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Show The Payson Chronicle, March 20, 1996, Page 5 PAYSON PROGRESS by Paul Blanchard THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE: NOT JUST ANOTHER CLUB! An article on the history and functions of the Chamber of Commerce should be the literary equivalent of watching paint dry, right? All the excitement of TV Bowling with Chns Schenkel or watching at midnight, huh? Well, it may shock you to know a few juicy morsels in the dark past of the basic old Chamber of Commerce. ... For instance, did you know that the name "Chamber of Commerce" was first usedon the year 1599? (No, Rex Wilkerson was not the president that year.) The Chamber was first organized in the Payson area in 1941 with Roy Broadbent as president. Fifty different civic leaders have served as president since, with Roy Broadbent, Floyd Harmer, Dennis Dixon, Leo Daley, Bill Hansen, and Rex Wilkerson serving two terms each. Another amazing bit of wisdom lies in the definition of the word "commerce." While most of us would associate it with business-relate- d matters, it actually has the primary meaning of "the inter-- , change of ideas, opinions or sentiments." This is where the real heart of the Payson Area Chamber of Commerce lies not just in the business-relateactivities of the group but the association of friends, citizens and business people meeting together to exchange information, experience and goals. The Payson Area Chamber is organized into several subgroups to address more specific areas of concern: The Community Improvement Board - to deal with community concerns and citizen involvement The Downtown Alliance - to woric on the improvement of the Historic Downtown District. The Economic Development Division - to address the important issues of Business Retention and Attraction as well as other aspects of economic development. Currently, our chamber is led by officers Jim Bean, Ron Gordon, Kay Fumiss, and Karl Brown, while functions are supervised by Chamber Office Manager Lisa Stanton and Payson Economic d day-to-d- Development Director Paul Blanchard. The Payson chamber office is located in the lobby of city hall which typifies the support given by Payson City, the Payson Chamber is able to focus almost entirely on community issues without the distraction of con- stantly organizing fund raisers like other chambers because of the contract for services provided by the city . This financial assistance is a tremendous boost to local chamber activities. All Payson citizens, business people and organization leaders are encouraged to join the chamber. If you didnt make it to the annual "Taste of Payson" Open House, just call Lisa at the office, and find out how you can "Get Involved and Make a Difference!" 465-263- 4, Service Project At Middle School As part of Heather Shuler s "Centennial Celebration of the Arts" service project, there was a poster contest in the grade schools and an essay contest in Payson Middle SchooL The 1st place winners received their prizes of $25 at the Miss Payson Pageant. The remainder of the prizes will be given at the conceit on Friday. Many of the most outstanding posters will be on display at Payson High School on March 22. There were over 400 poster entries. Kachiri Kirkland of Wilson School designed the winning poster. The 2nd place winner was Mary anna Quintero of Barnett SchooL The 3rd place winner was Lynda James of Wilson School. There were over 50 essays submitted. The 1st place essay was written by Craig Broadbent. Brock Newitt was the 2nd place winner and 3rd place winner was Stephanie Bird. Thanks goes out to all who participated. Special thanks, also, to the Payson businesses who donated the prizes. Following is the winning essay: WHY THE ARTS ARE IMPORTANT TO ME by Craig Broadbent I think that we need the arts, because they give everyone something positive to do. Even kids can listen to live music that has a good impact on them, rather than doing drugs. Museums are almost always open, and great art work can be viewed any time. People can express themselves in either a positive or negative way. From paintings, people can give off different messages. People can paint murals, or other paintings that express themselves in a positive way, or they can paint graffiti or other types of vandalism that expresses their feelings in a negative way. If we didnt have the arts, many people would be out of a job because of the many occupations that deal with the arts. An artist has a job through his talents, but there are many other people who have jobs dealing with the arts, such as the person who sells the paintings, the museum owner, the person who sells paint supplies, the person who frames the art, people who teach art, people who teach about art. The people who buy and enjoy the art would also be at a great loss if we did not have the arts. Even as the arts supply jobs, the arts are also great ways to get away from ones job. Its so relaxing to get away from it all and see some of the greatest creations on earth. The arts are more than a job to the people who contribute. They express themselves through their work. The arts also teaches about history, through pictures from long age before man knew how to write, and wrote of how he would hunt, and what he did in a day. Also, through pictures that were painted before we had cameras. The arts can also tell what is going on now, because it expresses different things better than words in a story can tell. For instance, a painting of an event, can tell much more than a news article can. than any story can, It can capture die feeling and mood of the situation. A song can go more and bring out feelings that we never knew were there. The more you leam about one thing, the more The arts help people become more it can help with the other. We can leam to express ourselves by seeing how other people express themselves. If you go to southern Utah, you can see drawings on the sides of large rocks and mountains. This is a way that the ancient people would express themselves. They often drew a picture of a man playing a flute. His name was Kokopeli. I feel that they had a desire to see someone playing music and that they loved music, so they drew pictures about it. Oftentimes you can find yourself humming or whistling a tune without even thinking about it. It could be something that everyone has a need to express how they are feeling. Thats what the arts are all about. th Bee Hiv& Honjc AFFORDABLE 24 HR. ELDERLY CARE! WE PROVIDE: . 24 HOUR CARE Dietician approved meals Assistance with all aspects ol daily living Dally housekeeping Laundry Individual and group activity 875 E. 1 OO N. 93 465-410- 4 Payson gifts for PRIVATE ROOM COMPLETE WITH: Unique showers, baby homecoming, or any special occasion. Blessing outfits for both girls and boys, Bed, Dresser Private Vi Bath Intercom TV t hookup Keepsake Grandmas , we have perfect gift ideas for you! $Find specialty one of a kind styles and more with the convenience of home town shopping. Phone hookup SEE OUR NEW HOMES IN: Come in & see our new Spring and Easter outfits!I SIZES : INFANT, TODDLER, IO Brin, this ,d,nd pi 100 OFF 1st MONTH'S RENT! 4-6- X OFF YOUR PURCHASE WITH THIS AD. |