Hypnotic awards ceremony marks twentieth year
Merritt business owners fall under the spell of hypnotist Lee Dyson during the 20th Annual Business Excellence Awards, held at the Merritt Civic Centre last Saturday.
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It was a night of fine dining and eerie entertainment in Merritt last Saturday as the Merritt & District Chamber of Commerce held its 20th Annual Business Excellence Awards.
Nominees and guests were treated to the jokes and stories of emcee Guy Duchaine, president of the Chamber of Commerce. During the evening, dinner was served by Brambles Bakery and Cafe and music was provided by John Allison Productions.
The event was the first of its kind in Merritt to have dinner served directly to guests at the table.
Also on hand were a number of volunteers from the MSS 2010 grad class who helped with coat check.
Chamber of Commerce members spent many hours preparing the Community Centre for the evening, as well as manning the bar during the night.
A silent auction also took place.
The award for best Community Branding went to the Walk of Stars, the Community Leader Award was taken by Etelka Gillespie of the Merritt Herald, the Customer Service Business Award was given to Crystal Gardens Restaurant, the Customer Service Employee Award was won by Mae Ketter of Community Futures Nicola Valley, Established Business of the Year was won by Creative Company, the Harry Sanders Memorial Award was given to the Merritt Herald, the Coldwater Office Centre was recognized with the award for New Business, the Home Based Business Award went to Brenda’s Piano Studio, the Professional Business award was given to Community Futures Nicola Valley, and the Merritt Marketing Group won the Tourism Award.
After the awards were handed out, hypnotist Lee Dyson took the stage and entertained audience members with his ‘Magic of the Mind’ show. Dyson hypnotized a number of individuals, putting them into a deep sleep before getting them to walk around the room as though they were in a glamorous fashion show or react with terror at the sight of a teddy bear. Chamber of Commerce president Guy Duchaine even spent some time reading imagined news headlines off the bottom of his shoes, much to the audience’s delight.
The evening wrapped up after nearly six pleasant hours of socializing and entertainment.
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