Hello, Pen Pal! Sam from Wagon Wheel here. 👋😊

Here we are. The very last day of 2025. What a year it’s been. If you ask me, it feels like ten years all rolled into one! And this probably won’t surprise you, but the Wagon Wheel fun isn’t over just yet. That’s right. I’ve got something fun for you.

Wagon Wheel Community Theatre is hosting a New Year’s Eve Murder Mystery Fundraiser TONIGHT at Papa Vino’s here in Warsaw! Picture this: You and a plus-one, enjoying delicious Italian food while solving a murder mystery brought to life by some of your favorite familiar Community Theatre faces. The event runs until midnight and yes, there will be champagne. 🥂

Tickets are available at the door, so there’s no rush to pre-register. The event starts at 10:00 PM, and let’s be honest, we all need a good excuse to stay up until midnight. Plus, you might just walk away a winner. What a pretty cool way to start the new year, huh? And all for a good cause!

🗓️ Coming up at the Wheel…
Looking ahead to January, there’s still time to register for our 11th Annual Young Artist State-Wide Competition on January 24 at the Warsaw Performing Arts Center. Any Indiana student in grades 5 through 12 (Junior division is 5-8, Senior division is 9-12) who plays an orchestral instrument is eligible, including harp, woodwind, brass, and percussion players. 🎻

Not only will the winner walk away with a $500 prize, they’ll also have the opportunity to perform with Symphony of the Lakes. Very cool, right? All the details are available on our website by clicking HERE. And did I mention the event is completely free for anyone who wants to attend and hear some truly impressive young musicians? I hope to see you there.

 

In case you missed it, tickets are on sale now for our upcoming Wagon Wheel Junior musical, The Rockin’ Tale of Snow White. This isn’t a secret by now, and I sometimes get a little emotional just talking about it, but I absolutely love Wagon Wheel Junior. Working with these young performers is one of the greatest privileges of my career.

Want to hear directly from some of our Wagon Wheel Junior actors? Click HERE to learn how your support impacts them in their own words.

❤️ Today is the last day of our Year-End Giving campaign!
Before we step into 2026, I want to take a moment to share why year-end giving matters so much to us. Our goal is to raise $100,000 by the end of today, and we’re so close I can almost feel it. Wagon Wheel isn’t just a nonprofit organization, it’s a shared home for storytellers, students, artists, and audiences alike. It belongs to all of us. It belongs to you.

When you give to Wagon Wheel, your generosity comes to life before your eyes. You get to see it take shape in the costumes on stage, the sets that transform our space, the wigs, the paint, and the housing that makes it possible for artists to call this place home, even if just for a season. This list doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of how much your donation matters! Every dollar works hard here, stretching farther than you might imagine.

If you haven’t already, I hope you’ll consider standing with us today and helping carry our 70-year legacy into 2026. Click HERE to help us cross the finish line. And if you’ve already given, please know this: from the bottom of my heart and on behalf of so many people whose lives are shaped by this place, thank you. I may never find the right words, but your generosity truly means everything.

Well, that’s all from me for now! Happy New Year, Pen Pal. Thank you for being part of this year, this community, and this legacy. I can’t wait to see what we dream up together in 2026. Stay safe, stay kind, and I’ll see you next time.

🎪 There’s no place like Wagon Wheel,

Sam Engle, Communications & Donor Relations Coordinator

P.S. Your donation is a vital part of Wagon Wheel’s legacy, mission, and magic. Will you make a donation before the end of the day today? Click HERE! 💌