Vol. 38, No. 43
PO Box 603, Wabash, IN 46992 (260) 563-8326
of Wabash County Inc. December 16, 2015
Christmas Spirit visits county children bearing boxes of gifts
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Indiana Bicentennial celebrations kick off in Wabash City and county read proclamations By Emma Rausch and Joseph Slacian news@thepaperofwabash.com
By Emma Rausch emma@thepaperofwabash.com Nearly 1,200 kids were visited by the Wabash County Christmas Spirit Saturday, Dec. 12, with volunteers bearing gifts for children to open on Christmas day. The late Ombra Keffaber and her husband, John, originally founded the Christmas gift program as “Santa’s Workshop” in 1968 until the now-closed Youth Service’s Bureau took over the project in 2002 and renamed in Operation Elf. Since taking over the holiday service program Operation Elf in 2012, the Wabash County Christmas Spirit (WCCS) has continued the local tradition by filling 1,191 children’s Christmas lists this year and serving 425 families in need of aid during the holiday season. Toys ranged from Barbie dolls to footballs, hair-coloring items to clothes and donated guitars. The program means a lot to the county’s community, according to WCCS chair Jennifer McConahay. “I know personally when I heard Operation Elf wasn’t going to be around any more, it affected me,” she said in an interview with The Paper of Wabash County. “I think it touches everybody in a little bit different way. For me, it was my family had been assisted at some point because somebody thought we needed it and we did I think. “As a teenager, I saw that our community cared about our family and that meant a lot. So (continued on page 18)
The color guard from the Wabash Veterans of Foreign Wars Post No.286 salutes as the American, Indiana and Bicentennial flags wave in the background. Photo by Emma Rausch
The City of Wabash and Wabash County councils celebrated Indiana’s 199th statehood anniversary at noon Friday, Dec. 11, and kicked off its Bicentennial celebrations that are soon to come in 2016. At the Wabash County Courthouse, moderator Linda Conrad, auditor, planned a special ceremony to commemorate the occasion with singing by the Northfield High School choir and local Josie Wade and a reading of “I am a Hoosier” speech, written by John B. Baker, by county historian Ron Woodward. County Commissioners President Brian Haupert read the statewide proclamation declaring Dec. 11, 2015, as the Indiana Statehood Day and official kickoff of the Bicentennial. Mayor Robert Vanlandingham read the same proclamation during the city’s celebration in the City Hall parking lot. Following the reading, the local Veterans of Foreign War Post No.286 raised the official Bicentennial flag on the courthouse lawn. Wabash Building Commissioner John Stephens raised the flag at City Hall. Conrad told The Paper of Wabash County that she is “just blessed” to be selected as the event’s moderator. “Actually in October, when we were at our Auditor’s Conference,” she continued, “the State gave each county auditor the flag and asked us – we had no idea they were going to do this – and asked us to be in
charge to get the flag to the county and it just kind of ballooned from there.” The auditors were then given the choice of how to celebrate the occasion. Conrad said she wanted the event to be “pretty spectacular.” “I’m really happy,” she said. “I’m really happy everybody came to enjoy it with us today.” Vanlandingham said, The Bicentennial is an opportunity for all Hoosiers to consider the lessons of the past, discuss our place in the present, and lay a path for future generations to follow. “The theme of the Bicentennial, “Celebrate History, Ignite the Future” encourages us all to reflect and respond,” he continued. “As citizens of the City of Wabash, we can take great pride in knowing that we have contributed to our state’s rich heritage by being the first electrically lighted city in the world.” In Indianapolis, Gov. Mike Pence hosted more than 500 fourth grade students and 200 statehouse guests at the Indiana State Capitol to recognize Indiana’s Statehood Day. “Indiana has a remarkably rich history and an even brighter future,” Pence said. “Throughout our bicentennial year, Hoosiers across the state will celebrate Indiana with community-led projects that focus on history, natural conservation, community involvement and most importantly, the education and well-being of Indiana children.” So far, the Bicentennial celebrations include approximately 850 legacy projects or events next year, according to Perry Hammock, executive director of the Indiana Bicentennial Celebration. “Everyone will be able to go (continued on page 17)
Local man proposes to girlfriend at Historic Eagles Theatre By Emma Rausch emma@thepaperofwabash.com
Morgan Tucker and Max Mattern are officially engaged after an elaborate evening out at the Historic Eagles Theatre in Wabash. Mattern planned a date out with his now-fiancée at the movies to see the film “The Plunge,” a movie – unbeknownst to Tucker – reflecting on the couple’s past six years together. Mattern bought out the entire theatre for the proposal on Dec. 9, and planned the elaborate hoax with the couple’s family
and venue staff down to every last detail, including commercials for the theatre’s upcoming film, “Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens.” Audience members were staged in the lower levels of the hall while Mattern’s and Tucker’s family were seated in the second balcony. Mattern specifically chose the local theatre to propose because of balcony seating, which helped hide their families’ presence, and the fact that their first date together was at a cinema. “Our first date was actually at Huntington Seven,” he told The (continued on page 17)
Max Mattern and Morgan Tucker look up at family members in the Historic Eagles Theatre balcony who gathered to watch his proposal on Wednesday, Dec. 9. Photo by Emma Rausch