Good Morning Lebanon: August 28, 2026

Friday morning brought another packed edition of Good Morning Lebanon, with hosts Ashley Mahan and Brian Hash mixing community updates, local business spotlights, upcoming events and plenty of good-natured competition from the Ozark Fiber Studios.

Produced by Lebanon Now in partnership with the Lebanon Area Chamber of Commerce, the weekly show featured conversations with Mary Hess about one of the community’s longest-running charity golf tournaments and Jennifer Nelson of Tees Tees about building a local business centered around custom products, fundraisers and giving back.

And, as usual, Ashley and Brian found plenty of time to give each other a hard time along the way.

28 Years of Golf and Giving Back

Mary Hess joined the show to talk about the upcoming Charity Golf Classic, scheduled for October 9 at GreatLife Golf & Fitness at Lebanon.

The tournament began in 1998 and is now entering its 28th year. Hess said the event has raised approximately $1.2 million for local nonprofit organizations since it began.

“We’re really proud of that because it’s really the longest-running fundraiser for our nonprofits,” Hess said. “The more we raise, the more we get to give back, but all of it stays right here in Laclede County.”

Hess said the tournament typically helps between 20 and 25 organizations each year, supporting programs that address food insecurity, transportation, senior services, foster children, children at risk, Special Olympics and other community needs.

Among the organizations and programs supported over the years are L-Life Food Pantry, backpack programs, Hughes Senior Center, Conway Senior Center and OATS Transportation.

For Hess, the event is about much more than golf.

“It’s not just another golf tournament for us because we really do give back to the community,” she said.

Approximately 144 golfers participate, along with volunteers who help throughout the course with games, activities and tournament operations.

Hess said players do not have to be experienced golfers to participate.

“It’s not all about the score,” she said. “We just have a really good time.”

Teams and sponsorship opportunities are still available for the October 9 tournament.

Tees Tees Turns Custom Apparel Into Community Support

Jennifer Nelson of Tees Tees joined Ashley for the second featured interview of the morning.

Nelson started Tees Tees in 2024 after moving to the Lebanon area. The business was created in honor of her sister, who had passed away and had a love for funny slogans and T-shirts.

Nelson said giving back was part of the business from the beginning.

“One thing that I love about Lebanon is that it is a community and everybody loves to support each other,” she said.

Tees Tees specializes in custom apparel and promotional items with no large minimum order requirements. That means the company can help everyone from established businesses ordering branded apparel to a one-person operation that simply needs a single shirt.

The business also works extensively with local fundraisers.

Nelson said Tees Tees has created campaigns for nonprofits, families facing medical challenges and memorial fundraisers following the loss of a loved one.

For many fundraisers, orders can be placed online, allowing friends and family outside of Lebanon to participate. Rather than waiting until a fundraiser ends to produce everything at once, Nelson said Tees Tees can often make and distribute products as orders arrive.

In addition to shirts, the company offers hats, custom quilts, koozies, backpacks, embroidered items, personalized baby products and business branding materials.

“If you can think of something that you wear, it can be either stitched or pressed,” Nelson said. “You just dream it up.”

Nelson also credited the Lebanon Area Chamber of Commerce and the broader community with helping the business grow.

She said Chamber events such as the Business Builders Luncheon have helped her meet other local business owners and build connections.

Chamber Spotlight: Cackle Hatchery Celebrates 90 Years

This week’s Chamber Spotlight recognized Cackle Hatchery, which is celebrating 90 years in business.

The Chamber plans to hold a ribbon cutting in October during Cackle Hatchery’s annual fall festivities.

Ashley and Brian highlighted the company’s long history in Lebanon and the visitors it brings to the community from across the country.

They also floated the idea of bringing representatives from Cackle Hatchery onto Good Morning Lebanon later this fall to share more of the company’s story.

Chamber Events Ahead

The Lebanon Area Chamber of Commerce also has several upcoming events.

A ribbon cutting is scheduled for September 1 at 1 p.m. at the Robert W. Plaster Center for Student Success.

Another ribbon cutting will be held September 11 for the American Legion at 2538 Evergreen Parkway. That event begins at 2 p.m., and attendees are encouraged to wear red, white and blue.

The September Business Builders Luncheon is scheduled for September 18 at noon at the Cowan Civic Center. Ozark Fiber will be the featured presenter.

Registration also opens September 1 for Lebanon’s annual Christmas Parade.

This year’s theme is Christmas on the Mother Road, celebrating the 100th anniversary of Route 66.

The parade will be held November 21, with Bruce Owen serving as grand marshal.

Plenty Happening Around Lebanon

The show also highlighted a busy calendar of upcoming community events.

The End of Summer Sale at Elevate Thrift Store continues through Saturday, August 29.

Also on August 29, the Route 66 Cruise In and Battle of the Bands will be held at Lebanon I-44 Speedway with live music, cars, children’s activities and racing.

Applications for 2027 Community Cares grants through the Lebanon Area Foundation are due by 5 p.m. Monday, August 31.

Downtown Lebanon will be busy September 4 with the Downtown Creative Crawl from 5 to 7 p.m., First Friday activities and live music at Downtown Plaza from 6 to 8 p.m.

Community Cares Rocks will also be held September 4 from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Lebanon Art Guild, giving participants an opportunity to paint rocks with encouraging messages to distribute throughout Laclede County.

The Lebanon-Laclede County Library will host its 19th annual Murrell McCracken Lillard Book Giveaway on September 8, featuring The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame.

The annual mum sale at Southern Heights Christian Church is scheduled for September 11 and 12.

Then on Saturday, September 12, Shepherd Hills Cutlery will host the 2026 Case Celebration in the Ozarks from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., featuring Case knife savings, free knife sharpening, bluegrass music, contests, drawings and a live auction.

Later in September, Northridge Place will host its 80s Mall Murder Madness dinner, and Downtown Lebanon will present Dinner Under the Downtown Lights.

The Battle for Brian’s Chair Continues

Of course, it would not be Good Morning Lebanon without a little chaos.

Brian opened the show concerned that David Millsap may be attempting to steal his co-hosting position after Ashley appeared on Millsap in the Morning earlier in the week.

Clips from Ashley’s interview showed Millsap repeatedly inviting her back and joking about finding a day when Brian could be “busy.”

Brian was less than impressed.

“I’m going to ratchet strap myself into this chair,” he joked.

Ashley eventually reminded him that Millsap was simply a nice person and a good host, although that did little to settle the developing inter-show rivalry.

The pair later took their competition to a National Red Wine Day trivia contest, with questions covering Missouri wine country, the state grape and unusually named wine bottle sizes.

Brian ultimately claimed the victory.

It may also have been the end of trivia as viewers know it.

Beginning next week, the show plans to introduce a new series of games and challenges sponsored by Scott Event Rentals, including challenges inspired by popular social media trends.

That announcement prompted perhaps the most concerning advice Ashley and Brian received all morning:

They may want to stretch first.

Good Morning Lebanon airs Friday mornings from the Ozark Fiber Studios and is produced by Lebanon Now in partnership with the Lebanon Area Chamber of Commerce.