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PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID WABASH, IN PERMIT NO. 233 Vol. 45, No. 5
Revitalizing Lagro Residents hear from those seeking to give new life to community’s downtown By Joseph Slacian jslacian@thepaperofwabash.com
The Town of Lagro has seen much change over the last five years. Local residents gathered Tuesday, April 5, at the 950 Speakeasy Bistro to learn about the changes, as well as to hear about things to come. Beth Gillespie, president of the Lagro Canal Foundation, and Justin Gillespie, who owns the Speakeasy and the neighboring Riparian House with business partner, Beverly Van Haaften, were the main speakers at the event. Tenille Zartman, Grow Wabash County vice president, and Christine Flohr, Visit Wabash County executive director, also spoke at the event, which lasted just short of one hour. Mrs. Gillespie updated the group on the Foundation’s efforts to refurbish three buildings in downtown Lagro. She purchased the Washington Street buildings – a former bank, a former hardware store and the former Improved Order of Red Men (IORM) lodge – at a commissioners’
sale in April 2017. “All I could see was demolition,” she said of her inspiration to purchase the structures. “I just felt confident that if the buildings weren’t rescued they were going to be demolished. Why does that bother me? Because of the loss of history, and the loss of community. “Once the downtown is gone in a community, what’s left?” Under sale rules, she was not able to set foot on the property for six months, allowing the former owner a chance to bring debts on the buildings up to date and retain ownership. In the meantime, Gillespie convinced 15 area residents to join the Foundation board, and planning began to take shape. Mrs. Gillespie also contacted the former owners, who said they had no intention of blocking the sale, and gave her and the Foundation to begin working at the site. “We went in the buildings and started removing debris,” she said. Once finished with renovations, Foundation officials hope to “lease or possible sell our buildings to a business that share our passions for
Justin Gillespie listens as his mother, Beth Gillespie, gives an update on the work of the Lagro Canal Foundation. Photo by Joseph Slacian
Lagro, and bring small communities back to life to help support the county,” Mrs. Gillespie continued. To date on the buildings, new roofs have been installed and masonry work on the three structures has been completed. A new drainage system was installed for the three buildings, as well as the neighboring Lagro American Legion Post. New windows have been installed, as has sewer lines. New sidewalk has been placed in front of the buildings to Dover Street, in front of the Legion building. “In addition to that, we took out all the flooring systems in the buildings,” Mrs. Gillespie continued. “We
filled the floors with about four foot of gravel, and then capped those with concrete. We have subfloors in the hardware store and the IORM building.” The bank building still needs a subfloor. “But what we’re planning is, in talking with some Realtors, that it’s time to look for someone to inhabit those buildings,” she continued. “We don’t want to put a lot of things in those buildings and then have someone come in and say, ‘Oh, gee, we wish that would have been over there.’” The Foundation has approved drawings to replace staircases in the Continued on Page 2.
Alyssa McKillip named ’22 State Fair queen By Phil Smith psmith@thepaperofwabash.com When 20-year-old Wabash native Alyssa McKillip walks the midway of the Indiana State Fair this year, it’s quite possible she may be on the lookout for young star-struck girls who see her as their own ultimate dream. After all, that happened to her when she was still in elementary school. “I’ll tell you, one of my greatest dreams from when I was nine years old I ran into the State Fair queen in the midway and it’s such a vivid memory,” said McKillip who was crowned queen of this year’s Indiana State Fair on Sunday, April 10. “I can remember exactly the out-
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fit I was wearing and I just knew I wanted to be her, I wanted to be the Indiana State Fair queen. So, yesterday was really a full circle moment when I got the honor.” McKillip, a 2020 graduate of Northfield High School and currently a sophomore at Butler University was named queen from a field of more than 100 contestants hailing from all over Indiana. According to the Indiana State Fair, several counties had more than one candidate, thanks to several years of scheduling issues attributed to the Covid-19 pandemic. McKillip was crowned Wabash County Fair queen in 2020 and would normally have competed for state fair queen last year.
“The Miss Indiana State Fair Pageant was supposed to be the January after I was crowned,” McKillip told The Paper of Wabash County. “So, I would have competed in 2021, but because of Covid, it was postponed until this January and then it was postponed again because of Covid until yesterday (April 10). It seemed like it was never going to get here.” The news that she won the title was still fresh in her mind on Monday, April 11. “I’m in a little bit of disbelief,” she said. “It’s been a good last 24 hours.” McKillip channeled former queen for both motivation and inspiration. Alyssa McKillip
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