I recently read an article about complaining or, as some of us refer to it, whining. It’s fascinating to me that there are even forums that have been created in order for people to complain in a more organized fashion. And, truth be known, the people doing the complaining are not doing their best work.

The 90 Days of Shopping coupons expire on January 31! So if you were one of the five lucky winners of $100.00 worth of “bucks”, you need to ‘use em before you lose em’. It’s time to go shopping in Llano at one of the twenty participating merchants. This Saturday, February 2, is the Scott & White ‘Llano No So Fun Run’.

You still have time to get your advance tickets! The Annual Chamber Awards Banquet is Tuesday, January 29, at the Community Center. The evening begins at 5:30 pm with social hour, followed by a sirloin steak dinner and topped off by the presentation of the much anticipated award winners. We will also have door prizes and a silent auction throughout the evening.

Save the date, put up a sticky note, enter a reminder, whatever you need to do so you are present at the Annual Chamber Awards Banquet Tuesday, January 29, beginning at 5:30pm. Citizen of the Year, Hall of Fame and Educator of the Year will be awarded to deserving honorees.

When you read this, Christmas will just be six days away! Most of us will be checking our list twice, trying to get stamps on those last few Christmas cards, putting bows on gifts, dreading how late we’ll have to stay up to finish the baking and, above all, trying not to stress out!

There are many beginnings in November. Hunter’s Appreciation Day marks the beginning of hunting season. Friday, November 2, beginning at 9:00am at the Visitor Center there will be lots of good food, drink and great raffle items. The population in Llano at least doubles during hunting season and Hunter’s Appreciation is our way of saying thanks for the positive economic impact the hunters make on our community.

It was great to see so many Llano folks enjoying this past weekend’s events! The Llano River Chuck Wagon Cook-Off was quite the scene with all the wagons and wagon cooks. The chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, beans, bread & cobbler were delicious! In fact, I was lucky enough to eat the 2nd place chicken fried steak!

I am very grateful to all the volunteers that worked so hard to beautify Llano this past Saturday morning! We filled numerous trash bags with debris and weeds from the curbs, streets and sidewalks of downtown Llano. Much appreciation goes to Main Street and the Llano VFD for coordinating with the Chamber to make this curb appeal day a big success. The Trail of Deer Painting Contest is looking for artists.

Calling all Artists! The Chamber and Visitor Center has a ‘naked’ deer for the Llano Trail of Deer that needs to be painted. So, we are having a contest involving local artists to ‘dress’ our deer. The contest is open to anyone that lives in Llano County and there is no age limit.

Hope you were able to get out and take part in the Llano Labor Day Weekend festivities. With Down By The River Outdoor Expo & Music Fest, Hill Country Hammerfest Aerobatic Contest at the Llano Airport, The Wild Game Dinner, and the opening of dove season, Llano was bustling!!! 90 Days of Shopping has officially begun!

Are you ready to shop? 90 Days of Shopping starts this Saturday, September 1. Five shoppers will each win $100 of shopping credit to be spent with participating merchants. Shop these local businesses to win: Milagro Massage, Lowes Grocery, Roots in Llano, Phunky Phoenix, Stuffology, The Boutique, Hills of Texas Taxidermy, Buttery Company, Llano Tire & Automotive, Little Red Espresso, Records and Things Strange, Dust Devil Diver Photography, Apple Valley Orchard, Enchanted Rocks & Jewelry, and H ...

If you love to shop, Llano is your place! 90 Days of Shopping starts in September and runs through November. If you make a purchase at a participating merchant during September, October and November, your name will go in a drawing for one of five $100 gift credits to be redeemed at the local 90 Days of Shopping participating merchants.

Still not sure about joining the Llano Chamber of Commerce? Another good reason to join is the Chamber’s Community Bulletin Board. It’s a great way to post your job listings, workshops or other happenings for others to find out about. This week’s business trivia questions are: 1) Luke and BeBe might be there to greet you 2) You will see your reflection everywhere 3) We have doors you can’t walk through.

Bring us your brochures and business cards! The Chamber proudly displays your business’ marketing information for our walk-in visitors as well as internet requests. What a great way for members of the Chamber to gain exposure to local Llano folks and/or out of town guests. This week’s business trivia questions are as follows: 1) Named after a batholith in Llano County 2) Can be seen from the Llano County Courthouse 3) The proprietor is often seen at the Lantex.

Here it is Monday morning, my third day on the job, and I’ve just been made aware that I’m close to missing my first deadline (the Chamber Corner article for the newspaper)…..oh my, don’t want that to happen! So, allow me to briefly introduce myself. I am Patti Zinsmeyer, the new Llano Chamber of Commerce Director.