The evening sky was not the only place stars could be found Sunday night in Lake County. The 10th annual Stars of Lake County Community Awards Celebration played out in front of a packed house at Konocti Harbor Resort & Spa ? a fitting tribute to a decade of honoring Lake County”s most special residents.
“There were 10 roses in the centerpieces,” said Melissa Fulton, executive director of the Greater Lakeport Chamber of Commerce. “We started out saying that we were going to do something different, and then time got away from us.”
The event ? one that began with an anticipated lifespan of five years ? has outlived anyone”s expectations.
“The difference of course, is that we started out with less than 15 awards, and now because of the evolution of the event and the suggestions of the committee, we now have 23 awards,” said Fulton.
In addition to bringing more categories to the event, many subcategories have been added as well. The Student of the Year and Lifetime Achievement awards now honor respective male and female recipients. These changes, not necessarily permanent, are reflective of the ever-changing nature of the Stars of Lake County Awards.
Top honors of Man of the Year and Woman of the Year went to John Norcio and Dr. Louise Nan. Norcio is the owner of Lakeport McDonald”s and Dr. Nan has spent years working in the Konocti Unified School District. Both were commended for their civic involvement and tireless dedication to the community and the people within it.
Lifetime Achievement awards were given to Bill Cornelison and Thelma Dangel, who have dedicated much of their lives to community growth and development.
More formally known as the Marla Ruzicka Award, Humanitarian of the Year went to Dr. Tony Veletto, who was honored for his extensive involvement with the Tribal Health clinic in Lakeport. A short film on Ruzicka and her humanitarian work in the Middle East was played for a humbled and quiet audience ? the same one that was shown at memorials in Washington D.C. The showing received a standing ovation.
A total of 122 nominees topped out the field this year, bearing homage to the incredible success the awards ceremony has become.
One special award ? the Wind Beneath Our Wings award ? was given to Fulton herself, who in addition to many civic and community involvements, has been a driving force behind Stars since its inception. Visibly surprised, Fulton accepted her award arm in arm with husband John.
Entertainment for the night included David Neft ? who took home a Stars award for having the Spirit of Lake County ? along with Sao-Jia Chang, pianist; a jazz ensemble consisting of Miss Lake County Rina Ferrario on saxophone, Hamed Hokamzadeh on piano, David Ferrario on base and Isaac McQueen on drums; EarReverence; Bill Bordisso; Valerie Reid; Nick Reid; Carole Cole Lewis; Michelle Wells, pianist and Jessica Rose Greene, vocalist.
The event, which included a five-course dinner, was sponsored by the Lake County Record-Bee and Konocti Harbor Resort & Spa.
With so many nominated and the span of awards doled out increasing, a few words of advice were offered for next year”s event.
“There are so many people out there that are deserving,” Fulton said. “The hardest part is to get the people who know of the special people ? to get them to take the time to sit down and write a nomination. That seems to be the difficult part of the process.”
The 2007 Stars of Lake County Award recipients are:
? Man of the Year ? John Norcio
? Woman of the Year ? Dr. Louise Nan
? Large Business ? Piedmont Lumber & Nursery
? Small Business ? Strong Financial Network
? Agriculture Award ? Jim Fetzer, Ceago Vinegarden
? Youth Advocate ? Volunteer ? Roy & Charlotte Disney
? Youth Advocate ? Profes-sional ? Mike Stempe
? Student ? Male ? Jorel Allegro
? Student ? Female ? Lauren Nixon
? Arts ? Amateur ? Cindy Car
? Arts ? Professional ? Caroline Greenlee
? Volunteer of the Year ? Margaret Medeiros
? Marla Ruzicka Humanitarian ? Dr. Tony Veletto
? Senior of the Year ? Shari Koch
? Best Idea ? Blue Grass Festival
? Organization: Non-Profit ? Meals on Wheels
? Organization: Volunteer ? Free Kitchen Project
? Local Hero ? Lt. Mike Hermann & R.N. Lisa Denny
? Life Time Achievement: Male ? Bill Cornelison
? Life Time Achievement: Female ? Thelma Dangel
? New Business Award ? Aero Airport Shuttle & Charter Service
? Environ-mental Award ? Frank Meisenbach
? Spirit of Lake County ? David Neft
? Wind Beneath Our Wings ? Melissa Fulton
Contact Aura Thomas at athomas@record-bee.com.
