Newsletter from Bishop Chamber of Commerce

Dear Chamber Members and Community Supporters:

I hope this message finds you well and enjoying our fantastic fall weather.

The past few months have been filled with so many wonderful events and believe it or not, we are already looking forward to our community Christmas holiday celebrations.

Downtown Bishop will shine bright once again for the annual Main Street Lighted Holiday Parade on the evening of Saturday, December 6, 2025!

The heart of Bishop will be full of festive spirit — with vendor markets on Academy Street and at Eastside Guesthouse, downtown shops and restaurants staying open late, tree lightings, and cozy fire pits hosted by the Bishop Fire Department at several locations.

This year’s parade theme is “Christmas Through the Decades.” Let your creativity sparkle! Dress up and decorate your floats to celebrate your favorite era — whether it’s the rock-n-roll ‘50s, the groovy ‘60s, or the neon-bright ‘80s!

Parade entry forms are available now. You can download here or stop by to pick up a form at the Bishop Chamber or Bishop City Hall. Don’t miss your chance to be part of this beloved holiday tradition, proudly presented by the City of Bishop, the Bishop Chamber of Commerce, and many generous co-sponsors and volunteers. We can’t wait to see the lights, laughter, and holiday magic on Main Street!

We’re also working on the annual Shop Local Raffle and Railroad Express – stay tuned for details!

More Events

There are several exciting events coming up, which you can find listed in this e-newsletter and on our website at www.bishopvisitor.com. If you’d like to have your event featured on the web calendar, please use the “event submission” tab on the website.

Thank you for taking the time to read this e-news. We hope you find the information useful and we look forward to seeing you soon.

Sincerely,

Tawni

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WELCOME NEW CHAMBER MEMBERS!

La Cueva De Luz (Museum of Desert Lights) is a new member of the Bishop Chamber of Commerce. Allen Berrey creates beautiful, illuminated sculptures using discarded metal found in the local desert.

Pictured from left to right are: Jason Brown and John Marco from the Bishop Chamber; Joanne Parsons; April Kress; Tawni Thomson; artist Allen Berrey; Robert Sharp; and Cheryl Underhill.

Photo credit: Gayla Wolf

Desert Valleys Federal Credit Union has joined the Bishop Chamber and is excited to serve the local community. Visit their new Bishop branch at 136 West Line Street.

Back row: Adrian Ochoa, Mike Myers, Chris Hill, Eric Bruen, Mike Avery, Greg Vivaldi, Paula Thomson, Tawni Thomson(Chamber), John Marco(Chamber), Joanne Parsons, April Kress(Chamber), Cheryl Underhill(Chamber), Corrina Korpi, Jason Brown(Chamber)

Front row: Jesus Lopez, Solomon Rajaratnam, Alex Diaz, Emily Solorio, Tim Shultz, Tim Neipp, Will Jauregui, Natalie Jauregui, Robert Sharp(Chamber), Donna Bird(Chamber),and Allen Berrey.

Photo credit, Gayla Wolf

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New Location in the New Year…

The Bishop Chamber of Commerce and Information Center is on the move.

Our beloved A-Frame location will remain open through Veterans Day, November 11th. After that, we’ll be temporarily closed to the public as our team packs up and prepares for the transition to our new home at 218-A South Main Street. We anticipate reopening in mid-December and look forward to welcoming you to our new space.

During the closure, our staff will continue to monitor emails and return phone calls, so please don’t hesitate to reach out.

We know many community members share our sadness about leaving the A-Frame — it has been our home for over 50 years and holds countless memories. While it’s bittersweet to say goodbye, we’re also excited for this new chapter and eager to continue serving you from our new location.

Thank you for your continued support and understanding — we can’t wait to see you soon!

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Travel Industry Insights…

• While economic conditions continue to weigh heavily on the U.S. travel consumer, financial and travel sentiment indicators mostly held steady in September. Sentiment among California residents even turned somewhat more positive for the month.
• Overall, Americans are prioritizing travel, with 59% saying leisure travel is a budget priority and 87% saying they are excited about travel in the next 12 months.
• Lodging performance cooled across the U.S. in September, with California posting moderate declines across all key performance indicators.
• Statewide hotel occupancy in September was 69% (down 3% from last year)
• Bishop hotel occupancy in September was 76.9% (down 1.6% from last year)
• Final numbers for October are not in yet, but it was a good month – well over 80% occupancy in Bishop hotels.
• Visit Bishop has 73.1K followers on Facebook and 44K on Instagram.
• www.bishopvisitor.com had 98K views in September with 8.4K links out to partner businesses.
• The Bishop Visitor Guide had 757 digital downloads.

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We hope you will join the Bishop Chamber of Commerce for November 10th Lunch & Learn at the Eastern Sierra Business Resource Center. Nikki Rae Hart of The Job Spot will provide a presentation about all the wonderful resources provided for local employers and employees. Don’t miss it!

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Advertise With Us!

We are working now to update and republish the Bishop Visitor Guide Magazine. It’s the premier publication distributed in the Bishop Information Center and brochure racks throughout the region. We also hand out the magazine at all the travel & sport shows in key markets including Los Angeles, Costa Mesa, Sacramento and Bay Area.

The magazine is also available as a digital download and can be requested by mail.

Click here to see the rate sheet (note deadline extended to 11/30/25).

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2026 Mule Days Celebration Tickets

Just in time for holiday gift giving season – Mule Days tickets go on sale November 15th!

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Message from Producer Susan Kunze:

Playhouse 395 has an upcoming production of a radio play version of “It’s A Wonderful Life” during the first two weeks of December. The show will have four performances, December 6,7, 12, and 13 and will be presented at the Elks Lodge. It’s a radio show, similar to Garrison Keillor’s “Prairie Home Companion”, set in 1940. As a play, the actors will “record” the show in real time, just like old-time live radio shows. As part of these performances, our Christmas carol singers will also be singing jingles which are short commercials about local Bishop businesses.

This is a great opportunity to have your local business highlighted as an ad during the shows. Our jingle writers will take information from you about your business, like items you will have available during the holiday season or special holiday events you have planned. Some examples of these are highlights such as luxury apparel, friendly staff, all season recreation, soft linens, or fresh caught fish from our lakes. Our composers will write them into a jingle our carol singers will sing during and/or before each performance.

This is an easy and inexpensive way to have your business highlighted during the busy holiday season. The cost is nominal, just $50 for all four performances. You will also need to send along some information you would like included in your business’ personalized jingle by November 7.

For more information about getting a holiday jingle ad placed in Playhouse 395’s upcoming holiday show, please contact our Playhouse office 395 at 760-920-9100 or Susan Kunze at 760-937-1923. Then we can connect and get started on this fun way to advertise your business!

In addition, might I suggest purchasing some tickets for one of the shows? Consider making one performance a holiday celebration or gift for your employees, friends, or family. You can purchase a table for one performance, which will have eight seats, as well as some charcuterie trays to enjoy during the performance, for $250. What a wonderful way to enjoy an evening with those you care about! Individual tickets are $25 each. We are so looking forward to having you and your business be part of our performance!

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Locals Only Airfare Discounts!

Bishop flights to and from San Francisco and Denver on United Airlines will resume mid-December. If you are planning a trip, be sure to check out the discounts for locals at both Bishop and Mammoth Airports.

Bishop (BIH) to San Francisco (SFO)

Winter Service

• Flights run daily
• Service Dates: December 11, 2025 – April 4, 2026
• Two flights run on Saturdays: December 20 – January 3 and February 14 – April 4

Bishop (BIH) to Denver (DEN)

Winter Service

• Flights run daily
• Service Dates: December 18, 2025 – April 27, 2026
• Weekend Extras: December 19 – April 4
• Extra flight arrives Friday PM / departs Saturday AM
• Extra flight arrives Saturday PM / departs Sunday AM

Advanced Airlines from Mammoth Airport can connect you to Hawthorne and Carlsbad, CA.

Mammoth Yosemite Airport (MMH) to Hawthorne-LA (HHR) or Carlsbad (CLD)

Winter Service

• Flights run Thursdays, Fridays, Sundays and Mondays
• Service Dates: November 26, 2025 through April 27, 2026
• Holiday Exceptions:
• Thanksgiving: No service on Thanksgiving Day. Service will operate Wednesday 11/26 instead
• Christmas: No service on Christmas Day. Service will operate Wednesday 12/24 instead

Fly more, save more! Check out Advanced Air’s bulk ticket specials with their Altitude Annual Passes. These 10 one-way flight packages include tickets that are fully transferable to family and friends.

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It is the mission of the Bishop Chamber of Commerce to promote business, tourism and responsible recreation for the benefit of our community.

Not already a member? Please consider joining today.