by Emily Armentrout

emily@thepaperofwabash.com

On Saturday, Aug. 23, Wabash City Schools held the inaugural induction ceremony for the Wabash City Schools Hall of Distinction, inducting 13 former graduates and four non Wabash High School graduates. These members were inducted “in recognition of outstanding accomplishments in life, dedicated service to others, enriching the history of Wabash City Schools and maintaining the highest standard of conduct and character.”

“The committee felt like there have been people who have had incredible influences, like Mark Honeywell, that should be in the Hall of Distinction. We span 145 years of our history. John Olsen graduated from Northwestern University but he didn’t graduate from high school. If you said we were only going to honor those who graduated from the high school then I think we were going to limit some people,” explained Wabash City Schools Superintendent, Jason Callahan.

With the long history of Wabash High School and the recent creation of the Wabash High School Athletic Hall of Fame, WCS felt like they were missing people who had profound influences on the school and the city of Wabash in only honoring athletics.

The ceremony began with a welcome from WCS Superintendent Jason Callahan, with the National Anthem sung and a performance by Symphonic Voices. The ceremony was followed by a reception and tour of Wabash High School. 

Editor’s Note: This is the first in a series of nine articles outlining each of the proposed projects included in this year’s Stellar Communities application. With all nine projects scheduled for completion within the next four years, there are a lot of changes coming to Wabash in the near future. We wanted to look into each of these projects to better explain what the Stellar Communities designation means for Wabash.

by Eric Stearley

eric@thepaperofwabash.com

Wabash is now a Stellar Community. With the wait over and the anxiety gone, there is a lot of work to be done.

“We realized as soon as we exhaled that the real work was starting,” said Marketplace’s Patrick Sullivan following the announcement.

Some of the first changes residents are likely to see will be streetscape and connectivity improvements coming to downtown.

“These improvements will activate underutilized public space and restore aging streetscape through new pavement, curbs, and sidewalks,” the Stellar application outlines.

The project will focus on Market Street, part of Canal Street, and Allen Street, which connects the two near Paradise Spring Historical Park. The biggest change will be the conversion of Market and Canal Streets east of Wabash Street into two-way streets.

“One of the issues we have with fully utilizing Paradise Spring Historical Park and the museum and some other opportunities down there is the fact that it’s so difficult for out-of-towners to find because of one-way streets,” said Economic Development Group CEO Bill Konyha. “You’ll actually be able to turn right on Market Street and go to the museum, instead of having to make three right turns; same with Paradise Spring. You can go to Paradise Spring by going down either Market or Canal Street, and you’ll be able to leave Paradise Spring by taking either Canal or Market Street.”
 

by Eric Stearley

eric@thepaperofwabash.com

In this year’s election cycle, both Manchester Community Schools and the Metropolitan School District of Wabash County have open seats on their school boards. Manchester has 4 of 7 seats open, and MSD has two seats open on its board of five. When the deadline came and filing closed on Friday, Aug. 22, there were eight total candidates, four from each district.

There is some competition for positions on the MSD school board, which will see a new face in at least one of its two seats up for election. Vice President Ryan Rosen from the Northwest District is not seeking reelection, and two candidates, Todd Dazey and Jeffrey N. Snyder, hope to take his spot. President Matthew P. Driscoll from the Northeast District has filed for reelection, with Bradley A. Fleck looking to take his seat. Seats held by Troy Baer (Northwest District), John Gouveia (Northeast District), and Kevin Bowman (Southern District) are not up for election this year.

School board election rules prohibit more than two board members from a single district. With Gouveia and Baer already on the board, there is only one seat open for candidates from each district. This breaks the four-man field into two head-to-head races. Dazey will battle Snyder for the Northwest District seat, and Fleck will challenge sitting President Driscoll for the Northeast District seat.

In North Manchester, it appears this year’s election will be little more than a formality, with four incumbents running unopposed. President Sally Krouse filed to run in the Chester District, and Secretary Nathan Trump will run in Pleasant District. Timothy McLaughlin looks to once again represent the Town District, as does Brian Schilling. Seats held by Vice President Steve Flack, Byron Brunn, and Brady Burgess are not up for election this year. Barring any unforeseen developments, the Manchester school board will emerge from the Nov. 4 elections unchanged.

Polls open at 6 a.m. on Nov. 4 and will be open until 6 p.m.

by Eric Stearley

eric@thepaperofwabash.com

In the information age, it seems that something is always going viral. Whether it’s planking, coning, or cute cat videos, there is always a new fad sweeping the Internet. Usually, these are funny and frivolous. This time, it’s more serious, a viral video challenge raising money for a good cause. If you haven’t heard of the ALS ice bucket challenge, you haven’t been on social media – or watched the news – for a long time. This is officially the summer of the Ice Bucket Challenge, and TIME reported on Monday that the challenged has raised nearly $80 million for the ALS Association. But what exactly is it?

ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease. It was made famous when the New York Yankee’s first baseman, Lou Gehrig, was diagnosed, forced to retire and ultimately died. It causes motor neurons to deteriorate, diminishing and ultimately eliminating the neurons’ ability to transmit signals from the brain to the muscles they control. As the disease progresses, it causes paralysis.

Wabash County CASA is happy to announce they have scheduled a new volunteer training.

CASA is “court appointed special advocate.” Volunteers are serving children in the most difficult situations of their young lives. These children depend upon volunteers to help insure their placements into safe, stable, permanent homes. Volunteers are the voices of innocent children in the courtroom. They provide consistent and caring support of a child going through the though personal legal process due to his/her parent(s) or guardian’s abuse or neglect.

The CASA volunteer can help assure that placements and services provided truly are in the best interest of each child. CASA volunteers review the case, gather data, meet with the child(ren) and go to Family Team meetings. They are officials of the court and provide the judge with third part, nonbiased recommendations in the best interest of the child(ren) they are representing so that the judge has as much information as possible to make difficult decisions for the lives of these children.

by Eric Stearley

eric@thepaperofwabash.com

If you’ve visited Harvey Hinklemeyers in the past couple weeks, you may have noticed bicycles hung from the ceiling and cycling paraphernalia around the restaurant. While they aren’t trying out a new restaurant/bike shop hybrid business model, they are collaborating with Peru’s Breakaway Bike and Fitness Shop to promote the upcoming Dam to Dam Century Bike Ride, scheduled to take place Sept. 14.

“It’s part of our endless summer promotion, and with that, we’re going to give away bicycles,” said Jeff Butts, who owns the local chain, including the store in Wabash, which opened less than three years ago.

Anyone who turns in a Dam to Dam entry form at the restaurant will get five entries into the drawing for one of four bicycles. In addition, any customer who spends over $25 at the restaurant will get an entry into the drawing. It’s part of the restaurant’s “Endless Summer” promotion, which runs until Sept. 11, the Thursday before the race. Those who don’t win a bike have a chance to win a water bottle filled with gift cards, coupons for free food, and other prizes.

Comedian Rodney Carrington will perform on the Ford Theater stage at the Honeywell Center on Sunday, Aug. 31 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are currently on sale for the show. This performance is recommended for mature audiences.

Rodney Carrington is a multi-talented comedian, actor and writer who has recorded eight major record label comedy albums, which have sold millions of copies. Carrington has been one of the top ten highest grossing touring comedians for the last ten years and among the top 4 or 5 the last several years. 

Starring in his own TV sitcom “Rodney,” which ran for two seasons on ABC, Carrington also co-wrote and co-starred with Toby Keith in the feature film “Beer for My Horses” which won the Tex Ritter Award from the ACM. Carrington also added “author” to his list of accomplishments with the release of his first hard cover book entitled “Rodney Carrington, Coming Clean” published by Hatchette Books. 

Don't let the word caviar frighten you away from making this wonderful vegetable bean dip. Whether you are hosting a family reunion or tailgating with friends at a football game this fall, this Cowboy Caviar is sure to be a hit. I always make this at least two days before I am serving it.( Three days is even better.) This gives the flavors a chance to marry together. The original recipe says to drain the liquid off before serving but I never do. You will want to use Fritos Scoops or Tostitos Scoops to "scoop " up the bean mixture and liquid with each scrumptious bite. Keep this recipe in the front of your recipe box. You will use it over and over.