A Tony for Lafayette Jeff grad, the next Loeb Stadium show and more
A Tony for Lafayette Jeff grad, the next Loeb Stadium show and more
Some notes to get the week rolling …
Thanks to Wabash Riverfest for sponsoring today’s issue. Each summer, Wabash Riverfest brings the Greater Lafayette community together to celebrate the longest free-flowing river in the eastern United States. Learn about and enjoy Indiana’s Wabash River through conservation exhibits, river float trips, charcoal drawing classes, guided riverside hikes, a birds of prey presentation, photography workshops, and more. Learn more about the festival and sign up for activities: A Celebration of Nature and Community | Wabash Riverfest
Some notes to get the week rolling …
A TONY FOR LAFAYETTE JEFF GRAD
Lafayette Jeff grad Aaron Glick was on the stage at the close of Sunday night’s Tony Awards, after “Kimberly Akimbo” won for Best Musical. Glick, who graduated from Lafayette Jeff in 2002, is a producer of the show about a New Jersey teenager with a rare genetic disorder who ages at five times the normal speed as she navigates high school and family life. The musical took home five awards. (From New York Times reporter Michael Paulson: “‘Kimberly Akimbo’ Wins Best Musical Tony and ‘Leopoldstadt’ Best Play.”)
Glick also was among the producers with “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” which was among nominees for Best Revival of a Musical. That Tony went to a revival of “Parade.” (Glick also was a producer on “The Boys in the Band,” which won a Tony for best revival of a play in 2019.)
Another local tie to Sunday’s Tony Awards: Steven McKinley Henderson, a 1977 graduate of Purdue’s theater program, was nominated for best actor in a play for his performance in “Between Riverside and Crazy.” Sean Hayes won that category for his role in “Good Night, Oscar.” For more on Henderson, Purdue writer Joel Meredith had this feature on him last week: “Purdue alumnus says theatre ‘makes us look ourselves squarely in the face.’”
AP reporter Joceyln Noveck had this wrap-up on the night: “No script at Tony Awards, but plenty of song, dance, high spirits and history-making wins.”
IT’S TAYLOR SWIFT (LASER DANCE PARTY) AT LOEB STADIUM: The next installment in the Loeb Stadium shows will be a Taylor Swift Laser Dance Party on July 27, the city announced Monday. Tickets go on sale at noon Tuesday, June 13, for the all-ages show at the stadium in Lafayette’s Columbian Park. (As the concert announcement page says: “Note: Taylor Swift will not make an appearance at this 90-minute event.”) The show is part of a national touring act, with a DJ featuring Taylor Swift’s greatest hits.
The show will be a second for Loeb Stadium this summer, with ‘80s soft rock hitmakers Air Supply booked for July 28. The city opened the Loeb Stadium era of shows in 2022 with America and county singer Justin Moore.
Tickets for the Taylor Swift Laser Dance Party will be $20 and $25, plus fees, available online at www.longpac.org or at the Long Center box office at 765-742-5664.
JUNETEENTH PLANS THIS SATURDAY: Greater Lafayette’s community Juneteenth celebration, alternating cities every other year, moves back to West Lafayette on Saturday, June 17, when The Found at Purdue hosts from noon-4 p.m. at Tapawingo Park.
Juneteenth marks the day, on June 19, 1865, when word of the Emancipation Proclamation was delivered to Galveston, Texas. President Abraham Lincoln had proclaimed the emancipation of slaves as of Jan. 1, 1863, more than two years earlier. Texas was the last Confederate state to have the proclamation announced. In 2021, President Joe Biden signed a bill that named Juneteenth a federal holiday, ending years of pushing to get that done.
The afternoon will include performances from a community choir, an interactive art show, loctician styling competitions and stepping competitions. Speakers and participants will include Boyd Smith, art curator for the Purdue Black Cultural Center; Kadari Taylor-Watson, U.S. Figure Skating’s director of diversity, equity and inclusion, as well as a Purdue graduate; and Toussaint the Liberator, who leads a drum circle event called “From Slave to Soldier.”
For more information, go to: juneteenthgl.com
OTHER READS …
Congratulations to Central Catholic’s baseball team, heading to the Class A state final this weekend after a 6-4 victory over Fort Wayne Blackhawk at Loeb Stadium. The defending state champs will play Barr-Reeve, ranked No. 1 in Class A, at Victory Field on Saturday. Journal & Courier sports reporter Sam King had this account: “Central Catholic baseball rallies late to return to state finals.”
Amanda Ahlenius, a dietitian in West Lafayette, found herself in the Washington Post late last week in a story about sharing household tips people picked up from their grandmothers. The upshot, straight from Washington Post reporter Cathy Free’s piece: “In February, Ahlenius decided to post a quick video on TikTok, asking, ‘How much could we learn from each other if we all shared the random things that the women in our lives have taught us?’” That video built up more than 865,000 views, with spinoffs racking up big numbers, too, with tips galore and a loyal following for Ahlenius. The story takes it up from there. Check it out here: “Use vinegar to make scratchy towels soft, and other life hacks from grandmas.”
Thanks to Wabash Riverfest for sponsoring today’s issue. For more information about for the festival July 8, go to wabashriverfest.com
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Tips, story ideas? I’m at davebangert1@gmail.com. Like and follow Based in Lafayette on Facebook: Based in Lafayette