NEWRY – The 35th annual Bethel Area Chamber of Commerce Awards Dinner will be held Friday, May 14, in the Grand Ballroom, Grand Summit Hotel, Sunday River Ski Resort, when 12 individuals will receive awards.

Dedication of service to the communities and excellence in business will be recognized. Reservations may be made by calling the chamber office at 824-2282.

The cost for a full buffet dinner featuring roast prime rib, broiled salmon and vegetarian strudel is $30 a person, with tables of eight available. Social hour and a silent auction will begin at 6 p.m., with dinner and awards following at 7. All are welcome.

The most coveted award, the one that has been part of the ceremony for its 35 year history, is the Henry H. Hastings Award for Citizenship. This year the award will be presented to Susan Herlihy.

She is being recognized for her many years of public service, but most noteworthy, her founding and the coordination of the New Year’s Bethel celebration, a successful event of the Bethel Historical Society since its inception.

The Lifetime Achievement Award will be given to John Head for his long list of community and regional accomplishments. These include 23 years as a trustee of the Bethel Water District, a charter member of the Bethel Rotary Club and the Bethel Airport Authority, a long standing member of the Northern Oxford Health and Services Council, a 25-year veteran on the board of the Bethel Library as treasurer and a long-standing commitment to the Bethel Historical Society and its committees.

The Forest Products Industry Award recipient this year will be Benjamin Kellogg. He has been an employee of Chadbourne Tree Farms and its predecessor company for 25 years. Although he officially retired in May of 2003 he came back to the company as a part-time employee soon after.

Kellogg has been involved in all aspects of forestry during his tenure and in his nominator’s words, “Many aesthetically pleasing forest stands owe their existence to his work and supervision.”

The Business of the Year Award will be presented to the Good Food Store and owners David and Heather Hale-Nivus. The store is an example of a business started from scratch in Bethel in the last 10 years that has thrived. The couple have evolved their business from retail-only to takeout food, ready-to-eat and catering to meet the market demands.

Additionally, their service to the community through the annual Turkey Tuesday is commendable. They have been involved in community organizations including Bethel Rotary, Mahoosuc Land Trust, the Bethel Area Chamber and Dave is a new member of the Bethel Planning Board.

One of the newer awards is the Public Service Award and this year’s recipient will be Al Barth. He has served the Bethel area in many capacities, including selectman of Bethel and a full four terms as a member of the Maine House of Representatives. Barth has also served the Bethel Rotary Club, the Western Maine Health Care Corp., the Bethel Historical Society, the Bethel Area Chamber and the Bethel Masonic Lodge.

Once in awhile the chamber has presented a Special Recognition Award, and this year the awards committee has recommended Nina Wheeler and her Christmas for Families Program. In addition to owning and operating the Rebel Family Restaurant in West Bethel, Wheeler works on the program all year, serving hundreds of families each year.

A highlight of the chamber’s year is the opportunity to recognize and “hold up as examples” four employees of area businesses who exemplify all the qualities the business owners would like to have in their workforce. These are given in ski services, education, retail and service, and hospitality.

The Ski Service Employee of the Year will be presented to Phil Landry, the ski patrol director for Mount Abram Family Resort.

“Phil leads a department of 20 ski patrollers and is charge of keeping the mountain safe for our guests. This past year he completed his EMT certification, and his other duties includes training all the volunteer patrollers on how to interface with the public about the do’s and don’t of skiing and riding,” said Josh Burns, nominator, adding, “We are very proud of our outstanding safety record under his watch.”

The Education Employee of the Year for 2004 is William Norton, a teacher at Telstar High School for 36 years. Since 1968, Norton has given his all to his students at Telstar as demonstrated by those who come back to thank him after they graduate and experience the rigors of college. He has high expectations of his students and has taken much of his own time to develop and expand the social studies curriculum and the advanced placement offerings in that department. He also serves the school community as the DJ at school dances.

Sarah Petrin will be presented the Hospitality Employee of the Year for being an exemplary employee at the Grand Summit Hotel at Sunday River Ski Resort. Petrin has been employed by Sunday River since 1992. Sarah has gone from a conference sales department assistant to the assistant general manager of the Summit Hotel, with several job changes in between.

Matt Hodgdon, a loyal 21-year employee of Jack Frost Sports on the Skiway Road will be presented the Retail and Service Employee of the Year award. New owners Fred and Debbie Cowin cite him as being integral in their smooth transition to the business last year.

The immediate board past president, Heather Hale-Nivus willl receive the President’s Award. It honors an individual who has given “over and above” the regular call of duty for a number of years. In the structure of the board of directors, to aspire to be president requires an individual to serve as treasurer and president-elect before their year as president, then another year as past president, so it is a significant commitment of time and energy. Hale-Nivus has served the chamber board for many years.

The chamber has included three student recognitions, two “citizenship awards” and one a scholarship to a student pursuing a career in the restaurant business. The scholarship funds are raised each year at the “Taste of Bethel” event, held the first Saturday in December.

The two students recognized for citizenship will be Megan Kelly of Woodstock and Kurt Wight of Newry. Both, who have been chosen by the staff members of Telstar to receive the recognition, are being cited for their contributions to the school community. Kelly’s plan after graduation is to attend the University of Maine at Orono with a major in early childhood education. Wight is leaving his options open.

Ben Shimamura has been chosen to receive the Taste of Bethel Award. He has been involved in curricular and cocurricular activities during his years in SAD 44. He will attend Johnson and Wales, majoring in restaurant management.

The single award that will be presented as a surprise to the recipient is the Volunteer of the Year award.

All are welcome to attend. Emcee will be Dr. David Murphy. The chamber can accept checks or major credit cards for reservations, and prepayment is required by the RSVP deadline of Friday, May 7. Call the office, 824-2282.