New Chamber of Commerce Director Weighs In
The Notes – February 23, 2016
On the snowy evening of February 8th, the “hearty” Yarmouth Lions Club met at the Muddy Rudder for their February meeting. Our guest speaker for the evening was Andrew Smaha, Executive Director of the Yarmouth Chamber of Commerce, who replaced Carolyn Schuster on August 24, 2015. She had worked at the Chamber for the past 17 years. Andrew acknowledged that he had some very big shoes to fill.
Mr. Smaha talked about the non-profit groups within the Chamber and how the Chamber can support and nurture them. The Chamber hosts a networking event each month with good representation of local businesses, and that can be a way for the non-profits’ services and needs to be known to other members of the Chamber. The Chamber is working on a community calendar, which would be an extension of the “Hometown Holidays” webpage, that was introduced last fall on the Town of Yarmouth’s website. The Chamber also hopes to host a “Not The Clamfest” event in September which would be held at Yankee Marina. This event would be an opportunity for the town to come together, celebrate what is special about Yarmouth, and to build community. He hopes to increase awareness of what Chamber members do to support various charitable causes in hopes we will think of these businesses when we need their help.
Three adjectives come to mind when thinking of Andrew’s presentation – personable, articulate, and energetic. The Chamber is in good hands, and we look forward to working with him in the future.
Andrew Smaha, Executive Director of the Yarmouth Chamber of Commerce
On January 19th, our oldest Yarmouth Lion officially turned 100 years old! Espen Christensen, who has been a Lion for 47 years, was a member of the 82nd Airborne during World War II and was awarded the French Legion Of Honor Medal for his role in the liberation of France on D-Day. He was in a glider unit that landed behind enemy lines in Normandy before the D-Day assault took place. He also served in the Battle Of The Bulge. Even though Espen now lives in Portland, he drives himself to Yarmouth’s Muddy Rudder to attend just about every meeting. Happy 100th to an amazing person!
Yarmouth Lion Espen Christensen turns 100 years old
