Thursday, September 18, 1997

Chamber banquet sold out

By DOUG WILLIAMSON / Abilene Reporter-News

The annual Abilene Chamber of Commerce banquet is sold out, but officials are trying to find ways to squeeze more people into the Civic Center.

The Sept. 29 combination of the chamber banquet and U.S. Air Force 50th anniversary celebration has filled 1,200 seats in the Exhibit Hall. The chamber has a 150-person waiting list already.

During the chamber's board meeting Wednesday, Celia Davis, who is heading the civilian side of the event, said efforts are being made to get more people into the banquet.

At 11:30 a.m. that same day, the dedication of the Dyess Visitor Center and Memorial Park will take place. The 1,091 memorial bricks -- purchased by local citizens -- already are in place.

In other business:

-- Chairman Mike Hughes of Fred Hughes Motors handed the reins of the chamber over to Joe Crawford of Abilene Aero.

-- President Charlie Dromgoole said the chamber will move into its new headquarters in the Cypress Building during the last week of October.

-- Directors adopted business plans for the chamber and its affiliates and a $547,989 budget. The budget is a 3.6-percent rise over this year's budget.

-- The board approved a resolution to the the Texas Transportation Commission, asking for the remaining 65 miles of the 150-mile stretch of U.S. Highway 277 from Abilene to Wichita Falls to be made into a four-lane highway. This route would connect Interstate 20 with Interstate 44 and would help reduce pollution and other problems in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex created by increased traffic.