Apr. 2—For the first time in two years, members of the Duncan Chamber of Commerce descended on the Simmons Center for the annual business meeting, during which they recognized the 2019 award winners and the community at large.
With a Wizard of Oz theme of "No Place Like Home," it became apparent that there truly isn't a place like home — like Duncan.
Keeping in mind the chaos that ensued, the Chamber was faced with a difficult task — how to handle awards for 2020 and 2021. Their solution was perfect.
Instead of honoring only a few of the countless heroes who rolled up their sleeves and got to work during the pandemic, the Chamber paused on Thursday, March 31, to shine a light on the whole community — on parents and teachers, on doctors and nurses, on police and firemen, on city councilors and mayors, on restaurant workers and retailers, on anyone and everyone because truly, each and every person felt the impact Covid carried with it and each and every community member became a helper in their own way to get through the course of the unknown.
The 2019 award winners, selected by Chamber membership in 2020 before the pandemic hit the area, received their accolades on Thursday night and were still just as deserving, if not more so, than they were in 2019. This too shines a light on community, because the feedback came directly from you all.
But the entire community, too, receives its accolades. And after two years of being divided, of being hidden behind masks and plastic dividers, of being closed down and unable to see family, of being separated physically, we were once again able to come together, to reunite, and to celebrate what truly matters. Home. Each other. Progress. Unity. Community. Duncan.
Congratulations to the award winners from 2019, and congratulations to the award winners of this year's Duncan Chamber Banquet. Each and every one of us deserved it. — The Duncan Banner