Auctions, A Big Rooster & Prizes Aplenty

At Chamber Dinner Dance

The Newtown Chamber of Commerce hosted its annual meeting and dinner dance last weekend at The Stony Hill Inn in Bethel.

The January 21 event, themed as a black and white ball, was sponsored by Newtown Savings Bank, Curtis Packaging and Ashlar of Newtown.

The annual meeting was led by Chamber President Pat Linnell. Along with the ratification of past acts of officers and directors, Chamber members voted unanimously to accept renewal terms of existing board members and the board nominations of Carole Georges of People’s Bank, Awilda Caisse of Union Savings Bank, Jim Gulalo of Preferred Insurance Services, and Peter Giarrantano of P&M Consulting. The slate of officers was presented by nominating committee chair Janet Woycik.

Entertainment at the annual dinner is always a hit. This year was no exception as The Chamber Rooster, played by Don Sharpe, made its appearance at the ball. The Rooster took pictures at each of the tables and ended his evening with a dance with Chamber President Pat Linnell.

Along with fine dining and dancing to the tunes of DJ Power Station, guests congregated around the silent auction table in hopes of outbidding fellow Chamber members on one of the creatively packaged options, including New England Patriots preseason box suite tickets, gourmet baskets, leather jackets, and even a spa package for dogs.

Sponsors of the silent auction were A Sign Depot, Ashlar of Newtown, Avance Esthetiques, Berkshire Veterinary Hospital, Big Y Supermarket, Coach’s Deli, Courtyard by Marriott, Custom V-Twin Cycles, Microtel Inn & Suites, Newtown Curtains, Newtown Deli & Catering, Newtown Savings Bank, Taunton Press, The Clock Shop at Holliday Jewelers, The Newtown Bee, The Toy Tree, Ward Cedar Log Homes, and Janet Woycik.

In addition to the silent auction, guests were encouraged to participate in a U-Pick It raffle, where guests purchased one ticket for $10 and were guaranteed a raffle item worth $25 or more. Over 100 items, donated by an equal number of area businesses, were raffled off in this manner.

The dinner committee included Mike Neiman of Captain Wood Carpentry, Pat Linnell of Linnell Real Estate, Peter Giarrantano of P&M Consulting, and Marie Dupree of MMD Accounting. Jane Sharpe of Ward Cedar Log Homes coordinated the evening’s special decorations.

The Chamber of Commerce of Newtown, Inc. is dedicated to the promotion and encouragement of Newtown’s business community. It actively supports the expansion of business opportunities on behalf of its members through marketing, networking programs, community-sponsored events, and involvement in local economic development.