SYRACUSE — A holiday tradition is beginning an exciting new chapter.

The 13th Annual Country Christmas with Susie McEntire & Friends will take place December 12, at the brand-new Wawasee Performing Arts Center at Wawasee High School, where the event will have the distinction of being the first concert presented in the new facility.

This year’s show will feature multi-award-winning inspirational country artist Susie McEntire, Grammy Award-winning country artist Linda Davis, singer-songwriter Keenie, and additional special guests to be announced.

The concert will begin at 7 p.m., with doors opening at 6 p.m, a news release said.

The news release did not explain the reason for the change, but Lakeview Middle School, which has hosted the concert for years, is currently undergoing renovataions.

As it has been throughout its history, A Country Christmas will remain FREE to the public thanks to the generous support of the event’s loyal sponsors.

While there is no admission charge, those attending are encouraged to bring a new, unwrapped toy and help fill the Toys for Tots collection boxes to make Christmas a little brighter for children throughout Kosciusko County.

Over the years, the generosity of sponsors and concertgoers has helped A Country Christmas collect approximately $90,000 worth of toys for Toys for Tots.

For the past 12 years, Lakeview Middle School in Warsaw has been home to A Country Christmas, and organizers are extremely grateful for the school’s hospitality and the many wonderful memories created there.

“We will always appreciate Lakeview Middle School for opening its doors to us and helping this event grow into the Christmas tradition it has become,” organizers said. “After 12 years at Lakeview, we are incredibly excited about this next chapter and honored that A Country Christmas will be the very first concert held in the brand-new Wawasee Performing Arts Center. It gives us an opportunity to celebrate an amazing new facility while continuing what this event has always been about — bringing people together and helping make Christmas brighter for local children.”

We also want everyone to know, when Susie comes to town with her husband Mark, they visit various organizations, share their stories, inspire others and make an immeasurable impact in the lives of our citizens. Because of our sponsors, lives are being changed!”

Kristin Bonner, director of the Wawasee Performing Arts Center, said the new facility is excited to welcome the performers, the audience and the Toys for Tots mission.

“We couldn’t be more excited to welcome Susie McEntire, Linda Davis and Keenie to the stage for the very first concert at the Wawasee Performing Arts Center! This is such an exciting moment for our community, and we couldn’t think of a better way to begin this new chapter. We’re also thrilled that our first concert will give us an opportunity to give back through Toys for Tots. We hope people will come out, enjoy an incredible evening of music, and help us fill the Performing Arts Center with toys and the spirit of giving!”

The event is organized by the ML Community Impact Alliance, Inc with the major support of the Leesburg Methodist Church and our other loyal sponsors, whose generosity makes it possible to continue offering A Country Christmas free of charge while supporting Toys for Tots and local children during the holiday season.

Additional performers and special guests for this year’s celebration will be announced in the coming weeks.

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WARSAW — The ML Community Impact Alliance (MLCIA) and the Freedom Fest Committee have announced country music artist Darryl Worley will headline the Freedom Fest Concert on Saturday, June 6, at the Kosciusko County Fairgrounds in Warsaw.

Joining Worley for a night of live music are special guests Jason Michael Carroll —performing with his full band — and country artist Keenie Word, according to a news release from the Community Impact Alliance, a non-profit established last year.

This concert is a centerpiece of Freedom Fest, a multi-day celebration honoring America’s 250th birthday.

Known for his patriotic anthem “Have You Forgotten?” and songs like “I Miss My Friend” and “Awful, Beautiful Life,” Worley brings a blend of country music and storytelling that captures the spirit of this historic milestone, the news release said.

“We are incredibly excited to bring Darryl Worley to Freedom Fest as our headliner,” organizers said in the release. “His music, especially his tribute to our nation and veterans, aligns perfectly with the mission of this celebration. Adding Jason Michael Carroll and Keenie makes this a can’t-miss night of country music for our community and beyond.”

Tickets are on sale online through Eventbrite.

Grandstand general admission tickets are $10, and track general admission tickets are $20.
For those looking for a premium concert experience, standing room at the front of the stage and limited up-close seating options will also be available, offering fans an up-close-and-personal connection to the performance.

To enhance safety, improve sightlines, and create the best possible concert experience for everyone, outside chairs and coolers will not be permitted inside the concert area.

Freedom Fest will take place June 5–7, featuring a full lineup of family-friendly activities including live entertainment, historical reenactments, a parade, car show, 5K run, veterans recognition and more.

Camping is available for the weekend at the fairgrounds. For reservations, call the fair office at 574-269-1823.

For all other questions, email info@kcfreedomfest.org.

Tickets and additional event details are also available at www.kcfreedomfest.org.
Freedom Fest is organized by the ML Community Impact Alliance (MLCIA), a nonprofit dedicated to enhancing quality of life through community collaboration, events and initiatives that bring people together, the release states.

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WARSAW — What started as “A Country Christmas with Susie McEntire” concert 11 years ago has developed into a community holiday tradition with McEntire and several friends and guests.

For the Dec. 14 concert at Lakeview Middle School in Warsaw, award-winning country music legend Janie Fricke, who hails originally from South Whitley, is joining McEntire and returnees Linda Davis and Keenie on stage, along with their husbands.

“Warsaw is another second home to me. We would go up there every weekend to go swimming. We took our dance lessons there when we were doing tap and ballet. We were just down the road in South Whitley,” Fricke, who has lived in Texas for over the last four decades, said in a telephone interview.

Growing up in South Whitley, she didn’t have any plans to make a career out of singing and songwriting. “That never occurred to me,” Fricke said. “Our family consisted of my sister and I and our two cousins, and we all had a direct calling from our families that we would go to Indiana University and we would pick a major and we would do that and that would be our lives. So that’s what we did.”

Fricke got her degree in elementary education, but she had been singing since she was a little girl in church nearly every weekend. She also enjoyed singing whatever songs were popular at the time, whether that was Brenda Lee or Patsy Cline.

After she graduated from I.U., she realized she would probably never use the degree because she had been pursuing singing all throughout college. She even dropped out of college twice to sing and pursue studio work.

“I could get jobs in studios and worked with vocal groups, and learned how to sing commercials and jingles. And that’s really how I entered into the Nashville scene, which is where all the country music is and the vocal groups,” Fricke said.

When she was signed to Columbia Records, she did about two albums a year. She was on the label for 12 years, recording over 20 albums during that time. She’s got a new album out now titled “Janie Fricke — It Ain’t Easy,” which is a greatest hits collection of 40 of her songs.

During her long career, Fricke has won numerous awards. She said she’s donated several of them to museums and such.

“Country Music Hall of Fame has my CMA Female Vocalist of the Year, and I’ve got two of those - for ‘82 and ‘83 - and I think one of them is still here in my home somewhere. I’ve donated some of them. There’s a museum in Columbia City, too, that I donated one to,” Fricke said.

Fricke’s participation in the Dec. 14 concert will make it even better, according to McEntire.
“I believe it’s going to be an even better concert this year because of a local lady who people will enjoy seeing again — Janie Fricke. And I believe it’s just grown and being a partnership with these folks and everybody on stage ... people behind the stage, it’s just become something we look forward to every year,” McEntire said.

She said she’s not known Fricke but has been a total fan “for years and years and years. I was so ecstatic when Mike (Loher) said he was going to contact her. She is an excellent singer. She is country all the way.”

When Fricke called McEntire, McEntire said Fricke was down to earth, ready to work with everyone and had her ducks in a row.

This year is Keenie’s third for the Country Christmas concert. She said there’s so many things that she enjoys about it, and is excited to meet Fricke this year.

“In fact, everybody’s been asking what my schedule is like coming up and I’ve been telling them I’ve got three shows the weekend before I come there, and everybody asks me which one is my favorite, and I always say Indiana. Indiana is always my favorite,” Keenie said.

“First off, just the people that I get to do it with. I’m real excited to meet Janie this year, I’ve never met her, but every single person that is on that stage with us every year just really, truly becomes family.”

In 2023, the concert was done a little differently. “It wasn’t just one person coming out performing. We all got to come out on stage and hear each other’s stories and join in on harmony if it was a song we knew. And, honestly, that’s what makes Nashville so unique is just the songwriters that make up all the songs and getting to be a part of those. A lot of times people have no idea that maybe that person wrote that song or was even a part of production or had anything to do with it. So it’s really cool to have it done in that type of manner and sit down and all just joining in together. So I’m excited to do that again,” Keenie explained.

Second to McEntire as far as number of years taking part in the concert is Davis.

“She is a trooper and this is such a passion for her, and I’m just so proud to be on board. It’s become something that (my husband) Lang and I both look forward to every year, and the turnout just gets better and better,” Davis said. “You ought to be proud of your community, how they show up for Toys for Tots.”

She said they come all the way to Warsaw first because it’s a good cause.

“But, because my friend Susie is hosting it and has been a part of this for so long, when she called the first year - before even knowing Mike - it was going to be a yes if we weren’t already booked anyway. But, then, meeting Mike and getting to know his heart and how hard he works for this every year, and how he wants it to be the best that it can be, all of those things just add up to ‘Can we make it happen this year?’ And we save a spot on our calendar for what we think will be the weekend, and it’s just worked out now for five to six years in a row,” David said.

This year with Fricke being a part of the show, Davis said, “Oh my goodness! If I could pick her songs, I’m one of her biggest fans, and I’m just excited to hear the songs that she decides to sing because I love them all. Susie - oh my goodness, there’s not an angel’s voice like hers, so anything she picks (will be good). Keenie is just a powerful vocalist, so everything she sings is perfect. And some of the songs that I like to sing - of course, I had a song with Reba (“Does He Love You?”) that it would be hard to show up and not do it.”

McEntire said she’s appreciative of the city of Warsaw and their support for the Christmas and country concert. Doors open at 6 p.m., with the concert starting at 7 p.m. It is free, but attendees are asked to bring a new unwrapped toy to be donated to Toys for Tots. Items for hurricane relief efforts also will be accepted.

Along with the 11th annual concert, the Warsaw Ladies Pamper Me is returning for a second year with McEntire and Keenie. It will take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Lakeview Commons. The cost for Pamper Me is $40 per person preregistration (which ends Dec. 12) or $45 at the door. For groups of 10 or more, the cost is $35 per person. Register at countrychristmaswarsaw.com. For Pamper Me vendor information, contact Tracey at 574-268-7847.

“We’re going to be in a different, more intimate room this year, and it’s going to be something that I believe the ladies will really enjoy. We’re going to have lots of vendors and different speakers. New and improved, and I believe it’s going to be something that they will truly enjoy,” McEntire said.

The post Janie Fricke joining ‘A Country Christmas’ lineup this year appeared first on News Now Warsaw.

WARSAW — South Whitley, Indiana native Janie Fricke will join forces with Susie McEntire, Linda Davis, and Keenie for the 11th Country Christmas with Susie McEntire and Friends.

The event, dedicated to spreading holiday cheer and supporting a noble cause, is set to take place on Dec. 14, at 7 p.m. at Lakeview Middle School in Warsaw.

Admission to the event remains simple yet impactful: attendees are encouraged to bring a new, unwrapped toy, with all donations benefiting Toys for Tots. Over the years, this event has become a beacon of generosity, bringing joy to countless children during the holiday season.

This year’s theme, “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” promises to evoke the warmth and nostalgia of cherished holiday memories. With Janie Fricke’s timeless classics, Susie McEntire’s soulful renditions, Linda Davis’s captivating performances, and Keenie’s infectious energy, audiences are in for an unforgettable evening filled with music, laughter, and goodwill.

“We are thrilled to welcome Janie Fricke to our lineup this year, adding her legendary talent to our mission of spreading joy and giving back to the community,” said McEntire.

For more information, including pictures, sponsors from last year, event updates, please visit countrychristmaswarsaw.com

For information or to become a sponsor contact Mike Loher via email.

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