By Joel Phelps
The Arkadelphian

In a 2 1/2 hour casual meet-and-greet, the Arkadelphia Area Chamber of Commerce on Thursday celebrated its 100th anniversary, with several community members and business representatives stopping by its office at 26th and Pine streets.

Those who stopped in placed either business cards or items carrying their logo into a time capsule that is to be buried later at an undisclosed location, to be unburied several years in the future (somewhere between 25-100 years, according to chamber officials).

Via photographs and text, those who attended had the opportunity to read through and admire a snippet of the chamber’s impact on Arkadelphia businesses throughout its 10 decades of service.

Nikki Chandler, executive vice president of the Arkadelphia Alliance and Chamber of Commerce, welcomed Joe May, publisher of The Southern Standard, to orate a history of Arkadelphia as recorded in various newspaper articles.

“We are so proud of our long history as a Chamber,” said Chandler. “We were able to celebrate during Chamber of Commerce Week with a group of great friends, good food and an awesome history lesson. We are thankful for our Chamber members every day but especially this day with so much to celebrate.”