COFFEE CLUB AT GLENSTONE GALLERIES
 Wake up to new business contacts at
coffee club held October 31 from 7:45-9 a.m. at Glenstone Galleries & Gifts (364 Lindsay St., Alcoa). Coffees are designed to offer our members the opportunity to build business relationships with other members and to gain exposure for their business or organization in an "open house" setting. Coffees are open to anyone associated with a Chamber member business. Participation is not reserved to the representative(s) listed on the Chamber membership.
GRAINS AND GRITS TICKETS
 On Saturday, November 2, we celebrate legendary distillers at our annual Grains and Grits Festival in Townsend. It is a festival of regional craft spirits and local gourmet cuisine, tucked into the Peaceful Side of the Smokies. We'll have craft brewers, Blount County Home Brewers, and Sevier County Home Brewers, onsite sampling beers, as well as a wine tasting by Cades Cove Winery. Along with a variety of seasonal gourmet foods, and the outstanding sounds from alternative rock/pop cover band out of Nashville, January Noise, there is something for everyone at the Grains and Grits Festival.
Join us at the Townsend Visitor Center from 6-9 p.m., for a unique fall tasting experience you can only find in the Great Smoky Mountains. All attendees must be 21 years or older. Tickets are $65 online, or $75 if purchased the day of the festival. Parking opens at 5 p.m. For more information or to purchase tickets, please check
our website.
BEST OF BLOUNT AWARD TICKETS ON SALE
 Former U.S. Army pilot and author Mike Durant, whose saga was chronicled in the 2002 Oscar Award winning movie Black Hawk Down, is the guest speaker for the Blount Partnership's Best of Blount Awards held at 6 p.m. on Nov. 14 at the Clayton Center for the Arts.
Sponsored by Charter Spectrum, C2RL, Cherokee Millwright, DENSO, Blount Excavating and Massey Electric, tickets, which go on sale Sept. 9 at 10 a.m., are $35 (plus taxes and fees) and can be purchased from the Clayton Center ticket office at 865-981-8590 or online at
www.claytonartscenter.com.
The Best of Blount Awards celebrates those individuals and businesses that give their time and resources to make this area an outstanding place to live and work.
Awards are given for Philanthropist of the Year, Community Impact Award, Bright Future Award, Large and Small Business of the Year, First Responder Award and the Tourism Award.
EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT WORKSHOP
 Ever have someone "drop the ball?" Ever have someone act more like a "victim" than a contributor? Most likely, you said, "Yes" to one of these questions. The question becomes "can we actually control the level of engagement of our teams?" Meaning, can we as managers help someone become engaged? The answer is not "motivation"! Motivation is the most over-rated and over-used concept in management. Make plans to attend our next seminar on Wednesday, November 6 at 8:30 a.m., as Jennifer Goodrich, with Crestcom, will clearly the factors that create or kill engagement. She will also show the three areas that build workforce engagement.
RSVP HERE.
ETMAC LUNCHEON
 The East Tennessee Military Affairs Council 37th Annual Veterans Appreciation and Awards Luncheon is slated for Friday, November 8 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., at Hotel Knoxville located at 501 Hill Ave SE, Knoxville, TN 37915. Individual tickets are $30 and tables of 10 are $300. All seats must be prepaid by November 3.
Order tickets online.
STRATEGIC FINANCIAL PLANNING FOR SMALL BUSINESS
 Join Propel Financial Advisors, DW Agosto Tax Planning and SW Lenski Law Group for a free seminar entitled Strategic Financial Planning for Small Business on November 13 from 8:30-10:30 and the Blount Partnership (201 S. Washington St., Maryville). Learn effective tax planning, investing in yourself and your employees, organizing your books and contracts, estate plans and buy-sell agreements.
RSVP Here.
GET PLACEMENT IN 2020 BASICALLY BLOUNT
 The 2020 Basically Blount lifestyle magazine and membership directory is entering production once again. This annual, full-color lifestyle magazine and chamber membership directory is initially distributed to all Chamber members starting Feb. 2020, along with distribution four times throughout the year via area professional offices, newcomers, visitors, and new businesses all looking to relocate to Blount County.
We are pleased to offer a variety of advertising opportunities at cost effective rates through our
media kit. We have contracted with Marcon Marketing Consultants, a local Chamber member, to handle production and ad sales.
If you would like to learn more about the benefits of Basically Blount, the importance of supporting the Chamber, and how to get your business involved, contact:
Rick Ford of Marcon Marketing at 865-705-8580 or
Vicki Hawkins of Marcon Marketing at 865-310-2963
CORMAC MCCARTHY LITERARY FESTIVAL
 Celebrating authors preserving culture, sparking conversation and weaving tales in Appalachia.
Please come and join us for this three day festival, November 1-3, featuring national, regional and local authors such as Ron Rash, Sharyn McCrumb, Amy Greene, Frank X. Walker, Lin Stepp and more! The festival will include celebration of local history and the Blount County Public Library's Centennial. Live Appalachian arts demonstrations, musical performances and fun activities for the whole family to engage with East Tennessee's unique literary history. The festival is named after Cormac McCarthy to highlight his time in Blount County and also a piece of public art he made in 1971 while living here.
SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY IS NOVEMBER 30
 This November 30, the Blount Partnership wants to celebrate
Small Business Saturday with you! It's a special holiday created so communities can show love for small local businesses. And it wouldn't be a celebration without businesses like you joining us!
The day was setup to help businesses with their most pressing need -- getting more customers. The day encourages people to shop at small businesses on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. The single day has grown into a powerful movement, and more people are taking part than ever before.
If your small business is interested in participating, please email
alawson@blountpartnership.com. We will help get the word out about shopping locally at the beginning of the holiday season.
ANNUAL MEETING NOTICE
The annual meeting of the Blount County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors is set for Nov. 4 at 11:30 a.m. at the Blount Partnership office located at 201 S. Washington St., Maryville, Tenn. There are currently no items on the agenda for the annual meeting other than the regular report made by President/CEO Bryan Daniels. RSVP to Brenda at
bfarner@blountpartnership.com
SIGN UP FOR THE NOVEMBER SOFT SKILLS CLASS
 It's Your Career! That's the focus of a free soft skills session offered in partnership by the Blount County Public Library, the Adult Education Foundation of Blount County and the Blount County Chamber of Commerce.
Registrations are currently being accepted online at
www.blountchamber.com for a class entitled Building Success by Developing Leadership on November 22. Learn the difference between management and leadership. Explore the characteristics, qualities and attributes of proven leaders, and see how you can develop these traits within yourself and others.
All participants will earn .5 CEUs per session for participating. They will also receive an email survey two months after workshop participation to assess application of new ideas.
All classes are conducted in the Blount County Library's learning lab located at 508 N. Cusick in Maryville and limited to 50 participants. A complete class description is located on the registration site. All classes run from 8-10 a.m. with networking beginning at 7:30 a.m.
YOU CAN POST YOUR OWN MEMBER-TO-MEMBER DEALS
REMEMBER TO SHOP LOCAL
 Think local first + Buy local when you can = Being a local!
GOT AN EVENT OR NEWS? WE'D LOVE TO HEAR ABOUT
Is your organization hosting an event in the community? Submit it
here on our community calendar. If it's a tourism event or any good news about your business, please
send it to us. We'd love to share it with the community.
REMEMBER WHEN
Topping the Billboard Hot 100 chart this week in 1964 was "Do Wah Diddy" by Manfred Mann. It stayed atop the charts for two weeks.
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