A big thank you for the members in attendance at Tuesday's Linton-Stockton Chamber of Commerce meeting at the Linton Elks Lodge.

We asked our members for feedback on ways to improve our services to the membership. If you have ideas on ways to improve our services and programs, please feel free to contact us.

Door prizes were won by Nancy Cummings of Greene County Tobacco Cessation and Dale Knotts of Bloomfield State Bank.

Our next meeting will be at noon at the Linton Elks Lodge on March 17.

* As announced at yesterday's Chamber meeting, the theme for this year's Linton Freedom Festival Parade is "2009 Reasons To Smile."

Parade applications will be going in the mail in early March. Be thinking of your float ideas!

* The Linton Freedom Festival's annual Scholarship Pageant will be March 7 at the Linton-Stockton High School Auditeria.

We have five young ladies from Linton-Stockton High School who will be participating in this year's event. The Freedom Festival Queen and Court represent the Linton Freedom Festival throughout the 34 Days of June and at the Indiana State Festival Association's scholarship pageant in November.

* The Chamber will be hosting The Van-Dells on March 14 at the Linton-Stockton High School auditeria. The show will begin at 7:30 p.m.. Tickets are now available at the Chamber office.

Ticket prices are $22 and $20. Contact the Chamber office at 847-4846 or stop in at 159 1st Street NW to get your tickets.

Proceeds from this event will benefit the Linton Freedom Festival.

* The Chamber's Spring Expo is scheduled for March 21 at the Linton Armory. This event is free to the public. The hours for this year's Expo will be 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Concessions will be available.

Businesses and non-profits interested in participating can contact the Chamber office for more information.

* Starting a business? Wanting to expand your business? Learn in one informative workshop about: SBA's loan programs, First Steps to Selling to the Federal Government, Federal Small Business Certification Programs.

The workshop is being presented by the US Small Business Administration and The South Central Indiana Small Business Development Center at their office located at 501 N. Morton in Bloomington.

The workshop will be Tuesday in Conference Room 106-A from 10 a.m. to noon.

For more information or to reserve your space, contact Terri Brown at (812) 330-6272 or by e-mail, tbrown@isbdc.org.

* Chamber member Tri Kappa will be hosting their big basket bingo fund raiser tonight at the Linton-Stockton Auditeria. Doors open at 5:30 and games begin at 6:30.

A $10 ticket is 20 games.

* The Linton-Stockton High School German Club is sponsoring a baby diaper drive for Chamber member Pregnancy Choices. Anyone bringing baby diapers to the Linton-Stockton High School basketball game this Friday against North Central will receive a $1 off your admission to the game.

The German Club will be collecting the diapers during the first half of the junior varsity and varsity games. For more information please call 847-4611.

* Spring is just around the corner! All you golfers get your clubs out and ready for this season. Plans are for the Phil Harris Golf Course to open Feb. 28 for the 2009 season.

Cheryl is the executive director of the Linton-Stockton Chamber of Commerce. She can be reached by mail at P.O. Box 208, Linton, Ind., 47441; by telephone at 847.4846; by e-mail at chamilton@lintonchamber.org .