Agritourism Meeting in Golconda

There are a number of resources in our region to help agritourism businesses grow or help new businesses get up and running. Fortunately, there are two Small Business Development Centers (SBDC) located in the southernmost Illinois region to provide management assistance to current and prospective small business owners - the SBDC at Shawnee Community College in Ullin and at Southeastern Illinois College in Harrisburg. SBDCs offer one-stop assistance to entrepreneurs and small businesses by providing information and guidance that's easily accessible at the local level.

The focus of the August 2 Southernmost Illinois Agricultural Alliance (SIAA) meeting is "SBDCs and How They Can Assist Your Business." Lori Cox, Director at the SBDC in Harrisburg will be the guest speaker to discuss resources and opportunities in place to help local businesses.
The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. in the Pope County Historical Society Museum located on the corner of Main Street and Columbus Avenue in Golconda. The meeting will follow the Pope Co. Chamber meeting held in the museum at 6:30 p.m.

Light refreshments will be served. The meeting is free. The museum will be open to tour. It has a wonderful display of artifacts portraying the living history of Pope County and the people and cultures that have influenced its development. Mark your calendar for this great opportunity.

SIAA is a network of agritourism businesses, along with tourism and economic development partners from Alexander, Hardin, Johnson, Massac, Pulaski, Pope and Union counties. The group meets throughout the southernmost counties the first Tuesday of each month to network and learn about new resources and opportunities to grow agritourism businesses. Meetings are open to the public. For more information, contact Stephanie Rhodes at 618-833-9928 or stephanier@shawneecc.edu.