Colbert Area Chamber of Commerce

01/13/2025

Our member spotlight for January is Jimmy Key, representing the Colbert Cemetery Association. Not only has Jimmy been a staple in the organization where he has served as president for the last six years, Jimmy is a 1966 graduate of Colbert School and has lived in this community most of his life.

The Colbert Cemetery Association, a 501(c) organization, primarily functions in maintaining the cemetery, assisting in burials, and keeping records. Gifts to the organization are tax deductible, and membership is open to anyone who pays the annual dues of $10 or a lifetime membership fee of $100. The organization meets annually on the first Monday in May to elect nine members in good standing to the board of directors. Another great way to support the association is by attending their annual fish fry fundraiser.

Having served in the Army and being a Vietnam War veteran, Jimmy is especially proud of the association’s annual Memorial Day service at the cemetery to honor and remember those who have died while serving our country. The service usually includes a speaker or a vocalist, or sometimes both.

Jimmy and his wife, Carolyn, are active members of the First Baptist Church in Colbert and enjoy traveling together as well as spoiling their two grandchildren.

Congratulations on being featured as January’s member spotlight!

01/06/2025

While Ernie’s Cafe only made it to Colbert in 2024, they have a generations old history in the Texoma area. In the mid 1970s, Ernie’s Cafe was started in a small building on Rusk Avenue in Denison, Texas by Ernie and Cleda Richardson. A family owned cafe, Ernie’s, is proudly owned and operated by Chris Hix, Ernie and Cleda’s grandson, and has been warmly embraced by the Colbert community who lets Chris and his team do what they love- serve comfort food with a smile, creating memories one bite at a time!

The Richardsons never met a stranger or let a customer leave their restaurant hungry. Ernie’s Cafe was built on good home cooking at a reasonable price. Ernie and Cleda sold their restaurant in the early 1990s, and, although the business stopped, the cooking never did. It is an honor for Chris to carry on the legacy and them make them proud.

Colbert has made Chris and Ernie’s Cafe feel right at home. The small town feeling is in their DNA and stirs up childhood memories of customers enjoying good food and conversation with others. Chris loves when guests come into the cafe, sit down with strangers, and enjoy a meal and great table talk. It feels like Sunday lunch at granny’s house! Chris looks forward to many years to come in Colbert sharing Ernie’s home cooking and hospitality with our community.

You are invited to stop in Sunday through Thursday 6am - 2pm and Friday and Saturday 6am - 7:30pm for a meal and conversation, or you can call in an order to go. Check out their page for a complete menu and daily specials!

01/01/2025

12/22/2024

Still thinking about our Christmas parade last week. Thanks to everybody who joined!

Float competition winners were:
1st place - Murray Hill Baptist Church
2nd place - Dirty Dawg Grooming
3rd place - D&D Septic Tank Cleaning & Installation

12/16/2024

Maddie Mueller is a member of the Colbert Chapter of Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA), as well as the Vice President of Competitive Events of the Southeast 1 District. FCCLA promotes growth and leadership development through Family and Consumer Sciences education. During her five years of membership, FCCLA has been integral in Maddie’s career preparation and making connections for her future. FCCLA has also provided many fond memories for her, like attending State Convention as an eighth grader.

Maddie loves to talk and credits her dad as an inspiration in her life. Other school organizations, church, and friends keep Maddie busy, and she treasures time spent with her family.

Congratulations on being featured as December’s Laudable Leopard! Keep up the great work!

12/09/2024

Our member spotlight for December is Annie Harrell, representing the Colbert Senior Citizens Center. With more than twenty years of service on the board of directors, Annie currently holds the office of secretary.

The Senior Citizens Center seeks to ensure that every elderly person in our community receives one good meal per day. Annie enjoys seeing thankful individuals as they gather at the center and has an open door to anybody wishing to volunteer or contribute financially to keep this vital program thriving.

One of Annie’s favorite activities that the Senior Citizens Center hosts is their annual Thanksgiving Dinner. It is a fundraiser for the Center, and this year they served 400 meals! The Center also hosts a similar fundraiser at Christmastime as well as other fundraisers throughout the year.

In her free time, Annie enjoys playing dominoes and cards as well as volunteering with the Colbert Cemetery Association.

Congratulations on being featured as November’s member spotlight!

12/06/2024

We want to say a great big thank you to the Colbert Masonic Lodge #8 AF&AM for their matching of funds for our recent Hamburger Fundraiser benefiting our Coats for Kids program as well as their long-standing support of our organization. We appreciate you all!

Colbert Masonic Lodge #8 presented a check for matching funds of $2,050 for local Coats for Kids. We hope funds will help every child that needs winter wear have the ability to have what they need!

12/02/2024

Bowles Station has been a staple in Colbert for more than five decades.  Nelson Bowles started the family business in 1966, and his sons, Teman and Benny, eventually joined him at the full service station establishing a reputation of excellent service.  At Bowles Station you can fill up your tank, purchase tires, or even get a flat repaired, but make sure you head inside for one the coldest soda pops in town!  

Today you will find Teman and his sons, Toby and Teddy, still providing the same quality customer service that is synonymous with Bowles Station and the legacy that started 58 years ago.  The Bowles family treat their customers like family and take pride in serving them well.  Be sure to stop by and see them next time your fuel gauge is getting close to E or if you need a new set of tires!

11/28/2024

We hope your day is full of all the things you love and hold dear. Happy Thanksgiving!

11/25/2024

If you've ever wanted to know more about us and what we do in our community, please join us! You do not have to represent a business to participate. Our membership consists of businesses and individuals.

11/20/2024

⚠️CHRISTMAS PARADE INFO👇

🎄When: Saturday 12/14 at 1 PM (floats will line up at 12PM near the CHS cafeteria)

🎄Where: The parade will travel from Franklin & Snyder to Town Hall. We have lots of candy to share along the way.

🎄Theme: A Whoville Christmas Parade

🎄Santa will be available for photos after the parade downtown in front of First United Bank. First United will also be providing free hot dogs after the parade. Join us!

🎄There is no registration process for entries. Simply show up for lineup at 12PM and join the mandatory meeting at 12:30PM in front of the CHS cafeteria doors. All float types are welcome!

Message us or text 580-775-0292 for information.

11/18/2024

Seth Davis is a three-year member of the Colbert FFA and the Shotgun Sports Team, and his favorite things to do are practice for and attend shoots. His hard work and dedication have certainly paid off because, this year, he advanced to the State FFA shoot in the Junior Division! Not only has being a member of the shooting team been fun, but it also holds special memoriesfor him. Coach Osborne and Tayte Boyd have inspired Seth along the way, and, when notscoring a perfect twenty-five out of twenty-five in shooting contests, you can find Seth enjoying his free time by playing video games, hunting, or fishing.

Keep up the great work, Seth, and congratulations on being featured as November’s Laudable Leopard!

11/12/2024

Our member spotlight for November is Chance Wimberley, currently secretary-treasurer of the Colbert Chamber of Commerce, of which he has been a member since 2011.

The Colbert Chamber of Commerce is known for the annual hamburger fundraiser and Christmas Parade, and membership is open to anyone who wishes to join! Chance says his most enjoyable moment as a chamber member is getting to observe the excitement on people’s faces during the Christmas Parade.

Aside from the Chamber, Chance enjoys history and genealogy, especially Chickasaw history! The town of Colbert is actually named for Chance’s ancestor, B. F. Colbert.

He says his favorite thing about Colbert is, again, its rich history and the role it has played in Chickasaw and Oklahoma history. Many might not know Colbert was the location of the Red River Bridge War between Oklahoma and Texas.

Congratulations on being featured as November’s member spotlight!

11/04/2024

For many years, the Colbert Chamber of Commerce has offered a scholarship to a graduating senior. However, interest has declined over the last several years, so we decided to launch a new program for Colbert’s teachers by offering them a $500 scholarship to be used in their classroom.

If you are a teacher in the district or know a teacher, please pass this information along. The deadline is March 1, 2025!

11/04/2024

First United Bank has deep roots in our community. Rhyan Newton, Community Bank President, recently shared with the Chamber that First United Bank & Trust began as Durant National Bank which was founded in the 1900’s.

First United offers a wide range of financial services, from retail and commercial to trust, brokerage, mortgage, and insurance products. Their services are easily accessible through an extensive network of community bank locations throughout Oklahoma and Texas.

First United Bank is not your typical bank. They are driven by a higher purpose and guided by a core set of values that inspire them to serve all of their stakeholders – employees, customers, shareholders, communities, and partners, and their purpose is to inspire and empower others to Spend Life Wisely. Through Love and Impact, they will elevate 10 million lives by 2030. One customer. One family. One community at a time.

When asked what his favorite thing about doing business in Colbert is, Ryan shared that Colbert is more than just a community, it’s a family. The residents actively support one another and share common values and goals that align with First United Bank & Trust! Stop in and visit with Rhyan and the First United team and let them help you with your financial needs.