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By HUNTER CLOUD

Special to the Democrat

NATCHEZ — On Jan. 12, 2021, the Natchez-Adams County Chamber of Commerce will host the organization’s annual gala following COVID-19 protocols at the Natchez Convention Center at Main and Canal streets.

In previous years the event would have taken place in November, but until recently, regulations didn’t allow for the event to take place, organizers said. By January, organizers said they should be able to host the event safely.

The theme this year is “Maskeraid” featuring chefs, musicians, beer vendors and a mixology area. President and CEO of the Natchez-Adams Chamber of Commerce Debbie Hudson said a silent auction is being held online from through Dec. 15.

The auction can be found here.

“We have never done it that way before. It has usually been with our Gala,” Hudson said. “We wanted to do it in December, Christmastime. We will have about 10 items. Our largest item is a guitar that has 90 signatures of country music stars.”

The guitar is signed by Darius Rucker, Garth Brooks, Hunter Hayes and Kelsea Ballerini, who are just a few of the artists who support St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital as well as Country Cares for St. Jude.

Proceeds from the guitar will be split between the Chamber and Listen Up Y’all, Hudson said, adding Listen Up Y’all’s money would go to St. Jude and the chamber’s share will go to the chamber of commerce.

The guitar will initially be listed for $10,000, Hudson said. It is worth approximately $25,000, she said.

Nine other items will be up for auction along with the guitar.

Business representatives attending the gala will eat together. Awards will be given out to large businesses, small businesses, and the Natchizean of the Year will be awarded to a man and a woman. Last year’s Natchizean awards went to Tate Hobdy and Sarah Lindsey Laukhuff

To request an application, people must call the Natchez-Adams Chamber of Commerce at 601-445-4611. The applications can be completed over the phone or via email with the chamber of commerce at manager@natchezchamber.com.

People also may submit an application by fax to 601-445-4611, or by mail to the Natchez-Adams County Chamber of Commerce P.O. Box 1403, or people may drop applications off at the Chamber of Commerce office at 211 Main Street, Suite A.

The deadline for those applications is Dec. 18. In order to receive the awards nominees must be members of the Chamber of Commerce.

Small businesses are defined as having 25 employees or fewer, and large businesses will have more than 25 employees. In order to receive the award a business must be involved in promoting Natchez internally and externally.

A committee made up of past winners of the Natchezian of the Year award will choose this year’s winner. Qualifications of a Natchezian of the Year are that the nominee must be someone who gives back to the community.

While the gala will include recognition of award winners, Hudson said the gala is about everyone.

“Everybody is important, and we need everybody,” Hudson said. “That is the nice thing about the chamber. We are not any one entity. We are not small. We are not large. We are not government. We are not healthcare. We are not tourism. We are all of it. So we are recognizing everybody. These just happen to be special ones of this year that we are choosing.”