Tickets on sale now for Luzerne County Arts & Entertainment Hall of Fame event

WILKES-BARRE — The Luzerne County Arts & Entertainment Hall of Fame has announced that tickets are now on sale for the organization’s second annual induction ceremony, which will take place on Friday, Nov. 8, at the F.M. Kirby Center in Wilkes-Barre.

The event will include a pre-show mixer with food and refreshments in the Kirby lobby from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. and an awards-style event ceremony in the theater from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

There will also be live musical performances by some of the 2024 inductees, including Shawn Klush, Abilene and Lex Romane and live musical tributes to posthumous inductees George Wesley, Jesse Wade and Spencer Cottman.

Tickets, priced at $60, are available at the F.M. Kirby Center Box Office, through Kirby Center’s website, or through Ticketmaster. For more information, call 570-826-1100.

The 2024 inductees are:

Arts Category

• Annette Evans: The ultimate supporter of the arts in Luzerne County for decades. She was closely associated with several local art institutions, including the Little Theatre of Wilkes-Barre, and she was the founder the Fine Arts Fiesta with Al Groh.

• Erika Funke: The modern voice of the fine arts in Northeast Pennsylvania throughout her career in radio and television. Her contributions strike the balance between the creative, journalistic, and scholarly. And she’s interviewed countless artists in the process.

• Al Groh: Wilkes University’s original and most active artistic voice. He founded the Wilkes University Theater Arts program and he spent the remainder of his life supporting the program in various forms. He assisted Annette Evans with the Fine Arts Fiesta.

• Joan Harris: The child prodigy, turned theater performer, turned trailblazing dance icon. Her many accomplishments include opening the dance studio bearing her name, producing numerous television projects, and spearheading the “College for Kids” program.

• Franz Kline: The celebrated expressionist painter who was at the forefront of an artistic movement during the 1950s. His ambiguous work is displayed across the globe, and much of it is considered to be essential in the world of abstract expressionism.

• Herman J. Mankiewicz: The witty, Oscar-winning writer of Citizen Kane and The Pride of the Yankees who was one of the top script doctors during the Golden Age of Hollywood. His life and work were depicted in the award-winning 2020 film, Mank.

• Joseph L. Mankiewicz: The legendary film director, writer, and producer who helmed classics such as A Letter to Three Wives, All About Eve and Cleopatra. He is hailed today as one of the most successful writer-directors in Hollywood history.

• Herbert Simon: The sculptor whose work and insight has been a great asset to Luzerne County’s art scene for well over half a century. His Two Modules (at Coal Street Park) and Facets (at Wilkes University) are familiar to county residents young and old.

• Ted Sod: The prolific and creative teacher with writing, directing, producing, and acting credits to his name. His distinct experiences in every part of the dramatic production process have made him a sought-after talent for decades in television, film, and theater.

Entertainment Category

• Abilene: The popular group that took the region by storm with their fusion of country and rock music. At the height of their powers, they crossed genres and drew large crowds, becoming one of the most popular and important bands on the local music circuit in the late ‘70s and ‘80s.

• George Graham: The radio personality and recording engineer whose support of the arts dates back over 50 years. His long-running WVIA-FM programs, “Homegrown Music,” “All That Jazz” and “Mixed Bag” are just two of his many contributions to Luzerne County’s music scene.

• Shawn Klush: Considered the most popular Elvis Presley tribute artist in the world today, Klush earned the title of Elvis Presley Enterprises’ first-ever “Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist” and BBC 1 Television’s “World’s Greatest Elvis.” He is also an actor and has appeared in film and television on NBC’s “Shake, Rattle and Roll: An American Love Story,” The HBO series “Vinyl,” produced by Martin Scorsese and Mick Jagger, “Impractical Jokers,” “What We Do In The Shadows,” and was a featured musical guest on the David Letterman show. Klush tours all over the world but continues to make Luzerne County his home.

• Lex Romane: A veteran musician who has pulled from the sounds of jazz, folk and everything in between. His lyrical musings on local topics, such as the rise and fall of the coal mining industry, have brought Northeast Pennsylvania’s history to a wider audience.

• Jesse Wade and Spencer Cottman: A musical duo whose careers in the entertainment world are intertwined. The lifelong friends were respected community figures and came together artistically to form the “Just the Two of Us” duet, touring across the state under that moniker.

• Legends of WARMland: The innovative disc jockeys who helped build WARM radio into a national powerhouse. Their collective knack for promotional broadcasting and ear for musical talent brought a cultural excitement to the region during the 1960s. Inductees are Tom Woods, Harry West, Joey Shaver, Len Woloson, Don Stevens, Ron Allen, Bill Stuart, Terry McNulty, George Gilbert, and Bobby Day.

• George Wesley: The charismatic reggae musician whose work influenced just about every artist in the county who has followed him, regardless of genre. His signature style, collaborative nature and prolific output made him one of Luzerne County’s greatest artistic voices.

The Luzerne County Arts & Entertainment Hall of Fame was formed in 2022. Its mission is to honor those that are natives or residents of Luzerne County, or those that have roots in Luzerne County, and have achieved success, gained notoriety, or have had a great impact on the world of arts and entertainment either in Northeastern Pennsylvania or beyond.

Those considered in the “Arts” category should have excelled in the categories of stage, film, dance, painting, sculpture, or artistic design.

Those considered in the “Entertainment” category should have excelled in the areas of music, television, radio, or other media specific to entertainment.

“We are thrilled to be honoring the induction class of 2024 on November 8 at our fabulous F.M. Kirby Center,” said the Organizing Committee of the Luzerne County Arts & Entertainment Hall of Fame in a statement. “Once again, it’s a wonderful collection talent. We look forward to an exciting evening, where we’ll share the stories of some truly inspiring people. And there will also be some great live performances. We welcome everyone to join us.”