Teeing up a good time

After a decade-long hiatus, the Madison County Chamber of Commerce brought back its annual golf tournament last week to Beaver Valley Golf Club.

“It was a popular tournament, but the chamber dissolved, and with it went the tournament,” MCCC Executive Director Tessa Rehkop said. “We reformed the chamber in 2016, but without any paid staff, we didn’t have the manpower to bring it back until this year.”

Rehkop said the annual tournament was something a lot of people enjoyed for the play, and it is also a strong fundraiser. She said some of the golfers even recalled it was their favorite tournament to play in and they were glad to see it brought back.

Golfers not only enjoyed 18 holes of golf, lunch, and plenty of beverages, there were a few fun additions to the course.

“Seabaugh’s Furniture & Appliance generously donated a recliner, so we decided to take it out on the course and make a game of it,” Rehkop said. “Players could purchase a chance to hit a ball in the seat of the chair or, if they felt like an added challenge, they could try for over the chair and hit a target. If they hit the target, they would win a certain amount of raffle tickets. The players seemed to really enjoy it.”

Rehkop said there was also a fun opportunity on hole 9. The male competitors could shoot from the lady’s tees if they made a donation and wore a grass skirt for a photo.

“That one was great just for the photos of everyone wearing the skirts,” Rehkop said. “But it was also a great additional way to raise funds, and the guys really seemed to have fun with it.”

“I couldn’t have asked for the day to go better,” Rehkop said. “I’ve never even played golf, much less organized a tournament, so my expectations were low. Thankfully, we had amazing weather, a fun group of golfers and hard-working volunteers to make the day a huge success.”

When all was said and done, Rehkop was right, the day was a huge success and the chamber not only met its goal but went above and beyond the amount of money it wanted to raise. Part of this was due to the overwhelming support of the community.

“I could not have organized this tournament without the help of Lance Cureton, Living the Dream Outdoor Properties, and the Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, who spent so much time helping me recruit teams and sponsors and also helping on the day,” Rehkop said. “Not only were they a tremendous help, but they made the whole planning process and event so much fun!”

The 2023 Madison County Chamber of Commerce Board includes Jane Parker, Grace Sharing Hope; Heather Dietiker, Black River Electric; Beth Simmons, Madison Medical Center; Ashley Baudendistel, City of Fredericktown; Theresa Harbison, City of Fredericktown; Sherry Vance, Brad’s Repair & Remodel; Melanie Allen, Fredericktown R-1 School District; Kevin Jones, KDJ Investment Properties, Gary Turner, The Depot Cafe; and John Wright, Mineral Area College Fredericktown Campus.

“I would also like to thank everyone who put together a team to support our mission in ‘Making Madison County a great place to live, work and play together for all,’” Rehkop said.

This year’s tournament sponsors include Cap America, Pettus Automotive, Hammack & Bales Financial Group, Beaver Valley Golf Club, Crown Pointe Golf Club, Pepsi Co., Living the Dream Outdoor Properties, Harp’s Food Stores, Walmart, Lee Mechanical, Filtration Systems Products, Shelter Insurance—Craig Wood, Gifford Lumber Company, New Era Bank, Guardian S.S.A., Madison Medical Center, Fredericktown R-1 School District, Ward’s Farm Center, Madison County Heating & Cooling, Menard’s, Classic Equine & Equipment, The Station, Kohlfeld’s Distributing, Sargent Construction, Georgie Kay’s, Seabaugh’s Furniture & Appliance, Servpro of Farmington, Bess Insurance Agency—Dennis Bess, Bess Insurance Agency—Rachel McDowell, Madison County Title Company, and Grace Church.

Teams gather at the clubhouse before the start of the Madison County Chamber of Commerce Golf Tournament on June 22.

After a decade-long hiatus, the Madison County Chamber of Commerce brought back its annual golf tournament last week to Beaver Valley Golf Club. According to the chamber director, the tournament met its fundraising goal.

Victoria Kemper is a reporter for the Democrat News. She can be reached at vkemper@democratnewsonline.com