Members of the business community and other hardworking residents will come together on Tuesday for the Greenwood-Leflore County Chamber of Commerce 97th Annual Meeting and the sixth annual Taste of Greenwood and Business Expo.
“This is the largest gathering of the business community throughout the year,” said Beth Stevens, executive director of the chamber.
The event, sponsored by the chamber, will start at 6 p.m. at the Leflore County Civic Center, located at 200 Mississippi 7 in Greenwood.
On arrival, guests will be greeted by a red carpet — the same red carpet used for the Jackson premier of “The Help” and the film’s premier at held at The Alluvian — rolled out, starting at the foyer, in the Civic Center.
“I’m really excited about this,” said Jean Cadney, president-elect of the chamber. “It will be like a spoof of the Academy Awards.”
By the red carpets, the media — including local TV stations and The Greenwood Commonwealth — will take pictures and conduct interviews of those attending the event.
“We have also invited high school students to attend the meeting and be a part of this event and atmosphere,” Cadney added.
Taste of Greenwood and the Business Expo will start the event, and the Chamber Honors Program, which starts at 7:30 p.m., will conclude the meeting.
Those being honored at the program will be the 2014 Leflore County Hall of Fame Winner, who is Bill Crump; the Small Business of the Year; the Big Business of the Year; Ambassador of the Year; Community Pride Award Winner; and Young Professional of the Year.
“This is the biggest Taste of Greenwood yet,” said Stevens.
When the addition to the chamber meeting first kicked off, it had 20 restaurants and caterers to participate. Since then, the event has averaged about 16 to 17 businesses to serve food. This year, however, Taste of Greenwood will feature 24 restaurants and caterers.
“It’s really a great way to feed everybody and breaks from the traditional sit-down dinner,” said Stevens. “And it shows off our restaurants.”
Many Greenwood-area businesses will take part in the meeting’s Business Expo. The event features information, prizes and interactive activities.
Painting with Friends will have a booth set up at the expo where visitors can participate in creating a painting. Also, like previous years, if guests check out all of the booths at the expo and get their cards punched, they can enter their names in a drawing for a cash prize.
This year, several of the booths will feature retailers, like Delta Emporium, with items for sale.
“This is the one time of the year where we invite all chamber members to come celebrate our success,” said Stevens. “It’s a great night of networking and visiting with friends. The Business Expo is a great way to get exposure. The meeting is a great night to celebrate what we have going on in our community.”
Live entertainment will be at the event.
Dr. Alfonzo Sanders of Mississippi Valley State University will perform in the area where Taste of Greenwood will be held.
Musicians Ray Mattox, Michael Bole and David Taylor will perform on the stage of the Civic Center.
“Our local Chamber of Commerce promotes and represents the city of Greenwood and local businesses. Our membership is made up of a team of volunteers who put on local events throughout the year, bringing in tourists all during the year. If it’s about advancing the interest in our community, the chamber is on board,” said Cadney. “There is a place for everyone. We have a diverse group of volunteers with a lot of expertise living in our community, and that helps to make our chamber strong.”
The event is open to the public. General admission tickets are $35; corporate tables with eight seats are $400; and Business Expo booths are $100. Tickets can be purchased at the chamber or online at www.greenwoodmschamber.com by 6 p.m. Monday.
For more information, call the Chamber of Commerce at 453-4152.
• Contact Ruthie Robison at 581-7233 or rrobison@gwcommonwealth.com.
