From Boston to Siloam Springs
Shelley Simmons was honored at the ninth annual Outstanding Civic Leadership Event on Thursday
Thursday night was one of the first nights of the year that had fall-like temperatures, but that was not the only reason over 200 people ate dinner outside on University Street.
The Siloam Springs Chamber of Commerce held its 9th annual Outstanding Civic Leadership Event on Thursday. The fundraiser, branded as an “anti-banquet” honored Shelley Simmons with a night of dinner, and a roast and toast. The casual event featured speeches by Simmons and some of her friends and a proclamation from Director Amy Smith, who stood in for Mayor John Mark Turner.
The Chamber of Commerce partnered with the City of Siloam Springs to secure the location of the dinner. The section of University Street from Mt. Olive to Broadway was roped off for the occasion.
Meghan Kenney, the Director of Economic Development and Membership with the Chamber, said she wanted the setting of the dinner to be personal to Simmons.
“When you think of Shelley Simmons, you think of downtown,” she said.
From the seats on University Street, Simmons’ impact on downtown was visible. One of the neighboring buildings was 28 Springs, which catered the event and is owned by Simmons. Other businesses
downtown that surrounded the dinner were supported by Main Street Siloam Springs, where Simmons has worked for years. Simmons was the part-time director of the non-profit until 2010.
The event kicked off with a cocktail hour in 28 Springs, which was followed by a dinner and welcoming remarks from Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Wayne Mays. Shelley’s husband Todd served as the master of ceremonies, joking that he had to stand out of arm’s reach of his wife because of some of the stories he told.
Amy Smith presented a proclamation making the day “Shelley Simmons Day” in Siloam Springs and Chamber Board Chair Shirley Dilbeck presented the award eponymous to the event. After that, the roasting and toasting began.
Todd Simmons laid out his theme for the night as “Boston to Siloam: the education of Shelley Simmons” and told several stories of his wife getting accustomed to life in the South, including learning to politely wave when driving, hearing about various methods of cooking a squirrel, and mastering the art of politely declining an unwanted dessert.
Victoria Bossler told the story of how they bonded at a Def Leppard concert and how serious Simmons was. Bossler said Simmons was serious about everything — serious about friends, serious about fun and serious about being a mom. She also told a story about how Simmons had been there for her when Bossler’s brother was involved in a bad car accident.
John Elrod gave a speech congratulating Simmons on her work with Main Street Siloam Springs. Elrod spoke of the founding of the group in the 1980’s, but also the lack of funding that kept anything from being done. He congratulated Simmons on being the driving force behind the group’s revival and bringing a downtown to life that he said he had never imagined thriving.
Patty Arnett and Meredith Bergstrom tag-teamed the next speech. Arnett congratulated Simmons for creating 28 Springs, which attracts visitors from the rest of Northwest Arkansas. She also showed a picture of Simmons in a moose hat at a moose-themed birthday party.
Bergstrom revealed the reason for the moose theme. In what Bergstrom called “the only bad decision Shelley ever made as director,” Main Street Siloam Springs had adopted a moose mascot for its events. The reason it was a bad idea was because the specific moose Simmons chose was actually better known as Tyrone from the popular children’s show, “The Backyardigans.”
Bergstrom also spoke about Simmons and her role both at Main Street Siloam Springs and in Bergstrom’s life.
“She and Todd truly believe in this community,” she said.
The final roast and toast of the night came from a letter by Paige Hix, who could not be at the dinner.
The letter from Hix, read aloud by Todd Simmons, told of getting to know Shelley and some more stories of Shelley’s introduction to the South.
After the letter was read, Simmons took the stage to talk about her perspective on moving to Siloam Springs. She said that Boston still felt like home to her, but after all the time in Siloam Springs and the people she had met, so did Siloam Springs. She said she wasn’t either a northerner or a southerner, but both.
“One thing that wasn’t a problem when I moved was the people,” Simmons said.