Happy New Year! Last month you heard from Annie, “the new kid on the block,” and this month you will hear from me “the old kid on the block.” It’s not an age thing of course

It is amazing how fast time goes by and so do the events each year. One of my favorite events is the Holiday Mixer. This event was held on Dec. 13 at the Civic Center-Exhibit Hall.

The Holiday Mixer has grown each year; I remember my first involvement with the Mixer after the Bismarck and Mandan Chambers merged. It was held in the former Holiday Inn, with fewer than 40 booths on land now occupied by the Bank of North Dakota. The Mixer then grew and moved to the Doublewood. It moved again to the upper mezzanine rooms in the Exhibit Hall and to the Ramkota.The Holiday Mixer burst out of the seams in 2004 and moved in 2005 to the Civic Center-Exhibit Hall.

I would like to off er a huge thank you to those Chamber members who participated as sponsors during the Chamber Holiday Mixer last month; your participation made it successful. Thanks to those of you who spent the evening enjoying the great hors d’oeuvres, door prizes, samples and networking with friends and coworkers. If you did not have a chance to attend, you don’t want to miss out next year.

Please circle Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2012 on your calendar for next year’s event. Also, remember as a member, all of your employees are welcome encouraged to attend all events along with their spouses. On to the next social event that I am in charge of – the Spring Mixer, which is Thursday, April 12 at the Ramkota!

Susie