Chamber to hold 'Showcase' March 29

"Tee It Up!" is the theme of this year's Shelby County Chamber of Commerce Showcase.

"The tie in is to the Ryder Cup this year that everybody is talking about," said Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Shelley Goodwin. The Ryder Cup will be held in Louisville.

This year's showcase, the 6th annual, will be held Saturday, March 29 at Shelby County High School from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The chamber has signed up 62 businesses, service organizations and government agencies that will have booths with information and freebies for visitors.

Several of the events will be familiar, like the chili cook-off and lunch sponsored by the Bagdad Fire Department and women's auxiliary, a karate demonstration by A-1 Karate and games and activities for children. But many new events and demonstrations are also on tap.

To tie in with the golf theme, parks golf pro Derrick Griffits will give mini golf lessons and offer advice and talks on different golf-related topics.

Another tie-in with golf will be a hole-in-one contest sponsored by Bob Hook Chevrolet. If someone gets a hole-in-one, he or she earns a car donated by Bob Hook. To carry the golf theme further, the chamber is offering a grand prize of a season pass to Weissinger golf course, courtesy of the city of Shelbyville. Other grand prizes include GE gas range donated by Sears and three Ipod Nanos, one each to a local elementary, middle and high school student sponsored by Citizens Union Bank.

The regional blood bank is low, so the American Red Cross will be at the showcase holding a blood drive from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Also at the showcase will be: A student technology leadership program, programs put on by the local schools, and a digital art display.

Goodwin said this year's showcase is larger than those in the last several years.

"This is a chance to let folks in Shelby County know what great things our chamber members have to offer," Goodwin said.