We went out the front door of the Capitol in our Capital of Frankfort, and there was some sort of film, perhaps a brine mixture for the upcoming snow, on the brick right past the main arch. That is when my feet went north and my wallet (along with the rest of me) went south. Chamber President Joe Hendricks found himself in a precarious situation, since at the moment of my descent, he was carrying a bag full of breakable gifts, including a big, beautiful souvenir plate that would have crashed much harder than I had it went down.

“Are you OK?” Joe asked me as I started to get back up.

“I suppose,” I said as I started back to my feet. “That is the strangest fall I’ve ever had. I just went down.”

Joe and I had a good laugh as we started — very slowly, and tip-toe (ish) to the gigantic mason rail to the side. About five tense minutes later, we were standing on grass trying to take pictures — and this is not a joke and really happened, so help me — of buzzards circling the dome of the Capitol.

Later, with my pride and where I landed on my wallet smarting, I proclaimed to Joe, “Well, I bet I’m not the first person to come to Frankfort and fall flat on my …”

KENTUCKY CHAMBER DAY

Joe and I were in Frankfort, and later Lexington, last Thursday for the Kentucky Chamber Day. We had a great meeting with our local legislations, State Rep. Martha Jane King and State Sen. Whitney Westerfield, and then were able to join about 1,500 other business and chamber leaders from across the state to hear rousing speeches from the new governor and Senate and House leaders. It was a great, very educational day, but like most things in Frankfort, what Joe and I learned could change faster than it takes a man in new shoes to bounce off the Capitol sidewalk!

CRI COFFEE AND NETWORKING

In our first big event of the year, there was a big crowd and it was very enjoyable to see all of our friends at Carr, Riggs and Ingram. There was a good amount of both coffee and networking at the event and thanks to CRI for getting the year off to such a good start. If your business would like to host a coffee and networking in 2016, please call us at the Chamber (270-726-2206).

ANNUAL DINNER SET FOR MARCH 3; SPONSORS NEEDED

We know with all the cold weather outside it doesn’t seem like it is time for Annual Dinner, but it is just a little over a month and a half away. This year the big event is themed “Spring Fling,” and it will be held March 3 with the doors opening at 5:30 p.m. and the program starting at 6:30. It will be a fancy picnic filled with music, awards and auctions (both silent and of the Brent Summers variety). Right now, however, we are looking for sponsors for both the Annual Dinner itself and for the tables. Expect much, much more information on the event in the coming days, and go ahead and save the date. Invitations should be in the mail very soon.

We checked and unless weather changes the date, there won’t be a University of Kentucky Basketball game that night!

WELCOME OUR NEW MEMBERS

Since our last newsletter before Christmas, we have had several new members to join. Hopefully for a couple of the members, there are ribbon-cuttings in the works. Be sure to visit our new members and tell them how proud we are to have them as part of our Chamber of Commerce.

·Scott Waste - (877) 558-2579

·   Quality Tire and Alignment (new business) - 2297 Morgantown Rd, Russellville - 270-717-1138

·    Superior Web Tech (new business) - 270-725-0222

·   Twisted Vapors - 270-847-5629

·    American Sustainable Pallets - 270-726-3632

BETHEL COLLEGE MARKER DEDICATION

Wednesday we witnessed a Kentucky Historical Highway Marker commemorating Bethel College. The marker was unveiled in front of First Southern National Bank at 104 Bethel Street in Russellville.
“Bethel Shopping Center and the Bethel Dipper bear the Bethel name, but many residents do not know that the origin was a college whose campus occupied there long ago. The marker summarizes the history of the college for all to see,” local Historian Evelyn Richardson said.

NEW YEAR, NEW CHAMBER CHATS

Very soon we are going to start shooting more Chamber Chat episodes and we are going need more members to volunteer to tell about their businesses or group. It is fun and (mostly) painless. If you haven’t seen a Chamber Chat and would like to know just what the heck I’m talking about, then go to this link:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeq4_2_JRoI7VxCuPq2OJ4Q