Sparkling Comeback for the CHAMBER OF COMMERCE Gala

In September, the Liberty Hill Chamber of Commerce dazzled with denim, diamonds, and vibrant anticipation during its first fundraising gala in about 10 years. Originally, the Chamber hosted galas with the goal of raising money for its operating expenses and program funding. “The board at the time moved away from it being a fundraising thing and made it more of an appreciation party,” Chamber Executive Director Kelly Michael says. “It was successful, and everyone always had a great time, but COVID really affected our businesses and we lost members during that time. We needed to get back to what we were — a nonprofit, and we needed to be doing fundraisers.”

Community Connections

The Denim & Diamonds Gala offered a fun night of food, music, dancing, and networking that brought new and longtime Liberty Hill business owners together at Reunion Ranch in Georgetown. Raffle prizes included a Blackstone grill from McCoy’s and a beautiful diamond necklace from Ranch Road Jewelry.

Kelly calls the gala “a huge networking opportunity for business owners to get their names out there and meet people one on one. Everybody had a great time. I think going forward, there will be more excitement in it for the next one.”

Organizers weren’t sure what to expect after going back to the event’s original fundraising format, but the gala exceeded expectations, selling out and achieving its $24,000 goal. Kelly says, “Our goal was to sell 200 tickets, and we ended up selling 206. I had people at the last minute texting me as we’re setting up, ‘Can we go?’ ” It’s a welcome change for Kelly, who remembers a much different Chamber when she first started in 2020. “We were still very much locked down. We could barely get 25 to 30 people to a monthly luncheon. This past year, with the growth of our town and the businesses coming, the Chamber now averages 60 to 70 people every month for our networking luncheon.”

Bright Future

Moving forward, Kelly says, “The future looks very bright for the Chamber. We keep growing — every week I get new members signing up, and we’re averaging three to four ribbon cuttings a month. The growth of our area has made the Chamber really stand out. People who aren’t members are following us on social media. They like what they’re seeing; that we’re out doing stuff.” Their community involvement includes setting up a booth at the city’s Independence Day Spectacular and helping with the event’s various contests, as well as setting up a booth at the Christmas Festival and announcing the parade floats as they pass through the downtown.

Despite its rapid growth, Kelly emphasizes that “Liberty Hill is still a small town. We are made up of family-owned businesses, including those that have been here a long time and several I’ve recently had ribbon cuttings for, and I see more of that coming too.” She acknowledges that larger corporate chains and big-box stores are inevitable but assures that “the chamber supports all businesses, no matter if they’re corporate or not. We have a lot of family-owned businesses that are local and live here, and we’ll continue to support them.”

Photos by Nicole Bolinger - For more glimpses of all the gala fun, visit nicolebolingerphotography. pixieset.com/lhchamberdenimanddiamondsgala/