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Serving Southwest Allen County & Roanoke
August 1, 2014
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AWS Foundation awards $250,000 to USF Jesters
The bluegrass strains that resonate from a Kekionga Shores cul de sac might be the sound of Jim and Linda Winger rehearsing or relaxing. Or the sound might be created by traveling bluegrass artists enjoying the Wingers’ hospitality. The Aboite Township couple and many of their fellow bluegrass enthusiasts converge each May and each Labor Day weekend at Kendallville, for the Tri-State Bluegrass Festival. Jim Winger is the president of the Northern Indiana Bluegrass Association, which sponsors the festivals. Linda Winger is the treasurer. Their love of bluegrass dates back to the early 1980s. “We were going to a festival once a year,” Linda said, emphasizing “A.” “We got hooked on it,” she continued. “He came back from one held in May and decided that he couldn’t stand it any longer, he had
AWS Foundation of Fort Wayne has awarded the University of Saint Francis-sponsored Jesters program $250,000. Jesters was founded at the university in 1978 to engage individuals with disabilities in the creative arts to enhance their quality of life. It seeks to develop self-expression, self-esteem, socialization and other life skills while providing learning opportunities to the USF and local communities. The grant is the latest in ongoing AWS support for Jesters, a program of the School of Creative Arts. With the mission of helping children and adults with enduring intellectual and physical disabilities to live as fully and independently as possible, AWS has provided funding for Jesters since 2010. The funding will provide $50,000 in annual program support, doubling for the next five years the Jesters contribution AWS was already making. In a news
Bluegrass rings from Aboite home By Garth Snow
PHOTO BY GARTH SNOW
Linda Winger plays the mandolin and Jim Winger plays the guitar in their back yard. The Fort Wayne couple help to stage the Tri-State Bluegrass Festival twice each year.
to go take guitar lessons. The next year he said I had better get something or be left behind, so I said OK a mountain dulcimer. I thought I could play that
and keep my long fingernails. Well, within two weeks the nails went. You don’t play a stringed instrument with long nails.” Linda also learned the
PHOTO BY CARL PIPKIN
The Party Boat Band opens the season, on July 9. Concerts continue through Aug. 20.
Indian Trails Park crowds relax to music of summer The sounds of The Party Boat Band carried across Indian Trails Park on a summer night, as the Aboite Township Concerts on the Green series kicked off its 12th
year. The crowd arrived by both car and bicycle, bringing dogs, frisbees and lawn chairs with them as they settled in to enjoy a night of free classic rock music. “I think in the summer
people are always looking for different kinds of things to do, and this is outdoors, free and casual. The music is usually ’50s and ’60s rock ‘n’ roll, so it’s familiar and they enjoy it,” said organizer See MUSIC, Page A7
Times Community Publications
cpipkin@kpcmedia.com
3306 Independence Drive, Fort Wayne, IN 46808
By Carl Pipkin
upright bass. “One of the friends began to show me how to play it, so every time I had the chance I would play somebody’s See BLUEGRASS, Page A11
release, the university said, “This will allow the Jesters to concentrate on goals rooted in a strategic plan first developed in 20102011 with the support of the AWS Foundation.” The operating budget will support performance opportunities, performance costs and salaries for teaching artists. It will also allow the university to enhance student educational opportunities. Internships and volunteerism will strengthen internal ties and alliances within the School of Creative Arts and Department of Education, as special education majors acquire hands-on learning through the Jesters program. Ways to expand program capacity and cultivate local and regional relationships with like-minded organizations will be explored through expanded hours for the director and assistant director, as they reach out See JESTERS, Page A7