A record crowd was on hand Monday night as the annual Henryetta Chamber of Commerce banquet was held.
With the theme, "Make Henryetta Home," the event honored local residents who did thier part to make Henryetta a better place to live.
The highlight of the evening was selection of James Paige as Henryettan of the Year. Page, who heads up the Joy In Life Ministry was honored by the Henryetta Free Lance for his efforts in organizing a series of activities as well as providing food and clothing to a number of residents.
A number of special awards were presented to invididuals and organizations for their work during the past year.
The successful Highway to Henryetta festival was recognized with the Chamber Appreciation Award to Tony Fay and his ublic relations firm. That event was said to have brought over 10,000 people to Nichols Park.
Longtime businessman Donnie Smith was the recipient of the Community Service award. He has served as treasurer for the chamber for several decades and has been involved in many community events.
A long-time Henryetta business that has just undergone a change in ownership, G&H Decoy was named the Business of the Year for 2022.
Henryetta's Christmas season was sparked with the Hallmark Henrhetta parade and event in December. As a result, Valerie Mosco and Kelly Dobson were presented with the Nailed It award for their work in organizing the evening affair.
At the same time, AEP-Public Service received the award marking them as the sponsor for the parade.
A special award, the John Wayne Award, recognizes the work by an individual who puts extra effort in projects, never asks for anything and makes sure they accomplish their goals. This year the recipient was Lyle Stogner.
The Roy Madden Top Hand Award went to Justin Been and Liz Bealko for their efforts producing a number of special musical events and making Henryetta prominent in the entertainment field. Been is the drama coach at Henryetta High Shcool and Bealko, a graduate of HHS, has been instrumental in organizing the H-Town Theatre and building it from a cast of four or five.
Other awards presented during the evening went to outgoing chamber president Shawn Okerson and outgoing directors Nancy Wadley, Steve Sanford, Angie Thomas and Grant Jenson.
Guests attending the dinner saw a number of decorations from school years gone past as well as photographs dedicated to people who have called Henryetta home over the decades.
One of the highlights of the evening were a dozen members of the H-Town Theatre performing some of their selections from the recent showcase.