Gasconade County and the city of Hermann will host Meramec Regional Planning Commission’s (MRPC) 2023 annual dinner and award ceremony on Oct. 26 at the Hermannhof Festhalle in Hermann.
Each year, MRPC requests proposals from cities and counties in the Meramec Region to host the annual dinner event, where volunteers from across the region are honored for their contributions to their communities and the region. The MRPC board evaluates proposals and selects the location based on various criteria.
“Volunteers are a tremendous resource in our rural areas,” MRPC Executive Director Bonnie Prigge said. “It is through volunteers that things get accomplished and things happen. Recognizing their efforts in the region is the very least we can do for the work they accomplish. Our annual dinner highlights some of the best volunteer efforts and hopefully inspires others to serve and provides an idea for an activity or program in another community. We will also recognize some youth volunteers in hopes of encouraging other youth to volunteer in their communities and to promote life-long volunteerism.”
Residents in Crawford, Dent, Gasconade, Maries, Osage, Phelps, Pulaski and Washington counties may purchase tickets at a cost of $40 each for the dinner and awards ceremony. Dinner will include barbecue smoked chicken in a tangy Black Shire Whiskey sauce and pork schnitzel with a creamy dill gravy as the entrees.
Gasconade County Presiding Commissioner Tim Schulte encourages individuals to make it a weekend and book one of Hermann’s numerous accommodations and enjoy Octoberfest which will be going on around the same time.
Hermann last hosted MRPC’s annual dinner in 2018. Award recipients will be announced soon, and MRPC will begin taking reservations for the event in September.
