Andrews – A full house was on hand May 31 in the fellowship hall of First United Methodist Church for the Andrews Chamber of Commerce’s annual dinner and awards ceremony.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the meeting was held online in 2020 and 2021, making this year’s get-together more special, with 94 people in attendance. Food was catered by Farmhouse Diner, Cups & Cones Cafe and Homespun Hobbies Bakery & Mercantile, while entertainment was provided by the Community Youth Players in the form of the play Shakespeare’s Got Talent.
Cabrina Horton, marketing director of the Cherokee County Touristy Development Authority, was the special speaker. Along with a dozen door prizes, three major annual awards were handed out by chamber President Gayle Horton:
- The Joe El-Khouri Volunteer of the Year was Barbara Jones, who has taken care of at least 250 foster children in her career, most of them under 1 year old. Her grandmotherly love, care and concern has changed not just the children’s lives, but that of other adults as well.
- The Beautification Project of the Year went to Hillside Nursery, which was been family owned and operated in Andrews since 1972. Under the leadership of Jerry, Wendell and Sarah Hedden, Hillside is well known for suppling the hanging baskets that decorate downtown Andrews.
- The Business of the Year was Cups & Cones Cafe. Duron and Pam Smith have quickly become essential parts of the community with their bright storefront and volunteerism.
Emcee David Brown, publisher of the Cherokee Scout, said 16 new businesses have opened or will be opening soon in the Andrews Valley. He added that affordable housing is needed and important to help Andrews grow by providing more consumers as well as housing for workers.
Chamber Director Nola Cooper shared that during the last fiscal year, the chamber has averaged 3,200 attendees and 82 vendors per signature event. Food Truck Fridays alone had more than 2,000 attendees for the five events in its first year.
Horton pointed out that the chamber’s website is averaging 9,392 visits per month, with 4,496 of those being unique visitors. That will help bring people to the chamber’s events for the rest of 2022, like Food Truck Fridays (June 10, July 8, Aug. 12 and Sept. 9), Oktoberfest (Oct. 8) and Christmas on Main (Nov. 19). The town, not the chamber, is organizing the annual Christmas parade downtown in December this year.
“The Andrews chamber and the town are ready to bring Andrews back to prosperity with your help,” Horton said, with a roomful of people nodding their heads in agreement.