GENTRY — Nearly 100 people were in attendance at this year's Chamber of Commerce Awards Banquet held at the Wooden Spoon Restaurant in Gentry. Banquet guests enjoyed turkey, donated by Cargill and prepared, along with all the complimentary dishes and desserts, by the Wooden Spoon Restaurant.
Several donated items, including a copy of the new 120-year Gentry history book, were auctioned off by Dwayne Craig at the banquet as a fundraiser for the Chamber.
Kevin Johnston, Gentry's mayor, urged all in attendance to shop local in Gentry because of all the benefits each dollar spent locally provides to the community.
Browers and Associates, owned by Kevin and Sheila Browers of Gentry, received the Business of the Year award at the Gentry Chamber of Commerce annual awards banquet on Thursday. The business erects structural steel and pre-engineered metal buildings and, according to Chamber director Janie Parks, "has earned a reputation for customer satisfaction and quality work." Parks said Browers and Associates has supported the Gentry community through its work to assist the city, the Chamber, school groups and volunteer organizations through financial contributions and loans of equipment to meet special needs.
Kay Buckminster received the Citizen of the Year Award in recognition for her work to sew and quilt blankets and other items for the Northwest Arkansas Children's Shelter, local hospitals and the Veterans' Hospital. She has been very active in the Siloam Springs chapter of the American Legion and often shops for bedding, kitchen supplies and anything else needed by area veterans. Also mentioned by Parks was her work to create burial gowns for infants. She is married to Larry Buckminster, who is also very active in the American Legion.
This year's Volunteers of the Year award went to the Gentry 120-year History Book Committee, made up of Janice Arnold, Marla England, Sherry Ransom, Berta Jo Norris, Rick Parker and Janie Parks. The committee spent an estimated 20,0000 hours compiling and editing the recently-released 120-year Gentry history book, which is nearly 700 pages long and contains more than 600 photographs of Gentry history from the mid 1800s to 2016.
The Gentry United Way, a local United Way organization which supports Gentry-area nonprofit organizations, was selected as the Organization of the Year. According to Parks, the Gentry United Way has contributed more than $1.7 million to organizations within the Gentry School District area since it was formed in 1989. Also mentioned were its recent contributions to fund a Boys and Girls Club in Gentry, to build a walking trail at the Flint Creek Nature Area and to construct new restrooms in Gentry City Park.
The McKee Foods Corporation employees were presented a Silver Award for all their contributions to the city and to projects and organizations within the area. According to Parks, 68 percent of the United Way money given to local organizations which benefit the people of Gentry and the surrounding area comes from the McKee employees. Josh Coones accepted the awards for the United Way and for the McKee employees.
General News on 02/15/2017