Wednesday, June 24, 2026
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Serving Kosciusko County and parts of Elkhart, Marshall & Noble Counties Know Your Neighbor . . . . . . 2➤ Good Neighbors . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Entertainment . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
Vol. 55, No. 52
Milford (574) 658-4111 • Warsaw (574) 269-2932 • Syracuse (574) 457-3666
offers weekend of events By ABBY OLIVER Staff Writer The Syracuse Celebrates 250 committee is planning a full weekend of food, activities and entertainment as communities across Kosciusko County prepare for the nation’s 250th anniversary. Events are scheduled from Friday, June 26, to Sunday, June 28. To kick off the celebration, the committee will host a movie in the park and an opportunity to explore fire trucks Friday, June 26. Activities begin at 6:30 p.m. at the fire station, 402 S. Huntington St., where attendees can meet firefighters and police officers and explore emergency vehicles from the Turkey Creek Fire Territory. A showing of “Captain America: The First Avenger” follows at 7:30 p.m. at Veterans Memorial Park. “We were talking about it, and we knew Fourth of July was going to be busy,” said Virginia Cazier, Syracuse clerk-treasurer and an organizer of Friday’s events. “So, we wanted to do something the week before, as kind of a kick-off.” Friday activities also include free popcorn, candy, glow sticks and face painting. Tin Roof Refreshers will sell dirty sodas, lemon shake-ups, hot dogs and chips, and Joe’s Ice Cream will be available from 6-7:30 p.m. Guests should bring lawn chairs or blankets. The evening concludes with a red, white and blue tree-lighting ceremony. The tree will remain on display through July 4. Cazier said she hopes the event becomes an annual tradition. This year’s activities are being funded entirely by sponsors. Parking will be available along streets behind Town Hall. Saturday Events The Syracuse-Wawasee Cham-
ber of Commerce’s 2026 Color Run 5K and Fun Walk begins at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 27, at South Shore Village, 10601 N. SR 13. Registration opens at 9:15 a.m. and costs $35. The event will feature music, food and beer tents, along with free America’s 250 flags from Wawasee Kiwanis and lemon shake-ups from Syracuse-Wawasee Rotary Club. Brent Randall, executive director of the Syracuse-Wawasee Chamber of Commerce and a cochair of the Syracuse Celebrates 250 committee, said planning has been a community-wide effort. Randall expects 70 to 80 runners, about double last year’s turnout. For more information about running or sponsoring, visit swchamber.com/2026-color-run. Free tethered hot-air balloon rides from RE/MAX Partners also will be offered in the evening. “That’s kind of a special thing, too,” Randall said. The Color Run and related events are sponsored by the K21
114 W. Market, Warsaw, Indiana 46580
FIRE-KISSED PIZZA — Trey Stichter, left, and Kirk Stichter, owner of food truck FireKissed Pizza, prepare to put pizzas in the oven. Fire-Kissed Pizza will be one of the food vendors at the Main Street Cruise-in car show at noon Sunday, June 28. Photo by Lilli Dwyer. Health Foundation. A screening of Ken Burns’ “The American Revolution” will be held from 3-4:30 p.m. Saturday in the downstairs meeting room of the Syracuse-Turkey Creek Township Public Library. Sunday Events The final day of Syracuse Celebrates 250 runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, June 28, with patriotic events, cars, food, entertainment and children’s activities, including two bounce houses. Syracuse-Wawasee Trails will host a kickoff walk, ride and run beginning at 9 a.m. at the Mud Lake Trailhead at North Eastshore Drive and East Cornelius Road. Participants will follow a 2.5-mile route along Mud Lake and Lake Syracuse into town. Two route options are available: west toward Harkless, Front and Lake streets, ending at the Syracuse 250 festival; or east along Eastshore Drive, looping through East Northshore Drive before finishing at the festival.
Patriotic attire is encouraged, with prizes awarded. Water, Otter Pops and additional prizes will be available along the route. At 10 a.m., a community worship service hosted by Wawasee Bible Church will be held in Lakeside Park, followed by baptisms in the lake. The Main Street Cruise-In car show opens registration at 11 a.m. at the pavilion behind the Syracuse-Turkey Creek Township Public Library. The cruise-in runs from noon to 4 p.m. on Main Street, east of the traffic light at Huntington Street. Dash plaques will be awarded to the first 50 entrants. Food will be available, and lemon shake-ups will be provided by the Syracuse-Wawasee Rotary Club. The library also will hold a book sale. Randall said the CruiseIn is the event he most looks forward to. About a dozen vehicles have already preregistered. “We’re hoping for about
three blocks’ worth of classic and vintage cars,” Randall said. “If you’re not a car enthusiast, there’s still things for you to enjoy.” From 11 a.m. to mid-afternoon, Big Daddy Dupree’s Broke and Hungry Blues Band will perform in front of Bass Audiology across from the uptown parking lot. Stichter’s FireKissed Pizza, Jim’s BBQ and All Hearts Catering will serve food. Syracuse Celebrates 250 events are made possible through the efforts of the Town of Syracuse, the Syracuse-Wawasee Chamber of Commerce, the Kiwanis and Rotary clubs of Wawasee, Syracuse-Wawasee Trails, the Syracuse-Turkey Creek Township Public Library, the Syracuse Ministerial Association and several other organizations. “We had everyone chip in and roll up their sleeves,” Randall said. “We had so much cooperation; not just one or two organizations could have done this.”
BLUESY BUNCH — Big Daddy Dupree’s Broke and Hungry Blues Band will play live music during the Syracuse Celebrates 250 events on Sunday, June 28. Photo provided by Donn May.