Five Mill Valley artists and arts advocates will receive bronze statuettes at the Milley Awards on Oct. 18.

The ceremony takes place at the Mill Valley Community Center. In what organizers call the event's 35th year, this year's honorees are George Daly (musical arts), Genna Panzarella (visual arts), Valerie Andrews (literary arts), Brian Narelle (performing arts) and Sharon Valentino (contributions to the arts community). A judging panel of Erma Murphy, Joan Murray, Rona Weintraub and Valentina Gnup selected the five from public nominations, according to Enjoy Mill Valley.

Narelle, an Emmy-winning writer, actor, puppeteer and animator, worked on "The Adventures of Thelma Thumb" for Sesame Street. He supervised animation on Lucasfilm's "Twice Upon a Time" as part of Korty Films. He and his wife, Robin Goodrow, co-wrote and starred in the Discovery Channel children's series "Bingo and Molly." His Mill Valley memories are specific. "I used to walk up Cascade to the waterfall every morning, sing to the forest, then head down to Korty Films with coffee from the Depot," Narelle told Mill Valley Briefing. "Paradise and Hollywood."

Panzarella, a Mill Valley resident for about 50 years, specializes in chalk paintings on asphalt. Her "street canvases" have appeared across the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Italy, Israel and Hong Kong. She told Mill Valley Briefing that the work demands intense preparation for art that passersby may see for only seconds.

Valentino, a Mill Valley Arts Commissioner serving her second term through February 2029, helped institute the city's first formal public art policy. The city’s Art Box Initiative transforms utility boxes into art canvases. Valentino told Mill Valley Briefing that the arts are not an ornament to community life but a necessity, and urged better funding alongside careful decisions about where and how much public art the town places.

Andrews, a journalist and author, told Mill Valley Briefing that her connection to Mill Valley began in 1976, when she ran on Mount Tamalpais while researching her first book. Her most recent work, "The Story of Home: Tales of Longing and Belonging," explores where and how people live. She described her hopes for the town's arts scene as a growing mix of jazz, improv classes, the Mountain Play, the Mill Valley Film Festival and sidewalk art.

Daly, a musician, songwriter and music producer, has lived and worked in Mill Valley for about five decades. He has collaborated with local artists including Marty Balin and the Rowan Brothers, according to the Milley Awards website.

The evening begins with a wine reception featuring appetizers by Lima Nikkei, the Peruvian-Japanese restaurant in Mill Valley's El Paseo. A buffet by Marin caterer Debbie Ghiringhelli follows, with wines from Mill Valley vintners. Emcees Celeste Perry and Abby Wasserman will present the awards, accompanied by tribute videos from local videographer Kit Larson. Singer-songwriter Emilie Raines caps the night with a performance.

Tickets are $125 at milleyawards.org.