Jazzin' it up at the Melting Point

Last night was the Athens Chamber of Commerce's Mid-Year Event. Of course, Jackson Spalding had to make an appearance, so Ashley Harp and I decided to be each other's wing man (woman).

Held at The Melting Point, the Mid-Year Event hosted all kinds of Athens Chamber members from all parts of the community and a variety of industries - plus a few political hopefuls whose fate will be decided on Tuesday. I think the venue should have changed its name to the Melting POT just for last night.

Ashley and I walked into The Foundry ballroom, registered and put our cards (I dropped in my special Dawg Food card- sure to grab attention) in the pot for prize drawing. We then proceeded over to The Melting Point to make our name tags and schmooze with everyone.

We arrived around 5:50 p.m., and I was surprised to see so many people there already. We could hardly get in the door! Of course, that's a great compliment to the Chamber for having such an amazing turnout.

Ashley and I ho-hummed with other Athens locals, some from Georgia Power, Oconee County, Jackson EMC, Athens Convention and Visitors Bureau, and Chamber employees. We had a couple of interesting conversations, but, for me, the neatest part was observing the interaction between everyone else.

Born and raised in Morristown, Tenn., I have a special place in my heart for small(er) towns. I love the different kind of atmosphere and sincerity of Athens versus a larger town. Everyone knew everyone. It was fabulous.

After a while, Doc Eldridge got up to make announcements and thank the sponsors of the event. Then came the doorprizes. Oh, yes.

Remember how I thought my Dawg Food card would catch the attention of the card-grabber? Well, it worked. My prize was...

Free meeting space for 50 people or less with free A/V included.

Yes! It couldn't have been better.

While the talking and prize-winning were important, Ashley and I decided to put food on the top of our priority list. We sampled some yummy ham sandwiches (freshly sliced), some pita chips with spinach dip, and, of course, dessert. A sampling of chocolate chip cookie bars, a peanut butter cookie and some crazy truffles graced our taste buds. All of it hit the spot.

The best part of the evening was the jazz music provided by Athens' own SQUAT. Of course, jokes were made about the Chamber "knowing squat" (bah ha ha), but everyone quickly got over that.

SQUAT was voted the No. 1 jazz band in town by the Flagpole, and I believe it. I'll let you decide for yourself if they are worth it.



I hope I didn't forget anything. Overall, it was a great Thursday event, and it made me proud to be a pseudo-Athenian. So, kudos to Doc and the Chamber team. You put on a great event!