Issaquah recognizes those who make the city better by distributing Community Awards. The ceremony was held recently to honor the business owners, volunteers, and students who are dedicated to their community.
The Greater Issaquah Chamber of Commerce hosted the event, which was the 40th time the awards have been presented. They went to people who made contributions of all kinds, from organizing Salmon Days to working with teens.
Perhaps the biggest winners of the evening were Frances Walton and Dan Anderson, who received the Issaquah Hall of Fame Award. Walton, who plays the cello, has founded several music programs and organizations, including the Bellevue Youth Symphony, which she created in 1958, and Philharmonic Northwest, which she established in 1972. In 1964, she create the seasonal music program for Issaquah schools.
Anderson has spent many years support the Village Theater, the Kiwanis Club, and the Eastside Master Chorus. He is on several committees of the Kiwanis, and is the senior member of the Village Theater Board.
Other awards went to state senator Mark Mullet for his work in the legislature and nonprofits. He received the Citizen of the Year award. Mike Raab won the Issaquah Chamber Spawnor Roll award for his work on the city's Salmon Days celebration, while Marni Kurti and Sam Brown were honored with the Life Enrichment Options Community Caring Award for their years of work as volunteers. Banner printing is often used at events like this to provide decorations.
