The Lacombe and District’s Chamber of Commerce’s Passport to Christmas has officially wrapped up for the year and the big winners have been selected.  

Here’s a look at this year’s big winners:  

  • Partial Passport Prize valued at $500: David and Celine Newton 
  • 3rd Place valued at $1,000: Justin Ross 
  • 2nd Place valued at $1,500: Karla Budgell  
  • Grand Prize valued at $3,000: Sherin Midian  

This year the Chamber tracked $4.3 million in local spending and 17,000 passports were returned. This was a large increase from last year where the Chamber tracked just over $3 million in local spending. Over 90 businesses participated in this year’s Passport to Christmas which was also up from 75 in 2021.  

“Every community needs to build on its own assets and making sure your Christmas purchases are done locally helps to build on those assets. Whenever you're purchasing locally, you're buying from people that will then be sponsoring the sports clubs. People will be then be sponsoring the arts exhibits and do everything else that makes the community function and have value. Not only that, it's all to do with people. If you can support not only the business owners, but the staff locally, then you know that you're building your community and this is the one direct way of making sure that we can do that,” said Executive Director of the Lacombe & District Chamber of Commerce, Jeffrey Hanger.  

Hanger is looking forward to building up on the continuing momentum of Passport to Christmas in 2023. He was excited to have some businesses participate out of Clive and Bentley as well as Lacombe.  The program also brought shoppers to the community from all over Alberta.  

Now that Passport to Christmas is wrapped up for the year the Chamber of Commerce is looking forward to a couple of other local events.  

“We are helping out with the Farmer’s Bonspiel next week. Then it's full steam ahead to get that Trade Show going at the Gary Moe Autogroup Sportsplex,” added Hanger.  

The Lacombe & District Chamber of Commerce’s 2023 Trade Show will be hosted on April 21, 2023.  

Photo of Adam Hamilton.