Chamber kicks off year with banquet

The membership nominated and awarded the Citizen of the Year award and two Business of the Year awards.

Patti Jones, former mayor, was chosen as the Citizen of the Year for her dedication and commitment to fulfilling her husband's vision for the city of Linton and for Linton's many sporting events and organizations.

Carnegie Heritage & Arts Center was chosen as a Business of the Year for its efforts to preserve an historic building, working to restore its natural beauty and for their commitment to promoting art and music in our area.

It was through the Carnegie's partnership with the Chamber that brought the Sculpture Trails aluminum pour to the Linton Fall Arts Festival in 2011.

Angell Enterprises was also chosen as a Business of the Year for its steadfast commitment to serving the community in the face of adversity with the loss of Mark Angell and his leadership.

The Angell family and its employees were celebrated for their steady dedication to the store and all of the community events that rely on their generosity.

Our annual dinner sponsors included: Anderson-Poindexter, Bloomfield State Bank, Greene County Daily World, Greene County General Hospital and UDWI/REMC.

We were able to award our attendees giveaways due to the generosity of: May's Flowers, Phil Harris Golf Course, Wolfe's Gym, Dave Smith and Noah Tools, Thrifty Chicks, French Lick Resort and Casino, Made in Greene County Group, C&S Outdoors among others.

We enjoyed the presence of nearly 170 members, their spouses, family and friends. Our entertainment, U.S. 231, was superb, and our special speaker, Pat Evans, was inspirational.

Thank you to all the Elks staff and to the many volunteers who made this a memorable evening.

Upcoming Events for the Chamber include:

* Feb 17-26 -- Indy Boat, Sport & Travel Show. Chamber members will represent Greene County tourist sites in Indianapolis during the 10-day expo. Please stop by our booth if you are in attendance.

* Feb 21 -- Chamber meeting, breakfast at Triple H Gun Club at 7 a.m.; all members are invited to attend. Thomas Ulmet from the American Cancer Society will be our guest speaker.

* March 3 -- Festival Scholarship Pageant, 7 p.m. in the Linton-Stockton High School auditeria. The $500 scholarship is for college or post-high school vocational training for the queen and a $200 scholarship will be awarded for the runner-up. Female high school seniors who attend L-S High School or are residing within the L-S School Corporation are encouraged to sign-up. Entry forms are still available at the Chamber office or the L-S H.S. Guidance office. Deadline to submit is Friday Jan. 27.

* March 10 -- Annual Spring Expo, 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m. at the Linton National Guard Armory. Home building, remodeling, decorating, landscaping businesses, among others will be on hand to showcase their products and services. Admission is free and there will be door prizes for attendees. Vendors can go to www.lintonchamber.org for the registration form and detail sheet. We invite your business or not-for-profit organization to join us as nearly 400 consumers attend each year!

Member's events include:

* Glenburn Community & Wellness Center is having lunch and bingo on Thursday and will have lunch and Don's Music on Tuesday, Jan. 31.

* Generations is holding weekly "Living a Healthy Life with Chronic Conditions" classes on Tuesdays, Jan. 31-March 6 at 6:30-8 p.m. at the Greene County Hospital Home Healthcare Office (brick building in front of Orscheln & Goody's) on State Road 54 in Linton. The same class will be offered on Fridays, Feb. 10-March 23 from 9-11 a.m. at the Jasonville Senior Center, 145 S. Lawton Street. RSVP at Generations 1-800-742-9002. Classes are for six weeks, the cost is free and a complimentary book is provided.

* WorkOne is offering a free class Wednesday called "Career Interest & Indiana Career Explorer from 9-10:30 a.m. and "Intro to Federal Employment" from 2-4 p.m. Call 847-4479 for more details.

Lynette is the executive director of the Linton-Stockton Chamber of Commerce. She can be reached by telephone at 847-4846 or by email at lshelton@lintonchamber.org .