By: Anna Wozniak
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
anna@thevillagereporter.com
Although many think of the weekend as the time for glitz and glamor, the Bryan Area Chamber of Commerce (BACC) brought out the bling with their 77th annual Awards Banquet.
This year, the banquet took place at the Bryan Eagles Hall, and began at 6 p.m., with the awards being presented around 7:30 p.m.
First, 2023 Chamber President Doug Hanna gave a speech, detailing how thankful he was for the opportunity to serve the chamber as president, and that he and his family will continue to help out as their schedule permits.
Then, Hanna passed the gavel on to 2024 Chamber President Dustin Schlachter, who shared how much he loves the Bryan community, and is proud to be able to have the opportunity to serve Bryan in another capacity as chamber president.
Chamber member Mike Jacobs was then welcomed to the stage, and he read the award presentations for 2023.
The Williams County Community Theater was awarded Small Business of the Year, with Spangler Candy Company being presented with the award for Large Business of the Year.
Mary Beth Snyder and Crystal Bowers with the Williams County Community Theater shared how thankful they were to the community for their support of the remodel of the Goldsmith Theater, sharing that all of 2024’s shows are planned to take place in the newly renovated space.
Their first show is planned to go on without the complete installation of their new sound-system, but the theater’s administration is more than proud to serve the community from an up-to-code building for the first time.
Kirk Vashaw, the CEO of Spangler Candy Company, shared the story of the famous Bryan City DumDum water tower, and how it became a symbol of economic prosperity for the area after unemployment rates reached 20% in 2010.
Vashaw closed out the story of the Bryan water tower with “I think the story is not finished. I think the best days are ahead, and I would encourage everybody to just keep on digging. It’s working.”
