With Valentine’s Day quickly approaching, many people are excited about showing their loved one(s) how important they are to them, through dinner, candy, flowers, jewelry, or any combination of the above.

It is not a day with which I concern myself; however, on behalf of clothing, gift, and flower shops and restaurants here in Newberry County, I hope that it is a wonderfully prosperous day.

If you are planning an outing and/or to purchase a gift, I urge you to “Shop Newberry County First!” Why? It keeps your tax dollars at home and you are sure to receive personalized service. Plus, you save gas, in turn saving money, or rather are justified in spending more on your date.

If one were to ever mistake me for someone who values the Valentine’s tradition a great deal, I hope they note that I am partial to anything that involves caramel or cheesecake.

Here at your chamber, Feb. 14 will be another day that we strive to support and serve you better by planning events of interest to our members, and potential members.

There was a record crowd at the Legislative Breakfast last week, and we would love for that interest in future events to continue. Not only will we offer the Business After Hours networking events, but you can count on health news, animal care information, gardening news, and fun stories through our Lunch ‘N Learns.

The quarterly breakfasts will include presentations from people on a local and state level. We want to know what your interests are so that we can plan accordingly.

We are the voice of our members, so please do not be shy with yours. Let us know your thoughts on matters pertaining to legislation, the economy, the community, etc.

We are involved in various committees throughout the county and want to represent your best interests.

There are several ways to connect with us. Rarely is there not someone here to answer your phone call on weekdays during the hours of 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m.-2 p.m.

If you are not receiving our weekly newsletter, please let us know to add you to our recipient list. “Like” us on Facebook; you will not only have access to the weekly newsletters, but timely community and member news as well.

Check out our website, www.newberrycounty.org, regularly to see who has recently joined the Chamber, to view the community calendar, and to find other Newberry County and Chamber information.

We hope to be able to provide additional social media sources in the near future.

For questions about your chamber or just to give us feedback or relay your concerns, please contact us at chamber@newberrycounty.org or 276-4274; ask for Ted, Liz, or Michelle. We want to know how we can better support and serve you.