PRINCETON — Influential music educator and theater director Doris Hamilton will be the guest of honor at the 18th annual Prairie Arts Council Gala, Mardi Gras Masquerade, set for 7 p.m. Feb. 7 at the Ye Olde Underground Inn in Princeton. Hamilton will be presented with the fourth annual “Lifetime Achievements in the Arts” award.

Hamilton was a graduate of Tiskilwa High School. She received a bachelor’s degree from Western Illinois University and conducted graduate study work at the University of Illinois and Illinois State University.

Hamilton served as a music education teacher for Tiskilwa elementary and high schools for 35 years, providing K-12 music, theater and educational programs for students. During her tenure at Tiskilwa schools, she developed a “Kids from Tiskilwa” group who performed throughout Illinois and were invited to participate in an event at Disney World and SeaWorld in Florida. Hamilton was a cooperative consultant for the Illinois Board of Education and a student teacher supervisor for Illinois State University. She has been recognized as an “Outstanding Teacher” by the Institute for Development of Educational Activities and “Outstanding Arts Educator” in the state of Illinois by the Illinois Arts Alliance.