Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Nominations Being Accepted For Chamber Awards

James Lee Witt, former director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), will be the featured speaker at the annual Prescott-Nevada County Chamber of Commerce banquet this year.

Witt is almost singlehandedly responsible for turning FEMA into a fully-functional government agency.

This year's banquet will be held at 6:30 p.m., Monday, March 26, at the McRae Middle School cafetorium.

The theme will be "Navigating the Course of Our Future", featuring nautical decorations.

The meal will be served buffet style, and will feature chicken, fish, cole slaw and key lime pie.

Restaurants throughout Nevada County will be contacted to see if they're interested in bidding for the banquet's meal. This way everyone will have an equal chance at being selected, Mary Godwin, executive director of the chamber, said.

Those interested in submitting a bid should contact Godwin at the Chamber office at 887-2101.

The banquet will be casual or nautical dress, this idea having worked well last year. And, again this year, photographer Leigh Ann Johnson will be on hand to take pictures of those wanting them. The photos will be $5 each.

This year's agenda will include the power point program showing what the Chamber has done during the past year, the past president's award, the Nevada County Farm Family of the Year, the teachers of the year (one from each of the three districts in the county), the Treasure of Gold Award, the Business Leader of the Year (in its second year), volunteer recognition and culminating with the biggest award of all  Citizen of the Year.

The Citizen of the Year will be picked from letters and evaluations submitted to the Chamber. The evaluations include 10 categories, each worth 10 percent.

The categories include service in family, city, county, state, national, church related, fraternal, recreational, industrial and education oriented.

Each category has a ranking from 1-10 for the nominees.

Nominations should be turned in either in the form of a typed or written letter to the Chamber no later than Friday, March 2. The nominations should address each of the 10 categories. The nominations can also be mailed to the Chamber at P.O. Box 307, Prescott, AR. 71857.

Of course, the nominees must either live in Nevada County or have a business located in the county.

The banquet, Godwin said, is the Chamber's largest fundraiser of the year. Proceeds from it are used to put on other activities and events as the Chamber receives no funds from either the city or county.

Tickets for the banquet will be $15 and can be purchased at the Chamber office or from anyone on the banquet committee.

The committee consists of Godwin, Jon Chadwell, Hallie Kisselburg, Barbara Lowdermilk, Booie Williams, Lanora Dalrymple, Michael Jimerson, Chad Brandon, Randall Blount, Karen McLelland, Dani Tamberelli, Betty Thaxton and Heidi Richards.