Chamber Gala postponed

The following is a press release from the Klamath County Chamber of Commerce.

KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. - The Klamath County Chamber of Commerce has announced it will postpone its Centennial Celebration and 100th Annual Awards Gala until late 2021 or early 2022. The event was scheduled for September 25th.

“This was a tough decision to make but it feels like the right one for our community,” said Rich Schuster, Chamber Board President.

Chamber leadership is very excited to celebrate the 100th anniversary of its incorporation on September 25th with our members and the community, but held a board meeting to reconsider the date and timing given the current uptick in local COVID cases.

“We felt the need to be cautious and protect our neighbors and friends. We really want to be able to come together as a big group and celebrate the accomplishments of our Chamber and the Klamath Basin without worry,” said Joe Spendolini, Chamber board member. The Gala brings together close to 300 business and community leaders each year for an evening of dining while recognizing those businesses and individuals who have made the biggest impacts in our community. “It’s a chance to celebrate the excellence that happens here in Klamath County,” said Spendolini.

The Chamber was founded in 1905 and is the largest and longest-serving business organization in Klamath County. It was incorporated 100 years ago in 1921 and was then housed at 5th and Main Street.

Over the years, the Chamber has led many efforts to improve the livability of the Klamath Basin and create an environment where businesses and residents can prosper.

The Chamber enables great successes by working with local, state and federal leaders and stakeholders in these efforts.  In recent years, the Klamath County Chamber has strengthened its government affairs work to give voice to local business at all levels of government and has become a recognized force in Salem for the betterment of our county.

“It’s an honor to be a part of an organization that has done so much for the community in 100 years,” said Heather Harter, the Chamber’s Executive Director, “The Gala is my favorite Chamber event as it gives us time to pause and reflect on where we were and how far we’ve come, both as an organization and a community. It brings us all together to celebrate what we love in the Klamath Basin. We’re excited to do that later this year or early next and I promise the wait will be worth it when we get this rescheduled.”

While this event (when rescheduled) will be a Centennial Celebration and the 100th Annual Awards Gala, the event has been changed from years past. The committee has selected a new, creative location at Century Aviation.  

“The entire board wishes to thank Ed Langerveld and his team at Century Aviation for working with the Chamber to plan what will be an amazing event, and are very appreciative of their patience and commitment to work with us to come up with a new date,” said Harter.

Harter also extended thanks to all the sponsors and ticket holders for their commitment and cooperation as the Chamber works together to schedule the celebration for a different date. Harter added, “I have to thank our committee too (Joe Spendolini, Brienne Humphrey, Marissa Davidson, and Mika Blain). They’ve put in countless hours volunteering to pull this together. Their hard work and planning is going to help make this an amazing event.”

In addition to a new location, the Chamber has special Century awards to recognize and the event will feature a catered dinner. The Chamber will announce the new date in the near future. Ticket sales are still available and both tickets and sponsorships previously purchased will be honored. For questions, contact the Chamber at (541) 884-5193 or visit www.klamath.org.