The Chamber Connection
From Meredith Caddell
September 20, 2012
Thank you to everyone who attended the ribbon cutting for Wesley Oaks Memory Care Center
Friday is the deadline to claim last year’s stew sites!!!!!
Stew sites are filling up fast! The deadline to turn in stew entry forms and still keep your stew site from last year is Friday, September 21st. If you have never cooked stew before, but would like to, you may register now, and the remaining stew sites will be available for selection on September 24th! For more information, please call the Chamber at 903-885-6515 or you may download the forms from our website at www.sulphursprings-tx.com.
Have you voted for your favorite Stew T-Shirt? Time is running out!
Voting has started for the 2012 World Champion Hopkins County Stew Contest T-shirt. All you have to do is visit www.hopkinscountystew.com and click on the 2012 T-shirt Contest button; check out all of the t-shirt designs; vote on your favorite. Please only vote once a day! Voting will end on September 21st at Noon.
New to Stew....Vendor Booths!!!
For the first time, the Chamber of Commerce will be offering vendor booth space during the World Champion Hopkins County Stew Contest! Vendor Booths will be set up along the new walking track on the south side of Connally Street at Buford Park. The cost for a booth for non-profits is $50, businesses $75, then it’s $25 extra if you need electricity. Last year, close to 7,000 people attended the stew contest. If you would like more information, please call the Chamber at 903-885-6515.
Don’t know who to vote for our local government races? Join us for the Candidate Forum, 9/27
The Hopkins County Chamber of Commerce will host a non-partisan candidate forum on September 27th from 6-8 at the Civic Center. This will be an opportunity for you to get to hear all of the candidates discuss the issues that are important to our community. The doors will open at 5:00. Everyone is invited to attend and will be given the opportunity to write their questions for each contested race: Constable, Commissioner, DA and Judge. There will be boxes placed on the tables for you to place your question in. The questions will be reviewed by each party’s chairperson, then the candidates will address the question. This will be a wonderful opportunity to get to know the candidates before you cast your vote on November 6th.
Business After Hours for Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Services, Thursday, October 4th
Please mark your calendars now for the next Business After Hours at the Extension Office, located at 1200 Houston Street on Thursday, October 4th from 5-6:30pm. They will have wonderful refreshments and great door prizes!
8th Annual John Chester Dutch Oven Cook-off, Saturday, October 6th at Heritage Park
Don’t miss Indian Summer Days and the John Chester Dutch Oven Cook-off, Saturday, October 6th from 9am-3:00pm. Admission is only $3. There will be hand work quilters, live music, kids’ activities, artists, woodcarvers, painters and much more. For more information about the cook-off, please call Rick Wilson at 903-885-9692. Deadline for entry into the cook off is September 30th. You may pick up entry forms for the cook off at the Chamber office at 300 Connally Street.
History by Foot with John Sellers, Saturday, October 13th
John Sellers will be hosting two History by Foot tours on Saturday, October 13th. The first tour will begin at 9:00am and the second will begin at 10:45. The tours are only $10 and will meet in the center of the square downtown Sulphur Springs. If you have never been on one of John’s tours, you will be amazed at the information he will share! You will discover the history of some of our historical buildings and landmarks and learn what events took place where! Tickets are on sale at Alliance Bank, City National Bank and the Genealogical Library.
“A Walk to Remember”, October 18th at 6:15 at the Gardens at Memorial Hospital
The Pilot Club of Sulphur Springs will sponsor the annually "A Walk to Remember" benefitting the Terrific Tuesday program on October 18, 2012 at 6:15 p.m. at the Gardens at Memorial Hospital - 115 Airport Road in Sulphur Springs, Texas - next to the hospital. (Rain out location will be at the Family Life Center of the First United Methodist Church - 301 Church St. ). Please join us for an awareness program and remembrance walk around The Gardens at Memorial. Our goal is to pause and remember friends and loved ones affected by Alzheimer's disease, dementia, senility, stroke, etc. To support the event sign up to walk for $20 per person (which includes a t-shirt as supplies last) prior to the event, or for $25 per person on the day of the event. Get your registration form from any Pilot Club member, download form online at www.sspilotclub.org , or by calling Monica Littlefield at 903-885-2480 . Memorials and Honorariums can be purchased for $10 per name prior to October 12th - these names will be printed in the program and announced at the walk during the candle lighting ceremony. Please join us for A Walk to Remember.
Northeast Texas Children’s Museum to celebrate 10 years with celebratory dinner at Webb Hill, Sept. 27th
Ten years ago the Northeast Texas Children’s Museum opened in a vacant grocery store with an uncertain future. Today the Children’s Museum has moved to the former location of Watson’s Cafeteria on the Texas A&M University-Commerce campus and has a goal of welcoming 20,000 visitors before the year ends. It continues to add new exhibits; the most recent additions have been from Atmos Energy and Lone Star Eatery.
The idea for a Children’s Museum in Commerce began in 1994. After taking his children to visit the Children’s Museum in Seminole, Oklahoma, David Gibson wanted to have a museum in Commerce. His dream became a reality with the opening at a former Winn-Dixie location at Live Oak and Highway 24 on September 28, 2002. “The time and energy given by the community to create a museum during those eight years encouraged our group to continue to focus on making that happen,” Mr. Gibson said.
The Children’s Museum moved to its current location at 2501 Highway 24 in 2007, deeply in debt. Closing the doors was a real possibility, but in the last three years the museum’s finances have stabilized. At this point, all debts have been paid and the Northeast Texas Children’s Museum is maintaining a balanced budget and increasing its services to the youth of northeast Texas.
The Northeast Texas Children’s Museum will celebrate the tenth year with a float in the Bois d ‘Arc Bash Parade and a celebratory dinner will be held at Webb Hill Country Club on September 27. “This will be an opportunity to thank a group of people who accomplished an extraordinary feat in establishing the Northeast Texas Children’s Museum,” Sharline Freeman, the museum’s Executive Director, said. “We are looking forward to the celebration.” Tickets for the dinner are $30 per person and can be purchased at the Children’s Museum or by calling (903) 886-6055.
That’s all for now…have a GREAT week!
______
