“There is October in every November and there is November in every December. All seasons melted in each other’s life.” ~ Mehmet Murat Ildan
It used to seem that November was a quiet month. A month to take a breath between the chaos of homecomings, fall festivals, sports and Halloween in October and the holiday hustle of December. Nowadays the months seem to blur all into one. November is as busy as the other months. The Chamber of Commerce was hectic, running here and there as well. We participated in the Town of Stuart’s Downtown Revitalization grant meeting with DHCD representatives. While this project is taking a while to see movement, work is being done behind the scenes to have things lined up so once the Town is given the green light, they can bolt out of the gate.
We attended the career fair hosted by Patrick & Henry Community College at the high school on November 6. This was well attended by businesses and the students were engaged. The Chamber, along with Sarah Wray from Reynolds Homestead traveled to Richmond to present at the Mid-Atlantic Farmers Market Conference. Our presentation focused on building community through events at the market. We had an engaging group that asked questions during and after the presentation. It is always fun and rewarding to share our community with others.
The chamber partnered again with Reynolds Homestead to present our annual Lunch with Community Leaders event, which was held on November 20th. This event is always a highlight of the year, where we have several of our local leaders share what is going on with our community. We are so appreciative of the guest speakers who gave informative presentations and to the attendees as this event was well attended.
We are also busy in the office winding down the year and getting things lined up for 2025. Chamber membership drive will kick off in January, along with Patrick County magazine sales. Our board has approved an updated strategic plan, which we will be sharing with everyone.
Holiday events started happening in November with the Reynolds Homestead Holiday Market and Small Business Saturday on November 30, which coincided with the Meadows of Dan Christmas parade. Those events only amplify as we move into December. Kicking off the month on December 1, a new event – Handcrafted Christmas in Woolwine, 4-6 p.m. This community event will host carolers, cookies, silent auction, and tree lighting. We hope you will join us in Stuart on Friday, December 6 for the Grand Illumination, and tree lighting at the Courthouse at 6 p.m., followed the next day by several holiday events in Stuart concluding with the 52nd annual Patrick County Christmas Parade at 2 p.m.
Holiday festivities continue around the county all month: the Parkway Christmas in Meadows of Dan will be Saturday, December 7 & 14, 2-6 p.m. with music and events, Dehart Park’s Festival of Lights will run December 13-23. Two different concerts at the Historic Star Theatre and a free movie day are on the calendar, along with several events at Reynolds Homestead. Check out the Chamber’s event page for all the up-to-date happenings, www.patrickchamber.com.
(Adcock is the executive director of the Patrick County Chamber of Commerce.)
