R. R. Branstrom | Daily Press Water’s Edge Chiropractic owner Patrick Johnson prepares to address attendees of the July Business After Hours at Saunders Point Brewing in Gladstone.

GLADSTONE — It was pouring down rain for the afternoon and evening of the networking event on Delta Avenue on Wednesday, but although more time was spent inside one Rialto Center business than the street — which had been closed in order to be able to better accommodate participants — many cheery faces were in attendance.

The Delta Chamber of Commerce’s Business After Hours is a regular occurrence. Once a month, a different local business hosts the event that serves to connect business people and the community, spread information and provide a good time.

The Business After Hours that Gladstone puts on once a year adds an extra element. Sponsored by Water’s Edge Chiropractic, the event challenges attendees to visit a number of other businesses in the downtown, too, in a type of scavenger hunt.

When people arrived Wednesday after 5 p.m. and before the drawing at Saunders Point Brewing — the rain date location — they were given cards with the names of a number of downtown businesses printed on them. The goal was to visit each one and return to deposit the cards, fully-filled out with signatures from all the stops, to be entered into a prize drawing.

Collaborating were the Gladstone Downtown Development Authority (DDA), R Gym, Main Street Pizza, Saunders Point Brewing, Nantastic Grooming, Wally’s Bar, Water’s Edge Chiropractic, Brampton Bike and Ski, Dairy Flo, China Lily, the Dew Drop Family Restaurant, the City of Gladstone and Final Touches Designs.

“These gatherings offer members a unique opportunity to showcase their business, build valuable connections, and strengthen the local business community,” said Vickie Micheau, executive director of the Delta Chamber of Commerce. “By keeping the focus on Chamber members, we ensure the benefits of visibility, networking, and collaboration stay primarily within the membership that helps make these events possible.”

Though geared largely towards professionals associated with said businesses, Business After Hours events are open to the public. Hosts tend to be happy when people get to see what their places have to offer.

In the case of last week’s event, in addition to the usual activity, folks were invited to help celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Rialto Center. The Rialto Center, which contains three apartments and eight commercial units — including Saunders Point Brewing, R Gym and Water’s Edge Chiropractic — is a historic building that once was a theater and has seen a number of tenants come and go since.