Andrews – Colorful floral arrangements adorned the 15 large round tables at the Andrews United Methodist Church on June 20 for the annual Andrews Chamber of Commerce dinner, and all of the seats were
filled.
Chamber members, business owners, community leaders, special speakers and guests were in attendance. David Brown, publisher of the Cherokee Scout, was the emcee for the evening.
The highlight of the evening was the 2022 awards presented by Gayle Horton, president of the Andrews Chamber of Commerce.
u Business of the Year went to Dragon Ass Smoked BBQ for owners AnneMarie Dragonette and Gary Baker’s hard work and dedication in putting the customer first even in the face of adversity, including a bad accident involving their food truck. They take their customers’ suggestions seriously and have added food items to their menu as proof.
u Beautification Project of the Year was bestowed upon the Andrews Garden Club. Members cleaned and spruced up the garden beside Sage restaurant, helped make the garden beautiful at Valley River Park, and prune and care for the crepe myrtles downtown. Every spring they beautify Main Street, the Andrews Post Office and the annual Spring Fling.
u Joe El-Khouri Volunteer of the Year went to a very happy Jeff Cooper for having spent many hours volunteering at each of the events in Andrews for the last couple of years. Cooper is always available when needed, and when the chamber was renovating its office he was there. He moved furniture, hung pictures, built shelving and installed the television as well as the hanger in the window.
The speaker for the evening was Lake Silver, western field representative in North Carolina for U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-N.C.) and spoke about the different ways his office previously helped and plan on assisting Andrews in the future. Silver invited anyone with ideas, concerns and questions to reach out.
Door prizes were given throughout the dinner to lucky ticket holders. One happy winner was heard from the back of the room yelling, “I won, I won!” Prizes included gift certificates for area products and services.
Among the joyful chatter of folks during the evening was the music of Bill Vespasian, who entertained with pop, country and rock music. Dinner was catered by Dragon Ass Smoked BBQ, while dessert was created by Homespun Hobbies Bakery & Mercantile.
Each table was decorated with a floral arrangement by different chamber members; one centerpiece that stood out actually looked like a small bush. The arrangement was a little Cousaberry tree and put together by herbalist Lesa MacGregor from the Valleytown Visionary Guild.
Author Doug Griffiths shared a video presentation about his book 13 Ways to Kill Your Community. Two of the 13 ways are not cooperating with other people and other entities, as well as negativity. Ideas were offered to help communities thrive and grow, despite some common human mindsets and behaviors that are stumbling blocks to growth.
Brown shared some of the chamber’s and town’s achievements over the last year, including the opening of 23 new businesses, growing attendance of monthly and yearly events and festivals, and the second annual Cherokee County Fair that Andrews will host again this year. A second monthly event was added to Food Truck Fridays, adding to the aura of positivity running through the Valley.
Horton spoke about the growth in visitors to the chamber’s website, a contracted artist who will be painting a mural in downtown on the corner of Chestnut and Main streets as well as a Cherokee County Tourism Development Authority grant that will be used to advertise local events in Our State magazine.
In addition, Horton talked about renovations done at the chamber building, thanking the volunteers who have helped make the new space comfortable for members to hold meetings and classes. She also mentioned that the Andrews chamber office is now a United Parcel Service (UPS) drop-off location.
For details, go online to visitandrewsnc.com.