The Bridge City Chamber of Commerce will be holding their Taste of the Bayou Annual Banquet, on Monday, January 14, 2013 at the Bridge City Community Center.  This event will honor the 2012 Citizen of the Year, Jimmy Scales and the 2012 Business of the Year will awarded to one of three nominees.  The Taste of the Bayou begins at 6:00 p.m. with food sampling beginning at 6:30 p.m.  This event is open to the public at a cost of $15 per ticket or $125 per table. 

The 2012 Citizen of the Year, The Honorable Jimmy Scales, Associate Judge with the Bridge City Municipal Court for the past 17 years is a lifelong resident of Bridge City who has devoted much time to the Bridge City community.  He is the son of James and Sybil Scales, a graduate of Bridge City High School and co-owner of Scales Construction and Scales Portable Buildings, a family owned business that has been in the same location since 1969.   Married to Donna for the past 39 years, their three children are Jackie, James and Jerrid. Jimmy Scales has spent countless hours serving our communities’ young people, coaching youth baseball, soccer, and basketball for many years. He is a past Board Member of Bridge City Little League, Bridge City Pony League, and Bridge City Youth Basketball League. He contributed in founding the Bridge City High School Baseball Booster Club and the Bridge City Athletic Booster Club, he’s a past board member and the first president for both organizations. He is active with the Orange County Chapter of the American Red Cross currently serving as a board member and past chairman and is also serving as a Director and Vice President of the Orange County Drainage District.  It is said that Jimmy Scales is a man who exhibits a heartfelt kindness that is felt by all who know him.

The three 2012 Business of the Year nominees are:

Advanced Dental, under the leadership of Dr. Mark Messer, has been nominated for it’s long history and distinguished service to our community.  Originally opened in 1975 upon Dr. Messer’s graduation from Baylor Dental School, Advanced Dental has benefited many residents both young and old. He began offering much needed free services through the Smiles on Wheels dentistry day at the Bridge City Middle School and the Heart Free Dentistry Day at their office.  Advanced Dental strives to be a technological leader in dentistry utilizing new state of the art equipment and through continuing education for himself and his staff.  Advanced Dental has extended their hours for the convenience of their patients and is open until 7:00 p.m. two nights per week and even has Saturday hours.  In the past year, Advanced Dental has continued to grow adding two dentists and several hygienists, assistants and administrators to their staff. 

Bridge City Bank is one of the community’s cornerstone businesses. Originally opened in 1960, Bridge City Bank has served the residents and businesses of Bridge City for the past 53 years.  They have always placed a high emphasis on delivering the highest level of personal service to their customers.  Bridge City Bank also serves the community through their participation in the Bridge City Chamber of Commerce as Board Members and Ambassadors.  They are staffed with seasoned professionals who are prepared to personally assist each customer in a fast and efficient manner. Bridge City Bank has freely given their time and many talents to Chamber events and activities.

KOGT 1600 AM under the leadership of owner, Gary Stelly has become the areas ‘go-to’ place for all that’s going on in our area. From daily news to High School sports coverage, KOGT, the only radio station dedicated to the people of Orange County has been there for the community since 1948.  Besides the radio, you can also listen to KOGT on your computer, ipad and smartphone or find them on Facebook and Twitter. Tuning in with game monitors while in the stands has taken following playoff games to a new level of listening.  With the advent of KOGT.com almost fifteen years ago, our tech savvy community has been able to get even more useful information anytime, day or night.  During the hurricane KOGT was there, providing our community with a very real and effective form of communication. Stelly has given his time as Master of Ceremonies at many events and has gladly been a voice for numerous Chamber Events and activities.

The Bridge City Chamber of Commerce invites the community to come out on January 14, 2013 and find out who will win this year’s Business of the Year and sample foods from some of the areas finest food establishments including Peggy’s on the Bayou, Tico’s Cuban Café, Elements Bakery and Café, Market Basket, Chicken Express, Robert’s Restaurant, Dominos Pizza, Novrosky’s, Hunter’s Seasonings, Kirks on 87, Hushpuppies.  Entertainment will be provided by the Gulf Coast Cajuns.