Business emphasized at chamber banquet

Optimism and enthusiasm shared equal billing Friday night at the Frisco Center as the largest crowd in at least seven years – and maybe a lot longer than that – turned out for the city’s annual Chamber of Commerce banquet.
Before recognizing a half dozen of this year’s leading citizens, the 216 people present were treated to a brief history lesson from the 1970s, courtesy of Mayor-Elect David Berrong who served as master of ceremonies. The ’70s were of course the disco era, and a few of the braver attendees showed up with shag hairdos and bell-bottom pants reminiscent of those times.
Berrong reminded the crowd of a few historical highlights from that decade, including President Richard Nixon’s visit to China followed by his reelection and scandal-forced resignation; the continuation and finally the end of the Vietnam War; the nation’s first big gasoline war when OPEC restricted supplies, causing long lines at gas pumps and prices that escalated to 65 cents a gallon; and the Iranian hostage situation which eventually led to Ronald Reagan’s election as president.