Nov. 20, 2021 — “Welcome to our first Business After Hours since February of 2020!” said Florence Area Chamber of Commerce President/CEO Bettina Hannigan. “Nice to see your smiling faces and all those wrist bands out there. It’s nice to have you here.” The chamber welcomed more than 100 people to a networking event at the Florence Events Center on Thursday, after requiring preregistration and a COVID safety agreement. Attendees could then wear one of three wristbands indicating their comfort level with interacting with others. The event was sponsored Three Mile Prairie and FACE (Florence Arts, Culture and Entertainment), with live music by Its Justus. The event center provided catering and tables for people to spread out and socialize while networking and preparing for additional in-person events this holiday season. In addition, the event allowed the chamber to show the banner designs selected to invite people to eat, stay, shop and play in the area. “This is what we're built for — to do economic development for our community,” Hannigan said.