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Farmington Chamber president Jamie Church previews fall events, moves Apple & Chili Fest downtown
Summary
Jamie Church, president and CEO of the Farmington Chamber of Commerce, told Mayor Nate Duckett the chamber is directing a busy fall of community networking and festivals—highlighting a downtown Southwest Apple & Chili Fest on Oct. 5 with extended hours, a beer-and-wine garden and $500 People’s Choice prizes.
Mayor Nate Duckett hosted Jamie Church, president and CEO of the Farmington Chamber of Commerce, on the Mayor’s Table to outline the chamber’s role in promoting local business and preview a full slate of fall events in Farmington and the Four Corners region.
Church said the chamber runs roughly three to four events a month and has leaned into a “connecting commerce to community” mission since she took on the CEO role in 2019. “Our tagline is connecting commerce to community,” Church said, describing regular initiatives from free monthly Farmington Coffee meetups to evening Business After Hours and a monthly Chamber Connects Zoom for those who cannot attend in person.
The chamber’s Farmington Coffee series, Church said, is a free monthly welcome for new and longtime residents; the next coffee is set for Sept. 13 at the Chili Pod and will include a downtown sculpture walk around 9:30 a.m. Business After Hours are typically hosted by chamber members, and the chamber also runs a noon–1 p.m. Zoom networking session on the third Wednesday of each month for owners who cannot leave their business.
On festivals, Church said the Southwest Apple & Chili Fest was moved downtown to highlight Main Street businesses and to encourage attendees to stay later into the afternoon. “We moved it downtown about three years ago,” she said, adding the event gates will open at 11 a.m. and the festival will run until 5 p.m. Chili cooks will be staged in the parking area by Orchard Park Plaza, two bands will perform and the chili-cooking contest will conclude with winners announced at about 3 p.m. Church said first-place winners in the red, green and pozole categories and the People’s Choice award will receive $500 on site.
To create a stronger downtown atmosphere, the chamber requires vendor canopies and will host merchants on Main Street with a sidewalk-sale feel. Church also confirmed the festival will include a fenced beer-and-wine garden adjacent to the chili area so attendees can taste chili while enjoying live music.
Church highlighted other fall programming the chamber coordinates or promotes: a regional Four Corners professional women’s summit that draws roughly 400 people and includes student scholarships (the chamber’s foundation, a 501(c)(3), subsidizes about 40 student spots); Small Business Saturday on Nov. 30; the downtown Christmas parade (the First Thursday after Thanksgiving, with YPN taking a lead role); and Boopalooza on Halloween. She also previewed a unique business after-hours at Kokopelli Cave on Sept. 26 that will use shuttles and on-site tours of a cave Airbnb.
Duckett and Church closed by encouraging residents to use the Visit Farmington calendar (farmingtonnm.org) and to support local businesses. “Get out and get involved. Shop local,” Duckett said.
The Mayor’s Table segment did not include any formal decisions or votes; it served as an informational interview and event preview. For more details and event registration, the chamber and city post calendars and updates on the Visit Farmington website.
