Time to roast Gary.

The Bluffton Area Chamber of Commerce will honor Gary Kirtland, a Bluffton Main Street businessman for nearly a half-century, during the 7 a.m., Friday, Sept. 11, chamber breakfast, in the Bluffton town hall.

This is the first chamber meeting of the 2015-16 seasons. The breakfast program is a roast of Kirtland, who operated Kirtland’s Auto Sales on Main Street Bluffton until his retirement earlier this year.

A cast of roasters is in the works, according to Fred Steiner, chamber director. “This will be the most interesting chamber breakfast of its kind ever held in Bluffton. We are really looking forward to it. If you have a good Gary Kirtland story, contact me,” he added.

Kirtland’s Bluffton legacy involves more than simply selling cars and changing oil.

Among his storied activities includes:
• Sky-diving onto Main Street to win a bet
• Delivering soccer and footballs in pre-game ceremonies on Harmon Field in sky-dives
• Being the number 1 supporter of several legendary Bluffton High School girls’ basketball teams in the late 1990s
• Provider of the American flag in the BHS gymnasium
• allowing his service station lobby to be one of the major command posts of Bluffton information
• and, a life-long tradition of superior customer service where he and his employees often went the extra mile on repairs and auto advice

• Bluffton University is the breakfast sponsor.
• The breakfast caterer is The Dough Hook.
• Persons interested in attending the free breakfast may RSVP to [email protected].

The program will also include introduction of several new members and new Bluffton businesses.