Wabash native, TV contestant to perform at Eagles Theatre

By Amanda Redman aredman@thepaperofwabash.com

Wabash native Zachariah Smith will be performing at Eagles Theatre at 7:30 p.m. Thursday.

Smith, a contestant on “American Idol,” was awarded a Golden Ticket to compete in Hollywood during a Feb. 19 audition after he sang “Hurt So Good” by John Mellencamp.

The Eagles Theatre concert will help raise money to take care of his family while he is off work for the competition, Smith explained during a telephone interview.

“All proceeds are going to my family while I’m away,” Smith said. “I would like to see as many people there as possible.”

Smith resides in Amrey, Miss. with his wife, Crysta, and three stepchildren.

The couple run Bill’s Hamburgers, a popular restaurant owned by Crysta’s parents, Janice and Reid Wilkerson.

When judges Luke Bryan and Katy Perry found out he flips burgers for a living, they advised him to “burn the apron,” – something he hasn’t done … yet.

“You’re not flipping no burgers,” Perry said.

Lionel Richie complimented Smith’s vocal and performance range.

“You have a rasp and a growl and on top of it, you have fun,” told him.

“That’s what it’s all about,”

Smith replied with a wide grin.

Smith will show off that range on the Eagles stage with cover tunes including, “I Want to Know What Love Is,” by Foreigner, “Super Freak,” by Rick James, “Play That Funky Music,” by Wild Cherry, and “Beat It” by Michael Jackson.

The 19-year-old son of Deborah Smith and Mike D. Arwood, Smith got his start singing along while his mother would play piano. His first performance was at Southside Freewill Baptist Church, he said.

“If the world had only seen him at 6 years-old in our living room with his eyes so glued to the TV and his heart longing to be there so bad,” Deborah said of Zach’s longtime desire to try out for “American Idol.” “I know how much he loves to sing and I know how much he loves everyone here in Wabash. He literally can’t wait to see everyone Thursday at Eagles Theater.”

Smith is a 2021 Wabash High School graduate and a choir alumnus of Wabash County Honors Band and Choir. He was a Honeywell Media Arts Program student and was selected among Wabash High School Choir students to sing with Foreigner during their 2019 performance at the Honeywell Center.

For more information on Zachariah Smith and to follow along on his singing journey, follow @realzachariahsmith.

This concert is sponsored by Dorais Chevrolet Buick GMC. Seating is general admission at $20 and suite level at $30.

American Sign Language is a natural language that serves as the predominant language of deaf communities in the United States. ASL is a complete and organized visual language that is utilized through facial expression as well as movements and motions with the hands and body. At this session, we’ll learn the signs for the different seasons and weather!

This class will be taught by Elliot Sklar. He is a recent graduate from Goshen College with a bachelors in American Sign Language and Secondary Education.

Throughout his four years at Goshen he has learned and taught ASL as well as taken a semester at Gallaudet University in Washington D.C. Elliot is excited to teach you all more about American Sign Language as much as you are excited to learn it!

Evening Tales: Pom Pom Chicks

– 6 p.m. Monday, April 3

Join us for fun games and fun

Join us for a special interactive showing of Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs... we promise, you’ve never watched this movie like this before! Squawk like a chicken, eat yummy treats, make “food” rain from the sky, watch out for the tipped fishbowl (everyone’s going to get a little wet!), and MORE! You just never know what fun surprises and activities await you at an Interactive Movie event!

Coloring Cafe –3:45 p.m.

Tuesday, April 4

Adult Coloring is a healthy way to relieve stress, as it can calm the brain and help your body relax. Participants 13 years and older can come to the library to enjoy a peaceful afternoon of coloring your stress away! There will be a variety of different coloring pages to choose from, and coffee, hot chocolate and tea will be available. And if that isn’t already perfect enough? We’ll be playing café style music the entire time!

The Great Toy Swap – 2 p.m.

Thursday, April 6

Spring cleaning is here and it’s a great time to get organized! Have some toys or games you’ve outgrown or no longer play with? Bring them to the Blocher Community Room for our back-bypopular-demand Toy Swap!

How will it work? Kids will be able to arrange their own swaps - trading a toy they no longer want for a toy another child no longer wants. And just like that, old toys become new!

All swaps must be mutually agreed on, and participants have the right to decline a proposed swap - or suggest a counter bargain! Extra toys can be donated to a “Community Property” table and kids will be able to take a toy from the table even if they don’t have anything to swap. All toys should be clean, free of strong odors, and should not have any broken parts.

Quilting & Crafting Club – 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Friday, April 7

If you love craft- ing, and enjoy gatherings of other creative minds to work on projects together, this club is for you! Gather your current projects, and head to the library to meet up, have a laugh, and share crafting tips and skills in a relaxing environment. All skill levels, mediums, and crafters are welcome!

Knitting & Crochet Group –1:30 p.m. every Friday

Whether you are new to knitting and crochet, or have been enjoying this relaxing craft for years, you’ll love our weekly Knitting & Crochet Group here at the library! Come join others in the NMPL Conference Room on Friday afternoons for a relaxing time to work on your current craft projects and to meet new friends! Beginner and eager to learn?

You’ll find a helpful teacher here! Beginners should bring a pair of needles (size 6 to 9), and a skein of light colored, worsted weight yarn.