www.thepaperofwabash.com LOCAL POSTAL
PO Box 603, Wabash, IN 46992 (260) 563-8326
PATRON
Chili Cook-off draws crowd to downtown Wabash. - Page 3
October 20, 2021
Proudly Serving Wabash County Since 1977
Honoring Liz
PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID WABASH, IN PERMIT NO. 233 Vol. 44, No. 32
Former director of The Access named 2021 Distinguished Citizen By Joseph Slacian jslacian@thepaperofwabash.com Liz Hobbs was duped into attending the Grow Wabash County annual dinner on Thursday, Oct. 14. Hobbs, former director of The Access Youth Center, was attending under the pretense that her counterpart at The Access Learning Academy, Laura Helm, was to be named the 2021 Distinguished Citizen. But when 2020 Distinguished Citizen Doug Adams was reading the 2021 recipient’s biography, Hobbs quickly realized it was she that he was speaking about. “Yikes,” she said after receiving her plaque. “I was under the distinct impression that this was going to go to Laura Helm, which would have been well deserved. It does tell me, though, that I am surrounded by people who have a little trouble telling the truth, because her name isn’t on here, but mine is.” She thanked Grow Wabash County for the honor, and Adams for reading the introduction. “There’s no one else I would rather have up here reading that,” she said. Distinguished Citizen, she said, means something different to everyone. “I can tell you that, in my last 16 years at The Access, that I have walked with a lot of distinguished citizens,” she said. “Some of them are in here tonight. Some of them would probably not be on this stage. It occurs to me that I would like to take this and duplicate it and take it around and deliver it to houses right now, because I have a whole list of people, in my head, that I think should have this award. “Foster parents, who should be everybody’s hero; single moms; teenage moms; grandparents who are raising their grandkids; kiddos who are dealing with adult problems, and doing it pretty well, all of them are distinguished citizens. It doesn’t seem like delivering this plaque all around town is a really good plan, so since I have a little bit of a captive audience right now, I’m going to say this: In our daily routine, our weekly routine, if we could all just think of someone we know, or someone we see all the time but we don’t really know them, maybe we can make a plan to get to know them. Ask questions about their families. Compliment them on their work. Because, the distinguished citizens I know are sometime seen and not heard, but man, they could teach us an awful lot. “So, I’m grateful to know them. Thank you.” A Rochester native, Hobbs graduated from North Miami High School and attended Indiana Wesleyan University where she studied Christian ministries and addictions counseling. “Our distinguished citizen has a creative spirit,” Adams said. “In addition to being an avid reader – especially mysteries and who-done-its, they are a guitar player. They are a painter – painting rooms is their specialty, and they love to create new colors by mixing whatever paint remnants they have around. They are a dog lover and have have adopted two rescue dogs in the last few years. Continued on Page 7
FREE
Liz Hobbs shows off the 2021 Distinguished Citizen plaque. She is joined by 2020 Distinguished Citzen Doug Adams (left) and Keith Gillenwater, Grow Wabash County President & CEO. Photos by Joseph Slacian
Curt Campbell shows off his Volunteer of the Year award.
MPS Egg Farms CEO Bob Krouse (left) and Gillenwater show off the Business of the Year plaque.
MPS Egg Farms honored as Business of the Year By Joseph Slacian jslacian@thepaperofwabash.com In one form or another, MPS Egg Farms has been a mainstay in the North Manchester community for more than 140 years. Because of its long history, it was named the 2021 Business of the Year and was honored Thursday at the Grow Wabash County annual dinner. The company can trace its roots back to Daniel Strauss, who built a water powered grain mill along the Eel River in 1875. “Over the years, his business evolved to
Published Weekly, Read Daily
serve the changing needs of a small town, selling everything from coal, to ice, to animal feed, and maybe even a little moonshine,” Marilyn Custer-Mitchell, Grow Wabash County board chair, said in introducing the company. “In 1960, Daniel’s great-grandson, Donald Strauss, purchased the Purina Feed franchise, which served many local egg farmers. After noticing that the ag industry was becoming more consolidated, Don made the decision to start producing feed in house, without the third party mark-up. “Eight years later, the Strauss family decidContinued on page 7
FREE