Sparta Area Chamber of Commerce Newsletter October | Page 35

2018 Sparta Honorary Citizens Chosen
Program celebrates 20 years.
Sparta, WI – The Sparta Area Chamber of Commerce and the Sparta Ambassadors held their 20th annual
Honorary Citizen events in September. George and JoAnn Topness of Rochester, Minnesota, were this year’s honorees.
Twenty-four previous Honorary Citizens were able to return to Sparta this year to participate in planned activities.
Sparta’s Honorary Citizen Program was started in 1999 to promote tourism and highlight Sparta’s hospitality and
attractions. Visitors to Sparta are chosen at random for the honor which is organized annually by the Sparta
Chamber Ambassadors. Honorees have enjoyed the program so well that many previous participants return to
Sparta each year.
Honorary citizens have come from Ohio, Minnesota, Illinois, Missouri, Iowa, Florida, Wisconsin and Manitoba,
Canada. This year’s honorees received a ‘key to the city’, gifts from local businesses, lodging in Sparta, many good
memories and an invitation to return next September. The Honorary Citizen Program is sponsored by the Chambers
Platinum members - Mayo Clinic Health System, Gundersen Health System, U.S. Silica, Brickl Brothers, and Kaiyuh
Services.
The Sparta Area Chamber of Commerce is dedicated to fostering community prosperity and improving the quality of
life through cooperation, promotion, education and active leadership, as well as enhancing economic benefits and
providing networking opportunities for members.
Our Mission: “Welcoming Businesses, Unifying the Community, Creating Possibilities”