Joanne Robbins has announced her resignation from her position as General Manager of the Saugeen Shores Chamber of Commerce and has accepted the role of Pumpkinfest Coordinator.

In a May 31 statement from the Chamber of Commerce, the annual festival will no longer operate under the Chamber of Commerce umbrella of events and Robbins is expected to remain in her role at the Chamber until July 1, after which time she will begin to transition into her new role.

Her experience and history with Pumpkinfest will be invaluable to its future success as Robbins works alongside the long standing festival committee with some transitional support from the Chamber.

The Chamber Board of Directors would like to acknowledge Robbins’ many years of service to the Saugeen Shores organization and her commitment to the members as well as the community as a whole.

“Our vision is that the Saugeen Shores Chamber of Commerce will be a progressive and strategic business leader in Saugeen Shores. Our mission is to harness the ideas of the business community to effect positive change and growth, and promote tourism in Saugeen Shores,” said Board of Directors President Kate Cammidge-Irwin.

Pumpkinfest Chairperson Brad Scott added, “On behalf of the Pumpkinfest Committee we wish to thank the Chamber of Commerce for its years of support, their ongoing support during this transition will be key to our success. We are extremely excited for the new opportunities that will arise from these changes and look forward to having Joanne be our new full time co-ordinator.”