When asked to describe this city the first word that comes to mind is “historical”. Naturally, when I started brainstorming about topics that might interest Chamber members, unearthing the history of this organization was immediately added to the list. Little did I know how much history there was waiting to be found.
97 years. Did you know that is how old the Chamber is? That means that the Chamber has been around for nearly a third of the city’s life.
When the Chamber first founded in 1919 there were dozens of committees (we counted 25 in one annual report). Back then, the goals of the Chamber were very broad, but the focus was simple—community progress. This organization has had a hand in most of the city’s major improvement projects and initiatives. Some, like the riverfront beautification project and the construction of the LODA amphitheater site are predictable enterprises that the Chamber would support. Others were a little more unexpected. For instance, the Chamber is responsible for bringing the Boy Scouts to Natchitoches. As other groups have cropped up, the Chamber has been able to focus efforts on larger-scope undertakings like Chamber Education Fund and the Natchitoches Community Alliance.
A portion of the Chamber has always been dedicated to events and event planning. Events that the Chamber has been known for include the Chamber Awards Banquet (now the Annual Awards Luncheon) and the Yule Festival (now Christmas Festival). The Annual Awards luncheon remains one of the most well attended gathering of area business professionals in Natchitoches. As for Christmas Festival, though the Chamber has given the reigns of the signature festival over to the Historic Business Association, we take pride in the role the organization played in developing the holiday celebration.
Though the Chamber has undergone some name changes, the key word has stayed the same: Natchitoches. The desire of the Chamber has been, and will remain, to see this parish, the City of Natchitoches and our surrounding communities succeed.
