ELLY GRIMM
• Leader & Times
The Liberal community will soon have the chance to come out and play later this month thanks to the Liberal Chamber of Commerce.
The 2025 Chamber Bash will be Saturday, March 29 at the Seward County Activity Center, with doors opening at 5 p.m. and the dinner and everything else starting at 6 p.m. The meal will be a prime rib dinner thanks to National Beef. The Chamber Recognition Awards will then start at 7 p.m. and then the entertainment will start at 8 p.m., which this year will be comedian Brian Kiley, who was a guest multiple times on 'The Late Show with David Letterman,' 'The Tonight Show with Jay Leno' and 'Late Night with Conan O'Brien,' and still performs regularly at comedy clubs in Los Angeles.
“We encourage businesses to reserve their corporate tables now, get in touch with us at the Chamber of Commerce office at (620) 624-3855 and we'll get you set up. The theme for this year is 'For The Love of the Game' so whatever that means to you, the sky's the limit as far as decorations, whether it's something athletic, something to do with a board game, etc.,” Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Rozelle Webb said. “Corporate tables are $400, and individual tickets are $50 apiece, and that includes the dinner and entertainment. As always, you don't have to be a Chamber member to get tickets, anyone in town can come to the Bash, and they can be purchased at the Chamber of Commerce office at 4 Rock Island Road.”
Webb added thanks to the sponsors who have signed up so far.
“As with every year, the presenting sponsor is National Beef Packing Co., and we always appreciate their contributions to the meal and everything else. Our Platinum Sponsors are IdeaTek, Southern Office Supply, Southern Pioneer Electric Company, and Southwest Medical Center,” Webb said. “Our Gold Sponsors are Chrysler Corner, Community Bank, Epic TOUCH, Golden Plains Credit Union, Iron Risk Insurance, and Marie May Events. The Silver Sponsors are Black Hills Energy, Plains State Bank, Scantlin's Furniture, and Seward County. The Bronze Sponsors are Conestoga Energy, Edward Jones-Andy Skinner, Electric Motor Service, Jones Monument, KSCB-The Legend, La Mexicana Radio, the Leader & Times, Parallel Ag, Prairie Vista Eye & Optical, the Seward County Activity Center, and Versus Signs. All of those sponsors are as of March 4, and we're still taking sponsorships.”
Webb said she and staff are excited for this year’s Bash.
“I think the theme will be really, really fun, and I'm looking forward to seeing how the corporate tables interpret that, and I'm also looking forward to seeing how people dress up and what costumes people come up with,” Webb said. “I think all the tables will ultimately look amazing that evening, so it'll definitely be interesting to see what people come up with.”
Webb added she hopes to see a lot of community participation for this year’s Bash from businesses and civilians.
“Having a corporate table at the Bash has a lot of benefits, including some extra camaraderie with your employees and staff in terms of coming up with a design and then spending time with each other at the actual event,” Webb said. “Another great benefit is the chance to network with other people in town who are there that evening, and it's a great way to get your business's name out there since every table will have a banner. Especially if you're a new business, it would be a way to let the community know you're around, and I would apply that to even long-standing businesses. It's a great way to see everyone and have people sit at your table and get to know them better. Everyone likes to come early to the Bash and look at all the different table decorations, and it's also a great way for businesses to tap into their creative side and come up with something for their space. Where else can you go where you'll have a great prime rib dinner in a place that'll be really awesomely decorated and conclude the night with a funny comedian as the entertainment, and all for $50? It's always a great time, and there are so many people who have this event on their calendar for several weeks, if not months, because they're so excited about it every year. It'll be a great dinner like every year, and it's always fun to come and see who ends up winning all the awards we give out that evening. We will be giving out our Merit Award, our Ambassador of the Year Award, our Business of the Year Award, and we'll also be giving out awards for the corporate table decorations, best use of the prop and awards for best costumes. We'll also be honoring past Chamber presidents, so if you have been a Chamber president, we highly encourage you to come and be part of this year's Bash. Last year's turnout was pretty on par with years past, and I think this year will be even bigger.”
Overall, Webb said, this year’s Bash should be a lot of fun for everyone.
“I enjoy giving out all the awards to all the people who have been so important to the community, and I also really like seeing everyone having a good time and enjoying everything going on. It's also great seeing business owners networking with each other,” Webb said. “We're still taking sponsorships, so if any business wants to do that, they can get in touch with us at the Chamber of Commerce office at (620) 624-3855 and we'll get you set up and have your banner hung up and make sure everyone knows you're a sponsor. Judging by the number of businesses who have already signed up to be sponsors for this year, I think it's going to be a great Bash just like in the past. Just come out to the Bash this year and be prepared for to have fun.”
