VIDALIA — The merger of the Vidalia and Ferriday Chambers of Commerce will finally be complete with the first general membership meeting of the Concordia Parish Chamber of Commerce scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday.

The meeting will be for the 2011 annual chamber awards dinner and is set to begin at 6 p.m. at the Vidalia Conference and Convention Center.

Chamber Director Jamie Burley said the dinner will be a celebration of Concordia Parish with the theme “Honor the past and celebrate the future.”

“We are going to be having some awards for both the Vidalia and Ferriday chambers,” she said. “We will also be awarding Concordian of the Year.”

Burley said awards include businessperson of the year, business of the year and educator of the year, along with two new awards, the Vidalia and Ferriday Chamber of Commerce Board of Director’s Choice Awards.

“These awards will go out to a person from each chamber that is recognized by their board as someone who stands out,” she said.

Burley said along with the awards, the dinner will also include entertainment from Concordia Parish Clerk of Court Clyde Ray Webber and both silent and live auctions to bid on.

Burley also said the chamber wants as many people to come out as possible for the awards dinner, and that the ticket price was cut $35 to make the evening more affordable for everyone.

“The tickets are $40 this year as opposed to $75,” she said. “It is very important that we have people from all over the community attend.”

Burley said since this is the first official meeting for the newly formed chamber, it is a very important event for residents of the parish.

“This is the start of something big,” she said. “With all of us putting our hands together and uniting, we are going to make a huge difference in Concordia Parish.”

Burley said the chamber and its current general membership of 198 residents is scheduled to have its second official meeting at noon Feb. 8 at the Arcade Theatre in Ferriday. There will be lunch served at a cost of $10 per person.