Norse Advance To Semi-State See page 23
Vol. 38, No. 39
PO Box 603, Wabash, IN 46992 (260) 563-8326
of Wabash County Inc. November 18, 2015
www.thepaperofwabash.com Proudly Serving Wabash County Since 1977
Holiday season kicks off this weekend By Joseph Slacian jslacian@thepaperofwabash.com The 2015 holiday season will officially kick off in Wabash later this week as the lights atop the Wabash County Courthouse will be turned on and the Holiday Night to Remember will take place downtown on Friday and Saturday.
Downtown businesses will have open houses from 4-8 p.m. Friday and again from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. Meanwhile, the Celebration of Light, which includes the lighting of the Wabash County Courthouse holiday lights, will begin at 6:30 p.m. The Celebration of Light will include the arrival of Santa
Claus via firetruck and performance by Vocal Impact, the Wabash County youth choir. The Courthouse lighting ceremony is a family tradition for so many people, according to Christine Flohr, executive director of Visit Wabash County. “That lighting of the courthouse kicks off the holiday season, the holiday frenzy,” she
said. “You know that Black Friday is coming soon. You know that the storefronts are going to be decorated. “But it’s tradition in its truest sense. It’s tradition, and families look forward to doing that together year after year.” Shelby McLaughlin, Wabash Marketplace Inc.’s project manager, agrees that the lighting
ceremony is one of the most anticipated events every year. “It’s on everyone’s calendar,” she said, noting she recently checked with the Wabash Fire Department to make sure they were ready for the event. “They said, ‘It’s been on the calendar all year.’ “It’s awesome to see all the (continued on page 3)
Crystal Gayle helps celebrate museum’s 10th anniversary By Emma Rausch emma@thepaperofwabash.com
Volunteers pull back the cover to reveal the LaFontaine Veterans Memorial during a celebration Saturday morning. Photos by Joseph Slacian
LaFontaine dedicates Veterans Memorial By Joseph Slacian jslacian@thepaperofwabash.com LAFONTAINE – About 300 people were on hand Saturday morning to watch as a memorial dedicated to area veterans was dedicated here. The unveiling of the memorial highlighted an hour-long ceremony that featured music, speeches, a gun salute and “Taps.” Before the monument was State Sen. Jim Banks gives the keynote address unveiled, emcee Donna during the dedication ceremony Ballard explained how the project developed. “In March of 2014, the LaFontaine Festival Board and the LaFontaine Lions Club had our first veterans coffee and snack,” she said. “This was a time when the LaFontaine Town Festival was going to honor our veterans as Hometown Heroes.” (continued on page 2)
International country music star Crystal Gayle performed at the Wabash County Historical Museum on Thursday, Nov. 12, to help celebrate the museum’s 10th anniversary. Although the museum originally planned for 75 to attend the event, due to public demand, museum executive director Mitch Figert said it opened the doors to approximately 100 museum members and non-members to see Gayle live. Gayle, a former Wabash resident and Wabash High School graduate, was also present when the museum celebrated its grand opening in 2005. Since then, the singer said the museum has changed “for the better.” “I love the museum so much and I’m so glad they opened it 10 years ago,” Gayle told The Paper of Wabash in an interview. “They’re growing and expanding and bringing in the whole community and the communities around Wabash, because it’s not just Wabash in this sense. It’s all the way around of what they’re bringing in the history of Indiana in a lot of ways. (continued on page 22)
Crystal Gayle, international county music star and a former Wabash resident, performed at the Wabash County Historical Museum on Nov. 12 to celebrate the museum’s 10th anniversary since it’s opening in 2005. Gayle performed several new songs she’s written for her new album, which should be released in the near future. Photo by Emma Rausch