Wabash To Celebrate Cultural District June 3
News Release
WABASH — Grow Wabash County and Downtown Wabash Inc. will join the Wabash Cultural District Committee in celebrating its newly established Cultural District with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 5:30 p.m. Friday, June 3.
They invite the public to celebrate the newest state-wide designation from the Indiana Arts Commission — one of only 12 in Indiana.
In Wabash’s cultural district there are assets such as a world-class performing arts center, miles of community biking and walking trails, numerous public art installations, as well as new housing developments and boutiques. Downtown Wabash boasts the successful preservation of historic buildings and owns a 1986 designation by the National Register of Historic Places.
“Wabash has much to be proud of, especially its abundance of artistic and cultural offerings that make our community an exciting place to be for both the citizens who live here and the people that seek out Wabash for adventure and entertainment,” Wabash Mayor Scott Long said. “We are thrilled about the opportunities this cultural district designation will offer Wabash to further spotlight the creativity and vibrancy that makes this community so special.”
The Wabash Cultural District spans the Wabash River to Hill Street and Honeywell Center to Paradise Spring. The District will be headed up by Downtown Wabash Inc. with a committee of representatives from the City of Wabash, Wabash County Museum, Honeywell Arts, artist panel, Visit Wabash County, Grow Wabash County, area schools and district residents.
Wabash City Council passed a resolution in 2016 to begin the process and Wabash applied in 2016, 2018 and 2020. In December 2020, Wabash and three other communities received the “Spotlight Designation” out of more than a dozen applications. The Wabash Cultural District Committee applied for the full Cultural District Designation with an 86-page application in March 2021. Four communities were vying for the title: Wabash, Goshen, Kokomo and Fort Wayne. In June 2021, Wabash received news that their application was successful alongside Arts Campus Fort Wayne.