By Paul Hooper, Chamber of Commerce

It is that time of the year here at the Corsicana/Navarro County Chamber of Commerce were we begin looking for nominees for the Board of Directors to replace those Directors that have served a full or partial term. This year our Nominating Committee (Greg Olsen, Chair; Frank Steed, Co-Chair, Xavier Villarreal, Debbie Wilson, Brad Haynie and myself) came up with an outstanding list of Who’s Who as nominees. The Nominating Committee had to narrow the list to twelve (12) to fill nine (9) board positions. Nine (9) individuals were elected Thursday to serve as directors of the Corsicana/Navarro County Chamber of Commerce. The results of the balloting were announced at the Full Board’s monthly meeting this past Thursday after mail-in ballots and a vote of the Chamber’s board was held. Those elected Thursday to the nine (9) vacancies on the board were Dick Aldama, Aaron Johnson, the Rev. Dairy Johnson, Janet Martin, Maxine Moore, David B. Nyquist Jr., Cindy Scott, Brenda Stubbs, and Ruby Williams. Aaron Johnson, Dairy Johnson, Janet Martin and Ruby Williams were present board members who were re-elected to another term. Congratulations to all the nominees and I look forward to working closely with all the new directors in the coming months.



It is Thanksgiving week and if you are like me, I am looking forward to all the great food and time with family and friends. This is a wonderful time of the year when our spirits are lifted by Thanksgiving and Christmas and I would like to share with you this Thanksgiving Day poem by Karl Fuchs as a reminder to be thankful every day.

Thanksgiving Every Day

The table is brimming with good things to eat;

We're surrounded by family and friends; what a treat.

The feelings that fill us today can’t be beat;

It’s Thanksgiving Day, and it all feels complete.

But other days, sometimes things don’t seem so fine;

Those days are not polished and don’t seem to shine.

It's then in our minds, we forget all the good,

And think of the things we would get, if we could.

On days when our thinking causes us dread,

If we could remember, it’s all in our head,

And not let our minds take our gratitude away,

Then we'd make every day like Thanksgiving Day.



On behalf of the Chamber Board of Directors, we wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving. If you are traveling this Thanksgiving, we wish you and yours a safe trip and return home.



Please Remember to Buy Local because “buying local does matter”! It is not always possible to buy everything you need from locally-owned businesses, but if everyone purchased one more item locally when they shopped, the effects would be tremendous. The point of this campaign is to encourage people to think local first: choose locally owned businesses when choosing where to buy goods and services. If there is some item or purchase you will be making, I encourage us all to think where we can get this in Corsicana and Navarro County. We as residents owe it to each other, our City and County to do our part as this is one way we can all pull together to make a difference.



What’s Coming Up?



December 3rd - Holiday Gala and Casino Night &Christmas Tree Auction – 10:00 am at Halbert House at 1250 W. Third Ave.

Camp of the Rising Sun Gala and Casino night benefiting special needs children of Navarro and Freestone counties, Casino fun from 6 - 9 pm and Auction of Christmas Trees 9 pm. Contact Jamie Kitchens at jamie@campoftherisingsun.org.



December 5th – Farmer’s Market from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm at 311 North Main



December 5th – Annual Christmas Parade – 6:00 PM

If you plan to enter in the parade remember there is not entry fee and you can begin lining up at Cornerstone Baptist Church parking lot at 801 N. 13th St. at 4:00 pm. Please plan to enter from Oaklawn as 13th will be closed. For more information, contact Dennis Thornberg at (903) 872-2641.



December 5th – Festival of Lights in Community Park

Immediately following the parade, the Festival of Lights will take place at Community Park at approximately 7:30 pm.



December 5th - Jingle Bell Jog –YMCA – 9:00 am

Family Event with a 5k/1mile run/walk. Everyone is invited to start the Christmas season off.

Contact (903) 872-2412. The 17th annual Jingle Bell Jog will be held at 9 a.m. at the Corsicana YMCA, 400 Oaklawn Drive, Corsicana. Early registration cost will be $8 for youth, $12 for adult, and $20 for family. Race day registration, which will begin at 8 a.m., will be $10 for youth, $15 for adult, and $25 for family. Family registration will include two shirts. For more information, call (903) 872-24



December 5th - Camp of the Rising Sun Holiday Tour of Homes

Historic Holiday Tour of Homes including the First United Methodist Church and historic homes on 3rd Ave. Tickets are $10 in advance or $12 at the Tour. Tour is noon - 5 pm. Trolley will be available anyone needed assistance from one home to another. Contact Jamie Kitchens at jamie@campoftherisingsun.org or (903) 875-9729



December 10th - The Palace Food & Wine Club - Holiday Gala & Bazaar – 6:30 pm – Cook Center

Come experience an evening with Chef Kent Rathbun of Abacus, Jaspers and Blue Plate Kitchen & Michael Martini of Louis Martini Winery. Enjoy fine wines, an exquisite dinner and silent auction with holiday decor and holiday gift items. All of the profits from this dinner benefit the programs of the Palace Theatre. Limited seating - $125 per person. Contact (903) 874-7792



December 11th – Two Doors Down will host Tuners For Tots

A car show to help provide gifts for the Salvation Army to hand out at Christmas. Anyone wanting to show a car, call (254) 747-2166 to reserve your spot.



December 12th – Farmer’s Market from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm at 311 North Main



December 19th – Day in November Arts & Crafts Fair – 9:00 am to 6:00 pm at College Park Mall

For more information, please contact Deanna Hayes at College Park Mall at (903) 872-7486.



December 19th – Gone with the Wind at the Cook Center at 7:00 pm

This showing is being presented by the Pearce Civil War & Western Art Museum along with Two Doors Down Coffee House.



February 4th – Chamber Annual Banquet

Please mark this date on your calendar as more information will be coming soon. Dr. Ray Perryman, president and CEO of The Perryman Group, will be the featured speaker at the chamber’s annual banquet slated for Feb. 4, 2010. Dr. Perryman is a well-known economist in Texas who has authored more than 1,800 trade articles, writes a syndicated newspaper column and hosts a daily radio commentary on National Public Radio. Sponsorship opportunities for the banquet are available. Contact the Semonna here at the Chamber office at (903) 874-4731 for more information.



If you know of any events going on in our community, I invite you to add it to the Chamber’s Events Calendar at www.corsicana.org. The Chamber website averages 40,000 plus visits per month with the Events Calendar being the Number One page viewed every month (approx. 10,000 views). People want to know what is going on and what there is to do here in our community and you can tell from the number of visits to our website that a lot of people look to the Chamber to find information.



If you cannot find an event on the Chamber’s Community Calendar, please take a look at the Corsicana Daily Sun’s Local Beat on their website (www.corsicanadailysun.com) as they have a list of many other events going on throughout our community.

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Paul Hooper is executive director of the Corsicana/Navarro County Chamber of Commerce.

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