The Chamber SceneHUNTINGTON COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

305 Warren Street • Huntington, Indiana 46750 • (260) 356-5300 • www.huntington-chamber.com • April 2014

The Tri Kappa Red Stocking Follies 2014

will “kick-off” on Thursday, May 1 and

continue Friday, May 2 and Saturday, May

3. The ‘AYE AYE KAPPA’ Follies 15 vari-

ety show with a local cast will take place at

the Huntington North High School audito-

rium each evening at 7:30 p.m.

Joel Froomkin of The New Huntington

Theater will write the show and Rich Na-

juch, also of the theater, will direct the pro-

duction. Nicole Johnson and Annette

Carroll, Tri Kappa members, will co-chair

the show with Tri Kappa as the producer.

The Follies serve as a fundraiser for schol-

arships and community needs.

Johnson stated, “The goal for 2014 is

$15,000. All the money raised from the Fol-

lies is given back to non-profit organiza-

tions in the community. We give back

through scholarships and community

needs.” She continued, “Tri Kappa tries to

be a good steward of the community’s

money and give back to worthy causes.

Since 2010, Tri Kappa has given back more

than $60,000 to Huntington County.”

Those interested in performing in the Fol-

lies are invited to the Meet the Director

Party scheduled for Wednesday, April 9 at

6:30 p.m. with tryouts immediately follow-

ing. Those who are unable to attend on

Wednesday, but are interested in having a

part in the show, can contact Johnson at

(260) 356-7247. Meet the Director and the

accompanying tryouts for the Follies will be

held at The New Huntington Theater Sup-

per Club with practices beginning on Mon-

day, April 14. The commitment to be a part

of the Follies is three weeks with the last

week including four or five days of practice.

Najuch said, “It’s a variety show with

local members singing, dancing, telling

jokes and performing in a variety of skits.”

He continued, “They are usually Vaude-

ville-type comedy sketches.”

Najuch and Johnson explained that they

are looking for people who are soloists or

individuals or groups who sing, sing duets

or dance and “someone that can tell a good

joke and feel comfortable about doing

comic skits.” Johnson said, “We are looking

for anyone that wants to be a part of the

show, but doesn’t necessarily want a star-

ring role. You also don’t have to be a mem-

ber of Tri Kappa, some people think you

have to be a member of Tri Kappa to per-

form, but that is not accurate, we want any-

one that is interested to try out.” She

continued, “These people can sign up at

Meet the Director, but aren’t required to try

out.”

Johnson believes, “The Follies is a way

to get the entire community involved to

have fun and showcase their talents. The

Follies is a great way to make friends, have

fun, perform and most importantly, it helps

Tri Kappa to give back to the community.”

The Tri Kappa Red Stocking Follies had

their beginnings in 1972 when Sylvia Mills

was president of the sorority. That year

Carol McNeal was the chairman and Joyce

Phipps was co-chairman. The Jerome H.

Cargill Producing Organization, Inc., New

York produced the show. Tri Kappa gave

$7,000 back to the community as a result of

the profits and the Follies have continued

every three years since.

Johnson said, “Cargill hired the director,

brought in the costumes and a canned show.

They would then interject jokes that were

locally bent throughout the show. The prob-

lem was that we (those involved) had to

house and feed the director for the entire

time which was an extra expense.”

Najuch said, “The Cargill Company did

these types of shows all over the country.

The director had to bring everything with

him, from costumes, sketches, all the way

down to their computer. This made the en-

tire process very difficult.”

Johnson said, “After Cargill, the Follies

used a group called Christopher Allen Pro-

ductions in 2005, and David and Dianna

Dean took the directorship of the Follies in

2008.”

Najuch took over the directorship of the

last Follies production in 2011. He ex-

plained, “It’s nice to have a local director

because he knows and understands the local

community much better.” He continued, “A

local director knows the businesses as well

as the local talent and it is much easier to

direct a show like this when you know the

community.”

Najuch and Johnson explained that a

completely local production also has it chal-

lenges. Najuch said that they have to search

and work harder to find costumes. Johnson

continued, “We look everywhere for cos-

tumes. Some of the cast make their own and

we’ve borrowed costumes from Huntington

University, The Honeywell Center and

Pulse Opera House and purchase some at

the Goodwill Store.”

Directing the Follies will be a little easier

for Najuch this time around. He said, “The

last time I did not totally understand what

to do and I had to learn as I went. Even

though I’ve done these types of shows be-

fore, there are always scheduling issues

with the cast and matching the skits with the

(Story Continued on Page 2)

‘AYE AYE KAPPA’ Follies 15 to kick-off

May 1, 2, 3 at HNHS Auditorium

Page 2 Huntington County Chamber of Commerce April 2014

Board of Directors

2014Chairman of the Board

Stefan Poling

Rollo Harter & Poling LLP

Chairman of the Board Elect

Michael Zahn

First Federal Savings Bank

Treasurer

Ryan Lemon

Parkview Huntington Family YMCA

Assistant Treasurer

Kay Schwob

Huntington University

Arthur Daronatsy

Dean Foods

Trace Hinesley

Huntington County Community School

Corporation

Lori Mickley

Bendix Commercial Vehicle

Systems, LLC

Lee Pasko

iAB Financial Bank

Jeremy Penrod

Walgreens

Mike Perkins

Parkview Huntington Hospital

Foundation

Steve Petry

W.A. Zimmer Co.

Joe Santa

TrophyCenter Plus

Sandra Seacott

Teachers Credit Union

Adam Stroup

Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance

Randy Warner

Terry L. Reckard CPA

STAFF

Steve Kimmel

Executive Director

Ellen Prange

Bookkeeper

Angie Garcia

Office Administrator

(Story Continued From Page 1)

right individuals. Where one person can

pull off a joke, another person will fail at

the same joke. It’s so important to find the

right person for the right skit. I think this

year’s event will go much smoother be-

cause I now know what to expect.”

Johnson agreed with Najuch, “It will be

smoother this year. Rich is so good at mak-

ing sure everything is done. He has an eye

for detail.” She continued, “We don’t have

to worry Rich just takes care of everything.”

Najuch says he always has a good idea of

what he wants to do before he starts the pro-

duction. “Having the big picture always

helps me move forward with directing and

finding the cast of talent.” He said, “I nor-

mally have a book of jokes and we pull out

the jokes we feel are funny. Once we find

the jokes, we find the business that we can

adjust to and then find the talent that can

pull off the joke. The jokes are always done

in fun and that is how we hope everyone

takes them.”

“We try to then get a string of jokes, busi-

nesses and local talent, tie them all together

and make a string of funny skits for the au-

dience,” Najuch explained. “We want the

jokes and businesses to flow together to for-

mulate a forward momentum, but we need

to find the right people and match them to

the right skit to have an entertaining show.”

Commercials are also produced during

the skits. Local businesses are encouraged

to purchase an ad that represents their busi-

ness. The ad is humorous in nature and can

be performed by the cast or the local busi-

ness and their employees. Advertising can

also be purchased for the program book for

the Follies.

Over the years with support from the

local community, Tri Kappa has raised over

$300,000 for non-profit organizations and

various causes. Organizations benefiting

from the 2011 Follies include the American

Red Cross, The Boys & Girls Club, Cancer

Services, Free Health Clinic, Historic Forks

of the Wabash, Huntington House, La-

Fontaine Arts Council, Love INC, Malta

House, McKenzie’s Hope, Parkview Hunt-

ington Hospital Foundation, Riley Chil-

dren’s Hospital, Salvation Army, Tri Kappa

scholarships, YMCA and the Youth Serv-

ices Bureau.

The Chi Chapter of Tri Kappa Sorority in

Huntington celebrated 100 years in 2006.

Tri Kappa is a unique philanthropic organ-

ization existing only within the boundaries

of the state of Indiana. The purpose of Tri

Kappa is “... to bring women into close, un-

selfish relationship for the promotion of

charity, culture and education.” The local

membership participates in The Red Stock-

ing Follies, house walk, fall nut sales,

spring flower sales and other projects to

provide the necessary resources to be able

to sponsor scholarships and support local

groups and charities.

Tickets for the Follies are $8 in advance

or $10 at the door. For information about

the Follies or to perform contact Johnson at

(260) 356-7247.

‘AYE AYE KAPPA’ Follies continued

The Huntington

County Chamber

of Commerce will

host a Lunch-N-

Learn seminar in

small business

training to include

social media,

branding and search engine optimization.

The seminar will take place on Thursday,

April 24 at the Horace Mann Education

Center, 2485 Waterworks Road. The sem-

inar will begin at 11:30 a.m. and conclude

by 1 p.m.

The workshop is a hands on workshop

designed to allow the business owner or

manager the opportunity to explore social

media including the application of Face-

book, LinkedIn, Google Plus, Pinterest

and YouTube in a small business setting.

Also discussed in the seminar will be how

to “brand” your business, the recent

changes in Google and how this affects

your business and information on how to

increase your internet presence via search

engine optimization.

Attendees are encouraged to bring

their phone or tablets.

There will be a $10 fee for Chamber

members and $15 fee for non-Chamber

members. A box lunch and beverage will

be provided to all participants.

For more information or to RSVP to

the seminar, call the Chamber office at

(260) 356-5300 by Thursday, April 17.

Chamber to host small

business training in April

April 2014 Huntington County Chamber of Commerce Page 3

APRILBusiness of the Month

Bob Evans Farm Restaurant

Bob Evans Farm Restaurant, 2207 N. Jefferson Street, was chosen as the Business

of the Month for April by the Chamber Ambassadors. The Ambassadors nominated

Bob Evans because of their long-standing membership with the Chamber, their support

of the Chamber, and their many years of of serving Huntington County.

Shown in the front row, from left are Shelly Miller, Joshua Price, Emily Donaldson,

Kathryn Fishbaugh, Nick Diffenbaugh, general manager, all from Bob Evans; Mindy

Muchow, Tipton Place, Sue Rumple, Beacon Credit Union and Terry Miller, Real Living

Ness Bros. all Chamber Ambassadors. Back row, from left are JoDeane Knowles, TCU,

Belinda Clancy, Markle Health & Rehabilitation and Chamber Ambassadors; Steve

Kimmel, executive director, Huntington County Chamber of Commerce; Gene Snow-

den, Real Living Ness Bros. and Chamber Ambassador; Bryonne Enyart, Justin  Miller,

assistant general manager, Lori Bruner, all from Bob Evans; Ryan Lemon, Novae Corp.

and Chamber board; Brooke Hamstra, Thorne Insurance Agency and Steve Godfroy,

Perfection Wheel, both Chamber Ambassadors. The Chamber would like to congratu-

late Bob Evans Farm Restaurant as being selected as the business of the month.

The Nun Run and Brother Boogie 10K will take place Saturday, May 24 at 9:15 a.m.

The race begins and ends at St. Felix Oratory, 1280 Hitzfield Street, and is approximately

5K and 10K combination road and trail, run or walk.

The entry fee is $20 for those who register before Thursday, May 15 and $25 until

one-half hour before the race. The family rate is $50 per family. A family is considered

two adults and children who are under 21 years of age. Those registering by Friday, May

16 will receive a race shirt. After Thursday, May 15 shirts will be available while supplies

last.

Entry forms are available at Parkview Huntington Family YMCA, Anytime Fitness,

Huntington Catholic School, Victory Noll Center and Zay Leasing and Rentals, Inc. or

online at www.Runrace.net. Send entry forms and fees with checks payable to Hunting-

ton Catholic Booster Club, 960 Warren Street, Huntington, IN 46750. Entries are non-

refundable.

For more information contact Andy Zay, the event coordinator, at (260) 356-1588 or

email azay@sbcglobal.net. The event is being made possible by Our Sunday Visitor.

Nun Run and Brother Boogie 10K

to take place on May 24 at St. Felix

Huntington’s new summertime festi-

val, Splash on the Wabash, is seeking cor-

porate sponsors for the July 26, 2014

event.

SPLASH on the waBASH or

“SPLASH BASH” will be held on Satur-

day, July 26, in Huntington and its pur-

pose is to encourage area residents to get

out, to get wet, to have fun and to be in-

spired by the local rivers.

The action-packed day begins with a

river tubing adventure starting at J. Ed-

ward Roush Dam and ending at the Forks

of the Wabash Historic Park. The celebra-

tion then continues downtown at the Jef-

ferson Street Bridge with kayak and

canoe rides, water games, hands-on water

education, food and an evening riverside

concert featuring “Island Vibe.”

“So far, we have received tremendous

support and are working in collaboration

with many organizations to bring this

new event to our community and make it

a success,” stated Tina Bobilya, steering

committee chair. There are sponsorships

available at many different levels to meet

a variety of budgets. The deadline for

sponsorship is April 1.

For information please contact Tina

Bobilya, steering committee chair, at

(260) 359-8687 or email her at tbo-

bilya@visithuntington.org or Paula Whit-

ing, sponsorship chair, at (260) 356-5404,

paula.whiting@lakecitybank.com.

Splash on the

Wabash looking

for event sponsors

Page 4 Huntington County Chamber of Commerce April 2014

April 2014 Huntington County Chamber of Commerce Page 5

Thomas E. Carnes, CPA

430 N. Jefferson St., P.O. Box 266

Huntington, IN 46750-0266

tecarnes@carnescompanycpa.com

carnescompanycpa.com

“We Love Small Business”Tel: 260.356.8888

Fax: 260.356.8873

Tipton HouseA Senior Living Community by Assisted Living Concepts, Inc.

Office: (260) 356-2028

Cell: (260) 609-0649

Fax: (260) 356-2087

mmuchow@alcco.com

460 Forks Of The Wabash Way

Huntington, IN 46750

www.alcco.com

Mindy MuchowResidence Sales Manager

Heritage Days will have two car

shows as a part of the celebration for

2014. Friday evening, June 20 will

bring a Downtown Car Show/Festival

from 5 to 9 p.m. The original Friday

evening car show will move to Saturday

June 21 at Huntington North High School from 1 to 6 p.m.

Friday evening in downtown Huntington promises to celebrate

Huntington’s heritage with a festival atmosphere. As part of the

Heritage Days theme for 2014, “Flourishing in the 1920s,” the

car show will include classic as well as antique vehicles. Partic-

ipants are invited to bring Model A’s, Model T’s, Hudson’s and

older antique vehicles.

Ed Ferguson “Fast Eddie” will bring his Kroozinationals team

for an evening of party fun. Downtown businesses and restau-

rants will remain open and there will be games, contests, food

on every block and fun events for children. “Fast Eddie” will also

entertain for the evening as DJ with a variety of upbeat musical

selections.

The Friday evening event is sponsored by the Downtown Busi-

ness Association. It is being organized by Erin Covey of the Her-

itage Days steering committee of the Chamber of Commerce. For

information, contact Covey at Metronet at (260) 504-2400.

The Saturday car show is organized by Max Kaylor, also a

member of the Heritage Days Chamber of Commerce steering

committee. Kaylor and the Huntington County Disaster Team

will man the car show at Huntington North as part of the Hot Air

Balloon Festival which will be taking place all day and evening

on Saturday. The Bed Race will also be a part of this event on

Saturday evening along with a DJ, food, emergency vehicles and

the Samaritan helicopter.

For more information about the Saturday car show, contact

Kaylor at (260) 224-3536. The Bed Race is open to any interested

participants with a $25 entry fee. Cash prizes will be awarded to

the first three winning places. For more information about the

Bed Race, contact Dan Juergens, Juergens Do-It-Best and Her-

itage Days steering committee member, at (260) 356-5214.

Contact the Chamber of Commerce at (260) 356-5300 or visit

the website at www.huntingtoncountychamber.com for more in-

formation about any of the above events or entry forms for the

Bed Race.

Car shows to be a part of

Flourishing in the 1920sWelcome New Members

Clear Elevation314 North Main Street, Suite 112, Roanoke, IN 46783

Fire & Ice905 West Park Drive, Huntington, IN 46750

Indiana Fence & Rail/

Shane Wright Construction1125 Huntington Avenue, Warren, IN 46792

Newton Manufacturing6780 North 100 West, North Manchester, IN 46962

Shelton Financial Group Inc.7617 West Jefferson Street, Fort Wayne, IN 46804

Sears Hometown Store2052 North Jefferson Street, Huntington, IN 46750

State Farm Insurance - Jake Stroup1352 Etna Avenue, Huntington, IN 46750

Select My Business Card

Quality InnWe’re Expecting You!

General Manager

2820 Hotel Avenue

Huntington, IN 46750

Phone: (260) 359-9000

Fax: (260) 359-9100

http://magnusonhotels.com

Tera Garretson

Brenda Kirkpatrick Dan Stoffel

Michael Hayes

Business Account Manager

720 Taylor Street

Fort Wayne, IN 46802

Office: 260-409-4473; Fax: 260-458-5256christopher.fech@cable.comcast.com

www.business.comcast.com

Select My Business Card

Bill Busch

Business Consultant

1102 Chestnut Hills Parkway, Suite 101, Fort Wayne, IN 46814

T: 260.436.3878 F: 260.436.7692 C: 260.409.0870

TF: 800.837.4787 E: bill.busch@xcelhr.com SKYPE: billbusch2

www.xcelhr.com

305 Warren StreetHuntington, IN 46750

Presorted

Standard

U.S. Postage

Paid

Huntington, IN

Permit No. 194

Visit Us o

n the Web

!

www.hun

tington-c

hamber.c

om

Mark Your

Calendars

Love INC Unity FeastSunday, April 6, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Heritage Hall, Hier’s Park

Lunch of chicken and noodles or pork loin and sides

Pie auction, 11:30 a.m. and every half hour, bake sale

Cost for meal, all proceeds to Love INC

Lunch ‘N LearnThursday, April 24, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Horace Mann Education Center

2485 Waterworks Road

Social Media Seminar for Small Business

Includes: Social media, branding, and search engine optimization

Chamber members: $10; Non-members $15, includes lunch

If interested, reply to skimmel@huntington-chamber.com

or call the office at (260) 356-5300 by Thursday, April 17

Heritage Days 2014Wednesday, June 18 through Sunday, June 22

Downtown Huntington and

Huntington North High School

ADDRESS SERVICEREQUESTED

PROFESSIONAL JANITORIAL

SERVICE, INC.Industrial and Commercial Cleaning

Since 1985

SAFEGUARD SERVICES, INC.Security Guard and Patrol Service

Since 1962

430 Warren Street Huntington, IN

(260) 356-4726

VACANCY OFFICE SPACELocated at 1312 Flaxmill Road

BEST LOCATION IN HUNTINGTON

First Year Rent FreeCURRENTLY AVAILABLE, AMPLE PARKING

WITH UP TO (10) INDIVIDUAL OFFICES

OWNER WILL MAKE CHANGES TO

MEET YOUR NEEDS!

CALL LIZ McCLAIN OR GENE FLECK AT:

First Year Rent Free

356-6577