Warwick Chamber hosts membership dinner

Warwick - The Warwick Valley Chamber of Commerce held its annual Membership Dinner at the Warwick Valley Country Club on Friday evening, Nov. 18. Guest speaker for the evening was Greg Pack, director of mountain operations for nearby Mountain Creek Ski area in Vernon, N.J. Pack presented a brief history of Mountain Creek which, as he explained, began in the 1960s as Great Gorge Ski Area. In 1998, the ski resort was purchased by Intrawest, an International developer of numerous ski and golf resorts. In the last five years, the company has invested more than $100 million in the recreational facilities at Mountain Creek; more than $750 million will be spent in completing the resort master plan for both real estate and on-mountain operations. Mountain Creek’s master plan includes recreation areas, vacation properties and an upscale village with boutiques and cafés. Pack, who admitted that his expertise had more to do with Mountain Creek’s recreational activities than real estate, was surprised that a show of hands indicated that a high percentage of chamber members were skiers. Later in the evening Mayor Michael Newhard and his sister Jean Murphy accepted this year’s award for “Outstanding Building Renovation.” They and their brother Robert Newhard Jr., who could not attend the dinner, recently renovated their historic building, which has long served as home to Akin’s Drug Store at 33 Main St. “I remember a time when I was pregnant and we had just moved here,” said Linda Glohs, executive director of the Chamber. “We were in a snowstorm. I needed a prescription and when I called Akin’s, Bob Newhard said that he would run it over. And that’s exactly what he did. He couldn’t drive that night. So he ran the four or five miles to my house. And that was the beginning of my love of Akin’s Pharmacy.” For the second time in three years, Justine Spaulding, 89, was named “Outstanding Chamber Volunteer.” Spaulding, a former dancer with the Martha Graham Dance Company, has also continued to be an avid skier. Members of this year’s Dinner Committee were Joanne Graney, president of the Chamber; Rosemary Cooper, Doug Stage and Dina Vaccaro. Sponsors were Bonacic, Lo Biondo & Krahulik, LLP; Claudia Vaccaro Real Estate, Mountain Creek, Provident Bank, WVT Communications and Warwick Press. General’s Garden donated the centerpieces and the Jim Kunkel Jazz Trio provided the entertainment for the evening. Visit our Photo Gallery to view photos from the evening’s festivities.