Linton-Stockton Chamber has been busy

Within a 16-day span, we successfully held the Fall Fish Fry, hosted the Buy Indiana Expo for NSWC Crane, and organized the third annual Fall Arts Festival.

At the Fall Fish Fry, nearly 35 volunteers helped prepare, fry and serve 180 pounds of fish, not to mention a wide variety of delicious desserts.

The Buy Indiana Expo was a huge success, again because of the nearly 35 volunteers, including the Bloomfield High School Junior ROTC, led by Lieutenant Commander Frank Starr. Eleven ROTC members donated their entire day to presenting colors at the opening ceremonies and assisting vendors throughout the expo. The National Anthem was sung by a female cadet.

The new NSWC Commander Col. Alan M. Pratt, USMC, was the opening speaker. Linton Mayor Patti Jones was among the speakers that day; other special guests were State Rep. Eric Koch, State Rep. Mark Messmer, State Rep. Matt Ubelhor, State Sen. Brent Steele, and Reggie Joslin, Director of Crane's Small Business Programs.

I also had the honor of addressing the nearly 215 small business vendors and nearly 400 Crane buyers, engineers and technicians.

It is a privilege for the Linton-Stockton Chamber of Commerce to serve our Indiana businesses and NSWC Crane in this capacity.

Local companies who supported one or more of their employees to volunteer their time at the Expo include: Anderson-Poindexter Funeral Home, Bloomfield State Bank, City Pest Control, City of Linton, Greene County Economic Development, Linton-Stockton High School and its Business Club, NSWC Crane, URS and REMC. REMC also sponsored all the refreshments for the vendors on the Expo day and Radius Indiana sponsored the Welcome Reception.

Ralph and Kay Witty, Cheryl Hamilton and Mayor Jones also volunteered their time to make this event a huge success.

Local businesses also donated items to give away to vendors and Crane buyers. They include: AT&T, Bloomfield State Bank, City of Linton, Chamber of Commerce, Farmers & Mechanics, Lamar's, Radius Indiana, Regions Bank, Trent's Body Shop and WorkOne.

Finally, the Fall Arts Festival Committee, headed by Crystal Woods, Kathy Matthews and David Benefiel, organized the third annual Linton Fall Arts Festival. Chamber Task Force volunteers were on hand, along with Fred Markle, to ensure that this event was enjoyed by all who attended.

Furthermore, the Linton Public Library was able to assist the American Red Cross in its Blood Drive.

Last, but not least, the Sculpture Trails aluminum sculpture experience was a unique and learning experience for kids and adults alike.

The Carnegie and the Chamber of Commerce will be discussing the placement of the finished sculpture in the very near future.

Upcoming events:

* The Old Bank & Company Restaurant is hosting a Ladies Night Out on Nov. 3 from 5-9 p.m. with a variety of vendors including MaryKay, Tupperware, 31, Pampered Chef, Scentsy, among others.

Ladies can shop for themselves or others for Christmas.

Margaritas, daiquiris, Long Islands, Sangria and wine will all be on special, along with a variety of food.

* Pregnancy Choices will be holding an open house on Nov. 4 from noon-3 p.m. to celebrate its opening as a medical clinic. They will now be able to perform free ultrasounds and pregnancy tests for women in our area.

Join Pregnancy Choices at its open house to see how they are supporting our community.

* Anderson-Poindexter will be having a Veteran's Memorial Service on Veteran's Day, Friday, Nov. 11 at 1 p.m. on the lawn of the funeral home on North Main Street in Linton.

The service will be moved inside if there is inclement weather, so plan on being in attendance to honor our military veterans.

* AARP, along with Generations, will be holding the AARP Community Conversation to "Tell Congress No Cuts to Medicare Benefits and Social Security Benefits." The event will be Monday, Nov. 14 from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Lunch will be provided and it is free to all participants.

Come to the Humphreys Park east shelterhouse in Linton. Reservations are required. Call toll-free 1-877-926-8300 to reserve your spot in this Community Conversation.

* Greene County General Hospital will be hosting the next Chamber luncheon on Tuesday, Nov. 15 at noon in its basement conference room.

All Chamber members are invited to attend. Please RSVP at the Chamber office at 847-4846.

Lynette is the executive director of the Linton-Stockton Chamber of Commerce. She can be reached by telephone at 847-4846.