Smackover Chamber contends with cancellations

It has been an interesting first year for Stephanie Thomas in her role as the president of the Smackover Chamber of Commerce.

Thomas, who is also the vice president of Smackover State Bank, said the economic effects of COVID-19 have varied in Smackover based on her observations.

“The biggest impact here has been on the oil producers; they were definitely suffering the most with the low oil prices, although those are going back up,” Thomas said.

Thomas also shared her observations as VP of the Smackover State Bank.

“The lobby is closed at the bank, but overall we have not seen much of a decline in loans. People are still buying things. … There was a bit of a panic at first and people looking for extensions on loans, but that has calmed down,” Thomas said.

Thomas said that overall, Smackover’s small businesses are contending well with the pandemic and its resultant restrictions.

The Smackover Chamber of Commerce has, however, been forced to cancel several yearly

events due to COVID-19.

The long-running annual Oil Town Festival was originally scheduled for Friday, May 8 and Saturday, May 9. It was postponed once and eventually canceled in early June due to COVID-19.

The festival, which consists of activities as varied as live music, rib cook-offs and the World Famous Duck Race, is set to reach a milestone in 2021.

“Next year is [Oil Town’s] 50th anniversary, so we really hope to come back bigger and better than ever,” Thomas said.

The Oil Town Festival was started in 1971 by the Smackover Chamber of Commerce and the Lion’s Club as a way to celebrate the town’s history with the oil industry, according to previous reporting by the News-Times.

The Chamber also had to cancel this year’s Back to School Luncheon, an annual event designed to honor Smackover-Norphlet School District teachers and staff.

The event usually consists of lunch, gift bags for school employees and door prize drawings.

Thomas said, however, that the Chamber still plans to find a way to honor local teachers when schools reopen.

Matt Hutcheson can be reached at mhutcheson@eldoradonews.com

(NewsTimes file) People gather to watch the plastic ducks to cross under the first bridge during the Duck Race at the 44th Annual Smackover Oil Town Festival on Saturday, June 20, 2015. The 2020 Oil Town Festival was canceled due to COVID19.