Awards Gala Features Cove Winners

The Blair County Chamber of Commerce is presenting its first ever Awards Gala on June 20 at the Blair County Convention Center.

For many years, the Chamber has had their annual meeting where they have given out different types of awards to individuals and businesses.

They also had their Hall of Fame dinner, which also had a full slate of awards. Those two award events have been combined. Now all the awards will be presented at a red carpet event.

Linda Stotler, Communications and Marketing Manager for the Blair County Chamber of Commerce said they wanted to have an event that was different and why they added things such as the red carpet event.

“We never had one before – I’m not familiar with any other organizations having a red carpet event,” she said. “We’re taking it up a notch. This is actually a great opportunity for people, who always wanted to dress up and walk the red carpet. So, we are providing that opportunity.”

Stotler said there will be an opportunity for people to get their pictures taken and there will be a champagne toast. They will have dancing and local band The Pines will provide the music.

“They are really a phenomenal group and play all genres of music –That is something totally different for our events. We never had live music,” Stotler said.

She said, instead of the sit down, preplated type of meal, they’ve decided to do banquet stations with different types of food at each station for attendees to choose from.

The award portion of the event includes a full slate of awards honoring people and businesses throughout the community and the things they have done.

“We didn’t want this to be a typical awards ceremony — we wanted to add some surprises,” Stotler said. “That’s why the red carpet portion of the event is just as important as the rest of the evening.”

John Clay is going to be the emcee.

“It’s going to be fun with things happening all throughout the evening,” she said.

People can still register by calling the Chamber or by going to the website at blairchamber.com.

Stotler said recognizing businesses and individuals, who have gone above and beyond is important for the business community.

“There are businesses and individuals who set the bar for excellence and it’s an opportunity for the community to come together to celebrate the good that we can find right in our backyard,” she said.

The people who are being honored represent a lot of different sectors of our community, Stotler said.

“We have people who are known for their volunteerism and for their leadership like Joe Logan, who is receiving the Educator of the year Award,” she said. “He is very well known in the community as an outstanding educator.”

Logan said that he has been teaching at Central High School for 23 years. He is also the assistant baseball coach, senior class advisor and future teacher advisor.

Logan said that it was one of the times that he was actually speechless, talking about when he was told that he would be getting this award.

“I really didn’t imagine this honor coming my way. I was very surprised. I was taken back by it,” he said. “I think that this award shows that we are doing the right thing in the public schools. It takes a village to educate our youth. It’s not just us in the classroom. It’s not just the administrators and the school boards. It’s the parents. It’s everybody taking an active role.”

Logan says that none of this is possible without the faculty, who he teaches with, the administrators and the school board.

“It all started in 2001, when I came here,” he said, “When baseball season comes around and I am pulling double duty, my wife and daughter don’t see me for a good portion of the spring. They pick up a lot of the slack when I am not around. Having supportive people at home plays a big role in what I am able to do in the classroom and all the extra stuff that I do.”

Stotler said that The Roaring Spring Community Library had a lot of nominations for the non-profit spotlight award just because of their outreach and what they have been able to accomplish.

They are a relatively small business, a small non-profit, but they’re being held as the standard of what you can achieve if you work together and you set out to meet a goal.

“It’s not just a business award. It’s not just a volunteer award. We are covering all aspects of business, even if it is to the individual,” Stotler said.

Michelle McIntyre, Director of the Roaring Spring Community Library said they were shocked and excited to receive the award.

“It’s an overwhelming sense of gratitude because we are honored that our library was selected,” she said. It shows a testament of the hard work and dedication of our staff, volunteers and community supporters, who work to make our library very vibrant and welcoming.”

McIntyre said they would continue to offer the services to the community as they always have.

“We are hoping that the award brings a sense of community to the Roaring Spring area, so that we can inform people about the offerings that we have so that more people can participate in those services,” she said.

McIntyre hoped that the added exposure would give them more connections, partnerships, and collaborative opportunities in the community.

“If anyone is interested in volunteering at the library, they can reach out to us — we are always looking for more volunteers,” she said. “We have a very active group of over forty people now. We are always looking for the next idea that we can offer the community.”