Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso will be the keynote speaker at the Colorado Republican Party’s biggest fundraising dinner, held the night before the GOP meets for its biennial reorganization meeting, the party announced.

The 2017 Centennial Dinner will also feature the induction of notable Republican volunteers into the GOP’s Hall of Fame, which debuts this year.

The dinner is Friday, March 31, at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Denver Tech Center in Greenwood Village. The next morning, the Republican state central committee – county, state and national GOP officers, elected officials and bonus members elected this month in larger counties – convenes at Englewood High School to elect statewide officers.

Appointed to the Senate in 2007 following the death of incumbent U.S. Sen. Craig Thomas, Barrasso has won election to the seat twice by wide margins, most recently in 2012. Barrasso is a physician and worked as an orthopedic surgeon before going into politics. He sits on the Senate Energy, Environment and Public Works, Indian Affairs and Foreign Relations committees.

The state GOP is seeking nominations through March 10 for its inaugural Hall of Fame class.

“Please take a moment to recall those volunteers who went above and beyond with their time, commitment and extraordinary effort,” Chairman Steve House said in a statement announcing the program. He suggests considering Republicans who organize “block walks and phone banks,” the “go-to” folks for Lincoln Day Dinners, those who recruit other volunteers and anyone who helps excite non-traditional or inactive conservatives. Current and former elected officials are eligible for nomination.

Nominees must be registered Republicans and Colorado residents.

House said in late January that he wouldn’t be seeking a second term heading the state party. Three candidates are vying for the job: former congressional candidate George Athanasopoulos, former El Paso County Republican Party Chairman Jeff Hays and Mesa County organizer Kevin McCarney. The candidates for the two other elected positions – state GOP secretary Brandi Meek, who is seeking a second term, and vice chair candidate Sherrie Gibson, a Colorado Springs organizer – are so far unopposed.

– ernest@coloradostatesman.com