Welcome to Chamber Chat!
You have discovered a great way to keep up with the Chamber's many activities. Click on any of the links below to jump to that topic, or just scroll down and read it all.
Jazz & Wine Festival
Garden Club
Monthly Meeting at Brick Street
Beautification
Lt .Gov. Turkey Hunt
Hall of Fame Banquet
Christmas in Okemah
Jazz & Wine Festival - 1st Saturday in June
Hundreds of guests gather at Grape Ranch to enjoy the annual Jazz and Wine Festival. The Okemah Chamber of Commerce enthusiastically hosts this event every year. The beauty of Grape Ranch makes it a perfect location to enjoy jazz, blues, good food, wine and art in the great outdoors. Thank you to all the many volunteers who help and to all the guests who attend. We hope to see you return each year.
Garden Club
The Garden Club assists with beautification efforts in Okemah and is a dropoff point for plants to be shared with other members. Anyone interested in joining the Garden Club can call the Chamber office.
Monthly Chamber Meeting
Members and guests are invited to join us for lunch the last Tuesday of each month at noon at Okemah's historic Brick Street Cafe. We have interesting speakers and you'll be in and out in an hour. Lunch is $7.
Beautification
Dorinda Shatwell, Beautification Committee Chairperson, is pleased to announce that 10 new pots were added to Broadway in the spring of 2008.
Lt. Gov. Turkey Hunt - held every April
Everyone involved in the annual Lt. Gov. Turkey Hunt in 2008 had a great time. The Chamber board welcomed the hunters with a reception held in "The Loft" at the home of Chamber President Roger Thompson. From there the hunters went out to Okemah Lake for an evening of hospitality. Hunters, guides and guests had a chance to visit with "the local folks" and swap stories. Hunters were up early Thursday morning despite the rain. Lt. Governor Jari Askins greeted the group and joined us for lunch Thursday at noon at the campsite. She encouraged guests to consider Okemah as the next location for their new business or expansion. Thursday and Friday the hunters were treated to Okemah's hospitalilty and opportunities to hunt. Andy Tucker wishes to thank all those who work so hard and so well together for another great year.
Hall of Fame Banquet , held every April
The Hall of Fame Banquet is an Okemah tradition that began in 1977 by a dynamic individual named Durwood McCord who came to Okemah from McAlester. He had worked for the newspaper in McAlester for several years. Durwood had a dream of honoring successful Okemah graduates each year in conjunction with the Pioneer Celebration. Now the banquet is an event everyone looks forward to each year.
Christmas in Okemah
Okemah's Christmas parade was held on December 3, 2008. Santa visited with the children and passed out candy downtown. "Hands of Praise" from the United Pentecostal Church performed several Christmas carols in sign language on Broadway. Brian Matthews, pastor of the United Methodist Church, read the Christmas story. The parade was well attended and had more participants than in prior years. First place for the best float went to the Ag Boosters and second place went to the SWISH club. The best golf cart award was given to AMS and second place was given to the Okemah Middle School's Gifted and Talented class. Thank you to everyone who participated and made this year's Christmas kickoff a great success.
