The Swainsboro-Emanuel County Chamber of Commerce and the Georgia State Chamber of Commerce will host a "legislative listening" session at 4 P.M. on Thursday, November 1st, at the Chamber Annex, located at 124 North Main Street.

Listening sessions are held around the state to give business communities an opportunity to speak with local legislators, as well as Georgia Chamber lobbyists, about issues most important to them. These legislative concerns will help shape the Georgia Chamber's 2008 Legislative Agenda.

Issues to be discussed include tax reform, transportation, water resources, education, and several other vital topics. These "listening sessions" are a key ingredient in the Georgia Chamber's grassroots lobbying effort to get local communities involved in keeping Georgia a pro-business environment.

Representative Butch Parrish, as well as Georgia Chamber officials, will be in attendance.

The public is invited to attend.

After completing an in-depth study of small businesses in Emanuel County, which included 26 interviews, the Swainsboro-Emanuel County Chamber of Commerce is set to join 45 other counties in Georgia as an "Entrepreneur Friendly Community."

A special designation team from the Governor's Office will arrive this Friday, November 2nd, to begin the review process.

The Chamber's local designation committee will begin the review with a presentation of information gleaned from the local study. Following the presentation, the review team will interview several small business owners.

In the afternoon session, chamber officials will present a "How to Start a Business in Emanuel County" booklet to the review team. The booklet was designed to assist entrepreneurs and small business owners with start-up information and helpful hints.

At 3 P.M., the review team will determine the status of the designation, followed by a presentation to the Chamber. The public is invited to attend.

Serving on the local committee are Carol Canady, Annette Jackson, Al Lawson, Marie Wofford, Leonard Richards, Charles Schwabe, Gail Douglas, Jerry Cadle, P.O. Youmans, Ezra Price, Wade Johnson, Frank Denmark, Richard McNeely, Ken Warnock and Bill Rogers Jr.

The Second Saturday Art Stroll planned for November 10th will feature new and exciting art exhibitions, as well as live music at the Downtown Pavilion. The newest exhibition at Gallery RFD will feature Portraiture artwork in a themed exhibition juried by the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery.

The Emanuel Arts Council will feature work by "Artists with Disabilities," featuring new and selected works that explore diverse media and subject matter at the Kalmanson Gallery off Green Street.

Take a stroll down Green Street and visit other exhibitions at 114 Restaurant, Folds Photography, Brantley's Billiards, Jack's Java Cove, Designs on the Square, and Rainbow Antique Mall. The stroll takes place from 5-8 P.M. with an artists talk at RFD at 7 P.M.

At 8 P.M. on Saturday there will be a live performance by Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter Tony Arata featuring Jelly Roll Johnson. Mr. Arata may be best known for writing "The Dance" by Garth Brooks, as well as songs for Randy Travis, Emmy Lou Harris, Patty Loveless, and Bonny Raitt. This live performance is brought to you by the Downtown Commission for Arts and Commerce (DCAC). The DCAC is made up of Swainsboro/Emanuel Chamber of Commerce, Nordson, Gallery RFD, Mill Creek, The Emanuel Arts Council, Radio Jones, The Forest Blade, the GREDC at EGC and Daniels Chevrolet.

After months of compiling data on Emanuel County's points of interest and tourism sites, the Chamber's newest brochure is set to be unveiled in special ceremonies on Thursday, November 15th at 4 P.M.

In addition, the Chamber will unveil a new large- scale county map given to the local organization by Altamaha Electric Membership Corporation. The wall map will be hung in the Chamber's board room.

"We're very excited to have both the new brochure and map as part of our on-going efforts to promote Emanuel County," stated Chamber President Bill Rogers Jr.

Some 30,000 copies of the brochure have been printed and are currently being distributed among the state's visitors' centers and regional welcome centers. In addition, the brochures will be handed out locally to all motels, restaurants, and other tourism sites across the county.

The large-scale map will be used for industrial and commercial prospects who visit the county.

East Georgia College Foundation will present the band, "Number 9" in a benefit performance featuring the music of The Beatles.

The concert will be held Saturday, November 17th at 7:30 P.M. in the Luck Flanders Gambrell Center Auditorium. Tickets are $15 in advance, $20 at the door.

Proceeds will be used to help support the construction of student housing at the college. For more information call 478-289-2121.

The Emanuel County Farm Bureau, Emanuel County Agribusiness Council, Emanuel County Extension Service, Emanuel County Young Farmers and the Swainsboro/Emanuel County Chamber of Commerce will once again co-sponsor the annual Farm/City Week Banquet. The event is set for November 19th, at 7 PM at the 4-H Clubhouse.

The banquet is held each year to promote and develop a close relationship between the farming community and city businesses & individuals.

This year's speaker will be Dr. Bill Perry of Statesboro, Georgia.

The highlight of the evening will be the naming of the agricultural "Family of the Year" and the "Person or Business of the Year" for their outstanding contributions to the agricultural community.

Tickets for the event are available at both the Emanuel County Farm Bureau and the Swainsboro/Emanuel County Chamber of Commerce offices.

The public is invited to join in this special evening of celebration, recognition and fellowship. Deadline for ticket purchases is November 9th.

The Swainsboro-Emanuel County Chamber of Commerce and the Emanuel County Joint Development Authorities hosted a two-day event, Oct. 18 and 19, with the National Nanotechnology Manufacturing Center (NNMC) in Swainsboro. The activities were held at Flat Creek Lodge and East Georgia College.

There were a number of major U. S. corporations represented, along with U. S. universities, military and governmental agencies. Most of the content of the two day event was focused toward those entities interested in becoming members of the Nano Valley Consortium, which the NNMC is organizing. All of these companies could be future prospects for locating a facility in Swainsboro.

Terry Medley, J.D. Dupont's Global Director of Corporate Regulatory Affairs, was the keynote speaker.

The dinner speaker for October 18th was Dr. Marie Thursby, Professor of Strategic Management, Georgia Institute of Technology. She also holds an adjunct professorship in economics at Emory University.

Some 45 different companies attended the event.

The United Daughters of the Confederacy will be hosting a "Salute to Veterans" on Saturday, November 10th, at Franklin Memorial Library at 10:30 A.M.

Guest speaker for the event will be Kenneth H. Robison II, Micah J. Jenkins Camp No 164, Sons of Spanish American War Veterans.

On Sunday, November 11th, at 3 P.M., retired Rear Admiral Roger L. (Roddy) Rich, a native of Swainsboro, will be the principal speaker at the Veteran's Day Program at Franklin Memorial Library.

The Chamber's October 18th Business-After-Hours event sponsored by Ogeechee Behavioral Services was well attended, with networking, hors d'oeuvres and door prizes highlighting the event.

There was no winner in the Chamber's cash giveaway, so prize money grows to $275.00 for the next event. Every chamber member's name is included, but you must be present to win.

Does your club or organization have an important date or event planned? The Chamber's Community Calendar is now available to list those important dates. Don't find out later your event has a conflict. Call 478-237-6426.