The Howe Area Chamber of Commerce met Wednesday night to select a new slate of board members and to set the upcoming event schedule for the year.
Robert Cannaday was voted as vice president which carries a new two-year term. He served as president of the chamber since 2015 and helped rebuild the organization from ground up after the previous chamber disbanded in 2010. Cannaday is a loan officer with Independent Financial.
Monte Walker was elected president of the chamber as he has served in a variety of board roles over the past six years. Walker’s grandfather Bob Walker was the president of the Howe Chamber in the mid-1970s. Walker is the City of Howe’s economic development director and owns Grayson Publishing, LLC.
Tom Defrange has served as an original board member since 2015 and was elected to a new term as secretary. He is the owner of TLD Design Consulting of 103 E. Haning St.
Jared Coffey was elected as a new board member and will replace outgoing treasurer Sarah Whitt. Coffey is the owner of Guns N More in east Howe along with a number of other businesses.
Sergio Garcia was re-elected to serve as events coordinator. Garcia has been on the chamber board since 2019 and is the owner of HIT Exteriors, LLC—a roofing company in Howe.
Brandon McKinney was elected as a first-time board member and will serve as membership director. McKinney is an employee of TLD Design Consulting and is a volunteer in multiple organizations in Howe including Howe Youth Softball.
Steve Davis, owner of Don’s Smokehouse was also elected to serve as a first-time board member.
The group quickly dove into outlining the events calendar for 2021 which will begin with a first quarter event in March which will be revealed shortly. The Howe Hall of Honor will be held on Friday, May 7 and the Founders Day Festival will be held the following day.
The Hotter ‘N Howe Summer Bash is set for July 17 which is a vendor event at Bicentennial Park and a chance for non-profits in Howe to fundraise.
The Blue Bell Ice Cream Social sponsored annually by Cavender Home Theater is planned for Thursday, Aug.5.
The Downtown Howe-lloween Festival is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 30 and the Christmas Parade will continue to be the second Saturday in December at 4:30 pm.
The chamber also planned a Murder Mystery Dinner to be held Jan. 29, 2022.
To become a member, please visit howechamber.com.