Chamber Holds Mix and Mingle at Museum

The Olney Chamber of Commerce held its first Mix & Mingle event of 2026 at the Olney Heritage Museum on Feb. 24, drawing a large turnout to munch on sliders from Hudson’s on Main and to congratulate Olney Hamilton Hospital board chairman Dale Lovett.

Mr. Lovett received a congressional commendation from U.S. Rep. Roger Williams, who took advantage of the gathering to honor the hospital board chief for his service to the community.

State Farm insurance agent Johnny Moore, who is also president of the Olney Economic Development Corporation board of directors, sponsored the Mix & Mingle.

Chamber director Kimberly Smith and the Chamber board have an ambitious 2026 schedule, including a couple of upcoming seminars for members: a Small Business Academy and Homebuyer 101 course.

Signature events like Olney in America, the Fourth of July Parade, and the Annual Banquet anchor the year, while community-wide garage sales, holiday celebrations, and tailgates aim at bringing steady foot traffic to local businesses.

The event reconnected existing Chamber members after the holiday season and encouraged new members to join. Attendees mingled with County Commissioners Scott Shook, Alan Craig, and Jimmy Wiley, as well as County Judge Win Graham, members of the OHH board of directors, and local business owners. Olney businesses are looking forward to a busy year, with three major construction projects underway on Main Street or nearby, including the new Olney Hamilton Hospital, the new PSI extrusion plant, and the First Baptist Church of Olney’s new education building.

Olney Development, helmed by Tower Extrusions chief Mark Mc-Clelland and son-in-law Reid Miller, has started work on new housing as part of the City’s new tax increment reinvestment zone, or TIRZ-1. A second zone, TIRZ-2, will try to attract industrial investment dollars to the City’s Main Street areas and to infrastructure repair.