Chamber Women Celebrate 'Girls Night Out'

Shopping, drinks, networking and fun? It’s the perfect combination for a “Girls Night Out” – and a formula that helped draw the biggest fundraiser to the in the seven-year history of the event on Wednesday night.

The annual “Girls Night Out” event, hosted by the Chamber Women of the , was the biggest to date said Chamber Women Chair Rachel Potter. The event drew 43 vendors and nearly 200 participants to the annual event.

“This is a great event. It really meets the goal we had in mind, which was to bring all the women in this community and our surrounding communities together,” said Antoinette Ouellette. “This is a chance for some of the women business owners in town spotlight what they have.”

Ouellette, who attended the event since it’s inception, said the key this year was a marketing flood led by Potter and Julie Shubert.

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"It's a great event - fun for everyone involved. I wish more towns could hold networking opportunities like this one," said Linda McMahon, Republican candidate for U.S. Senate. McMahon stopped by the event Wednesday evening, the second consecutive year in which she has been able to do so.

Vendor Sue Gavalis, regional manager of Opticare in Cheshire, said she has come for a few years now and found that people are not only receptive to the idea of trying new products, but do an excellent job of sharing their passions and business insight.

The event isn’t just local anymore, however. The show now brings vendors like Marian Gaydos, who traveled from Candia, N.H., to try her luck at the show. Early into the program, she said things were a little slow going, but that the concept is a great one and she anticipated business picking up as the event went on.

The show also helps provide fundraising money for scholarships and to assist in supporting several families in need by providing resources to . It’s an effort the Chamber Women have undergone in recent years and the chamber now helps nearly a dozen families in need.

In the end, Erika Copes Stinson said it’s all about getting everyone out and just having fun for a good cause.

“In a nutshell, this is a night for women to just let loose, shop and network with those around them. It’s about having fun,” she said.

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