In part because of my job and in part because I enjoy them, I try not to miss the Houston Area Chamber of Commerce’s annual banquets.
The 2019 version took place last Saturday night in the community building at the chamber’s fairgrounds, and it was far from disappointing. In fact, it was the best one I’ve been to.
When I heard about a year ago that the event’s theme would be “The Roaring ’20s,” I was pretty sure attendees were in for some fun. The chamber typically invites people to dress for each banquet’s theme, and that always provides plenty to gawk at and talk about.
In the neighborhood of 175 people attended this year’s event (a much larger crowd than usual), and frankly, I was amazed (as were many other witnesses) at how many people accepted that invitation. Indeed, with all the “flappers” bouncing around in their frilly, shiny and elaborate outfits and all the men rocking pin-striped suits and fedoras, the atmosphere was like that of a movie set.
Throw in the brief-but-entertaining Charleston “lesson” that featured about 30 people on the stage trying their level best to follow instructor Stephanie Groff’s lead, and the “murder mystery” competition in which a table full of “suspects” recited predetermined lines and the rest of the crowd tried to guess “who done it,” and there was more than enough going on to prevent boredom from setting in.
On top of that, there was truly fine food served up by Jared Scheets and Miller’s Grill, including chicken, pork, smashed potatoes, rolls, peach cobbler and more, all of which seemed like it was – to coin a fairy tale foodie term – “just right.” And that’s not just someone who loves food saying that; I heard many people make comments about how good it all was.
Without further rambling, I thought I’d list five things we know as a result of this year’s chamber banquet.
1. Seeing people you know in costumes is really cool.
I don’t know of any other night during the year when Houston area residents have the opportunity to dress up and go out the way they can for chamber banquets, and I’m telling you, some folks do it really, really well. There were dozens of people decked out in fancy attire that wasn’t just “period-correct,” but also quite charming and appealing.
It really adds to the whole experience (both for those who do or don’t dress up), and I already look forward to next year’s outfits.
2. Jarid Scheets isn’t just a restaurant owner, he’s also a first-rate caterer.
Scheets and his helper, Stanley Cornman, flew around the community building like a couple of elite running backs carrying trays and other items, seemingly unaware of their surroundings and having absolute focus on providing the best service – and eats – possible.
I heard lots of people make comments on how nice the meal was, and it’s hard to exaggerate what that means to an event with the word “banquet” and the end of its title.
At one point, I thanked Cornman (who Scheets said did “most of the work”) and he said preparation had been going on “all day.”
“Well, you haven’t been wasting your time,” I said.
He just smiled big-time and said, “Thank you sir.”
3. There aren’t many folks in Houston who can do the Charleston.
Bless their hearts, it was great to see a bunch of intrepid men and women get on stage and try to mimic Ms. Groff’s moves. But I believe that particular dance isn’t one you just pick up on a whim. It appears to me to require some actual effort, and probably a fair amount of practice.
Which makes the fact that Ms. Groff and a couple of other people do know the moves even more interesting – like Hannah Peterson. She could easily be a front-and-center extra in the next remake of “The Great Gatsby” (which is probably not far off, based on how often the flick is redone).
4. Don Tottingham has done a lot of stuff in and for Houston.
Following the nicely presented speech presented by Don Romines about Houston’s outgoing mayor, anyone not familiar with Tottingham would have to be impressed by the list of jobs and positions he has held and projects and accomplishments the Cabool native has been part of after decades as a resident of Houston. I was aware of most of what Romines spoke of, but I learned something, too.
I was not aware Tottingham had done radio play-by-pay for Houston High School football for more than 20 years. Sweet; go Tigers!
5. Baked goods can bring big major cash at auction.
While there was once again a silent auction featuring lots of stuff donated by local businesses and organizations, this year there was also a live auction of pies, cakes and cookies.
It was fun watching chamber board president Bruce Scheets – who is of course an accomplished local auctioneer – auction off the goodies for prices reaching as high as 60 bucks. And hey, if you ever need to raise some funds, you might consider asking Jay Frost to bake a few pies. Based on the results, his stuff must be pretty dang good, and there are people who are aware of that.
Anyway, a friend of mine who attended this year’s chamber banquet said, “They keep making them better.” Congratulations to chamber director Angie Quinlan, Scheets and the rest of the board for putting on a series of events that would garner that type of comment.
And I’d have to agree, too. Which means next year’s version should be quite a night.
Doug Davison is a writer, photographer and newsroom assistant for the Houston Herald.
Email: ddavison@houstonherald.com.
