WARSAW — What appears to be the biggest Halloween display in Warsaw resides at the corner of Center and Bronson streets, where a dozen frightful creatures have taken over two sides of the yard.

[caption id="attachment_137730" align="alignright" width="372"] This display and many others that are part of the Center Street Halloween collection were handcrafted by Alisha McDonough. News Now Warsaw photo by Dan Spalding.[/caption]

The display features a scarecrow, a witch, and skeletal creatures, some of which stand 14 feet tall. Some can move and will utter ghoulish howls.

Dark lights and a fog machine add to the environment at night. 

Homeowners Alisha McDonough and Jonathan Brown have been building the collection — better known by some as Halloween animatronics — for several years.

Alisha says it's a tribute to her late father, Kenneth McDonough, who grew up in North Webster.

"He would dress up, pull a little wagon around town, pass out candy close to the cemetery. And he did it every year, but then he got cancer, and he passed away," Alisha said. "So me and my mom (Rose) just kind of carried on the tradition in his honor."

This year's project has a graveyard theme.

Many of the smaller displays were handcrafted by Alisha, including a ghoulish character that lights up and is surrounded by intricately painted lava (or perhaps innards).

The tallest of the collection is a witch, standing 14 feet and topped with the remnants of a hat that flutters in the wind.

The burgeoning display has become expensive and time-consuming.

The biggest and most complicated creatures can cost between $350 and $400, they said.

"A lot of money and a lot of time," Alisha admits.

Jonathan says the hobby requires a lot of upkeep.

"As expensive as they are, they are definitely prone to a little bit of failure here or there," he said.

They're able to store the collection in a large shed and said they have another ten items that were not even part of this year's display.

Theft has never been a problem, they said, in part because the intersection is well lit and well traveled.

The couple, who have been together for some 17 years and have two children, both love horror movies and Halloween, and enjoy sharing their animatronics with the community.

"It's for everyone else to enjoy. We get a lot of people driving by. They holler at us, telling us they like it — thumbs up," Alisha said.

"It's just for the neighborhood."

See more News Now Warsaw photos of the display by Dan Spalding.

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WARSAW — Creighton Brothers was honored on Monday by Congressman Rudy Yakym for its 100th anniversary.

The 2nd District Congressman met Creighton’s President Mindy Truex for lunch at Creighton’s Crazy Egg restaurant and presented her with a Congressional Record of Entry.

“It’s very special when you think about the fact that Creighton Brothers started with 2,500 hens and today they're producing 1 billion eggs per year,” Yakym told News Now Warsaw during an impromptu interview before lunch.

“It’s absolutely incredible to think of the family tradition, the multigenerational growth, how many family members are still involved in this business, putting their shoulder to the wheel every day, making sure Americans have eggs on their shelf.

The anniversary was recorded in the Congressional Record, which memorializes the company’s work ethic, sacrifice, commitment to their employees, and the company’s growth, he said.

Truex expressed appreciation for the recognition and reflected on the honor. She admitted that the bird flu outbreak across parts of the country has made it unlike any other.

"It' been history-making in a lot of ways," Truex said. "Between the bird flu HVAI incidents and what that's done to egg farmers nationwide has been historical, as well as our anniversary, and celebrating our history

"Both have had us quite busy," she said.

Luckily, she said, most of the affected areas in Indiana have been to the north and east of Kosciusko County.

It has been a year of extensive precautions as well as increased regulations mandated in order to prevent the spread of the virus.

"We're super super vigilant. Our guys do a phenomenal job out on the farms being as safe as they can be," she said.

Mindy's grandfather, Hobart Creighton, and one of his siblings, Russell, started the business.

"We've been in and out of different aspects of animal agriculture, but chickens is where our livelihood started and where it continues," she said.

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WARSAW — The Warsaw Community High School Lady Tiger Basketball team is making history as they prepare to compete in the Class 4A State Championship.

With a record of 26-1, the Lady Tigers will take on Lawrence North this Saturday, March 1, at approximately 8:15 p.m. at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

This championship game holds special significance as our Lady Tigers were the very first state champions in 1976. Now, 50 years later, Warsaw is looking to claim the title once again. To honor this milestone, the 1976 and 1977 Lady Tiger teams will be recognized during the state championship game, celebrating Warsaw basketball history.

Although tickets in the Warsaw section are sold out, additional seats for session 2 will be released on Thursday at 4 p.m.

Learn more here:  https://www.ticketmaster.com/ihsaa-girls-basketball-state-finals-tickets/artist/2323941.

The theme for the event is ORANGE OUT! If you're there early, make sure to join us at Gainbridge for Fan Fest from 3:30 to 5 p.m., celebrating 50 years of girls' basketball. Attendees can enjoy photo opportunities, prizes and special activities leading up to the game. Here are some helpful need-to-knows and prohibited items. Be sure to check these links before heading to the game!

To kick off this occasion, the Lady Tigers will receive a community send-off with a parade through town. The team buses will depart from Door 32 at WCHS at 11 AM on Saturday, escorted by first responders. The parade route will take them north on Logan Street, east on Winona Avenue, north on Washington Street, east on Center Street, and south on Buffalo Street before heading out of town.

For those traveling to the game, fan buses will be available for both students and adults. The buses will depart from the PAC auditorium at 4:45 PM. Students have been provided with sign-up details separately, while adults can reserve a seat by calling the athletic office at 574-371-5091.

For those unable to attend in person, the championship game will be streamed live on IHSAAtv.org and the IHSAAtv app. Viewers can purchase access for $15 per game or $20 for all games.

As game day approaches, the community is urged to show their Tiger pride by decorating storefronts, displaying signs and rallying together to support the team. Let’s turn Warsaw into a sea of orange and black!

The post Fan update: Lot of details as Warsaw prepares for Saturday’s Championship game appeared first on News Now Warsaw.

WARSAW — The Elks Loge 802 hosted the annual Thanksgiving Day community dinner on Thursday in Warsaw —  a tradition that’s continued for decades.

Organizers saw hundreds take advantage of the free meal program that has been limited to drive-thru and deliveries since after the pandemic in 2020.

The community dinner had normally been held at the Center Lake Pavilion but was scaled back as a result of COVID and has continued to operate out of the American Legion Post 49 even after pavilion renovations were completed two years ago.

The Elks have always relied on the American Legion because of its larger kitchen facilities.

Tina Minnix Phipps, with the Eks, spoke briefly while preparing meals Thursday morning about the desire by some to restore the community dinner under one large roof.

"I always told everybody we treat them like they're coming to our house for Thanksgiving, so we miss out on that personal touch that we haven't been able to offer since COVID," said Tina Minnix Phipps, a longtime volunteer with the Elks.

While the tradition has continued for decades, she also lamented the one sad reality that came to light in recent years.

"One thing we found out when people were doing their drive-thru, we were finding out how many people were homeless and living in their vehicles with their pets," Minnix Phipps said. "In previous years, we tried to save enough money to buy the blankets, and scarves and hats and that just didn't happen this year," she said.

Anyone wishing to get involved in the future can call (574)267-7802.

The Elks Lodge is at 310 E Center St. Warsaw. The website is here.

A final meal count for Thursday was not immediately available, but was expected to be similar to last year when they provided a record-setting 720 meals.

[gallery columns="1" size="full" ids="102241,102244,102242"]

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SILVER LAKE — Silver Lake Days is back with a vengeance.

The summer tradition lost its energy six years ago, in part after the death of longtime organizer Larry Swihart and the pandemic seemed to seal its fate until Russ Bauer and others started talking about reviving it.

This year, the idea caught fire, he said.

"Every time we talked to anyone about it, they were all 100 percent. We put out some feelers for money and hell, we got ten grand in the bank already," Bauer said.

The result is a two-day event set to begin Friday morning.

The list of activities are extensive.

"Car show, bike show, tractor show, cornhole tournament, parade, petting zoo, Tiny Tots Motorcycle experience ... I could go on and on," he said.

"You can always hope for the best and it appears it's going to be everything we hoped for and then some," he said. "We hope it's going to be the biggest one, ever maybe."

Bauer said they have about three dozen pre-entries for the parade, which starts at 11 a.m., and he expects many more will show up, including about 30 to 40 entries from the Indiana Patriot Guard, which Bauer is a leader with.

Three live bands are scheduled to play Friday and Saturday.

The community garage sale begins at 8 a.m. Friday and continues through Saturday afternoon.

Food and craft vendors will open at noon on Friday.

Below is a list of events provided by the organizers.

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