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If you’re a faithful reader of this newspaper you know that I’ve spent the last few weeks working in the Dayton Chamber of Commerce office while we – the board of directors – recruit a new executive director. (And if you’re not a faithful reader, thanks for checking in anyway.)

You’ve also probably noticed that I haven’t been contributing a whole lot of writing to these pages recently.

I’ve been extremely fortunate to have a staff that is smart, talented and dedicated enough to put out an excellent paper without much help from me. But that situation is changing, as all situations do.

Our editor, Dena Martin, is moving on to a new job at the Columbia County Planning Dept., and her many contributions to preparing The Times each week will be greatly missed. But Dena will still put her knowledge of what’s happening in Waitsburg to work for our readers and continue writing an article or two each week. I’m glad for that, and I wish her the best in her new job.

And our equally dedicated advertising and business manager, Teeny McMunn, will continue to keep the gears turning at The Times behind the scenes.

In the meantime, I will move back into the “editor’s” desk at The Times and be more conspicuous on these pages, contributing reporting along with our excellent Dayton reporter, Michele Smith.

As for the Chamber of Commerce, I’ve really enjoyed the short time I’ve spent in the office, working with the events coordinator, Melissa Bryan, helping put this year’s budget together, and learning about the good work the Chamber staff and board members do.

The Chamber is the primary promoter of tourism in Dayton and Columbia County, and has had great success establishing and growing special events that draw thousands of visitors to Dayton each year. These include All Wheels Weekend, Dayton On Tour and Christmas Kickoff. Watch for a newly expanded Dayton Days celebration this Memorial Day weekend.

I also had the opportunity a couple of weeks ago to meet with members of the Waitsburg Commercial Club board of directors and learn more about that longstanding organization. The Commercial Club also plays a big part in the success of events in Waitsburg like Celebration Days.

We’re very fortunate to have many great volunteers that keep these organizations going and helping keep our area’s economy moving ahead.