Mark the calendar for a special night of honoring Oakdale’s best and brightest in mid-January.

At the Oakdale Annual Awards Banquet each year, the Oakdale Chamber of Commerce honors members of the community for Citizen of the Year, Junior Achievement, Community Service, Business of the Year and Lifetime Achievement.

“The purpose is to honor individuals, organizations and businesses who have worked unselfishly to improve our Oakdale community and help others,” said Chamber CEO Mary Guardiola.

The Gilbert Family is being recognized with the 2015 Lifetime Achievement Award for their dedication to the Oakdale community for so many years.

Citizen of the Year nominees include Jo Harris and Travis Johnson, while the Community Service Award nominees are Central Valley Realtors Association/Oakdale, Friends of the Oakdale Library, Oakdale Equine Rescue, Oakdale Family Resource and Counseling Center.

Business of the Year nominees are Basi Insurance, The Oakdale Leader, Oakdale MMA, Prime Shine.

Junior Achievement nominees are Gustavo Torres Carrillo, Alyssa Castano, Hope Kindred, Kate Wessling.

“Please join us at the Gene Bianchi Community Center and help us honor these individuals, service organizations and businesses for their outstanding contributions to the Oakdale community,” Guardiola said.

The Awards Banquet is planned for Friday, Jan. 15 starting at 6 p.m. at the Bianchi Community Center, 110 S. Second Ave., Oakdale.

Tickets for the special celebratory evening are on sale now at the Oakdale Chamber of Commerce office and on the Oakdale Chamber website for $40 per person. Seating is limited; reserve your tickets by Tuesday, Jan. 12. If available, tickets at the door will be $50. For more information, call 847-2244.

Look for profiles of the nominees in both the Jan. 6 and Jan. 13 issues of The Leader, prior to the Jan. 15 awards ceremony.