The California Area Chamber of Commerce Board met Thursday, June 13.
Brad Baer reported the Ozark Ham & Turkey Festival committee met June 3. The Eagles Club will be in charge of the BBQ Contest and washer boards this year. Work continues on early flyers to advertise the event and brochures to handout the day of the festival with specific details on events/places/times, etc. The graphic featuring the 1953 California Fire Truck will be used as a theme. The committee is still working on wording for t-shirts and trophy bids. They hope to have this completed by July 1.
Becky Lawson reported the Scholarship commitee had awarded six scholarships to Audrey Imhoff, Courtland Gerhart, Anna Parry, Taylor Bleich, Elizabeth Hamilton, and
Olivia Kunze. Thank you notes were received from each of these students.
The golf tournament was held Wednesday, June 12, final numbers were not available during the meeting. Dwight Sanders reported the tournament was a success with 16 teams and 48 participants. Sanders noted appreciation for a lot of support from the community, businesses and volunteers.
Dolores Burger reported the Taste of Local Missouri Food Festival will be Saturday, June 22, from 3 to 7 p.m. This will give local folks an opportunity to meet local food producers, taste locally prepared foods, hear live music, and activities will be provided for children. The Chamber will have a stand
to promote the Ham & Turkey Festival.
The minutes from the May board meeting and the treasurer's report were reviewed and approved .
Board secretary, Diane Eulinger, distributed a written report. Due to additional community responsibilities, she requested nine days off without pay to fulfill these responsibilities. She will monitor e-mails and telephone messages. The board granted her request.
Chamber voted to join California Progress, Inc. (CPI) at the $100 level.Â
Bill Campbell and Caleb Jones approached the Chamber Board requesting help to promote the Enhanced Enterprise Zone which allows tax abatements for businesses in Moniteau County. They felt the need for more promotion to
encourage the sale of empty properties. It was suggested that Ken Parrott with MRED be contacted to see if advertising/training could be done with local real estate agencies.
Board President Norris Gerhart read a letter of resignation from Marla Wright. New responsibilities at her work have kept her from being able to attend meetings. She didn't feel she could be effective or an asset to the chamber and/or its activities if she could not attend the meetings.
A recommendation was made to contact Sally Vogel and see how many old Ham & Turkey shirts are in stock. Some of these shirts could be given away to groups visiting and helping with projects in the California area as well as to some of the local schools to keep on hand for children who might need a change of clothes during the day.
The next Chamber Board meeting will be held, Thursday, July 11, at 8 a.m., in the City Hall meeting room.