JOHN DAY — More than 100 people attended the Grant County Chamber of Commerce officer installation ceremony and volunteer appreciation dinner on Friday, Oct. 20, the first time the event has been held in public since before the pandemic.

Guests filled long rows of tables at the John Day Elks Lodge, dining on salmon and tri-tip, listening to several speakers and applauding as new officers were sworn in and longtime volunteers were recognized for their service.

“We did not have this dinner for several years, and now it’s back,” Chamber President Taci Philbrook told the audience. “And we’re very thankful.”

Philbrook, the administrative assistant and graphic designer for Come Ride With Us Motorcycle Maps, was sworn in as the business booster group’s top officer for 2023-24. She was joined by President-Elect Sally Knowles, a broker with Duke Warner Realty, and Past President Sherrie Rininger, owner of the Etc. boutique.

Serving as board members this year are Jerry Franklin of Eastern Oregon Realty, Bruce Ward of Sunrise Construction Specialties, Dave Driscoll of D.G. Driscoll’s Books, Amber Wright of Driskill Memorial Chapel, Kelly Workman of Elkhorn Media and Greg Armstrong of Len’s Pharmacy.

Executive Director Tammy Bremner delivered her annual report, noting that the organization has 168 members, which she said was at or near an all-time high. Other highlights of the past year, Bremner said, included a remodel of the Chamber office on West Main Street in John Day, the addition of a conference room and the installation of a digital reader board out front.

Prairie City Mayor Scott Officer and John Day Mayor Heather Rookstool provided updates on happenings in their cities. Other guest speakers were Katee Withee of the Friends of Kam Wah Chung, Jeremy Robertson of WorkSource Oregon and Chris Grace of Paid Leave Oregon.

Rininger, in her role as past president, handed out several awards. The day care programs at Humbolt Elementary School, Dayville School, Monument School and Long Creek School were honored for helping to ease the child care shortage in Grant County; Blue Mountain Hospital was recognized for its strong support of the Grant County Greenbacks program; and Chamber board member Franklin was singled out for his work in securing donations for the evening’s raffle drawings.

Bremner received a certificate of appreciation for her years of service as executive director.

“She has been the rock and soul of the Chamber for as long as I’ve been a member,” Rininger said. “We could not do it without her.”