Opportunity abounds at Business Expo and Community Showcase in Palatine

There was a lot to draw people to the 4th annual Business Expo and Community Showcase on Saturday at Palatine's Falcon Park Recreation Center. This Palatine Area Chamber of Commerce-sponsored event featured raffles, giveaways, performances and the chance to meet with local business owners and community groups.

"This year we have more vendors participating than ever before - we have 67," said Steven Gaus, executive director of the Palatine Area Chamber of Commerce. "They find it's a great way to engage with the community."

"This expo is an opportunity for the residents of Palatine and surrounding communities to put a face to the business," said Deb Gabriel, an Edward Jones financial advisor and a Palatine Area Chamber of Commerce board member.

"We've always had this event around Veterans Day, so our theme of 'A World of Thanks' is very appropriate," Gabriel said. "We're giving thanks for each other, for our communities and our veterans who served."

Schaumburg resident and Vietnam War veteran Ted Rosemann joined in last-minute for an opening color guard ceremony featuring the Palatine American Legion Post 690. But Rosemann's main reason for attending was to get tips on window replacements.

"I'm also thinking of starting up a business, so I wanted to get some information," Rosemann said.

"We also have a lot of entertainment coming in throughout the day to bring in the community," said Gaus before performances by the Palatine Park District Dance Company commenced. The young dancers were giving previews to their holiday show "Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer" at Palatine's Cutting Hall on Saturday, Dec. 7.

There were also plenty of photo opportunities for parents and kids. Character mascots from the Palatine Park District ("Sammy the Squirrel") and Palatine Historical Society ("Clayson the Family Dog") were on hand, as was the inflatable referee "Sporty" from SportClips Haircuts.

"We try to bring (Sporty) everywhere we can" said SportClips franchise owner Gale Cohen-DeMarco. "He's fun, and sometimes the kids like to take pictures with him."