Greater Northampton Chamber to Mark 100th Anniversary on June 13

NORTHAMPTON — The Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce will host its centennial event, “Torch: Our Time to Shine,” on Thursday, June 13 at 6 p.m., at the Academy of Music Theatre in Northampton.

The evening’s program will honor Suzanne Beck, who has led the chamber for 27 years, and is retiring from the organization this spring. Beck will be recognized along with those she has worked closely with during her tenure at the chamber. “There have been so many people recently stepping up to carry on the leadership that these trailblazers began,” she said. “I started to look around and notice that Northampton is in a real moment of change. I’m really looking forward to celebrating this moment with the community.”

The 100th-anniversary festivities begin on the red carpet in front of the historic Academy theater, with an opening reception beginning at 6 p.m. Northampton Community Television will interview guests on the red carpet, capturing their hopes and dreams for Northampton. Dpict facilitated illustration will be creating a live drawing in the theater lobby, sourced from attendees’ comments. The finished drawing will be revealed later in the evening.

At 7 p.m., Linda Hannum and Rus Peotter will host an interactive program featuring music, surprises, and special guests, including musicians from Downtown Sounds Workers Co-op, who will play as the show’s house band. The program’s focus will be a recognition of change and celebration of the shared call to shine together as a community. Musical groups Green Street Brew and Pioneer Valley Performing Arts’ Spectrum a cappella will also perform.

“I am thrilled to be a part of the planning for Torch, an event that will bring together the best of your favorite chamber events, with some fun twists worthy of our 100th birthday,” said event committee chairperson Matthew Bannister, vice president of Marketing & Innovation at PeoplesBank.

The celebration will continue under the stars with a party at the rear of the theatre, including food, drink, and dancing.

Lead sponsors of the event include Cooley Dickinson Health Care, the Daily Hampshire Gazette, Florence Bank, and PeoplesBank, with major support from Aladco Linen Services, BusinessWest, Keiter Builders, and Leadership Pioneer Valley.

Visit northamptonchamber.com for tickets and more information.