Gala event at community center rings in 2015

The Odessa Chamber of Commerce celebrated the close of 2014 and the beginning of 2015 with a community gathering at the Odessa Community Center on December 31. The New Year’s Eve bash is seen by the Chamber as a thank-you to all of the volunteers throughout the year who help to put on events such as Deutschesfest, Spring Fling, the Desert 100 and so forth. The minimal charge at the door of $10 was to help offset the cost of food, decor and music for the evening’s entertainment.

An array of snack-type foods was laid out buffet style for guests to take advantage of throughout the evening. Volunteers in the kitchen kept the food items replenished and the arrangements tidy.

A brief business meeting was held before the festivities began, with awards handed out to individuals who were selected by anonymous voting by the townspeople of Odessa. The ballots were available online, and the response was much better than previous such voting that was on paper only.

Receiving the “Business of the Year” award for 2014 was Lise Ott, proprietor of Experience Quilts!, Odessa’s quilt shop. She has slowly but surely been building her business into a destination for quilters throughout Washington.

The award for “First Responder of the Year” went to Abby Reyes, facilities director at Odessa Memorial Healthcare Center and a volunteer Emergency Medical Technician. Many voters for Reyes added comments about how much they appreciated his skills and calming demeanor.

“Educator of the Year” went to Odessa High School English teacher Laura Caler. Caler came to Odessa following the retirement of long-time teacher Dr. Duane Pitts, and she has obviously done a good job of filling his shoes.

Unable to be at the event to accept his award, “Volunteer of the Year” DeJay Buck was on vacation with his family, an annual rite of the Buck family over the holidays. Buck has been the Deutschesfest beer garden chairman for the past three years.

Also unable to be at the event to accept his award was “Student of the Year” Carsen Weber. Because he is under 21 years of age, he was not allowed to attend the event. But the crowd gave him a good round of applause. He is to be commended for receiving so many votes from his peers.

A good-sized crowd filled the event hall which was decorated with a theme of “A Night at the Oscars.” Some folks dressed up for the occasion but most were in casual garb. If there had been an award for “best dressed,” it certainly would have gone to Tammey Finney-Hall and her husband Brian Hall. The pair was not only well dressed, she in a low-cut, bright red dress and he in a suit, tie and hat, but also coordinated. He wore a bright red handkerchief in the pocket of his suit coat to match her dress. Together they made a stunning couple. Tammy is a graduate of Odessa High School and has kept in touch with Angie Finkbeiner who invited the couple to the event.

The band Staff Infection, consisting of Jeff Wehr and Larry Moffet, played a selection of danceable but mellow tunes that provided a great backdrop to the evening’s other activities, namely visiting and faux gambling.

The faux gambling comprised a craps table, two blackjack tables and a poker table. There was also a roulette wheel available, but organizers were unable to find anyone able or willing to run that particular game. So the would-be gamblers made do with just three different games to choose from.

Norm Ott was croupier at the craps table, Ted Bruya and Jennifer Martin were the dealers at the two blackjack tables and Paul Scheller was the dealer at the poker table, where Texas Hold’em was the game of choice. As people entered through the door of the community center, those wishing to play were given a small bag of chips as their “purse.” Each person was expected to play at the gaming tables using only their own purse and not anyone else’s.

At the end of the evening, those who had won the most chips throughout the evening submitted their winnings to the event organizers who then determined who had won the three prizes donated by the Chamber for the event. The evening’s top winner of a Dell desktop computer was Don Sheldon, the husband of hospital administrator Mo Sheldon. Second prize went to Tammy Finney-Hall, who won a four-piece matching set of luggage, and the third prize, a GoPro camera, was won by Lise Ott of Irby.