CHAMBER BANQUET 2009 by
The Winnsboro Chamber of Commerce Banquet was held on April 9th 2009. The turn out was tremendous. Fundraisers included silent auction items donated by local business, ads placed in the program, as well as, the ads on the placemats. Entertainment was provided by the Winnsboro Elementary Fourth grade choir singing five songs with nature sounds and kazoo’s, accompanied by the Winnsboro Elementary Fourth grade dancers, who danced around the conductor as she led the children in the music. Ticket sales to the banquet were remarkable this year, with the banquet being sold out and more tables having to be obtained. The speaker of the night was Mr. Tony Crow who gave an uplifting story regarding overcoming adversity. Mr. Crow is a part of our community and had wonderful things to say about Winnsboro and the people who live here. He was blinded in an accident and received an abundance amount of support from our community and friends in the community. Mr. Crow had everyone’s attention through out the presentation. The Man of the Year nominees were, Mr. Rod Hashaway who exhibits great leadership in our community related to the war on drugs; Mr. Shane Shepard who has contributed to Winnsboro’s economic growth and prosperity during these hard economic times, and Mr. Joe Wayne Reynolds who is great asset to any community with his community service work and his involvement in the Rotary club, and the Winnsboro Economic development program. The winner of Man of the Year was Mr. Joe Wayne Reynolds who is very deserving of this award. The nominees for Woman of the Year were, Mrs. Leann Sparks for her community involvement with the fire department, police department and her strive to make Winnsboro a better place to live; Mrs. Sue Horchem who dedicates her time to the Pilot Club and is a role model for our community, and Mrs. Norma Wilkinson who dedicates her time to caring for others and loves to bring visitors to Winnsboro. The winner of Woman of the Year was Mrs. Leann Sparks. Agricultural nominees for the year were Mr. Shane Adams who spends long days on the job and is not afraid to help others out when they need it. He also is a mentor to the agriculture boys and girls and assists with their projects. Tri county feed was nominated as well for their community involvement with the Winnsboro Rodeo Association. Jack and Neta Kemp were nominated related to their great help with children in the community and the FFA groups. They keep extra shirts and clothes for both boys and girls in their closets just in case they are in need at an FFA show. The winner of this award was Jack and Neta Kemp. Neta’s father was the recipient of this award in the past. Business of the Year nominations were, First National Bank of Winnsboro for their support of the Chamber, customer service and the services that provide for our youth every year; Brookshire’s for their support of all the Chamber events and all the nonprofit organizations and the support the provide our youth and schools, and Team World Wide for the customer service they provide and the multiple areas that they support our community. Team World Wide was the winner of this award. Donations were provided by Casey’s pet store, Trinity Mission nursing home, Keller’s Creamery, Trails Country Center for the Arts, Double C Steak House, Art and Expresso, Mary Hunt Insurance, United Country Cain Agency, Wayne Farm and Ranch Center, Valley Feed Mill, Network Technologies, Bargain Depot, Winnsboro Gallery, Bell’s Pharmacy, J & D Western Wear, Clements Realty, Mineola Community Bank, Copper Leaf Day Spa, Redneck Ranch, Scott’s Pharmacy, Bodacious BBQ, West Chevron, Goodson’s Kwik Lube, Hardy’s Auto Parts, Tri-County Feed, Dairy Queen, Key Drug, Pizza Inn, Subway, Astra Cleaners, Jeb Sales, and A-1 storage. Gail Gearner from Poultry Plus donated a tool set and purse, as well as all the chicken for for the banquet. The decorations were made and donated by Cypress Home Care and their employees. The banquet was a great success and everyone expressed how much they enjoyed the banquet this year, especially because it was a family event. Next years banquet is already being discussed to make it even better. To see photos of the banquet visit Heidi's album on Facebook HERE |