BARTON COUNTY — The Ellinwood Chamber of Commerce ushered in 2017 Saturday night with its annual banquet, and announced new board members, and an overview of 2016 events including the final June Jaunt and the ongoing After Harvest Festival.
In Hoisington, a similar banquet was held, this one having been postponed a few weeks due to the ice storm that occurred statewide over the Jan. 13-16 weekend.
Ellinwood’s Brady, Josserand, and Hines new board members
The Ellinwood event was held at the Lone Wolf Restaurant, and included a catered meal, with live music provided by the Ellinwood High School Brass and Metals Sextet. Members voted for new Chamber board members prior to Chamber director Jacque Isern thanking outgoing member Curtis Wolf and Rob Dove for their service. Each year, new board members are picked, allowing for fresh ideas and opportunities for all who have a stake in the continued health of the business community to serve. Nominees included Amy Ricker, Julie Josserand, Tonya Brady, Kathy Hines, and Connie Roth.
After a brief business meeting at which Treasurer Lindsey Bogner went over the financial report, the winners were announced. They were Tonya Brady, Julie Josserand, and Connie Roth.
In the coming year, the Ellinwood Chamber of Commerce is planning to make changes to one aspect of the After Harvest Festival. A committee will be meeting in February to begin planning the Thursday night barbecue, focusing on suggestions they received from the post AHF survey administered after the 2016 event. After fulfilling the five-year commitment for June Jaunt, the Ellinwood Chamber will not take part in the multi-town event in 2017, as it was ultimately a financial loss for the Chamber in 2016. However, the Chamber Board is actively looking into other events that could take place around the same time to keep the community engaged, Isern said.
Hoisington picks Morgenstern
Hoisington held its 60th Annual Dinner and Awards Banquet at the Hoisington Knights of Columbus. This year will be the last that Chamber Director Kristi Lovett will organize the event, as it was announced earlier this year that her family will be following her husband, Mark, to Herington where he has received a pastoral call.
Earlier in January, Hoisington named Jan Morgenstern its 2016 Distinguished Citizen of the Year. Morgenstern serves her community by volunteering at the Food Bank, something she’s done for the past 30 years. She also volunteers as a catechist with the Altar Society at St. John Catholic Church, as well as chairing the Outreach Committee.
