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Winchester-Clark County Chamber of Commerce held its annual meeting Monday at the Clark Extension Office.

Chamber’s new officers and board members were introduced and there was a recap of the year’s budget and the vision for the year ahead.

Chamber Director Cindy Banks said there are 375 chamber members with a future goal of making it a 400-member strong organization; 92 percent retention rate. Annual budget hovers around $134,000.

“I encourage you to get to know the many benefits of belonging to the Chamber. One of the most important benefits is the networking in such gatherings as these,” she said. “The member-to-member connection(s) is invaluable!”

Chamber president for 2022 Tammy Moberly, added, “You are the Chamber, very much appreciated.”

Good news — Chamber now has an “app” that can connect folks to businesses and services in the community. For example, if you want a cup of coffee from Creative Coffees Roastery and a tasty pastry from Frank’s Donuts and a Winchester Sun newspaper to read the latest news, you could go to the app and on the way, purchase a newspaper from one of our vendors.

Moberly spoke of an upcoming 5K that serves as a fundraiser for local scholarships. Registration is happening now through March 31, 2022. Because it is virtual, complete the race any day after you register until April 30, 2022. Register at: Runsignup.com

“We do feel that events like this are the heart of the chamber,” she said.

On that note, Winchester Mayor Ed Burtner asked folks who may be key organizers of events big and small to keep these popular events like Beer Cheese Day and Labor Day festivities open, not canceled for another year. The longtime mayor said while people need to be safe, the community needs to get back to hosting those kinds of events to bring folks together.

“I commend community organizations for reviving community events that have been canceled over last two years. New leadership had gotten involved in certain instances. Altered strategies have been developed,” he said. “People are trying to reinstall a sense of Community. I commend those that are trying to do community events in a safe responsible fashion.  I would further ask the community to support our schools and student that are performing at a high level across the board.”

Last note, Banks said, “Chamber Committee and anyone else that wants to join us, will be doing a downtown walk (wearing our t-shirts) on April 30, 2022!”