The nomination period is now open for the Langdon and District Chamber of Commerce’s (LDCC) third annual Golden Horseshoe Business Excellence Awards, which recognize and celebrate the best of the best in the hamlet’s burgeoning business community.
With COVID-related health restrictions now lifted, Kristen White, the executive assistant for the Langdon chamber, said the banquet for the Golden Horseshoe Awards is going to be held in person this year, after two years of online celebrations. She said the in-person event is scheduled for April 8 at the Track Golf Course.
White said the Golden Horseshoe Awards are an opportunity to highlight Langdon’s best businesses.
“We’re so lucky to live in such a small area with such a dense business population,” she said. “There are so many great businesses here, and sometimes, you kind of get lost in it and don’t realize what’s around you. It’s a chance to highlight what we do have and be proud of it.”
While the first two years allowed businesses that were not part of the chamber to be nominated for the awards, White said the LDCC wants to focus more on the chamber’s active membership in 2022. Therefore, she said chamber membership is a requirement to be eligible this year.
“Throughout COVID, it’s been really hard to get our members together,” she said. “I feel like there’s been almost a stagnancy in our membership, so we’re really trying to bring some life back into the chamber, get people out, and get people excited about and celebrating our businesses. We haven’t really had the chance to do so in the past.”
Businesses located outside of Langdon are eligible too, as long as they are chamber members, White added.
“It’s also an opportunity to encourage membership and to become a member, to get that distinction in the business community.”
This year, White said the chamber has divided the business excellence awards into 10 categories that each have their own hashtag, including #AutoLangdon, #EatLangdon #FinancialLangdon, #HealthLangdon, #HomeBasedBusinessoftheYear, #LearnLangdon, #RealtyLangdon, #RetailLangdon, #ServiceLangdon, #TradeLangdon, and #WorshipLangdon
The nomination period is from March 10 to 24. Starting on March 24, White said the top three nominated businesses in each category will be whittled down to a list of finalists, and voting will continue until March 31. The winners of each category will then be announced April 8 at the Track Golf Course in Langdon.
Those hoping to nominate a business or vote for one can head to the Langdon and District Chamber of Commerce’s Facebook or Instagram pages. From there, White said there is a Google form listing all the chamber businesses, and voters can make their picks.
Previous winners of the Golden Horseshoe Awards included Prairie Grounds Coffee House, the Langdon Firehouse Bar and Grille, and the Langdon Bottle Depot. White said the chamber nominated last year’s winners for the Alberta business awards as well.
The April 8 awards banquet is set to start at 6:30 p.m. Tickets to attend are $50 for chamber members and $60 for non-members, and can be purchased at langdonchamber.ca
“It’s our first big event, so really want to emphasize getting everyone together and celebrating everybody,” White said.
