By Ruth Ann Ruiz
The Post Newspaper Features Editor
Time to get the good times happening down here in Coastal Texas as we begin our Mardi Gras traditions.
The Galveston Regional Chamber of Commerce helped start the season with their 178th annual meeting. Of course, it was a party with a meeting attached. Motown was the theme and Four Tops were the headliners for the night’s celebration.
The evening’s food was reminiscent of the 60’s, including macaroni and cheese and spareribs along with offerings such as coney dogs. Recording pods were available for guests to give it a whirl and sing their best tunes in an old school recording booth. Old school cars were placed around the premises and party goers enjoyed photo moments.
Held at the Convention Center in Galveston, the evening started with hundreds of guests dressed in a variety of throwback attire. Sequined jackets, dresses, skirts, blouses. you name it; if you could wear it with sparkles, it was worn. Along with the shiny style came the fur throws and fur scarfs, and added to the fun, throwback hairstyles were part of the night.
Yes, there were white patent leather go-go boots dancing it up on the dance floor. There were bright colored dresses in flower power patterns and headbands. Triblies and fedoras were riding on top of some male attendees. A cowboy hat or two was also spotted at the event.
With Amazon making it so easy to dress the part, the party goers came ready to be part of the show and let themselves be taken back to an era that some had lived through and others only know through media and family tales.
Dancing for a prize is part of the era, and there were plenty of confident free style dancers enjoying a chance to take home a trophy for 1st 2nd and 3rd places.
Award time came around 8:30pm, and Jay Carnes, along with Gina Spagnola, president, and CEO of GRCC, served as emcees for the awards. State Senator Mayes Middleton and State Legislator Terri Wilson were on hand to hand out the awards.
Some guests had traveled from the East Coast to attend this coastal shindig. They had come with a grand award to be given to the GRCC from the US Chamber of Commerce right out of Washington, DC.
Allison Dembeck represented the US Chamber of Commerce and presented Spagnola with a five-star certification from the national level. “There are 7,000 Chambers of Commerce in the United States and only 142 have reached five-star recognition. Of those, 27 are in right here in Texas,” said Dembeck.
GRCC is now a member of the elite five-star recognition!
Dembeck, who is from the East Coast, enjoyed her time as a tourist in Galveston. What was her favorite tourist experience? “The oil rig museum was my favorite. We don’t get to see or learn much about oil rigs on the East Coast,” Dembeck shared.
The meeting was adjourned, and the party continued.
