WILKES-BARRE — The Luzerne County Arts & Entertainment Hall of Fame’s second annual induction ceremony will take place on Friday, Nov. 8, at the F.M. Kirby Center in Wilkes-Barre.
It will be a great night, and I urge you all to be there.
There will be live musical performances by some of the 2024 inductees, including Shawn Klush, Abilene and Lex Romane, and live musical tributes to posthumous inductees George Wesley, Jesse Wade and Spencer Cottman.
Shawn Klush is considered to be the most popular Elvis Presley tribute artist in the world today. Klush earned the title of Elvis Presley Enterprises’ first-ever “Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist” and BBC 1 Television’s “World’s Greatest Elvis.”
If you’ve never seen or heard Shawn, you will really appreciate his talent. His resemblance to Elvis is uncanny and his voice is as close to the King of Rock & Roll that you will ever hear.
Abilene, the popular group that took the region by storm back in the day with their fusion of country and rock music, is sure to bring back memories of great times and great music.
And Lex Romane, a veteran musician who has pulled from the sounds of jazz, folk and everything in between, will appear and entertain the crowd. Lex will travel from Florida to accept his honor and rock the house.
Jesse Wade and Spencer Cottman. a musical duo whose careers in the entertainment world are intertwined. The lifelong friends were respected community figures and came together artistically to form the “Just the Two of Us” duet, touring across the state under that moniker. Local musicians will perform a tribute to the two iconic musicians.
And George Wesley, the charismatic reggae musician whose work influenced just about every artist in the county who has followed him, regardless of genre. artistic voices. His son will lead a band to pay tribute to George and his music.
Also being inducted in the Class of 2024 will be:
• Legends of WARMland: The innovative disc jockeys who helped build WARM radio into a national powerhouse. Inductees are Tom Woods, Harry West, Joey Shaver, Len Woloson, Don Stevens, Ron Allen, Bill Stuart, Terry McNulty, George Gilbert, and Bobby Day.
• Annette Evans: The ultimate supporter of the arts in Luzerne County for decades, she was the founder the Fine Arts Fiesta.
• Erika Funke: The modern voice of the fine arts in Northeast Pennsylvania throughout her career in radio and television.
• Al Groh: Wilkes University’s original and most active artistic voice.
• Joan Harris: The child prodigy, turned theater performer, turned trailblazing dance icon.
• Franz Kline: The celebrated expressionist painter who was at the forefront of an artistic movement during the 1950s.
• Herman J. Mankiewicz: The witty, Oscar-winning writer of Citizen Kane and The Pride of the Yankees who was one of the top script doctors during the Golden Age of Hollywood.
• Joseph L. Mankiewicz: The legendary film director, writer, and producer who helmed classics such as A Letter to Three Wives, All About Eve and Cleopatra.
• Herbert Simon: The sculptor whose work and insight has been a great asset to Luzerne County’s art scene for well over half a century.
• Ted Sod: The prolific and creative teacher with writing, directing, producing and acting credits to his name.
• George Graham: The radio personality and recording engineer whose support of the arts dates back over 50 years.
The event will include a pre-show mixer with refreshments from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the Kirby lobby and an awards ceremony from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the grand theater.
Tickets, priced at $60, are available at the F.M. Kirby Center Box Office, through the Kirby Center’s website, or Ticketmaster. For information, call 570-826-1100.
Celebrating local success
The Luzerne County Arts & Entertainment Hall of Fame was formed in 2022. Its mission is to honor those who are natives or residents of Luzerne County or who have roots in Luzerne County, and have achieved success, gained notoriety, or have had a great impact on the world of arts and entertainment either in Northeast Pennsylvania or beyond.
And that’s what it’s all about — honoring those who have accomplished so much to enhance our lives.
The members of the first class inducted in 2023 were impressive as well:
• Jimmy Harnen
• The Buoys
• The Badlees
• Joe Nardone & The All Stars
• Eddie Day Pashinski
• Mel Wynn & the Rhythm Aces
• Lee Vincent
• Bobby Baird
• Brunon Kryger/The Kryger Brothers
• Breaking Benjamin
• Adrian Pearsall
• Barbara Weisberger
• C. Edgar Patience
• George Catlin
• Hammond Edward “Ham” Fisher
• Sue Hand
• Jack Palance
• Santo Loquasto
Make time to attend this year’s event. Be there to honor these most-deserved inductees.
It will be a night filled with memories and moments to savor forever.
We hope to see you at The Kirby on Nov. 8, as we honor our 2024 inductees.
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