By Butch Burney
Lights. Stain. Action.
If you grew up in Hopkins County or now have kids or grandkids, you have no doubt visited and played at Kids Kingdom. Now, it’s time to give back.
The 2022 Leadership Class has adopted the rehabilitation of Kids Kingdom, everyone’ favorite playground at Buford Park, as its class project. And just like when it was constructed in 1995, everyone is invited to help.
The Leadership Class has designated the weekend of April 22-24 as the work days to re-stain all the wood in Kids Kingdom. It will be professionally power washed before that weekend to prepare for the staining.
The class is also planning to replace and/or repair the equipment, such as the handicap swing, chains, swings, tires, etc. for the playground, restore the ground mulch and install lighting for safety and security.
The class needs your help not only with the physical part of the restoration but also the financial part. A cornhole tournament and silent auction is scheduled for March 26 at Backstory Brewery. There are also sponsorship levels for businesses/corporations that might want to pay for specific items for Kids Kingdom.
For cornhole registration or sponsorship, go to the chamber website at HopkinsChamber.org or call the chamber at 903-885-6515.
There will also be a grand re-opening hamburger lunch sometime in May when the work is complete.
Thanks in advance for helping showing love to Kids Kingdom.
Tee It Up
Get your registration in now for the 33rd Annual Chamber of Commerce Golf Tournament, coming to Sulphur Springs Country Club on Friday, April 8.
Last year, we had 35 teams participate in the fun day of golfing, and we hope to have more this year. The tournament format is a six-person scramble, with the low net team putting their names on the trophy.
There are two tee times: 8 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. The morning group is limited to 18 teams, while the afternoon group can have 25 teams maximum. Registration is on a first-come, first-serve basis. Register early to get your choice of tee times.
Registration is $750 per team, and that includes three carts, 12 mulligans, six meals, range balls, company banner on hole No. 1 and sponsor list recognition. There are also opportunities to contribute goody bag items, hole sponsorships and for interactive hole sponsorships.
To register, go to the Chamber website at HopkinsChamber.org or call the office at 903-885-6515.
Patriot Sporting Challenge
The 4th Annual Lake Fork Patriot Sporting Challenge will be the day after the Chamber Golf Tournament, so you can make it a whole sporting weekend.
The Patriot Sporting Challenge, on April 9, is a special one-day event benefiting the families of military heroes with a morning competition of shooting, golfing and fishing and an even celebration of patriotism.
Each four-person team competes in two of the sporting challenges (shooting, golfing and fishing), and they all come together that evening at the Hopkins County Civic Center for a dinner and address from keynote speaker Greg Stube, Green Beret. Following that, there will be a concert/dance by Cooper Wade and band.
All proceeds from the event go to the Folds of Honor, a nonprofit providing education scholarships to the children and spouses of those killed or disabled in action.
For more information, go to PatriotSportingChallenge.org, email [email protected] or text to 817-296-8985.
Marketing Strategy
Marketing expert Melissa Forziat will be in Sulphur Springs on Thursday, March 31, for an in-person presentation on how to Create a Profitable Marketing Strategy. Her visit is sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce and the Small Business Development Center at Paris Junior College.
Forziat will speak at 5 p.m. March 31, at City Hall. There is no charge for the event, but registration is requested. To sign-up, call the Chamber at 903-885-6515 or email [email protected].
The session will talk about how to build a marketing funnel for your business to grow the relationships with your audience and generate more sales. You will discover how to build more sales, referrals and loyalty from your audience.
Grow and Go
The Chamber has a vacancy in one of our Grow and Go offices. The Grow and Go is a business incubator that is designed to help small businesses get off the ground.
The 10 ½ x 12 ½ office is housed in the Chamber building at 110 Main Street. The rent is $250 per month for the first year, and that price includes use of the Chamber wifi and printer.
If you’re interested, contact me at [email protected] or call 903-885-6515.
Blood Drive
Carter BloodCare bus will parked in the CHRISTUS’ front parking lot for local blood donations on Tuesday, March 15, from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. As a thank you, all donors will receive a stainless steel water bottle while supplies last.
To schedule an appointment to donate blood, contact Patricia Wilson at 903-438-4380 or call/text 800-366-2834.
Health Seminar
In partnership with CHRISTUS Health, Columbia Lodge #81 invites you to attend an event aimed to build a community that is more secure, productive, healthy, and hopeful. We will have local experts speaking on a variety of health-related topics that will educate and empower community members to take charge of their own health and well-being.
The event will be held Saturday, March 12, from 8 a.m. to noon at the HW Grays Building at Pacific Park, 413 Beckham Street in Sulphur Springs. This event is free to anyone, and everyone is welcome.
For more information, contact Bryan Vaughn at [email protected].
Business of the Week
Rhythmic Productions and owner Calvin Hickerson are the Business of the Week for March 2. Keep up with our Business of the Week by following the Chamber on Instagram, Facebook and by visiting our website.
