Charles City Area Chamber hosts annual dinner fundraiser

By Travis Fischer, tkfischer@charlescitypress.com

The Charles City Area Chamber of Commerce made a party out of its annual meeting, hosting the 2024 Annual Chamber Dinner & Auction event on Saturday, Feb. 24, at the Floyd County Fairgrounds.

“We’re required to have an annual meeting, but nowhere does it say it can’t be fun,” said Chamber Director Mark Wicks.

The evening began with a social hour before guests lined up for a ham and roast dinner provided by Dave’s Restaurant.

After dinner the chamber board got down to business, holding its annual meeting by recapping the year’s activities and announcing a number of awards for volunteers in the community.

The first award presented was the President’s Award, selected by outgoing board president Jason Boyd. Though Boyd was unable to be present at the meeting, he sent his best wishes to his selected recipient and new board president, Rich Tynan, recognizing him for his long history of volunteer work and financial support of Chamber events.

“Rich goes way above and beyond in whatever he does,” said Wicks.

Receiving the Volunteer Business of the Year Award was Jason Daniels of Daniels Auto Collision, recognized for his contributions to the community with a variety of donations, sponsorships, and volunteer activities.

“They invest, they give back, and they participate,” said Wicks.

Also recognized for going above and beyond in community engagement were Tom and Julie Bock, who received the Chamber Award of Merit recognizing more than 40 years of volunteering as the coordinator of the Independence Day parade.

“People like you are truly what make our town special,” said Wicks.

The board also recognized outgoing board members and welcomed in new ones.

Outgoing board members Brittany Bock, Dakotah Jones, Coulter Page, and Cody Uetz were thanked for the work they’ve done on the board while new faces include Jared Hegtvedt of Cedar Valley Iowa Realty & Auction, Matt Howlett of First Baptist Church, and Jon Vrieze from Sisson & Associates.

With the official business out of the way, the entertainment continued.

Newly minted board member Jared Hegtvedt volunteered his auctioneering skills for a live auction of donated items. Goods and gift certificates were up for grabs to the highest bidder for the live auction while another selection of lots was available for anybody to bid on online.

After the auction the crowd crossed their fingers to see who won the 50/50 ticket raffle. Taking home the $135 prize was Steve Diers, who lucked out with one of the last tickets sold for the drawing.

Other big winners of the evening were Janae and Wade Crooks, who won the evening’s Dress Your Best Decade costume contest with their groovy 60’s inspired outfits.

Finally, it was time for the main event as hypnotist Tom Roth brought up about a dozen volunteers to lull into a dream-like state as he demonstrated the power of suggestion. Throughout his show, Roth convinced the group of several fantasies, such as that they were on a tropical vacation, that their noses were growing and shrinking, and triggering humorous reactions when hearing specific words.

“It went great,” said Wicks. “Everybody loved the entertainment and had a good time, and that’s what it’s all about.”