SYLACAUGA, Ala. – The Sylacauga Chamber of Commerce hosted its annual Celebrate Sylacauga dinner and awards banquet on Thursday night, April 17 at 6:00 p.m., bringing together educators, business leaders, and community members for an evening of recognition and entertainment.
The event featured a catered meal by Hickory Street Café and was hosted by Benji Puckett, the Chief Financial Officer of Coosa Pines Federal Credit Union. Gretta Spencer, 2025 Chair of the Chamber’s Board of Directors, introduced Chamber Executive Director Laura Strickland, who presented the evening’s awards.
Two Educator of the Year honors went to Janet Lovelady of Sylacauga High School and Alexander Nelson of Drew Middle School.
Business Award winners included Fed Up Shipping (Horizon Award), Radney-Smith Funeral Home (1–10 Employees), Southern Smiles of Sylacauga (11–50 Employees), First Bank of Alabama (51–100 Employees), and Heritage Plastics (101+ Employees).
Community Awards were presented to the Coosa Valley Medical Center Foundation (Community Service) and the Sylacauga Christmas Club (Spirit of Sylacauga).
The night concluded with the crowd-pleasing Lip Sync Sylacauga competition. Meagan McGrady of First Bank of Alabama won with her lively performance of Meghan Trainor’s “Dear Future Husband.” Nicole Rudd and Chelsey Strong of the Chamber of Commerce co-emceed and opened the show with a performance of their own.
