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BEST OF BLOUNT RECAP
 What a great event the Best of Blount Awards turned out to be last Thursday evening at the Clayton Center for the Arts. Check out the Facebook photo gallery.
Best of Blount Award Winners
Bright Future Award - LeConte Realty
Community Impact Award - Second Harvest Foodbank
Tourism Award - Smoky Mountain Harley-Davidson
Small Business of the Year - Ingram, Overholt and Bean, P.C.
Large Business of the Year - Vanquish Worldwide
Philanthropist of the Year - Eric Barton, President of Vanquish Worldwide
COME OUT TO THE CASH MOB AT VILLAGE TINKER TODAY
 The Chamber is presenting its first Cash Mob at The Village Tinker today at 5 p.m. The first 25 people get a $20 gift certificate courtesy of Foothills Bank & Trust to The Village Tinker. So come out and do some holiday shopping.
A cash mob is a group of people who assemble at a local business to make purchases. The purpose of these mobs is to support both the local businesses and the overall community.
GOOGLEIZE YOUR BUSINESS
 The Tennessee Small Business Development Center is holding a free class on Googleizing Your Business Thursday, Nov. 13 from 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. at the Blount County Library (508 N. Cusick, Maryville, TN). Only 24 slots are available so register here.
Bring your lunch and network at 11:30 a.m. or just come for the program which begins at noon. Learn how to optimize your Google presence and develop an online and inbound marketing strategy. Learn what Google really favors for proper SEO, blogging, and Social Media promotions. Discover useful tools to create lead generation campaigns and take advantage of mobile opportunities and learn more about "Google My Business" interface. Speakers: Sandi and Wayne Sturm.
CADES COVE CELLARS GRAND OPENING
 Make plans to come out to the Cades Cove Cellars grand opening in Townsend on Thursday, Nov. 13 at 4:30 p.m. There will be tastings of their award-winning wines, light hors d'oeuvres and tours of the facility.
GET A SNEAK PEAK AT FANTASY OF TREES
 East Tennessee Children's Hospital is offering Blount County Chamber members a sneak peak at this year's Fantasy of Trees at Santa's Skybox. It begins at 8 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 26, at the Knoxville Convention Center with networking, coffee and treats. At 8:30 a.m., you will receive one ticket (per Chamber member) to shop for holiday decor at Fantasy of Trees before anyone else.
You must RSVP to Jessica Boyd by Wednesday, Nov. 19 with your name, business and Chamber.
SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY IS COMING
 The Blount County Chamber is participating in Small Business Saturday on November 29. It's a day to celebrate the local businesses that make our community great -- and anyone can join in, from business owners to shoppers to government officials.
The day was setup to help businesses with their most pressing need -- getting more customers. The day encourages people to shop at small businesses on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. The single day has grown into a powerful movement, and more people are taking part than ever before.
If your small business is interested in participating, please email Amy. We are trying to get the word out about shopping locally at the beginning of the holiday season.
GET YOUR AD IN BASICALLY BLOUNT
 You'll want to get your ad in the 2015 Basically Blount lifestyle magazine and membership directory. This annual, full-color periodical includes intriguing stories and area photography that highlight the best of Blount County, plus your business. It also has a color-coded directory and buyer's guide of all Chamber Members.
The publication, which is a commemorative over-sized magazine, is distributed throughout the area and is an excellent resource for you to promote your business to customers seeking goods and services from area businesses. Check out the media kit for more information.
GOT AN EVENT? WE'D LOVE TO HEAR ABOUT
Is your organization hosting an event in the community? Submit it here on our community calendar. If it's a tourism event, please email Ashlee so she can post it on www.SmokyMountains.org.
Also, please send us any news releases or good news about your business. We'd love to share it with the community.
REMEMBER WHEN
Since the weather is getting cool let's go back to this week in 1984 when Billy Ocean topped the Billboard Singles Chart with his hit, "Caribbean Queen." Ocean won the 1985 Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance, making him the first British artist to win the category.
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