Hello to my fellow Oxfordians!

Spring greetings from the Oxford Area Chamber of Commerce!  I must admit that when I am tasked with writing this letter with each edition of the Oxfordian, I am sometimes at a loss for words.  How many ways can you possibly be a cheerleader for our small town and surrounding communities that comprise our chamber members?  I’ll tell you how – as a member of the community, we all support the businesses that constantly support us.

Springtime brings a whole sense of newness, calm and fresh starts.  It also brings the usual sounds of birds chirping, lawnmowers running, children playing outside and front porch conversations beginning a new.  It’s a new season of rekindling relationships that winter seems to send into slight hibernation.  I’m not talking about the relationship with your next-door neighbor.  I’m talking about the relationship we have with our local businesses that keep Oxford moving forward.  This was an irregular winter for us – frigid temperatures, snow, ice, sleet, rain – you name it, we got it.  Now that winter is ending and spring is in the air, we have an opportunity to get back into those businesses and build relationships once again.

This year, we have several new businesses in our fold as can be seen by the big directory at the back of this edition of the Oxfordian.  I am truly hopeful that many of you will take the time to look at our member businesses.  So many of them sponsor your child’s soccer team, basketball team, musical, downtown events, and more.  Many will be sponsoring Movies in the Park again this year as well as our Everyday Hero 5k (and 10k this year!).  It’s a privilege for these businesses to sponsor those events and as customers, it should be our privilege to patronize those who enable the traditions to continue in our quaint town.

This edition of the Oxfordian brings you the recipients of our Citizen of the Year, Business of the Year and Organization of the Year!  Congratulate these very worthy folks when you see them.  Their contribution to the community is what garnered their recognition this year and they are all superstars!  We look forward to seeing you at our events this spring and summer and in our businesses.  It truly takes a village and this in one village I am proud to be part of.

With Spring in mind, Lady Bird Johnson once said, “Where flowers bloom, so does hope.”

Yours in Hope,

Dennis