Paula Riggs, the former executive director with the Mountain Home Chamber of Commerce, presents Randy Valley with the chamber’s annual lifetime achievement award during this year’s chamber banquet Saturday evening.

Photo by Brian S. Orban

The American spirit from the Roaring 20s nearly a century ago filled the air at the Mountain Home Elks Lodge on Saturday as representatives with the Mountain Home Chamber of Commerce celebrated the accomplishments of two people who received yearly honors.

Honored during the Mountain Home Chamber of Commerce’s Installation Banquet that evening, Jeff Paradis and Patti Ferrell joined the nearly 70 other individuals that earned these awards since 1993.

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During a ceremony held in 2004, Joe McNeal was sworn in as the mayor of Mountain Home where he served as the city’s leader until 2008.

File photo

Flags in Mountain Home remain at half staff in honor of the city’s first black mayor who passed away Sunday at the age of 89.

Joe McNeal, who served as the city’s first African American mayor as well as the second in Idaho, represented “a distinguished leader whose dedication and service to our community left an indelible mark on the City of Mountain Home,” said Mayor Rich Sykes in a post shared on social media Monday morning.

For the full story, pick up a copy of the Mountain Home News or click on this link to subscribe to the newspaper’s online edition.