Pictured from left are Emily Shipley, North Webster chamber vice president; Brenda Peterson, North Webster chamber and Lake City Bank; Mindy Scaggs, North Webster chamber and REMAX Lakes; Susan Stump, North Webster chamber and The Papers Inc.; Karilyn Metcalf, North Webster chamber and Dixie Boat; Sue Ward, North Webster chamber and Sue’s Creations; Steve Ward, Sue’s Creations; Nate Ries, Jerky Jerks; Ashley Ward, Jerky Jerks; Melody Cusick, Syracuse-Wawasee chamber and REMAX Partners; Jason Dewart, Syracuse-Wawasee chamber and Interra Credit Union; Chris Scheeren, Lakeland Youth Center; Jeanetta Slabaugh, Syracuse-Wawasee chamber and Crossroads Syracuse; Dan Buchman, Syracuse-Wawasee chamber and State Farm; Steve Fields, Syracuse-Wawasee chamber; and Renea Salyer, Syracuse-Wawasee chamber executive director. In front, from left, are Rihanna Alley and Ethan Ries. Photos by Sarah Wright.

By Sarah Wright
InkFreeNews

SYRACUSE — Thursday, July 16, the Syracuse-Wawasee Chamber of Commerce and North Webster-Tippecanoe Township Chamber of Commerce partnered to hold a ribbon cutting for Jerky Jerks, 503 S. Huntington St., Syracuse. The business opened in March before temporarily closing during the stay-at-home order issued in light of the COVID-19 pandemic; it has since resumed operations.

Jerky Jerks is owned and operated by Ashley Ward and Nate Ries, and at the moment, they offer nine different flavors of jerky but will be adding new flavors in the future. Both agree that their most popular flavor is the garlic honey, which is made using local honey from Blue Barn Berry Farm. From sweet to spicy, Ries and Ward offer jerky for all tastebuds.

In addition to jerky, Jerky Jerks can create custom shirts on the spot using direct-to-garment printing rather than screen printing.

Jerky Jerks is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday and Friday and from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. Jerky Jerks’ products can also be found at Sue’s Creations, 102 S. Main St., North Webster, and Blue Barn Berry Farm, 9139 N. 300E, Syracuse.