It was frosty cold Friday night, January 30, but warm and inviting at the Muleshoe Desert Rose for the annual Muleshoe Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture banquet. Entertainment was provided by Matthew Ancira from Farwell and a lovely meal of salad, prime rib, mashed potatoes, rolls, and cheesecake was prepared by Muleshoe’s Old Fashioned BBQ and Grill.
Photo courtesy of Sheila Stevenson
Chamber manager Bernadette Bradley welcomed everyone and asked Hadley Boehning to give the invocation. Bernadette thanked several people who helped organize the night’s event. She also recognized this year’s Chamber board members: President Chris Cage, Vice President Bryton Steinbock, Secretary Kayla Reis, board members Tessa Gooding, Hadley Boehning, Cheyenne Cage, and new board members Jillian Rojas, Matthew Martinez, Raul Mata.
President Cage gave some comments on the purposes and goals of the chamber and praised life in Muleshoe.
Chamber manager Bernadette Bradley presented a special award to Christie Hemenway for her holiday decorations welcoming people as they drive through Muleshoe. Tony Slatery accepted the award for her.
Photo courtesy of Terry Brewster/Reflections in Time
Then it was time to announce and honor the recipients of the awards annually given out by the Chamber. Jackson Myers and Hadley Boehning announced the nominations and the winner in each category and board members presented the awards.
Men nominated for Man of the Year were Scott Miller, R.C. Allen, and Raul Mata. Cheyenne Cage presented the award to winner R.C. Allen.
Photo courtesy of Terry Brewster/Reflections in Time
Woman of the Year nominees were Staci Burris, Rosario Cabrera, and Ronda Myers. Jillian gave the award to winner Rosario Cabrera.
Photo courtesy of Terry Brewster/Reflections in Time
Youth of the Year turned out to be a whole group of youths! The J.A.C.-Jesus Always Cares- choir had a banner year and includes Jiveli Elizalde, Ariana Ortega, Kimberly Rosales, Melany Medina, Ariana Cota, Magaly Nunez, Lorie Garcia, Sierra Gorman, Julissa Hinojosa, and Jose Angel Gonzalez. Matthew Martinez presented the award.
Photo courtesy of Terry Brewster/Reflections in Time
Businesses nominated for Business of the Year were Little Feet Big Dreams, El Manantial de Sabores, and Righteous Coffee. Tessa presented the award to winner Righteous Coffee’s owners Adriana Castillo-Contreras and Noemi Contreras Castillo.
Photo courtesy of Terry Brewster/Reflections in Time
Employee of the Year nominees were Kim Griffin, Rachel Alvarado, and Crystal Olivas. Bryton presented the award to winner Rachel Alvarado, educational assistant at De Shazo Elementary.
Photo courtesy of Terry Brewster/Reflections in Time
Farm Family nominees were the Gary Morris family, the Brett Bamert Family, and Boehning Dairy. Matthew presented the award to the Brett Bamert family.
Photo courtesy of Terry Brewster/Reflections in Time
The banquet ended with the auctioning of the Muleshoe branding iron to raise money for scholarships that are given to Muleshoe High School graduates. Last year the branding iron auction brought $3500.00 bought by JD and Julie Cage and provided three scholarships. Auctioneer Thurman Myers sold it this year for $3750.00 to Tristan Boehning.
Photo courtesy of Terry Brewster/Reflections in Time
On a personal note, I enjoyed seeing who former students grew up to be, like Rosie Cabrera and Bernadette Bradley as they took part in the night, and Crystal Dominguez who was there with her employee nominated for an award. I also enjoyed that prime rib which was so tender we could cut it with our plastic knives, no mean feat for plastic silverware!
A successful banquet and something to look forward to next year.
Thanks to Bernadette Bradley and Terry Brewster for their help with this story.
Recent Comments