By Phil Smith

During the stand-up comedy boon of the 1980s, many comedians rose to prominence, before falling into relative obscurity, while some like Jeff Foxworthy, Bill Engvall, Tim Allen, Jerry Seinfeld, Eddie Murphy and Ellen DeGeneres headed into the final decade of the 20th Century with a seemingly indestructible legacy.

As the 1990s emerged, several new entertainers began to gain traction, fueled by the increasing popularity of cable television and the variety of comedy-centric vehicles such as Comic Strip Live on Fox, an Evening At The Improv and VH-1’s Stand-up Spotlight. While many of these upstart comedians entered the decade vying for laughs on both television and in the nation’s many comedy clubs, few persevered to the present day better than Brian Regan.

Regan returns to Wabash on Jan. 20 to bring his side-splitting brand of observational humor to the Honeywell Center’s Ford Theater. The show begins at 7:30 p.m.

By Joseph Slacian

Jef Maslan is the new director of The Access Youth Center.

Maslan, who joined the agency on Jan. 3, replaces Liz Hobbs, who resigned the position last year.

A graduate of Trevecca Nazarene University in Nashville, Tenn., Maslan has had a wide range of jobs since graduating. He received a bachelor’s degree in religion, with the goal of studying to be a pastor.

By Phil Smith

Wabash City Schools’ board of trustees gathered for the first meeting of 2022 and began with a short meeting of that body’s board of finance. In both the board of finance meeting, as well as the regular meeting that followed Jan. 3 in Wabash City Hall, Rod Kelsheimer was re-elected board president.

The panel also elected Rhonda Hipskind as vice president and Stehen Dafoe as secretary.
Wabash Mayor Scott Long swore in re-appointed board member Hipskind and newly-appointed member Kristen Petruniw prior to the first meeting.

By Phil Smith

Wabash City Schools’ board of trustees is considering changes to its Covid-19 protocols in order to remain in step with state guidelines.

“Tonight is really a time for discussion,” WCS Superintendent Dr. Amy Sivley said. “We have some time, but we have to put together our plan for OSHA’s (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) Emergency Temporary Standard. This is for businesses, and it does include schools. We have to develop a policy around vaccines and testing for employees. We will continue the discussion at our next board meeting.”

By Phil Smith

Over the holiday break, a gathering of vacationing youngsters, along with their parents or guardians, attended a show at the Honeywell Center designed to help kids become better citizens.

Kate Carpenter, a Marion-based entertainer known as Mrs. Kate, regaled several dozen attendees of a show called Songs, Stories and Puppets With Mrs. Kate, held at the center Dec. 29.

Alyssa McKilllip, 2020 Wabash County Fair Queen and Elise Gottschalk, 2021 Wabash County Fair Queen, will be competing in the 2022 Indiana State Fair Queen Pageant on  Jan. 7-9. 

This marks the 63rd Indiana State Fair Queen Pageant.  The 2022 Miss Indiana State Fair Queen will be crowned Sunday, Jan. 9, at the Indiana State Fairgrounds by Claudia Duncan, the 2020 Indiana State Fair Queen.  The 2022 Indiana State Fair Queen will reign for the next 12 months, promoting the Indiana State Fair as the official spokesperson and reigning over the 17-day fair July 29 – Aug. 21.

By Phil Smith

A group of local musicians have achieved the pinnacle in accolades among Hoosier high schoolers engaged in the choral arts.

At the December meeting of the Wabash City Schools’ board of trustees, it was announced that tenor Brenden Rowan and baritone Marcus Haynes were named to the Indiana All-State Honor Choir. The pair of Wabash vocalists joined a handful of others from around the county on the elite squad of 250 singers from around Indiana.

Also representing the county on the all-state choir are Katelyn Ranck, a soprano from Southwood Jr/Sr High School; Lyndzy Silvers, an alto from Southwood; Emma Pyle and Alyssa Marvel, sopranos from Manchester High School and Addie France, an alto from Northfield Jr/Sr High School.

Grow Wabash County is continuing its partnership with Freedom Academy to connect Wabash County residents with certification and training programs in high-demand skills areas.