The 13th Annual Swainsboro/Emanuel County Chamber of Commerce and Joint Development Authorities' Industry Appreciation Golf Tournament was a huge success by all standards.

Even though the day was dampened by wet weather and overcast skies, 119 golfers and ten industries participated in the Thursday, September 20th event.

This was the largest number of golfers and industries to participate in the function since its start in 1994.

Following registration and lunch, Joint Development Authority board member Bobby Sasser and Chamber President Bill Rogers welcomed the golfers and attendees.

AgSouth took top honors for the day when Ryan Bishop, Craig Peebles, Scott Livingston and Sharon Cail combined to shoot a sizzling 17-under to take the Championship Flight.

The Buckley & Associates team, with Ken Warnock, Cleve Edenfield, Al Lawson and Rick Gibson, posted a 10-under to take the first flight.

Eleven-year old Jeb Stuart led the way for the Elroy Turpentine team when the team took the second flight prize with a 6-under score. Also on the team were Billy Cooler, Phil Thompson, and Paul McDaniel.

Following the golf, door prizes were given away along with prizes for the winning teams. The group then feasted on barbeque, turkeys and Boston butts cooked by Buddy Cobb. The two meals were sponsored by the Forest Blade Publishing Company.

"Even though the day started out a bit wet, the rains stopped and we had very pleasant golfing conditions. This tournament is a great way to thank our local industries for their commitment to our county," stated Wade Johnson, chairman for this year's event.

The Chamber golf committee also included Jill Collins, Heather Jones, Tim Hendley, Doug Brown, Milton Gray, Athen Walden, Joey Goodman, Ken Warnock, Kenny Griffin, Crystal Glisson and Bill Rogers Jr.

Andy Riley, President of the Swainsboro/Emanuel Co. Joint Development Authorities announced that on Oct. 18th and 19th, the National Nanotechnology Manufacturing Center (NNMC) will host two days of speakers and workshops in Swainsboro. The activities on October 18th will be held at Flat Creek Lodge while the activities on the 19th will be held at East Georgia College.

There will be a number of major U. S. corporations represented, along with U. S. universities, military and government agencies. Most of the content of these two days' events will be focused toward these entities that are interested in becoming members of the Nano Valley Consortium which the NNMC is organizing now. All of these companies could be future prospects for locating a facility in Swainsboro.

Terry Medley, JD Dupont's Global Director of Corporate Regulatory Affairs, will be the keynote speaker.

The invited dinner speaker for October 18th is Dr. Marie Thursby, Professor of Strategic Management, Georgia Institute of Technology. She also holds an adjunct professorship in Economics at Emory University. See www.nationalnano.org to register if you wish to attend.

A local industry has been chosen by a national publication as one of the top industries in the United States. Nordson--Swainsboro has been selected as one of 21 finalists by IndustryWeek, a national publication centered on manufacturing excellence.

Each year, IndustryWeek, pursues manufacturing excellence across the United States. The 18th annual IW Best Plants competition names 10 winners based on excellence performance metrics in the "unending pursuit of improvement in manufacturing." The 21 finalists were listed in their October edition.

Nordson-Swainsboro was listed among such companies as Batesville Casket Co., Vicksburg Operations, Vicksburg Mississippi; Blue Bird North Georgia, Lafayette, Georgia; Hewitt-Packard/Americas' Software Manufacturing, Nashua, New Hampshire; Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, Orlando, Florida; Northrop Grumman Corp., Navigation Systems Division, Salt Lake City, Utah; and Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp., Suffern, New York.

The top-ten group will be featured in the magazine's January 2008 edition.

The 3rd Annual Butch Parrish Junior Pine Tree Golf Tournament is set to be played this Saturday, October 6th at the Swainsboro Golf Club.

According to officials, four groups are to play. The 6- 7 year olds will play 3 holes; 8-9 year olds will play 3 holes; 10-12 year olds will play 6 holes; with 13-15 year olds set to play 9 holes. Awards will be given for each group.

In addition to the golf outing, a putting contest, closest to the pin and other activities are planned. Lunch will be provided for all players and parents.

For more information call Swainsboro Golf Club at 478-237-6116 or 478-299-5241.

The third annual Art Emanuel is nearly here! Children's activities including Magic Marc, chalk mandala, masks, boomerangs, tissue paper collages, spin art, scavenger hunt, live musical and dance performances, artists' market, food vendors and art exhibits are just a few of the exciting activities plan for the event.

Planned for Saturday, October 13th around the Square in downtown Swainsboro, the festivities offer something for all ages. Performances and activities will begin at 10 a.m. and are free to the public.

This community event raises awareness of the arts, provides family fun, and brings people to the downtown area.

Sponsoring this year's event are Emanuel Artists Guild, Emanuel Arts Center, Georgia Rural Economic Development Center at East Georgia College, Mill Creek Foundation and the Georgia Council for the Arts. For more information, contact the Emanuel Arts Center at 478-237-2592.

Immediately following the Arts Emanuel Festival at 5 pm, October's Art Stroll includes an opening reception at Gallery RFD for "Childhood and Parenting."

Other works will be on display at Jack's Java Cove, where Desmal Purcell will display his work. Russell Lamb will exhibit at 114 West Main while work by East Georgia College Art Club will be on display at Brantley's. Folds Photography will also display art.

The featured band for the evening will be "Afromotive," a thundering 9-piece ensemble from Asheville, North Carolina.

The Swainsboro/Emanuel County Chamber of Commerce Business-After-Hours is now being planned for October 18th from 4:30 to 6 p.m. The event is being hosted by Ogeechee Behavioral Health Services at 233 North Anderson Drive, Swainsboro.

In addition to touring the facility and meeting the staff, refreshments will be served.

The Chamber's Business-After-Hours Cash Drawing will also be held. The cash drawing now totals $300. An additional $25.00 will be added to the drawing should no winner be selected. You must be present to win.

Tax reform, voter identification, water and transportation are just a few of the issues likely to be discussed in the upcoming 2008 legislative session. Now is your chance for an update on those issues likely to confront state lawmakers.

The Swainsboro/Emanuel County Chamber of Commerce and the Georgia Chamber of Commerce will host a "listening session" at 4 p.m. on November 1. After a brief update on the issues, the state Chamber "wants to hear from you about your legislative concerns."

Former Emanuel County native, Lauren Wilkes, now with the Georgia Chamber of Commerce-Legislative Affairs Division, has been instrumental in assisting the Chamber in putting this session together.

After adopting a small business program and the completion of 25 interviews with small businesses, Emanuel County is now set to join 47 other counties in Georgia as an "Entrepreneur Friendly Community." The designation event is being planned for Friday, November 2, 2007.

The day will begin when a review team arrives from the Governor's Entrepreneur & Small Business Office. After reviewing the chamber's small business program, the team will meet with four small business owners to discuss how they started their businesses and problems confronting them.

In the afternoon, the review team will meet with Chamber officials to discuss the overall project. The designation will officially be presented in ceremonies planned for 3 p.m. The public is invited to attend the designation ceremony.

After months of work compiling data on things to do in Emanuel County, word has reached the Chamber the new brochure is now at the printer!

Filled with information on points of interest, arts and entertainment, annual events, parks and recreation, sporting opportunities, and a list of lodging places, the new brochure also has a map showing important destinations such as the airport, East Georgia College, Swainsboro Technical College, George L. Smith State Park, etc.

"This is the first brochure we have had completed in a number of years, so we are excited to have this piece available to give to tourist and others seeking information on Swainsboro and Emanuel County," added Bill Rogers Jr., president of the Chamber. "It definitely fills a need."

The brochure is made possible through funds from the hotel/motel tax and from a tourism grant received from the Georgia Department of Economic Development.

Plans call for 30,000 copies to be printed. Distribution sites will include all of Georgia's visitors' centers.