Local stable to host 2012 Town and Country

Callaway Hills Stable, near New Bloomfield, will pay host to this year's Town and Country Dinner Sept. 18.

The Chamber of Commerce event began in the "60s, has highlighted local agribusinesses every year since 1991, when it returned from a hiatus over the previous two decades. This year's Town and Country dinner and presentation will kick off with a tour of the stables from 5:30-6:30 p.m., with a dinner catered by the New Bloomfield United Methodist Church following.

"The main purpose of the event is to get the farm families and the business people together so that they can meet each other," said chamber executive director Nancy Lewis. "When they meet each other every year, they are more comfortable doing business with each other. It's just a way to get them to interact, and that's very important."

Lewis said that this year's choice of host was different, because in years past, host businesses for Town and Country have typically been geared more towards feed or equipment. This year's agribusiness should provide participants a "closer look" at the actual process of raising and managing livestock.

Callaway Hills - currently managed by Lenore "Tony" Weldon - has been in business since 1944, in which time it has garnered attention and multiple awards for its horses, including the United States Equestrian Federation Performance Horse Breeder of the Year award and multiple blue ribbon showings at the Kentucky State Fair.

To help the tornado-stricken people of Dumas and surroundings, donations can be made to the Delta Area Disaster Relief Fund, care of the Delta Area Community Foundation, P.O. Box 894, Dumas, AR, 71639, or through the Arkansas Community Foundation, 700 S. Rock St., Little Rock, AR, 72202.