10Box Cost Plus named Member of the Month

10Box Cost Plus was named Sallisaw Chamber of Commerce’s Member of the Month for March during Wednesday’s monthly membership luncheon. Chamber President Zack Schaefer presented the Member of the Month plaque to Jerry Martin of 10Box Cost Plus at Indian Capital Technology Center.

Martin said the goal at 10Box is to bring affordable food to the tables of the families in our community.

“With today’s economy, it is a hard task that we are willing to tackle. We are constantly looking for the best deals to relay to our customers. We are happy and privileged to bring great prices, quality products and good customer service to everyone. We are thankful to this fine town for all the support, and choosing to shop with us. We will continue to bring our best to the table, so we can give the best to yours,” Martin said.

In other business:

• Julie Klineline, a Library One staff member at Stanley Tubbs Memorial Library, said the library is trying to get a laminator purchased to help the longevity of crafts and other projects. It would also be available for use by the public for a small fee.

“We’re want to get a nice, professional laminator so it will last us a long time,” Klineline said.

She also said that a future hopeful project is installing a story block with pictures from story books that could be placed at the library so families and their kids can essentially walk their way through the book.

• Chamber Executive Director Marty Green said Holy Week services will be at 5 p.m. April 13 for a Palm Sunday service at First Baptist Church. There will also be daily afternoon services noon to 1 p.m. April 13-18 at FBC. Lunch will be provided for a donation.

• Schaefer announced that sponsors for this summer’s Diamond Daze are being sought, and vendor applications are being accepted. Main Street Sallisaw is also looking for barbecue teams.

• Nick Carter, ICTC local administrator, reminded those in attendance that Tuesday is Election Day for ICTC Board of Education members, and urged everyone to vote. He said residents of Sequoyah, Adair, Cherokee, Muskogee and Wagoner counties are eligible to vote.

• Carl Albert State College Sallisaw Campus Director Jaime Henson said that with the help of R-VEEP Grant Director Stephanie Qualls, CASC will have its first-ever workforce development summit, currently slated for June 26.

“Stephanie (Qualls) has been working really hard on this event,” Henson said. “The effort we’re making to host this event is what we can do at the education level to find out if there are direct career paths that we need to be making for students within our community to be funded through Strada Education Foundation. So, we’re going to bring in speakers and experts in creating these (working) pipelines. We’ll have breakout sessions and student panels. Hopefully, it will be something very useful.”

Also, Henson said the CASC Scholarship Foundation Golf Tournament is scheduled for April 25 at Cherokee Springs Golf Club in Tahlequah. The four-man team event costs $300 per team, and Henson said they are looking for hole sponsors.

• George Bormann, economic development director for Sallisaw, provided a “Spruce Up Sallisaw” update, reporting that crews had been working along Wheeler Avenue. Monday was littler pick-up as part of Keep Oklahoma Beautiful, with work done on Cherokee Avenue and Kerr Boulevard. Clean-up was also done along Rock Ridge Creek.

“It’s really a fun time to see all these sidewalks and communities come to life,” Bormann said. “Saturday is ‘Chunk Your Junk’ from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. We’ll take loads and city crews will help you take loads to the dumpsters at no charge. As we’re seeing this push to beautify Sallisaw, we’re going to see the fruits of our labor throughout town. It’s exciting.”

• Heather Silva announced that Main Street Sallisaw will host its first-ever Pawsitive Pets event from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday on the Stanley Tubbs Memorial Library lawn.

• Ernie Martens gave an update about the Farmers Market. He said there are about 38 to 40 dedicated slots, and those wishing to participate can sign up for a small fee. He also said that this spring and summer, the Farmers Market will likely become Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) friendly. He said there is the possible future expansion into the Stanley Tubbs Memorial Library parking lot, under the right circumstances.

“The Farmers Market is something that is really generous,” Martens said. “It’s all about people coming to the community. We have ball tournaments out at the [Sallisaw Sports Complex] fields, and you have a lot of the parents and kids come to the Farmers Market between games. You’ll find hand-crafted items made by all the participants, and the produce is homegrown and locally produced. It’s seasonal, you’re likely to see something different from month to month. It will be some of the freshest produce you’ll ever find.”

Martens also talked about Kindness Crew, which has been in operation for a couple of years. He said it is a volunteer group which does a lot of things for the community. The main project this year is to help two or three young ladies who will graduate from Sallisaw or Central public schools who do not have the means necessary to help make their college education a possibility. He said the organization will have a huge garage sale April 3-4 in the Northeastern Health System Sequoyah Hospital parking lot.