Thursday night’s game at FifthThird Bank Ballpark is going to be special, and not only because it’s Chicago Sports Night, with former Cubs Gary Matthews, Lee Smith and Steve Trout on hand to sign autographs.

It will be special, too, because it’s employee recognition night for Kane County, and Deborah Banker, a Kane County Department of Employment & Education employee with 40 years of service, will throw out the first pitch.

Gates at the ballpark will open at 5:15 p.m., so those who get to the game early will see a brief, special recognition of Kane County employees with 20 or more years of public service. In all, 172 staff members will be named — a group that has contributed 4,395 years of service to Kane County. Of those, 138 have reached 20-plus  years, 30 are celebrating their 30-plus-year milestones, three have devoted more than 40 years and one — Suzanne Byrum of the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office — has been serving the residents of Kane County for 45 years.

Just for the record and for any tax watchdogs out there, employees are paying their own way to the game.

The Cougars are celebrating the “30th Anniversary of the 1984 Eastern Division Champion Cubs.” Residents — and probably more than a few Kane County employees — will be able to meet the stars and get autographs.

There will be the usual fireworks and running of the bases and the “Chicago Bears Drumline,” if I’m reading the Cougars webpage correctly, as well as Ozzie the Cougar and the entertaining between-inning hijinks.

There will also be more than a little heartfelt gratitude for the county employees who will be honored during the pregame ceremony.

Here’s a list of the folks who have served Kane County residents for 20 years or more:

45-Plus Years of Service

• Suzanne Byrum, State’s Attorney’s Office — 45 years

40-Plus Years of Service

• Janet Halsey, State’s Attorney’s Office — 44 years
• Deborah Banker, KCDEE — 40 years
• Lynne Ellberg, Animal Control — 40 years

30-Plus Years of Service

• Hamid Ahmed, Development Department — 39 years
• Della Winckler, Treasurer’s Office — 39  years
• James Caulfield, Sheriff ‘s Office — 38 years
• John Guddendorf, Transportation — 36  years
• Cecelia Hackman, Circuit Clerk’s Office — 36 years
• Terry Jensen, Circuit Clerk’s Office — 36 years
• Thomas Bumgarner, Sheriff’s Office — 35 years
• Deborah Phillips, Information Technologies — 35 years
• Martha Poe, Sheriff’s Office — 35 years
• Tarri Banas, Information Technologies — 34 years
• Linda Hagemann, State’s Attorney’s Office — 34 years
• Peggy Stover, Information Technologies — 34 years
• Thomas Benson, Veteran’s Commission — 33 years
• James Essig, Circuit Clerk’s Office — 33 years
• John Essig, Circuit Clerk’s Office  — 33 years
• Ann Lambert, Circuit Clerk’s Office — 33 years
• Barbara Biddle, Judiciary and Courts — 32 years
• Jeffrey Bumbar, Sheriff”s Office — 32 years
• Randy Reusch, Court Services/Adult Drug Court — 32 years
• George Torres, Court Services/Court Services Admin — 32 years
• Dale Tucker, Court Services/Court Services Admin — 32 years
• Thomas Beart, Transportation — 31 years
• Gary Erickson, Information Technologies — 31 years
• Ronald Grommes, Sheriff’s Office — 31 years
• Juan Mancilla, Sheriff’s Office — 31 years
• Douglas Naughton, Judiciary and Courts — 31 years
• Ira Nelson, Court Services/Court Services Admin — 30 years
• Andrew Smith, Sheriff’s Office — 30 years
• Lisa Smith, Circuit Clerk’s Office — 30 years
• Sonya Tucker, Court Services/Juvenile Justice Center — 30 years

20-Plus Years of Service

• Rick Anselme, Court Service, Juvenile Justice Center — 28 years
• Colleen Cole, Sheriff — 28 years
• Thomas Mack, Development — 28 years
• Martha Offutt, Gruber Court Services/Court Services Admin — 28 years
• Mary Smith, Court Services/Court Services Admin — 28 years
• Daniel Swanson, Sheriff — 28 years
• Mazher Ahmed, Information Technologies — 27 years
• Emily Blacksmith, Sheriff — 27 years
• Michael Des Jardine, Sheriff — 27 years
• Barbara Gentilcore, Recorder — 27 years
• Inderpal Marwaha, Recorder — 27 years
• Darlene Nelson, Sheriff — 27 years
• Daniel O’Hara, Sheriff — 27 years
• Lori Sarro Lowe, Health — 27 years
• Shirley Smith, Judiciary and Courts — 27 years
• David Soderquist, Development — 27 years
• Marilyn Wenberg, Circuit Clerk — 27 years
• Kenneth Anderson, Environmental Management — 26 years
• Julie Goodwick, Court Services/Court Services Admin — 26 years
• Linda Haines, Transportation — 26 years
• Victor Mead, Health — 26 years
• Thomas Rickert, Transportation — 26 years
• Thomas Rosebush, Sheriff — 26 years
• Kathryn Seifrid, Judiciary and Courts — 26 years
• Douglas Sherrell, Circuit Clerk — 26 years
• Thomas Szabo, Transportation — 26 years
• Scott Ver Vynck, Transportation — 26 years
• Robert Baloun, Sheriff — 25 years
• Heidi Baxter, State’s Attorney — 25 years
• William Edwards, Transportation — 25 years
• Zahida Fakroddin, County Clerk — 25 years
• Gregory Flowers, Sheriff — 25 years
• Robin Huber, Supervisors of Assessment — 25 years
• Alice Jones, Court Services/Juvenile Justice Center — 25 years
• Kevin Kleveno, Sheriff — 25 years
• Daniel Koessl, Regional Office of Education — 25 years
• Sandra Kolek, Information Technologies — 25 years
• Diane Lilly, Judiciary and Courts — 25 years
• Janet Lusk Court Services/Court Services Admin — 25 years
• Tim Mescher, Development — 25 years
• Michael Newbolds, Building Management — 25 years
• Kathleen Orozco, Circuit Clerk — 25 years
• Steven Placek, KCDEE — 25 years
• Paul Schuch, Development/Water Resources — 25 years
• Barbara Schum, Transportation — 25 years
• Ellen Sienkiewicz, Information Technologies — 25 years
• Elizabeth Swanson, Health — 25 years
• Kathy Swedberg, Health — 25 years
• Korey Wallace, Sheriff — 25 years
• Katherine Wickens, Court Services/Court Services Admin — 25 years
• Bev Doran, Supervisors of Assessment — 24 years
• Jeffery Jefko, Court Services/Court Services Admin — 24 years
• Alan Johnson, Sheriff — 24 years
• Donna King, Supervisors of Assessment — 24 years
• Natalie Kruse, Sheriff — 24 years
• Beverly Lopez, Health — 24 years
• Barbara Mika, Court Services/Diagnostic Center  —24 years
• Beth Peccarelli, Public Defender — 24 years
• Pamela Petoskey, Information Technologies — 24 years
• Sherrie Robotham, State’s Attorney — 24 years
• David Scholes, Recorder — 24 years
• Elizabeth Stutz, Court Services/Court Services Admin — 24 years
• Kevin Tindall, Sheriff — 24 years
• Kathleen Vermaat, Circuit Clerk — 24 years
• Susan Warfel, Judiciary and Courts — 24 years
• Richard Campbell, Sheriff — 23 years
• Nancy Campeggio, Circuit Clerk — 23 years
• Wayne Carter, Sheriff — 23 years
• Debra Croddy Human Resource Management — 23 years
• Nancy Hester, State’s Attorney — 23 years
• Michael Husto, Sheriff — 23 years
• Monica Lawrence, Circuit Clerk — 23 years
• Stephen Lawrence, Sheriff — 23 years
• Sally Lee, Public Defender — 23 years
• James Lewis, Sheriff — 23 years
• Donnie Richardson Jones, Supervisors of Assessment — 23 years
• Amy Swierkosz Brick Sierra, Court Serv/Juvenile Justice Center — 23 years
• Domi Tant, Sheriff — 23 years
• Holly Winter, Supervisors of Assessment — 23 years
• Dawn Barsanti, County Board — 22 years
• Caroline Bjornson, Sheriff — 22 years
• David Herrmann, Transportation — 22 years
• John Hickey, Sheriff — 22 years
• Daniel Holloway, Sheriff — 22 years
• Mary Ellen Hughes, State’s Attorney — 22 years
• Patrick Keaty, Sheriff — 22 years
• Glen Keeling, Development — 22 years
• Larry Marcrum, Sheriff — 22 years
• Willie Mayes, Sheriff — 22 years
• Sheila McCraven, Human Resource Management — 22 years
• Mari Moore, Judiciary and Courts — 22 years
• James Mowers, Transportation — 22 years
• Thomas Nicoski, Information Technologies — 22 years
• Linda Scham, State’s Attorney — 22 years
• Laura Stegin,g Circuit Clerk — 22 years
• Kevin Williams, Sheriff — 22 years
• Michael Beatus, Sheriff — 21 years
• Christian Bommelman, Sheriff — 21 years
• Lorraine Chidester, Information Technologies — 21 years
• Christopher Collins, Sheriff — 21 years
• Charles Conklin, Sheriff — 21 years
• Rosanne Cira, Fitzgerald, Court Services/Court Serv Admin — 21 years
• Halle Cox, Law Library — 21 years
• Kenneth Cyzen, Sheriff — 21 years
• Sol Figueroa, Health — 21 years
• Marianne Gemmer, Circuit Clerk — 21 years
• Juanita Gonzalez, Health — 21 years
• Michelle Halbesma, State’s Attorney — 21 years
• Michelle Lemon,s Kane Comm — 21 years
• Yvette Millet, Health — 21 years
• Nancy Murphy, Health — 21 years
• Juliana Okapal, Health — 21 years
• Christopher Peeler, Sheriff — 21 years
• Teresa Roman, Health — 21 years
• Divya Sarang, State’s Attorney 21 years
• Crystal Thompson, Sheriff — 21 years
• David Wagner, Sheriff — 21 years
• Mary Zaeske, Judiciary and Courts — 21 years
• Brad Zentmyer, Sheriff — 21 years
• Gregory Brown, Public Defender — 20 years
• John David,Building Management — 20 years
• Brian Demeter, Sheriff — 20 years
• Eric Fisher, Sheriff — 20 years
• Scott Flower,s Sheriff — 20 years
• Timothy Flowers, Sheriff — 20 years
• Diane Lisson, Circuit Clerk — 20 years
• Cheryl Lyne, Sheriff — 20 years
• Steven Reitmeyer, Sheriff — 20 years
• Salvador Rodriguez, Sheriff — 20 years
• Kathleen Steberl, Sheriff — 20 years
• David Thorgesen, Sheriff  —20 years
• Silvia Tijerina, Health — 20 years
• Mark VanKerkhoff, Development — 20 years
• Mary Wcislo, Circuit Clerk — 20 years
• Judith Zwart, Health — 20 years