Barbecue returns profit for Chamber

DECATUR — The 56th Annual Decatur Barbecue made around $3,000 for the Chamber of Commerce, treasurer Amy Brooks reported at Monday's meeting.

"I'm glad to see we made a profit, there are still some small bills out, but we made about a $3,000 profit," Chamber president Royce Johnson said.

The Chamber also did well on chicken dinner sales, selling an estimated 2,650 dinners, Brooks and Johnson said after reviewing the numbers.

Chamber of Commerce members voted to donate $500 to the Decatur Fire Department for selling the chicken dinners in the park and at the satellite office at the Decatur General Store.

"It's a good cause for the fire department," Johnson said.

"They're very reliable," Shana Tucker commented.

The Chamber also voted to donate $50 and a Decatur Barbecue T-shirt to two teenagers who volunteered to help on Thursday and Friday, and to donate money to the Merchants Pool.

Money in the Merchants Pool will be split between Decatur kids that don't win at the Benton County Fair this week, when they sell their animals at the fair sale.

"It bumps their price up a little bit," Brooks explained.

Johnson suggested repairing or replacing the Decatur Barbecue banners that are hung over Main Street during the weeks before the Barbecue.

Johnson said the Chamber spent about $900 buying new banners a couple of years ago. The new banners don't have vent holes like the previous ones, so they rip and tear in the wind. The sign company charges about $250 to update the lettering on the banners each year, he said.

Johnson said he has seen mesh banners that the wind can blow right through so they don't tear. He told the Chamber he will research how much the mesh banners cost and how much it will cost to have the lettering updated each year.

The Chamber of Commerce will meet again on Oct. 5 at T-N-T Express.