Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Nominations Needed For Chamber Awards

Nominations for Citizen of the Year for the annual Prescott-Nevada County Chamber of Commerce Banquet are still being sought.

This is the most prestigious award the Chamber can bestow on a local or area resident, and the deadline for submitting names is drawing near. In fact, the deadline is Friday, March 2, with the banquet scheduled for Monday, March 26. It will take place at 6:30 p.m. in the McRae Middle School cafetorium.

The banquet will again open with the banquet, but this year there will be no special entertainment other than the featured speaker.

James Lee Witt, former director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), will be the featured speaker this year.

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

The banquet's 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.

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.