BRIEFS

CHAMBER'S AWARDS BANQUET DAYTON - The Dayton Chamber of Commerce Annual Banquet will take place Thursday, Nov. 4, at the Seneca Ac­tivity Center in Dayton. Social hour begins at 6 p.m., dinner at 6:30 and presentation program at 7:15 p.m. Each year the chamber recognizes those who have made significant contributions to the community. Awarded will be Business of the Year by last years' winner Dingles of Dayton, Citizen of the Year by 2009 winner Brian Black; Employee of the Year will be presented by City of Dayton winner last year, Sal Benavidez. And Youth of the Year will be awarded by our last years' winner, Molly Payne.

Existing and new board members will be recognized, and the Chamber Awards for Outstanding Community Contribu­tions will be presented at this celebration. This year's theme is "We Are Thankful." Tickets are $25 per person and are available at the chamber office, 509-382-4825.

COUNTY TOURISM DOWN SOME WALLA WALLA - Visitors to Walla Walla county spent nearly $87 million in 2009, according to a report released this week by the Washington State Office of Trade and Economic Development.

The $86.7 million in 2009 visitor spending was $4.7 million dollars less than 2008, a drop of 5%, but Tourism Walla Walla President and CEO Michael Davidson pointed out, "Walla Walla fared much better than the rest of the state which saw a drop of 8.1% while the nation saw a decline of 7.7% in tourism expenditures."

As was the case with most major industries, Tourism could not elude the effects of the recent. "Tourism numbers dropped for the first time since 1991, the first year the report was issued," Davidson said.

Still, the $86.7 million is a strong number with meaning­ful economic impacts, says Davidson, "Visitor spending accounts for nearly 8% of all state and local total tax dollars generated in the county; with an impressive 13.2% of all lo­cal sales and lodging tax dollars staying, right here, in Walla Walla to support local services." "Walla Walla welcomed 273,000 overnight visitors in 2009, who spent, on average, 2.9 days in our hotels, motels, guest houses and bed breakfasts, visiting local attractions, eating at local restaurants, and shopping in local stores," ac­cording to Michele Rennie, Chairman of the Board of Tour­ism Walla Walla. Rennie adds, "The 186,000 day trippers who visited the valley in 2008 spent on average $87 during their visit while those staying overnight, on average, spent $134 per day."

DAYTON DOG GROOMER OPENS

DAYTON - C.W. Friends, a new dog grooming busi­ness for the Touchet Valley, will have its grand opening from 1 - 5 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 1. Mayor Craig George will be in attendance for the ribbon-cutting ceremony. The grooming shop at 139 E. Main offers dog grooming, pet photography, day care and more. Pick up and deliveries are available. For more details, call 509-382-4810.