Etowah Water and Sewer Authority is calling on the help of its customers to commemorate what General Manager Brooke Anderson calls a "significant milestone."

A customer appreciation cookout is scheduled for 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday at Etowah Water and Sewer Authority's offices - an event to honor the company's years of service.

Anderson said it "felt like a good opportunity, a good moment in time, to take a moment and reflect on how we got here and who got us here."

The customer appreciation event will also feature giveaways, including T-shirts and water bottles. The first 100 customers to show up will receive a commemorative booklet chronicling the authority's history.

Anderson said the authority hopes to make the event an annual gathering.

It was 25 years ago when Etowah Water and Sewer Authority's first water treatment plant began pumping water to its customers around Dawson County.

The authority was actually created in 1980, but it wasn't until 1986 that a solid customer base had been established and a water distribution system was put in place.

"We're very proud of our past," Anderson said. "We're also proud of where we're at, and we're very much looking forward to the future and seeing what the future holds."

Etowah Water and Sewer Authority is located at 1162 Hwy. 53 East.

For more information, call (706) 216-8474 or visit www.etowahwater.org.