Dear Chamber of Commerce Family,
THANK YOU for your continued support of your local chamber. We appreciate YOU!
We will soon welcome a new year! Therefore, we are sending this “News & Notes” to offer a brief recap of 2021 along with an update of “what is to come” in 2022.
New Members: 26 Community Coffees: 34 Ribbon Cuttings: 6 Let’s Go Live: 32 Business After Hours: 3 Partnership Activities / Events: 13 - Remember to email hopemelonfest@yahoo.com or call the chamber at 870.777.3640 to schedule your Community Coffee, Business After Hours, Grand Opening and/or Ribbon Cutting.
Chamber of Commerce Week: The chamber partners with our state chamber and all local chambers throughout AR to celebrate Chamber of Commerce Week. We appreciate our Vice Mayor, Kiffinea Talley, for reading the proclamation this year. The week was filled with coffees, ribbon cuttings, and special video production by the board of directors, thanks to Amalgamated Toast Media!
Events:
2021 Annual Meeting – We were excited to welcome Jake Beckett as our Keynote Speaker. Although the banquet did not take place, we were able to gather in person at Hempstead Hall as we awarded and applauded the following:
Citizens of the Year – Steve & Celia Montgomery
Educator of the Year – Travell Green
Business of the Year – Pafford Medical Services
Nonprofit of the Year – The Call
All Juiced Up – 2021 Hope Watermelon Festival! As always, we appreciate the City of Hope (including the outstanding Hope Fair Park team), Hope Tourism Commission, UAHT Foundation, Inked Threads, Arkansas Great Southwest, SWARK.Today, Hempstead County, our sponsors, volunteers, all nonprofits & individuals who manage festival areas, and our amazing vendors and concessions! We did not see a record-setting attendance, but we did see thousands of happy faces! Everyone was thankful that the festival happened.
Christmas Open House: Two fun-filled days that encouraged everyone to “Shop Small” and “Shop and Dine Local” saw hundreds gathering throughout the town as they shopped until they dropped! We had fun with our 2021 Theme, A Christmas Story! To ALL who participated in one form or another, we THANK YOU!
Another round of thanks to our sponsors:
HOPE BUCKS Sponsor – SWARK.Today / Carriage Rides Sponsor – McDonalds
Window Décor Contest Sponsor – The First National Bank of Tom Bean – Saturday Christmas Open House Presenting Sponsors – Hempstead County Title & Kiwanis Club of Hope
Window Décor Contest Winners: 1st Place – Ivan Smith Furniture of Hope / 2nd Place – Tailgaters Burger Company / 3rd Place – Elm Street Marketplace
Christmas Parade: What a fun evening! 40 + entries! We appreciate our Parade Presenting Sponsor, Farmers Bank & Trust! We also thank SWARK.Today for livestreaming the parade! Special thanks to Rick Fisher for helping with parade lineup and Southwest Arkansas Educational Cooperative (SWAEC) for the festive car signs for our Grand Marshals.
Float Winners:
Best Use of Theme: First United Methodist Church Preschool & Kindergarten
Best Use of Lights: Yerger Middle School
Best in Show: UAHT TRIO Program
Be the Light Christmas Tree Project: WOW! This was a game-changer as far as Christmas décor goes! Thank you to ALL who participated in this project by purchasing and decorating a small Christmas tree that the chamber and City of Hope affixed to the light poles in downtown Hope! The trees along with the Hope Beautification Committee and Hope Tourism Commission décor made our downtown sparkle and shine!
Enclosed in this note is our 2022 Chamber Board Voting Card. We ask that you vote and drop the card in the mail. No postage necessary. We truly appreciate you taking the time to vote and return your card. Thank you!
Please help us help you to stay connected to the Hope-Hempstead County Chamber of Commerce. If you are not receiving weekly emails from us and you would like to do so, please email hopemelonfest@yahoo.com and simply request that we place you on our email list. Also – if you have changed your email, let us know. Thank you!
PLEASE MAKE PLANS TO JOIN US AS WE KICK OFF OUR 2022 CHAMBER COMMUNITY COFFEES! WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 12 FROM 9:30-11:00 AT THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. THE HOST FOR THIS KICKOFF COFFEE WILL BE YOUR CHAMBER BOARD OF DIRECTORS. WELCOME, 2022!