Chamber annual meeting and banquet

View KTRE report and video of event.

Read story by Michele Marcotte, The Daily Sentinel.


Photo by Christy Wooten, The Daily Sentinel.
The Business and Communty Excellence Award recipient representatives, from left, are Joe Aguilar and Lee Smith from Axley & Rode, LLP, medium business of the year; David and Teresa Darby from Glass Castles Stained Glass Studio & Gifts, small business of the year; Dr. Patsy Hallman, citizen of the year; and Rudy Smith from NIBCO, Inc, large business of the year. The awards were presented Tuesday evening at the 88th annual meeting and membership banquet hosted by the Nacogdoches County Chamber of Commerce at the Baker Pattillo Student Center.

Profile: Paul Smith III

Chamber incoming chairman Paul Smith III is profiled in The Daily Sentinel, Monday, 9/28/09.

Click to read.

Help light up downtown Nacogdoches for Christmas

Local businesses, organizations and community volunteers are needed to help string more than 3 million Christmas lights in downtown Nacogdoches in preparation for the upcoming 13th annual Nine Flags Festival.

The Nacogdoches Convention & Visitors Bureau is requesting teams of five people who will commit to working a two-hour shift between Oct. 12 and Nov. 13. Both weekday and weekend time slots are available.
Teams can be made up of co-workers, family, friends, church members, club members or anyone else wishing to lend their support to the festival. Individual volunteers are invited to participate, as well.

"The downtown Christmas lights are one of the most important aspects of our Nine Flags Festival, and this project is something that we depend on the community to help us pull together," said Melissa Sanford, executive director of the Nacogdoches CVB.

"Over the years, our local businesses and volunteers have donated hundreds of hours to this effort, and we want our 13th annual Nine Flags Festival lighting project to run just as smoothly as it has in the past."

Besides the satisfaction of helping transform downtown Nacogdoches into a winter wonderland, lighting volunteers will be rewarded with recognition on a sign in the lobby of the CVB, as well as on the festival website www.nineflagsfestival.com. Light refreshments will also be provided for the volunteers when they report for work.

Sanford said team organizers should call 936-564-7351 as soon as possible to be added to the lighting project schedule.

Zeta Tau Alpha to host 2nd annual PINK OUT

SFA chapter plans events to raise awareness of breast cancer, honor survivors.


In commemoration of October as Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the sisters of Zeta Tau Alpha at Stephen F. Austin State University will host Pink Out week October 4-10, 2009. The mission of Pink Out week is two-fold: to encourage awareness of breast cancer through a week of fun and informative events and to recognize local breast cancer survivors and those who have lost their battle with this disease.

The planned activities will include:
• Pink Out t-shirt distribution on the SFA campus between 10 am and 3 pm on October 5-9. Shirts are free with a $5 donation. Pin-on pink ribbons and recognition ribbons will also be available at this location.
• Pink Out Your Office contest for all SFA campus offices beginning on Monday and judged on Friday afternoon. All campus offices are encouraged to participate in decorating their office in pink. The winning office receives lunch for 10 from Raising Cane’s.
• Cotton candy “sale” on Tuesday, October 6 from 11 am-1 pm in the Baker Patillo Student Center. The “price” for cotton candy will be 2 pink Yoplait ® yogurt lids.
• Yoplait ®yogurt-eating contest on Thursday, October 8 at 12 noon on the SFA campus.
• Pink Out football game on Saturday, October 10 at 6 pm at Homer Bryce Stadium.

Pink Out is sponsored by the SFA Athletic Department, The Hotel Fredonia and Raising Cane’s. All local breast cancer survivors, campus offices and community members are encouraged to contact ZTA at sfazta@gmail.com for more information about participating in Pink Out activities. ZTA will continue to collect Yoplait ® pink ids through late November.

Sports Day Out!

Mayor's Committee on people with disabilities presents Sports Day Out. FREE fishing event; poles and bait provided and a FREE lunch on Saturday October 17th from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Parking and registration will be next to dorm 20 and fountain.

For more information call Todd Peterson at (936)564-1433 or Doug James at (936)615-2742

Murder on Main Street- Mystery Dinner Theatre Cook Out

6 - 8 p.m., Monday, October 5

Join the Downtown Business Association on the red brick streets of historic downtown Nacogdoches as we sit back, relax and enjoy an exciting evening of live melodrama. The Millard's Crossing player's are back to present "Murder on Main Street, Anytown, Texas."

Refreshments will be served at 6 p.m. at the Heart of Texas, 110. S Pecan. Dinner will begin promptly at 7 p.m. on the Plaza Principal Stage.

Dinner is $25 and proceeds benefit the Nine Flags Festival.
www.nineflagsfestival.com

For more information:
Nacogdoches Convention & Visitors Bureau 200 E. Main Street Nacogdoches, TX 75961
phone: 888-OLDEST-TOWN

Historic Walking Tours - every Saturday in October

The Sterne-Hoya Museum, pictured, is one of the many stops on the historic downtown walking tour.

Downtown walking tours are back for the fall and will be offered at 10:30 a.m. each Saturday in October, excluding SFA’s homecoming weekend, at the Visitors' Center, located at 200 E. Main St. Tickets are $2 and can be purchased beginning at 10 a.m. the day of the tour. Children 12 and under are free.

"The walking tours are a wonderful opportunity for locals and visitors to learn more about the city of Nacogdoches and the history that makes it unique," said Sherri Skeeters, assistant director of the Nacogdoches Convention & Visitors Bureau. “Our volunteer guides are very knowledgeable about local history and help make the tours entertaining, as well as informative.”
Other historical sites on the tour include the Caddo Indian burial mound, Oak Grove Cemetery, the Old University Building, Milam Lodge No. 2, Zion Hill Baptist Church, the Adolphus Sterne House, Durst Taylor House and Gardens, and much more. The walking tours take about two hours to complete.

For more information, contact the Nacogdoches Convention & Visitors Bureau at 888-OLDEST-TOWN or www.visitnacogdoches.org.

New downtown business features others creations, antiques, gifts and more

Owner Jan Tracy cuts a red ribbon for her new downtown business

Wildflower
413 E. Main St.
(936) 552-6406

Click to view more photos from the event.

2009 Inaugural Oldest Town in Texas Motorcycle Rally

Hundreds of motorcyclists took to the brick streets Saturday morning in Nacogdoches for the OTT Rally Parade. (Photos: Bruce R. Partain)

Click here for event schedule.

The Inaugural Oldest Town in Texas Motorcycle Rally is headed to the red brick streets of historical Nacogdoches Texas September 18-20. The Nacogdoches County Exposition Center and Fairgrounds will be transformed into ‘Camp OTT’ for three awesome days.

The OTT will feature motorcycle shows & competitions, live concerts, street bike freestyle exhibitions, vendors, swap meet, the OTT Texas Lottery BBQ Cook Off, celebrity bike builders, downtown parade, Harley’s Angels charity poker run, biker games and some of the most awesome riding in Texas, including the historical Kings Highway, the Camino Real. **Check out our Parade update on the event info page! In an effort to make the historical downtown parade a huge success, everyone who rides in the parade will be entered in a special drawing on Saturday night! Parade starts at 11am on Saturday morning, please show your support!

Text and images taken from OTT Rally web site: http://www.ottrally.com/.

Ribbon Cutting - Heart to Heart Cardiovascular Assoicates

Chamber members and guests enjoyed the ribbon cutting ceremony for Heart to Heart Cardiovascular Associates – Gary A. Barkocy, DO, FACC, FSCAI, 4848 N.E. Stallings Dr. #103, (936) 560-4327.

Dr. Barkocy and Janise Barkocy, RN, and staff welcomed everyone with a tasty breakfast during the 8 to 10 a.m. Open House. Stemi, the therapy and training dog, also enjoyed herself during the event.

Click to view more photos from the event.

Jacks give Back - Service Saturdays

Take a few hours out of the day to serve the Nacogdoches community on September 19, October 17, and November 7. Times and events details to follow.

For more information or to reserve a spot for you or your organization, contact Randi Cooper, SFA Student Affairs, at (936) 468-2870.

Alzheimer's Memory Walk

Alzheimer's Memory Walk will be at the SFA Pineywoods Native Plant Center on Raguet Street Saturday October 10. Registration starts at 8 a.m. and the walk begins at 9 a.m.

For more information call Robin Dawley at (936)569-1325.

Curves of Nacogdoches Celebrates Women's Health and Fitness Day

"Wouldn't it be great to have a program that helps you reach your weight goal and stay there? In order to reach your weight goal, however, you have to retrain and sustain your metabolism," says Sharon Roberts of the Nacogdoches Curves.

In recognition of National Women's Health and Fitness Day on September 30th, the Curves location in Nacogdoches is announcing its no cost, 30-Day Diet Plan program for all Nacogdoches-area women interested in weight-loss results and health improvement.

For more information call Sharon Roberts at 936-559-9400


Photo taken of Sharon Roberts at the Curves Ribbon Cutting in September 2006.

Small Business of the Year

Photo: Teresa and David Darby stand by two of the stained glass windows they designed, created and installed in the United Methodist Church in Chireno.
(Photo by Kelly Daniel)

Click to read more about Glass Castles Stained Glass Studio & Gifts - the Chamber's Small Business of the Year.

Sponsor the 2009 Nettie Marshall Elementary Spirit T-shirt

The Nettie Marshall Elementary Spirit T-shirt displays the theme for the school year, emphasizes the goals for the year and establishes the students as a team.

Students wear these shirts to show school spirit:

• every Friday
  
• on field trips
  
• all special occasions

The problem: at least half of the students cannot buy the shirt, which really takes away from the whole idea of "school spirit" and coming together as a team.

YOUR CONTRIBUTION is the HELP needed to ensure each student will be proud to wear his or her own Spirit Shirt!

Contact Cindy McShurley for more information - 936-569-5062.

Chamber online auction is OPEN!

Left: John Branch, assistant director, SFA Athletics, holds the Jacks' season passes for two. Donation from SFA Athletic Department.

Won't find this anywhere else but on the
Nacogdoches County Chamber's online auction:

Value $325.00, bidding starts at $95.

Package includes:
Basketball signed by all 2008 Southland Conference Champions SFA Lumberjacks!
Special thank you to Harold Bogan for this donation.


Season tickets for TWO for either -

Reserved season tickets to Lumberjack/Ladyjack basketball games - valued at $192

OR

Reserved season tickets to Lumberjack football games - valued at $110

AND

Coliseum / Stadium Parking Passes included with basketball or football season passes! Axe 'em, Jacks!

Karaoke for your event

New business, Karaoke Service, will take your celebration from hum-drum to major fun!!!
Call Brenda at 936-615-7195 for more information.

Any special occations - birthday parties, corporate events, school reunions, weddings, anniversaries, holiday parties, family get-togethers!

Chamber video channel

Click to view Chamber videos. More coming soon!

Be a Chamber Facebook Fan

Nacogdoches County Chamber of Commerce on Facebook

Back Lot Bash puts SFA freshmen in touch with businesses and organizations

Click to view more event photos by Bruce R. Partain.

Freshmen meet and greet with SFA clubs and local businesses
More than 500 freshmen wandered the rear parking lot of the William R. Johnson Coliseum Thursday afternoon, learning about the community and the opportunities available to them in Nacogdoches at the annual Back Lot Bash.

The event provides an opportunity for local businesses and university and community organizations to share information with the students, many of whom are recent arrivals to Nacogdoches, said event coordinator, Jonathan Elder.

Click to read full story Michele Marcotte, The Daily Sentinel.

"Ringing of the Bell" for Constitution Week

The Nacogdoches Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution will celebrate Constitution Week with the traditional "Ringing of the Bell" at the Old University Building, Thursday, September 17th at 4 PM.

Mayor Roger Van Horn will read a proclamation and, taking turns with local dignitaries and elected officials, ring the symbolic "bell of freedom" for two minutes.

The public is invited to attend and participate. The Constitution Week committee will serve refreshments following the event.

For more information, please contact: Linda Sisk, 569-6912.

Pineywoods SHRM Employment Law Summit

At Piney Woods Country Club. The Nacogdoches and Lufkin Pineywoods SHRM chapter is hosting an employment law summit.

Anyone is welcome to attend as this is not limited to Human Resource professionals. Those who have supervisory responsibilities, make hiring decisions, manage benefit plans, or have record-keeping responsibilities would benefit from this summit.

For more information contact: Catherine Harris, Kelly Services, Inc.,office 936-569-2272.

Read the Chamber e-news for September - Chamber Connection

'Click for more information about Chamber events for September.'

Spend time with local authors

Two Nacogdoches authors, Mable Cannings and Norman Johnson, will chat about their experiences and answer questions from guests.

Mable Cannings at The Butterfly - First Friday Cruise Night.
5 to 8 pm, Friday, Sept. 4, 116 N. Church
Betty Shinn, The Butterfly owner, will host this event.
Start your Labor Day early with a fun evening with Mable Cannings, author "The Heart and Soul of Business: One Woman's Journey." Girl talk, Q&A, shopping, whatever! Bring a Friend. RSVP 564-7446. Refreshments Serve.


"The Life and Good Times of Norman Johnson" with Norman Johnson.
6 to 7:30 pm, Thursday, Sept. 10, Nacogdoches Public Library, 1112 North St., 936-559-2970.
The Kid and the King an autobiography by Johnson is a compelling story of a youngster who just happened to find himself on the edge of musical and political history.
Join Johnson and others at this casual gathering and discussion of music, politics and events of an unforgettable time in our country.