Fulton Area Chamber of Commerce to mark 90 years at Town and Country dinner

vent organizers say annual affair to include several surprises

The Fulton Area Chamber of Commerce and Visitor's Center's 24th-annual Town and Country Dinner will focus on the chamber's 90 years of service to the community.

According to Executive Director Claudia Starr, the event - set for Tuesday, Sept. 16 and Cedar Brook Farm at 1950 Mokane Rd. - will also be full of surprises. Because of that, Starr said she could not share a lot of details about just how the chamber would be celebrating its nine-decade milestone.

"It's going to represent our 90th year, and we are sharing that moment with another organization or business that is marking 90 years," Starr said. "Another surprise is someone who we are honoring that night - someone who has been a chamber member since 1953 and is an agricultural superstar in the community."

Even the entertainment is a surprise - all Starr would say is that it is being provided by community leaders.

An "old-fashioned country chicken dinner" will comprise the menu, and the dress code will be country casual.

Cedar Brook Farm is owned by Don and Cathy Woodson and Terry and Cindy Metcalf. Don Woodson will also serve as the emcee.

Don Woodson said the original 80 acres of the farm belonged to Cathy and Cindy's great-grandmother and was mined for clay in the 1940s and '50s.

He said the family has been working to clean up the effects of the mining, filling in ditches and smoothing out roads.

The property also has a barn that is home to horses and a donkey, and the family has a small herd of cattle as well.

"We have a cow/calf operation where we raise babies and sell them every year, and a for a few years we also raised some to butcher weight," Don said.

He said a main feature to be shown off during Town and Country will be Cathy's flower garden.

"It's absolutely unbelievable. Dinner is actually going to be in the yard next to a tremendous amount of flowers," Don said. "It's worth the time to drive out and look at them. We're so pleased we're getting to share the property while it's in such good shape with all these flowers."

Don said there also will be wagon rides down to the "Lone Oak Chapel" they created for their daughter's wedding in August, and guests will enjoy s'mores at the end of the night.

Starr said she expects a big turnout for this year's Town and Country Dinner "because there's quite a lot of excitement brewing" with event organizers playing things so close to the vest.

"It's kind of exciting to have a surprise, and we've got more than one," she said. "We've already sold 100 tickets; we've never sold this many, this soon."

Tickets are $25 and are available by contacting the chamber office at (573) 642-3055, or online at www.fultonmochamber.com. Tickets must be purchased by 4 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 11.

Katherine Cummins can be reached at (573) 826-2418 or [email protected].