On Sunday, we’ll kick off several weeks of special coverage of our 2012 Only in Lawrence honorees.

The public is invited to a reception Thursday afternoon to highlight these folks’ contributions to our community. The reception honoring the Larry Award honorees starts at 5:30 p.m. Thursday at the News Center, Seventh and New Hampshire.

We hope you can join us as we applaud our hometown heroes who make Lawrence such a great place to live, work and play.