Promoting Community in Dadeville

The annual Denim & Diamonds benefit includes a silent auction The Dadeville Chamber hosted a ribbon cutting for the new performing arts center

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. The events that we “We are involved with the Lake Martin Area Economic Development put together are Alliance and would like to attract industry to the area,” Cahoon said. designed to draw “It just depends on the size of workpeople from the force needed.” One of the chamber’s industry whole area into town and given members is Hellas Fibers, LLC, a division of Hellas Construction. Hellas Fibers makes yarn that goes them a chance to into the turf for many football stadiums. The Matrix Helix Turf in SoFi see what Dadeville Stadium in Inglewood, California, is about.” home of Super Bowl LVI, started in the Dadeville Hellas plant.

Jim Cahoon “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.”