Members of the Wabash Valley Dance Theater Board announced the transition of ownership of the Wabash Valley Dance Theater (WVDT) located at 58 W. Canal Street in Wabash. Vickie Lambert retired after 37 years of owning and operating the studio.

“It has been a wonderful experience owning the school for 37 years,” Lambert told The Paper of Wabash County. “I feel like I had been given a great opportunity to touch so many young lives. Learning to dance is a great gift that I think one will benefit from forever.”

The Dance Theater is now fully owned by its Board of Directors.

A new restaurant joined the dining scene in Wabash County on Wednesday, June 9. Four Seasons Family Restaurant is now serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, located at 380 Manchester Avenue, Wabash.

The restaurant is open every day, from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., and open late until 8 p.m. on Thursday and Friday.

The Cordes Family, owners of the Cordes Berry Farm, a U-Pick style berry farm, located in Roann, hosted a Strawberry Shortcake Bike Ride on Saturday, June 19.

Ninety-four people, local and visiting participated and enjoyed fresh strawberry shortcake at the end. People from Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Illinois rode one of the three available routes, ranging from 11 to 50 miles.

“We put the event on BikeIndiana.com, so ya know, one rider finds out about it and tells another rider, that kind of thing,” said Erica Cordes. “We had 101 people registered and I had 94 show up today. With the weather, I think some of them decided not to come.”

Officials at Grow Wabash County hosted a ribbon cutting for CoCoJo’s, A Zoomers RV Resort, on Friday, June 11.

Keith Gillenwater, CEO of Grow Wabash County, welcomed the new resort to the community.

“What an amazing facility,” he said. “I had never been out to the facility under its previous ownership so coming here for the first time today, my mind is blown. I had no idea what an awesome facility it is. So hats off to Mike, Tiffany and everyone for all the work they put into making such an asset for our community. This is the kind of place that drives investment into the community. To get people here to enjoy the natural amenities we have and to enjoy the community.”

CoCoJo’s, located at 7309 South New Holland Road in Lagro, has 230 seasonal sites and 34 weekend sites as well as tiny home rentals available to help you find the best camping experience for the whole family. The resort also has all of the amenities to create a memorable trip including a pool and splash pad, a variety of athletics fields and courts, camp store and restaurant, arcade and even a pond perfect for fishing, swimming and paddle boarding.

The ribbon was cut Thursday afternoon on Wabash’s office of Ruoff Mortgage.

The business is located in 1146-A N. Cass St., in the Shoppers Mart. Jennifer Meyer, along with Ruoff’s Chief Lending Officer Clint Morgan, will oversee operations in the Wabash office.

“One of the biggest challenges we face in the community is housing,” Keith Gillenwater, President and CEO of Grow Wabash County, said during a brief ceremony. “So, having a housing service provider that can come in and help people get into a home is awesome.

“As we grow and more families are moving into Wabash and people are building their lives, people like Jennifer are more important than ever to help those families.”

He thanked the company for its investment in the county.

Mayor Scott Long also welcomed the business to the city.

Northfield High School 2021 Seniors officially ended their high school careers on Sunday, June 6 ,at the 59th NHS Commencement ceremony.

After the graduates entered the gymnasium, played on by the NHS Band playing Pomp and Circumstance, they, along with the gathered crowd of family and friends watched a slideshow made by Emma Brainard, showcasing each senior with a childhood photo and a senior photo, as well as group photos from the last year of friend groups, proms, sports and clubs. 

Jenna Krom then welcomed the crowd to the ceremony.

The NHS A Capella Choir, directed by Lindsay Knee, performed “Fly Away Home,” a piece by Douglas Wagner.

Lyndsey Carter, this year’s valedictorian addressed the crowd next with a series of “Lyndsey’s Life Lessons,” in which she shared some lessons she had learned throughout her life in an effort to inspire and encourage her fellow graduates as they go on into the next phases of their lives.

By Eric Christiansen

NORTH MANCHESTER -- The Manchester High School Class of 2021 celebrated an end to one chapter of life and a move ahead to the next, as they turned their tassels, making their graduation  official Friday night, May 28, 2021.

The Manchester Concert Band played the processional as the graduates entered the Manchester Junior-Senior High School gymnasium.

Student Council president Gavin Mize welcomed families and friends to begin the ceremony.

Senior Choir members sang “Blessing” by Katie Moran Bart, followed by Co-Valedictorian Trescott Duffy addressing his classmates.

Duffy spoke on the importance of persistence, whether it is in sports, music, or grades.  He talked about his journey in wrestling.

“For my entire high school career, my life was wrestling,” Duffy said. “I slept, breathed, and ate – or in other words, didn’t eat – wrestling. It became my passion. When I first got into it, I had very little skill and very little success, but I wasn’t going to let that stop me.”

He said that during his freshman year, a teammate reached the state finals, and Duffy went to support him.

“The whole atmosphere … was intriguing to me,” he said. “The large stadium, the huge crowd – all of it inspired me. I wanted to be bet the one to get my hand raised on the mat in front of thousands of people and be recognized as one of the greatest in the state.

“Everything I did from that moment on, I did it with wrestling in mind.”

Three years later, Duffy said he battled with the decision to wrestle at a lower weight than he weighed at the time, which would give him a better chance to advance to state.

“I wasn’t confident enough in myself to wrestler at a heavier weight class, and in refusing to do so, I spoiled my senior season,” he said. “Thinking about it now, my senior year wasn’t about proving my self (but) it was about protecting myself.

“I think this is relatable for a lot of us,” Duffy added. “If you focus on the past, and continuously worry about protecting your title or accomplishment being taken from you, then you may as well just be stuck in the past, reliving the same moment over and over again. If you instead, keep looking forward and build off of what you’ve already accomplished…you’ll be better off for it.”

Following Duffy's remarks, Sarah Holbrook and Carissa Edwards performed “For Good” from the musical “Wicked.”

MJSHS Principal Dr. Jon Lippe presented honorary diplomas to exchange students Lorenzo Donati and Lenny Hindennach, followed by Karen Jimenez-Saucedo singing “The Climb” made famous by Miley Cyrus.

One thing is certain about those attending Sunday afternoon’s Southwood High School’s 2021 Commencement ceremony: 

They didn’t hear “cookie cutter” speeches from Valedictorian Braden Sweet or Salutatorian Maggie Ball.

In fact, both made some type of reference to that fact during their messages.

“So, I was about to just totally cheat on this thing and look up what to say, but that would be plagiarism, and I guess that’s illegal or something, who knows?” Ball said in her talk. “So, I figured I better not copy. But I also knew that my class deserved more. After everything we have been through they at least deserved something special and a little more personal.”

She noted that the class has been together since they were in the third grade and LaFontaine and Southwood elementary schools were consolidated.

“From then on memories were created from having recess every day that involved many broken bones and concussions, to thinking of some pretty interesting senior pranks,” Ball said. “I would say our class has strived in many aspects of our high school days, from musical arts to athletics.