The Wingate by Wyndham is celebrating their 11th anniversary in Clarksville

The Chamber of Commerce’s May Business After Hours Showcase on Thursday at the Wingate Hotel (251 Holiday Drive), proved to be a smash hit with guests and presenters alike. The Business After Hours events are only open to Chamber of Commerce members, and provide a great opportunity to network with other community and business leaders. Thursday’s celebration marked the Wingate’s 11th anniversary and the stage was amply set. Area restaurants and caterers were everywhere with tasty samples galore! Palates of every consideration found something to tickle their fancy.

The Next Level's melodic sounds transport celebrants to tropical paradise

The outdoor covered portico seating area was a very nice touch and well appreciated by the many guests. The live music showed once again that this area has a vast wealth of music talent capable of gracing any setting. Beach music, soft jazz and Old School R&B by Next Level flowed to bobbing heads as the food purveyors made taste buds water with delight. After picking up their name tag and a welcome lei at the sign-in table, guests were swept into the cool breezes of tropical island splendors awaiting their perusal! Corvettes of Clarksville had a dazzling lineup of beauties standing at ‘parade rest’ for review. Music City Bus Lines conveyed guests from pre-arranged pick-up points to the hotel’s portico. Clarksville Distributing provided Budweiser products for the celebration. Coca-Cola beverages, by Mike McCool, quenched the non-alcoholic thirst.

James Lung, The Harbor Cafe, mans the General Tso's Chicken

Young ladies from ‘Hooters’ offered  free samples of savory baked  beans, slaw and servings of pit cooked pork from the whole side of hog with choice of sauces, including a most potent heat maker which was well beyond my tolerance range- ‘Tear Bringer,’ is what I call it. Among the plethora of choices in the lobby to indulge were a refreshing chilled tropical punch from The Lodge along with another opportunity to pick more colorful leis; the Quizno’s crew presented trays of warps and whole wheat chicken salad pannini, while The Golden Rule offered savory wings, BBQ’d Smoked Beans, Banana Pudding cups, General Tso’s Chicken, Sweet/Sour Chicken and eggrolls from The Harbor Cafe, White Cheese Sauce and Salsa with Tortilla Chips from Casa Blanca on Wilma Rudolph Blvd.

Pioneers Private Catering of Hopkinsville covered all the bases with succulent lemon herb dry rubbed chicken, smoked beef brisket, Key Lime shrimp pasta salad, smoked pork loin and pulled pork with a side offering of savory hickory baked beans. Here too was a selection of sauces that accommodated every level of bravery, from smokey hickory right on up to the bold ‘Widowmaker!’ These gentlemen know their craft and they ply it oh so well. Bravo!!

Beachaven samples on the ready

Of the more gentler indulgences, Beachaven Winery was on site with samples of their wondrous inventory- among them being ‘Jazz-’ a superb Gewurstramiener and ‘Golden Rose’ -Concord grapes have NEVER had it so good, trust me!  Beachaven’s summer long music fest, ‘Jazz On the Lawn,’ will be in full swing this Saturday, so do make plans to get over there and enjoy their offerings amid strands of swaying jazz sounds. I’ll be down in the cellars investigating the Golden Rose. Those concord grapes and I have some talking to do! Secrets will be unleashed!!

Sam’s Club representatives were promoting their new Summer Special Business Membership deal. A time-limited offer of a 100-day business membership for a greatly reduced price. Sam’s Club wants to see your business succeed! Reps for Crime Stoppers were on site, promoting ticket sales for the upcoming  annual Crime Stoppers-Applebee’s Pancake Breakfast on July 11th. Additionally, there were coupons from Nuttin’ But Wings, along with free brochures from TN DHS Rehabilitation Services’ Virgina Talley, fliers promoting Allen’s Fireworks’ June Boom celebrations at The Lodge and the 15th Annual Golf Scramble on June 11th, sponsored by Gary Mathews Motors Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep, Gary Mathews Volkswagen/Kia, Mathews Nissan and Mathews Suzuki. The sign-in table also offered courtesy copies of The Chamber of Commerce’s own Community Guide/Directory along with postcards announcing their  Social Networking Seminar June 16th amid the various literature that abounded in the area.

Corvettes! Hoods Up!

Faces in the crowd included Norris Ming of NCM Financial Services, Carol Stevens of the NIA Association, Lee Ervin of 5 Star Radio Group, yes-that was Kevin Kennedy line dancing, really; James Lung of Harbor Cafe serving up the General Tso, Wilson Cooke- Beachaven’s winemaker expert and my new best friend, Henry Snorton  of Mission Vision Partner, Verna Louie of Sam’s Club Business Membership Sales, Mason Gordon of The Lodge, Gisele Rutherford of Seasons Catering, and David Shelton and Christine Piesyk with introduction packets for Imagine Media Solutions, Terry Griffin, Louisa Cooke, Mike Reeves of Mike’s Barbecue, Willis Barker of Sam’s Club, Rob Brown of Clarksville Fox Women’s Football, Manuel Martinez of Casa Blanca, Patricia Klein of Crimes Stoppers Clarksville, Francisca Dearman of Tastefully Simple and Tina Orgain of Curves at Sango Village.

In addition to the live music, entertainment also featured the Hula O’Hi-ilani and Hawaii Civic Club performing Hawaiian dance routines to traditional music accompaniment. Tropical greenleaf headdresses adorned the dancers’ heads as they executed their graceful swaying movements. Their performance made complete the tropical island setting which was the theme of this event. Wingate by Wyndham-Clarksville is to be commended for a most hospitable ‘Business After Hours’ staging. Manager Toni Johnson and her staff went above and beyond the call in making their hotel  lobby and meeting rooms a welcoming tropical respite.  Here’s to a joyous tropical paradise anniversary celebration! Aloha!!

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