It wasnât a group of carolers, but they did bring good tidings.
Joel Viterna, incoming president of the Louisburg Chamber of Commerce, greeted Golba with a smile and a plaque to honor the longtime resident as the Chamberâs 2020 Citizen of the Year.
The top citizen is recognized at the Chamberâs annual dinner, and the announcement is usually a well-guarded secret until that evening. The Chamber dinner was canceled this year because of the pandemic, but the Chamber and Golbaâs wife Becky still wanted to make the award a surprise.
They succeeded.
âIt was a total surprise,â Chuck Golba said. âWe had our kids over for an early Christmas, and my wife kept telling me I needed to go outside. I couldnât figure out why and then I looked outside and saw all those people. I thought, âOh, I donât know what this is, but I better go see.ââ