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HARBOURS GATE RIBBON CUTTING
 You're invited to join the Harbours Gate community in the
ribbon cutting/open house at its new Mentor Community Learning Center on October 17 at 10 a.m. (2428 Airbase Rd., Louisville). This historic site was once the hub of a thriving and flourishing urban center. Come tour and see how Harbours Gate is working to revitalize this area of North Blount County. Refreshments courtesy of Cinnaholic.
BUSINESSES NEEDED TO PARTICIPATE IN CAREER EXPLORATION FAIR
 In an effort to give students an opportunity to learn about different types of industries and change industry misperceptions, the Blount Partnership is hosting an 8th Grade Career Exploration Fair, Oct. 29 from 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. at the National Guard Armory in Maryville.
Approximately 1,500 8th grade students from Alcoa, Maryville and Blount County schools will be in attendance.
Because this event will fall during Manufacturing Month, we will take as many manufacturers as possible to make sure we have a great manufacturing area! Please consider participating!
REGISTER YOUR BUSINESS.
CHAMBER ANNIVERSARY BOOK
 The Blount Chamber is celebrating 100 years in 2020 and now's your chance to be part of history by placing your ad in a book chronicling its beginnings to today's fast-paced business world. A half page ad is $275 and full page ad is $485. Get your ad in today and be recognized as a Chamber supporter. Contact The Daily Times at 865-981-1152 or email
advertising@thedailytimes.com.
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. Nominations are open for the awards, so please submit the name of someone you think is deserving by logging on at
www.blountchamber.com until Sept. 20.
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 out our website.
MARYVILLE COLLEGE FIRESIDE CHATS
 Maryville College hosts "Fireside Chats" in collaboration with RT Lodge so community members can better to get to know the Maryville College faculty and go check out RT Lodge if they haven't been before.
The chat takes place on October 14 at 5 p.m. around the fire pit at RT Lodge. There are only 25 spots available for the chat. The theme of the chat is "Brewing" at Maryville College. Dr. Nathan Duncan, a chemistry professor, has a brewing class every year and the chat provides a chance for guests to taste the brewed beer and purchase Dr. Duncan's "picks" off the RT Lodge beer list.
RSVP here.
MAXIMIZE YOUR MEMBERSHIP
 If you're new to the Chamber or just want to know more about your membership, then join us October 15 from 8:30-9:30 a.m. at the Blount Partnership (201 S. Washington St., Maryville) as Tammi Ford will explain your benefits and the many opportunities that go along with membership.
Your membership is a corporate membership, so encourage co-workers to get involved, educated and promote your company.
REGISTER HERE.
NETWORKING TRAINING CLASS
 If introducing yourself at gatherings has you being a wallflower, join Raeus Jae Cannon for her FREE networking training class at the Blount Partnership on October 22 from 3-4:30 p.m. A regular workshop at the Blount Chamber, this free seminar will get you on the road to improving your life and business relationships. You'll no longer be making those dreaded cold calls and begin using new relationships to drive business to you.
REGISTER 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.
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
CARL ESPOSITO RETIREMENT PARTY
Everyone is invited to the retirement party for The Daily Times editor Carl Esposito on October 24 from 4-7 p.m. at Sullivans in downtown Maryville.
SIGN UP FOR THE LATEST 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 Managing Conflict on October 25. Gain insights into your conflict management style and the styles of your team. Discover your own emotional triggers, explore ways to deal with conflict, and leave with best practices you can apply in professional and personal settings.
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 1985 was "Oh Shiela" by Ready for the World. It was the first of two chart toppers for the band on the Billboard R&B chart, preceding their 1986 number-one R&B hit, "Love You Down." The song is commonly misattributed to Prince, due to similarity to his vocal and musical style, as well as the belief that the song's lyrics allude to frequent Prince collaborator Sheila E.
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Blount Chamber members can now post their own
