What better way to celebrate the beginning of the season than at the Boothbay Harbor Region Chamber of Commerce Annual Awards Dinner on Wednesday May 22 at the Fisherman’s Wharf Inn waterfront restaurant, from 5 to 9 p.m. The Chamber is thrilled to announce that the Fisherman’s Wharf Inn, a proud Member of the Lafayette Group, will be the presenting sponsor at this year’s Annual Awards Dinner.

Business & Community Awards: The Chamber also is excited to announce the 2013 Nominees for the Business Improvement, Community Improvement and Community Service award categories. Congratulations to the Boothbay Register, Eventide Specialties and Hammond Lumber Company for being nominated in the Business Improvement category.

For Community Improvement, the three nominees are Captain Bill and Kelly Campbell of Balmy Days Cruises, the Boothbay Harbor Restaurant Group (BBHRG) and the Boothbay Region Ambulance Services. In the Community Service Award category, we are excited to announce that Brian Blethen, Sue Burge and Hodgdon Yachts/Shipyard Cup have been nominated.

Volunteer Appreciation: The Boothbay Harbor Region Chamber of Commerce, since being founded fifty-one years ago in 1962, has grown into a first-rate, multi-service membership organization that currently serves over 370 members.  We are indebted to several volunteers who have chosen to donate their time and talents to benefit the Chamber and our community. Please join us as we thank our volunteers for all their valuable efforts and dedication to our Chamber.

Special Appearances:  Live from Washington D.C., we will have a “special Skype appearance” by Senator Angus King at 5:45 p.m. sharp. We will also have our new member, Kerem Durdag, CEO of Biovation II LLC, give us an inspirational speech. Biovation, a technology-driven domestic manufacturing start-up entity located in the Boothbay Industrial Park, attained the Rising Star Innovation Award from the Smaller Business Association of New England in 2011.  

Grand Buffet, Prizes and Band: Fisherman’s Wharf Inn Executive Chef John Reed and his talented staff will display stationary appetizers at 5 p.m., with a cash bar, followed by a grand dinner buffet at 6.

Do stay on after dinner or you might miss out on winning a round-trip ticket between any two stations served by the Amtrak Downeaster. The Amtrak Downeaster has been serving Maine for over 11 years, providing 5 round-trips every day between Portland and Boston. In November, the Downeaster expanded two of those round-trips to Freeport and Brunswick every day.  

Another awesome giveaway is a pair of tickets to the Portland Sea Dogs' May 30 game at 6 p.m., with an all-you-can-eat buffet. If that’s not enough excitement, be sure to put on your dancing shoes and prepare to dance the night away to Jones'n' – a four-piece band that specializes in non-stop, high energy performances. They’ve become known as a band that can transform any event into a party.

Don’t miss the fun. Tickets for the Annual Awards Dinner are $25 for Members and $30 for non-members. Team tables are encouraged and available at $175 for a team of eight guests.

Tickets and sponsorship opportunities also are available at the Boothbay Harbor Region Chamber of Commerce website: www.boothbayharbor.com or at the Chamber office at 192 Townsend Avenue in Boothbay Harbor.  Limited tickets also will be sold at the door. Join in the fun on Wednesday, May 22 at the Fisherman’s Wharf Inn. For more information, please call the Chamber at 207-633-2353 or email Cherie Scott, Member Services and Event Manager at: cherie@cheriescott.com/.