Wagon Wheel Center for the Arts

08/29/2026

Hi, Wagon Wheel friends and family 🎪 Kira Lace Hawkins here 👋

Today we’re celebrating the man behind our collective voice - the human who ensures everyone feels welcome and taken care of at the Wheel: SAM ENGLE!

Sam works tirelessly to make sure we’re telling our story and getting all of our messages out to our community. From entertaining social media posts to engaging curtain speeches to his heartfelt monthly newsletters, Sam makes everyone near and far feel like they are an important part of everything Wagon Wheel.

Sam, we are so thankful for your work, and today we celebrate YOU! 💜🩵💚

08/28/2026

The Wheel never stops rolling! 🎪

Summer may be over soon, but there’s still SO much happening at Wagon Wheel through the end of the year! Mark your calendars for what’s coming next:

📼 September: A Midsummer Night’s Dream
🎃 October: Sleepy Hollow the Musical
☁️ November: Heavenly Harmonies
❄️ December: Annie + The Best of The Second City

That’s four months of shows, music, laughs, spooky fun, holiday magic, and plenty of reasons to keep coming back to Wagon Wheel! ❤️

🎟️ Tickets for all of these events are available NOW at wagonwheelcenter.org!

08/25/2026

We recently sat down with , in collaboration with , to talk about Wagon Wheel’s $1.4 million READI 2.0 Arts & Culture Initiative grant! ⏯️

Our very own Outreach & Education Director, Kira Lace Hawkins, stopped by the studio to talk with about the incredible performances, education, and career opportunities Wagon Wheel is bringing to Northern Indiana.

We’re so grateful for this investment in the arts and the future of our community! ❤️

Watch the full conversation and learn more about what’s ahead at Wagon Wheel. 🎥

08/25/2026

😂 Laugh your way into the New Year with The Best of The Second City at Wagon Wheel! 😂

Chicago’s legendary The Second City is bringing its signature comedy to the Wagon Wheel stage for ONE NIGHT ONLY, featuring beloved sketches, unforgettable characters, and spontaneous improv inspired by the audience. Which means you never quite know what’s going to happen!

The show starts at 8:00 p.m., so grab dinner with your favorite people, then head to Wagon Wheel for a night of laughs before the clock strikes midnight. 🥂🍾

🎟️ Make your New Year’s Eve plans now at wagonwheelcenter.org

08/24/2026

Have you heard!? Wagon Wheel has received an $80,000 investment from the Dekko Foundation to help us continue creating meaningful, accessible arts experiences for children and young people!

Here’s how it works:

⭐ $40,000 outright grant
⭐ Up to $40,000 in dollar-for-dollar matching funds

That means your gift can go TWICE as far! Through our Next Act campaign, the first $40,000 in qualifying donations from individuals and corporations will be matched dollar-for-dollar by the Dekko Foundation.

Your support helps make programs like Wagon Wheel Conservatory, Wagon Wheel Junior, and student field trip performances possible, giving young people opportunities to build confidence, explore their creativity, develop new skills, and connect with caring mentors.

And, importantly, it helps us make these experiences accessible to even more young people, including those stepping into the arts for the very first time. 💙

Want to double your impact? Support our Next Act Match today at wagonwheelcenter.org/nextact 💻

08/12/2026

🎭 Try something new. Meet your people. Find your creative spark. 🎭

Looking for a place to step outside your comfort zone, stretch your creative muscles, and make new friends? Come join us at Wagon Wheel Conservatory!

Our next six-week session begins August 24 and offers a safe, welcoming, and supportive environment to learn, create, play, and discover something new.

And if one class sounds good, why stop there?

Enroll in multiple classes and save:
$20 off your second class
$30 off your third class
$40 off your fourth class and every class after that!

Financial Assistance is available! Everyone deserves the chance to find their creative voice. ❤️

📞 To take advantage of the multi-class discount, enroll by phone through the Box Office at (574) 267-8041.

For a full list of class descriptions and details, visit wagonwheelcenter.org/education/classes.

08/12/2026

The Wheel never stops rolling, and Sam has everything you need to know from now through December, all in one email! 💌

The August Pen Pal Newsletter has officially arrived. 📮

Email from Wagon Wheel Center for the Arts Oh, hey there, Pen Pal! Sam here. 👋😊 And just like that, 50 performances later, we’ve officially closed the curtain on our 2026 Summer Season! If you follo

08/11/2026

🪱🐦 Early Bird Subscriptions are officially on sale! ⏳

From now until September 15, you can lock in your 2027 Season Subscription through the Box Office and save $30 simply for being early! 📞 Give us a call at (574) 267-8041.

Still on the fence about becoming a subscriber? We get it. There are a few hesitations we frequently hear when someone is considering making the leap.

So, we’re breaking down 5 of the most common reasons people hesitate to become a subscriber, and why you might want to reconsider. 👀

Think a subscription might be right for you? Now is the perfect time to make it official!

📞 (574) 267-8041

08/09/2026

Hey, everyone. Sam here, with my final thoughts as we officially wrap up our 2026 summer season here at Wagon Wheel.

Something my good friend, Jen Dow, and I often say to each other is, “We have to dream out loud.”

What we mean by that is simple. If there’s a future we see for this little theater we all love so much, we can’t keep those dreams to ourselves. We have to say them out loud. We have to declare them. We have to be willing to imagine what could be, even before we know if it’s possible.

I secretly took this photo during Cats rehearsals back in May. What you’re seeing are three Wagon Wheel legends: Managing Director Jen Dow, Set Designer Mike Higgins, and Artistic Director Scott Michaels, looking over the blueprints for what might become our renovated lobby.

At the time, we were waiting to find out if we had received that big, fancy grant we felt we so desperately needed to better serve our community. (Spoiler alert: we got it!)

But there’s something even more beautiful to me about this photo than the grant itself. I was watching three people who have dedicated so much of their lives to serving this community, providing the highest quality live entertainment we can, standing together and imagining what could be next.

Despite the voices of fear, uncertainty, and disappointment, they chose to dream. And more importantly, they chose to dream together, side by side. That’s what I hope we’ve done this summer, too.

Thank you for leaning in. Thank you for engaging with us. Thank you for opening your eyes, your ears, and your hearts as you became part of our 2026 Summer Season.

And thank you for believing in this little theater enough to dream alongside us.

There is so much more to dream out loud about.

Until next time!

🎪 There’s no place like Wagon Wheel,
Sam