The Dadeville Chamber hosted a ribbon cutting for the new performing arts center
The annual Denim & Diamonds benefit includes a silent auction
Promoting Community in Dadeville STORY BY LYNN COX & PHOTOS BY CLIFF WILLIAMS
The Dadeville Lake Martin Area Chamber of Commerce is a vibrant organization with members who network and raise funds to promote businesses in the Dadeville and Lake Martin area. Along with promoting the businesses, the chamber sponsors events throughout the year that enhance the quality of life for the residents and help to make life great here. “Peggy Bullard, our president, works very diligently all year to make these things happen,” said Jim Cahoon, first vice president of the chamber. “The events that we put together are designed to draw people from the whole area into town and give them a chance to see what Dadeville is about,” said Cahoon. “The member businesses see the value of what the chamber is doing through these events, as they are designed to bring people to Dadeville from all over.” The slate of events for 2022 is an expansive one. A new event added to the schedule is the first Dadeville Chili Cookoff at Pennington Park on March 12. “We plan for this one to be an annual event,” Cahoon said. More events to come are the 7th Annual Cornhole Tournament held May 21 at Coppers Grill. The prize for winning this tournament is $2,000. A follow-up from last year is the 2nd Annual Summer BBQ Social. This year’s event will be held June 21 at Kylee Cooper Farms. “Last year was the first year for this event, and we saw more than 100 attend,” Cahoon said.
Later, the Fall Festival will take place in October. The Annual Dadeville Business Open House is in November, along with the 11th Annual Denim & Diamonds Charity Ball. And, of course, the 9th Annual Dadeville Spirit of a Hometown Christmas Parade comes during the holidays. Attracting industry to the area is also important to the Dadeville Lake Martin Area Chamber of Commerce. “We are involved with the Lake Martin Area Economic Development Alliance and would like to attract industry to the area,” Cahoon said. “It just depends on the size of workforce needed.” One of the chamber’s industry members is Hellas Fibers, LLC, a division of Hellas Construction. Hellas Fibers makes yarn that goes into the turf for many football stadiums. The Matrix Helix Turf in SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, home of Super Bowl LVI, started in the Dadeville Hellas plant. “Hellas is growing again and doubling in size,” Cahoon said. “They are adding another line soon.” Since Dadeville is situated on Lake Martin, most of the chamber’s business members are there to serve and support lake living, too. And the Dadeville side of Lake Martin area is growing rapidly. “In the two and a half years that I have been serving the chamber, the member businesses have grown from less than 100 to more than 196,” Cahoon said. “I just have received notification of another new business joining. Float Alabama, located at 16871 U.S. Route 280, will be open by April 1.”
The events that we put together are designed to draw people from the whole area into town and given them a chance to see what Dadeville is about.”
Jim Cahoon
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WE MAKE IT GREAT HERE! | FEBRUARY 2022
