It was almost standing room only Thursday night at the Southern State Community College Patriot Center as nationally-renowned comedian Drew Hastings brought "a comedic stimulus package" to the local business community during the annual Highland County Chamber of Commerce dinner.
The dinner, which yearly brings in area business people from across the county, is the chamber's largest annual event, serving as a major fundraiser that helps it continue to support the local business community.
This year's event drew one of the largest crowds yet as more than 200 people gathered to network, sample local catering, and watch Hastings' performance.
A comedian best known for his regular appearances on "The Bob and Tom Show" and a widely popular performance on Comedy Central last year, Hastings moved to Highland County in 2004. He owns Bell's Opera House and the Hillsboro Armory, and has been involved with the chamber of commerce for several years.
With trademark tongue-in-cheek hilarity, Hastings opened by introducing himself as "owning a band of old buildings, and providing a rescue home for pigeons," and went on to approach the subject of economic development with several out-of-the-box ideas.
"One idea that I really think would help bring people to Hillsboro would be for all our local business owners to change their names to knock-offs, like Star-bakes, or McDonna's," he said. "The class action lawsuits and media attention would put Hillsboro on the map ... or we could all just join Kay Roades in suing the Catholic church over the loud bells."
After sharing his thoughts on farming, the economy and life in general, Hastings thanked the audience and said that on a more serious note, Highland County was the first place he had ever felt a sense of community.
"I laugh about things, but honestly, I love it out here," he said. "I'm a big believer in this town. I've always thought that Hillsboro is perfectly situated between Columbus, Cincinnati and Dayton, and if we're going to promote ourselves we need to be bold and really seize opportunities. I'd be happy to work with people to help grow and promote our area."
Following Hastings' performance, chamber director Katy Farber gave an update on the chamber, saying that organization "is alive and well."
"We have 350 investors from all walks of life. We average three to four new members per month," she said. "We're growing, and we're doing what it takes to help local businesses be successful ... thank you all so much for coming out tonight and showing your support for the chamber and for Highland County businesses."
The Highland County Chamber of Commerce is a membership driven business organization dedicated to representing and providing assistance for the local business community. For more information, call 393-1111 or go to www.highlandcountychamber.com.
