It’s time to break out gowns and black ties for the Catoosa County Chamber of Commerce’s 24th annual gala. The event will take place on Feb. 6 at The Colonnade.

This year’s theme is “The Silver Lining.” Caroline Lorenzo with Northwest Georgia Bank was in charge of organizing the event this year.

This black-tie-optional gala is one of the Chamber’s largest fundraising events of the year.

The cost for attending is $65 for Chamber members and $130 for non-members. Everyone is invited to attend.

At the gala, a reception will take place at 6:30 p.m., followed by dinner at 7 p.m. The menu will be chicken cordon blue, bacon-wrapped cracked pepper filet, twice-baked potatoes, asparagus, freshly roasted veggies, salad, dinner rolls, banana foster cake, and Reese’s peanut butter cake.

This year’s entertainment is the band Moon Dance, which returns from the 2008 gala.

Awards will be given for Small, Medium, and Large Business of the Year, as well as Citizen of the Year. The Chamber asked for nominations from members and the public. The past chairman’s advisory group decides who the awards are given to. The business award recipients must be Chamber members.

Here are the nominees for the business awards:

Small Business

4AllThingsWeb.com

Coffee News

JB Millworks

Brent Pennington, DDS

Medium Business

Battlefield Imaging

Georgia Department of Labor

Rosewood Assisted Living

Wilson Funeral Homes

Large Business

Angel Emergency Medical Services

Chick-Fil-A

Hutcheson Medical Center

Northwest Georgia Bank

Wal-Mart

The recipient of the Citizen of the Year award does not have to be a Chamber member, but a resident of Catoosa County.

Here are the nominees for Citizen of the Year:

Phil Summers has been the Catoosa County sheriff for almost 20 years. Before being elected sheriff, he worked in Walker County. He has served in law enforcement for the past 33 years. During his administration as sheriff, Catoosa County has seen a focus on community policing, a reduction in crime, and more community and school programs than ever before.

Shay Drennan-Love became the fundraiser coordinator for the Catoosa County Foster and Adoptive Parent Association in 2005. She has organized two major fundraisers, which have been annual events since 2006, called the “Adopt A Date Bachelor Auction” and the “Ride For Smiles” motorcycle ride. These two fundraisers have raised many thousand of dollars for the CPAPA.

Johnny Jennings helps the Georgia Baptist Children’s Fund by collecting newspapers, magazines and aluminum cans from businesses and churches in Catoosa and Walker counties and recycling them. He worked for Combustion Engineering in Chattanooga for 40 years.

Joan DeRose (posthumously) was born and raised in Catoosa County. She was the assistant principle of Ringgold Primary School and the principal of Woodstation Elementary School when it opened. She battled with cancer while staying positive, but eventually lost her life.

Charles Lancaster has helped with many local organizations, such as the Catoosa County Family Collaborative, Ringgold Kiwanis Club, Local Emergency Planning Committee, Community Emergency Response Team, and the Catoosa County Children’s Fund, and also served in leadership roles. He is the county extension coordinator for the Catoosa County Extension Office and works with the Master Gardner and 4-H Club through his office.