Michael Martin Murphy to Headline Farm-City Banquet

Dykes, Emick and Carder

Noted country-western singer, Michael Martin Murphy, will perform at the annual Lamar Chamber of Commerce, Farm-City banquet. Chamber President, Kynlee Emick and Chamber Manager, Lisa Carder, requested $6,650 in marketing funding from the Prowers County Lodging Tax Panel this past Tuesday, July 21. Tickets for the FFA District meal and the show are $30 and $20 for the performance only. Emick said the annual banquet earns about $4,500 for the FFA membership which cooks and serves the dinner. Carder and Emick were accompanied by Vickie Dykes, current chamber board member and the 2016 Chamber president.

This year’s banquet will be held on Saturday, November 14, beginning at 6pm at the Lamar Community Building. Murphy, a multiple Grammy winner has six gold albums and is best known for several hit singles, including “Wildfire/Carolina in the Pines/Cherokee Fiddle” and many others. In recent years, his musical talents leaned towards a more western and bluegrass sound than mainstream country music. The panel voted three to two to authorize $5,000 for funding with Brad Semmens and Doug Thrall casting no votes, based on lack of information relating to the low number and specifics for overnight visitors the banquet attracts.

Kelly Emick

Kelly Emick, history professor at Lamar Community College, requested $3,090 in marketing funds for the semi-annual Frontier Encampment held at the college since 2005. “This will mark our sixth year,” she told the Panel,” noting that numbers continue to grow with each passing year. “We’re planning to stretch out our advertising region and are taking ads in the Denver Post to reach people who enjoy this type of historic presentation,” she added. The two day event, held in the open at the college campus, depicts a century of growth in the west through live displays featuring highlights in each decade between the 1800s and early 1900s. Emick said because the free event is held in the open, a specific head count of all the visitors is not feasible, although she estimated as many as 1,000 persons, including many students, visited the site. She added that the funding also helps pay for overnight lodging for many of the historical re-enactors who take part in the Encampment. The Panel voted to fund $2,500 for the October 2-3 event.

An additional $9,200 was authorized for the annual LCC Antelope Stampede Rodeo, also held in October. This request had been tabled for the past several months while members waited for sufficient tax funds from the state to accrue before approving the request. The Antelope Stampede is an event that usually garners more motel and restaurant use than any other held through the year. The language for a tourist/visitor kiosk to be displayed by the Amache Museum in Granada was approved.

With $7,876 received from the state from motel taxes in the county, the Panel had $20,941 in its balance, not counting $7,000 held in a contingency fund. After granting the latest requests, the fund balance was at $4,241. The next Panel meeting is set for 4pm on Tuesday, August 18 at the PCDI offices at the Rodeway Cow Palace Inn.

By Russ Baldwin