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RIBBON CUTTING WEEK
 Join us for a pair of ribbon cutting and grand opening ceremonies this week. The first is October 23 at 10:30 a.m. at
In/Out Pizza (501 N. Cusick St., Maryville). The second is October 25 at 3:30 p.m. at
Amici (1420 E. Broadway, Maryville).
BLOUNT COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY BIRTHDAY PARTY
 On October 24, 1919, the Blount County Public Library first opened its doors to the people of Maryville, Alcoa and Blount County. It will be having a special celebration on this day. You're invited for the library's
"Happy 100th Birthday" Celebration. Hear the first reading of the proclamation marking this historic occasion, learn about the history of how our local library was formed, sing Happy Birthday, and have a piece of cake! This event is free and open to the public, sponsored by the Blount County Friends of the Library. The party will be in the Main Gallery at 4 p.m.
CARL ESPOSITO RETIREMENT PARTY
Everyone is invited to the
retirement party for The Daily Times publisher Carl Esposito on October 24 from 4-7 p.m. at Sullivans in downtown Maryville.
BEST OF BLOUNT AWARD TICKETS ON SALE
 Former U.S. Army pilot and author Mike Durant, whose saga was chronicled in the 2002 Oscar Award winning movie Black Hawk Down, is the guest speaker for the Blount Partnership's Best of Blount Awards held at 6 p.m. on Nov. 14 at the Clayton Center for the Arts.
Sponsored by Charter Spectrum, C2RL, Cherokee Millwright, DENSO, Blount Excavating and Massey Electric, tickets, which go on sale Sept. 9 at 10 a.m., are $35 (plus taxes and fees) and can be purchased from the Clayton Center ticket office at 865-981-8590 or online at
www.claytonartscenter.com.
The Best of Blount Awards celebrates those individuals and businesses that give their time and resources to make this area an outstanding place to live and work.
Awards are given for Philanthropist of the Year, Community Impact Award, Bright Future Award, Large and Small Business of the Year, First Responder Award and the Tourism Award.
GRAINS AND GRITS TICKETS
 On Saturday, November 2, we celebrate legendary distillers at our annual Grains and Grits Festival in Townsend. It is a festival of regional craft spirits and local gourmet cuisine, tucked into the Peaceful Side of the Smokies. We'll have craft brewers, Blount County Home Brewers, and Sevier County Home Brewers, onsite sampling beers, as well as a wine tasting by Cades Cove Winery. Along with a variety of seasonal gourmet foods, and the outstanding sounds from alternative rock/pop cover band out of Nashville, January Noise, there is something for everyone at the Grains and Grits Festival.
Join us at the Townsend Visitor Center from 6-9 p.m., for a unique fall tasting experience you can only find in the Great Smoky Mountains. All attendees must be 21 years or older. Tickets are $65 online, or $75 if purchased the day of the festival. Parking opens at 5 p.m. For more information or to purchase tickets, please
check out our website.
NETWORKING TRAINING CLASS
 If introducing yourself at gatherings has you being a wallflower, join Raeus Jae Cannon for her FREE networking training class at the Blount Partnership on October 22 from 3-4:30 p.m. A regular workshop at the Blount Chamber, this free seminar will get you on the road to improving your life and business relationships. You'll no longer be making those dreaded cold calls and begin using new relationships to drive business to you.
REGISTER HERE.
EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT WORKSHOP
 Ever have someone "drop the ball?" Ever have someone act more like a "victim" than a contributor? Most likely, you said, "Yes" to one of these questions. The question becomes "can we actually control the level of engagement of our teams?" Meaning, can we as managers help someone become engaged? The answer is not "motivation"! Motivation is the most over-rated and over-used concept in management. Make plans to attend our next seminar on Wednesday, November 6 at 8:30 a.m., as Jennifer Goodrich, with Crestcom, will clearly the factors that create or kill engagement. She will also show the three areas that build workforce engagement.
RSVP HERE.
ETMAC LUNCHEON
 The East Tennessee Military Affairs Council 37th Annual Veterans Appreciation and Awards Luncheon is slated for Friday, November 8 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., at Hotel Knoxville located at 501 Hill Ave SE, Knoxville, TN 37915. Individual tickets are $30 and tables of 10 are $300. All seats must be prepaid by November 3.
Order tickets online.
GET PLACEMENT IN 2020 BASICALLY BLOUNT
 The 2020 Basically Blount lifestyle magazine and membership directory is entering production once again. This annual, full-color lifestyle magazine and chamber membership directory is initially distributed to all Chamber members starting Feb. 2020, along with distribution four times throughout the year via area professional offices, newcomers, visitors, and new businesses all looking to relocate to Blount County.
We are pleased to offer a variety of advertising opportunities at cost effective rates through our
media kit. We have contracted with Marcon Marketing Consultants, a local Chamber member, to handle production and ad sales.
If you would like to learn more about the benefits of Basically Blount, the importance of supporting the Chamber, and how to get your business involved, contact:
Rick Ford of Marcon Marketing at 865-705-8580 or
Vicki Hawkins of Marcon Marketing at 865-310-2963
CORMAC MCCARTHY LITERARY FESTIVAL
Celebrating authors preserving culture, sparking conversation and weaving tales in Appalachia. Please come and join us for this
three day festival, November 1st-3rd, 2019, featuring national, regional and local authors such as Ron Rash, Sharyn McCrumb, Amy Greene, Frank X. Walker, Lin Stepp and more! The festival will include celebration of local history and the Blount County Public Library's Centennial. Live Appalachian arts demonstrations, musical performances and fun activities for the whole family to engage with East Tennessee's unique literary history. The festival is named after Cormac McCarthy to highlight his time in Blount County and also a piece of public art he made in 1971 while living here.
SIGN UP FOR THE LATEST SOFT SKILLS CLASS
 It's Your Career! That's the focus of a free soft skills session offered in partnership by the Blount County Public Library, the Adult Education Foundation of Blount County and the Blount County Chamber of Commerce.
Registrations are currently being accepted online at
www.blountchamber.com for a class entitled Managing Conflict on October 25. Gain insights into your conflict management style and the styles of your team. Discover your own emotional triggers, explore ways to deal with conflict, and leave with best practices you can apply in professional and personal settings.
All participants will earn .5 CEUs per session for participating. They will also receive an email survey two months after workshop participation to assess application of new ideas.
All classes are conducted in the Blount County Library's learning lab located at 508 N. Cusick in Maryville and limited to 50 participants. A complete class description is located on the registration site. All classes run from 8-10 a.m. with networking beginning at 7:30 a.m.
YOU CAN POST YOUR OWN MEMBER-TO-MEMBER DEALS
REMEMBER TO SHOP LOCAL
 Think local first + Buy local when you can = Being a local!
GOT AN EVENT OR NEWS? 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 or any good news about your business, please
send it to us. We'd love to share it with the community.
REMEMBER WHEN
Topping the Billboard Hot 100 chart this week in 1972 was "My Ding-a-Ling" by Chuck Berry. It became his only number-one Billboard Hot 100 single in the United States. "My Ding-a-Ling" was originally recorded by Dave Bartholomew in 1952.
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Blount Chamber members can now post their own
