The 2009 Citizen of the Year will be named tonight, Thursday, Nov. 12, during the annual Chamber of Commerce-Tourist Bureau banquet.

The presentation will be followed with entertainment by the Almost Patsy Cline Band.

The theme of the banquet, Black Tie & Blue Jeans, is a nod to the evening’s entertainment.

The banquet will be at the Civic Center, 710 W. Ave. A.

Ticket sales closed Tuesday, Nov. 10.

The evening will start with a mixer and cash bar at 6:30 p.m., followed at 7:30 p.m. by dinner and the program, during which the recipient of the 2009 Citizen of the Year will be revealed, and a special award will be presented.

The Citizen of the Year award recognizes individuals for past and current service in several aspects of the community. The service is above and beyond the requirements of the individual’s employment.

Recipients have long records of giving back to the community without expectation of personal or professional gain.

Previous recipients of the Citizen of the Year Award are, starting in 1991, Dale Bietendorf, the late Lillian Graham, Mark Creighton, Una Farley, the late J.C. and Wanda Barr, Georgia Neblett, Mike Hall, the late Barbara Sheppard, John Thompson, the city’s first responders in 2001, George Horner, Pam Greene, Betty Crawford, Charlie and Linda Zahn, Richard Safford, Chuck Borders and, in 2008, Barbara Behrens and Arlene Hughes.

After the presentation, it will be time for dancing to the Almost Patsy Cline Band, which plays traditional music from legendary artists of the past. Band members Larry Nolen (guitar, vocals), Paul McLaughlin (guitar, vocals) and Rick Reynolds (drums, vocals) offer songs from Bob Wills, Waylon Jennings, Ray Price, Chuck Berry, Elvis and others while Lanette Pennell (bassist, songwriter, vocalist) and Vicki Gillespie (actress, keyboard player, vocalist) deliver the balance of the female legends.

Pennell and Gillespie formed the band in 2002. Frequent requests for songs by country music legend Patsy Cline spawned the name of the band.

Gettin’ Older’s Getting’ Easy, the band’s first CD (2004), and the band’s second CD, Love At First Dance (2005), exceeded all expectations with sales in the thousands. A third CD, Almost Patsy, was released in November of 2007. It is a respectful tribute to Patsy Cline.

The band performs throughout the state at such venues as Celebrate Bandera, the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo, the Gillespie County Fair, the 2008 Texas Association of Fairs and Events Showcase in Austin and at numerous private dance clubs, corporate events and fundraisers.