Chair and poised to take over in 2018. Under the Crew Leader Chair are six different crews, each with two leaders. The crews are Arts & Entertainment, Attraction, Development, Government Relations, and Next Generation Leadership. Each crew meets monthly and hosts different events.
If you are interested in getting involved with Claremore Collective, please contact Meggie Froman-Knight at meggie@growclaremore.com.
Also mark your calendar for the June 22 Culture Crawl! Tickets are on sale now HERE for just $10 each.
