Last Friday night, the Jasper Lake Sam Rayburn Area Chamber of Commerce held the Chairman’s Banquet with a theme of “Hot Summer Night” to honor many for their accomplishments during the difficult year of 2020.
Scott Loar/The Enterprise
When you drive into Jasper from most directions you will see a sign that welcomes you to the city that says, “Jewel of the Forest.” The forest reference is of course to the Pineywoods, and Jasper is the jewel that shines the brightest among the trees.
Last Friday night, the Jasper Lake Sam Rayburn Area Chamber of Commerce held the Chairman’s Banquet with a theme of “Hot Summer Night” to honor many for their accomplishments during the difficult year of 2020.
The banquet, which usually is held in January, was cancelled in 2020 due to the pandemic and was postponed from January due to the continued threat from COVID-19. The event was finally held at the Harvest Church Life Center this past Friday. The event was well attended and all who attended enjoyed the meal and seeing those who received the various awards that were presented.
The list of winners and awards included Small Business of the Year, Advantage Plus Homecare owned by Charles Frazier; Young Person of the Year, James Ross Pullman; Newcomer of the Year, MVP owned by Derek Billingsly; Hometown Hero, Ashleigh Shelby Rosette; Citizen of the Year, Bob Mayhar;
Chamber Member of the Year, Anne Alison Smith, LaPaz Bed & Breakfast who passed away back in November.
The casual theme fit right in with the banquet occurring during the hot days of summer and all the participants dressed casually and enjoyed the time together. A cake auction during the event had a humorous conclusion as Charles Frazier raised a bid of $1,001 to $1,001.50 for the winning bid.
The Chamber has led the way with events as the pandemic numbers declined, and all hope that the recent spike in active cases will not lead to additional slow downs or pull backs on customer capacity in businesses. But for one night, the Jewels of Jasper shined as bright as the stars and all were hoping for even brighter things in coming days for Jasper.
Scott Loar is a
freelance writer.