The Portsmouth Area is alive and well with seasonal events and goings on, from Winterfest and Christmas Caves to Portsmouth Little Theatre and other events. While a lot of organizers frequently hear “There’s nothing to do in this town,” they believe the contrary, as it is impossible to schedule an event these days without bumping into someone else’s planned function. Frequently, one of the first things a planner will do when organizing is consult the Portsmouth Area Chamber of Commerce calendar of events, which is also utilized by the tourism bureau, to plan accordingly. This calendar is also open to the public for consumption.

According to Carver, any Chamber member can add events and functions to the calendar on their own. Anyone else may reach out to her and request a spot on the list.

“One benefit of being a Chamber member is the fact that businesses and organizations can manually add their own listing directly to our calendar for approval,” Carver said. “It is just one more way we work to get the word out there for our members about the good work they’re doing.”

According to Carver, the calendar is a service they provide to help the business community and everyday citizen.

“It is important to market and advertise the events and programs our community has going on,” Carver said. “It is nothing to plan an event and find out another is planned that same day. This reduces that to provide more opportunities for the community. It also gives the community a one stop location for news about local functions that are worth going to.”

In recent years, the calendar has grown, from a list uploaded to the Chamber website to an interactive calendar that accepts submissions. The calendar is also directly plugged into the Scioto County Visitor’s Bureau website.

The calendar has been ongoing for years, with The Scioto County Visitor’s Bureau, Chamber, Main Street Portsmouth in Bloom, and others adding to the robust list of events. It even grew into an in-person event called Portsmouth Today, where calendars are given out and local community leaders present in lighting fashion on their quarter and what the community can expect.

The next Portsmouth Today is Wednesday, January 24, 2024.

“Portsmouth Today is going very well and the Chamber is always excited to partner with Main Street and the Visitor’s Bureau,” Carver said. “We’re getting our pre-pandemic numbers back and people are really getting something out of these functions.”

To view the calendar of events, visit Portsmouth.org. The calendar is also available on the City of Portsmouth and Visitor’s Bureau websites.

Reach Joseph Pratt at (740) 353-3101, by email at [email protected], © 2023 Portsmouth Daily Times, all rights reserved.