Moberly Area Chamber of Commerce

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The Moberly Area Chamber of Commerce holds its annual banquet on the first Saturday in May and the event is Kentucky Derby themed. This is the Chamber’s only fundraiser that supports the organization, current programming and future development. The event will be held at the Fennel Event Center, 315 North Clark Street.

Come dressed in your best Churchill Downs.

Some fun highlights of the event include horse betting, cash bar, dinner, red carpet, awards, watching the race
and evening entertainment of Stroker Ace.

Tickets are $50 per person or sponsorship opportunities with tickets included can be found below

New this year! We will be having a concert after the banquet which will start at 6:30pm with Stroker Ace at the Fennel. 

This event is open to the public (as is the banquet). For those that may just be interested in entertainment this gives them the ability to enjoy this concert. 

The cost is $20 cover charge at the Fennel.

2024 DISTINUGUISED SERVICE SLATE OF CANDIDATES

My name is Buddy Smith, and I am honored to be nominated for the 2024 Distinguished Service Award. My wonderful family is my wife Pattee; daughter Logan, her husband Kory, and their smart and beautiful daughters, Scarlett 4, and Madelynn 2; daughters Lyndsey and Peyton, and my son Carson. My family is the reason I get up every day and try to be the best person I can be. I am very proud of my community, and promote local shops, organize trash clean up, and express appreciation for our schools and teachers. I believe kindness is contagious, and our community really benefits from this. Randolph County Community Cleanup is an organization that I created on Facebook, and volunteers pick up trash downtown in each town in Randolph County. I promote local businesses on social media and know that the shops appreciate us cleaning the streets. I am also very involved with the schools in Randolph County. I help support teachers and annually collect donations to help them prepare their classrooms for the upcoming school year. The Randolph County school lunch program is something that I am extremely proud of and will continue this tradition for years to come. With the help from the community, we were able to raise over $3,000 in one week to help pay the school lunch deficit in Randolph County. I just believe that what you put out in the world, you get back. Be a good person. Help who you can. Try to consider others. Build each other up. Kindness is contagious!
Our next nominee, Jane Loeber, likes to keep busy, and rarely sits still. She's actively working as a licensed real estate broker at Advantage Real Estate, and is starting her 32nd year! Understanding that attracting folks to our community starts with each of us, Jane volunteered to plant one section of the medians on Morley Street with her friend Ann Warren about 4 years ago. It continued on for the other 3 medians on Morley with different groups to assist in planting. She has been maintaining them ever since! She maintains the garden beds at the Randolph Area YMCA as well as her church, Family Life Fellowship as well. She has adopted the garden outside the Fennel building and the bed next to the Randolph County Historical Building. She certainly likes to make things "pretty again!" In her spare time she likes to take unloved furniture, fix them up, give them a fresh look with stain and paint and new knobs or pulls. She donates the proceeds to local non-profits that are near and dear to her heart.
Barb grew up on a farm close to Monroe City, MO graduating from Monroe City High School and later from MACC. She married RIch Knaebel from Moberly in 1976. They three grandsons, Adam, David and Lucas Goessling, their daughter Megan, her fiance and his daughter Rily, all living in Moberly. She has spent her life volunteering in nursing home, schools, church and sorority committees, with Safe Passage. Her boards served on have been Presbyterian Children Services state board, Stubbins, formerly located in Moberly and the Randolph County United Way Board. She was involved in bringing the YMCA to Moberly and served on the board for years following. In addition, she is now on the Little Dixie Regional Library Board which serves Randolph and Monroe County. Over the years, she has found fulfillment in actively participating in community affairs and serving in various roles.

2024 bUSINESS OF THE YEAR SLATE OF CANDIDATES CANDIDATES

2024 bUSINESS OF THE YEAR SLATE OF CANDIDATES CANDIDATES

My name is Desaray Wilhite, owner of Ray of Lhite Boutique in Huntsville, MO. I have been printing and embroidering for five years. Our store front, located at 101 N. Main Huntsville, MO. opened in November 2022. You may also see us around in The Bus, our renovated school bus that we transformed into a mobile boutique. In 2023, we created The Let's Give Back Foundation, giving back to youth education. We hosted our first event, The Boutique Bash. Several boutiques and vendors came together for a successful day of shopping on Main Street. I believe in Community over Competition and look forward to hosting this event again. I believe that I am an asset to our small town and happy to be able to offer a versatile fashion fit. I look forward to growth and I am honored to be nominated for this award.
Austin Kyser is a native of Moberly. Austin is the son of retired Western teacher, Laurannah Haynes, and the late Kenneth D Kyser, a retired Attorney. Austin has three boys, Kevin, Nicholas, and Benjamin. After College, Austin spent his 25-year career in the Technology Industry. Getting to travel all over the United States and Internationally, Austin consulted many medium and large Companies, as well as Government Entities (Federal, State, and Local) all over the Country. Austin retired in 2017 and moved back home to open AK’s, a local gun store. In 2023, Austin moved AK’s to Morley St and greatly expanded. Austin is currently serving his 2nd Term as a Moberly City Councilman.

2024 bUSINESS OF THE YEAR SLATE OF CANDIDATES CANDIDATES

Austin Kyser is a native of Moberly. Austin is the son of retired Western teacher, Laurannah Haynes, and the late Kenneth D Kyser, a retired Attorney. Austin has three boys, Kevin, Nicholas, and Benjamin. After College, Austin spent his 25-year career in the Technology Industry. Getting to travel all over the United States and Internationally, Austin consulted many medium and large Companies, as well as Government Entities (Federal, State, and Local) all over the Country. Austin retired in 2017 and moved back home to open AK’s, a local gun store. In 2023, Austin moved AK’s to Morley St and greatly expanded. Austin is currently serving his 2nd Term as a Moberly City Councilman.