Harlan Hite, a Ligonier native, shows off one of his “Harlan Awards” which he has presented to members of the Wagon Wheel cast and crew over the years. In addition to being an active supporter of Wagon Wheel Theater. Hite is a huge fan of West Noble sports and country music. He is also very active in his community. Photo by Lauren Zeugner

By Lauren Zeugner
InkFreeNews

LIGIONER — Whether it is high school sports, music or theater, Harlan Hite finds enjoyment in all of it. Hite, a native of Ligonier, works for Jeld-Wen in the exterior door division. He also serves on the company’s safety council.

He’s been a full-time employee with the company for 30 years, but has been associated with Jeld-Wen for 35 years, working there during summer breaks while in college.

Prior to that, Hite worked with his dad on the family farm. His dad farmed 950 acres, growing wheat, soybeans, corn and popcorn. “Dad had contracts with Weaver Popcorn,” he said.

Hite is a fixture at West Noble sporting events, so much so that a cheerleader once referred to him as a “superfan.” He attended so many West Noble football games, he was asked to ring the bell when the team made a touchdown. “It was a sense of being part of the team,” he said.

He’s also a substitute teacher for the West Noble, Wawasee and Fairfield school districts. He got started after being asked to substitute during a college break and decided to give it a try. He returned to substitute teaching in 2003 when work at his regular job was slow and he had Fridays off. He went back and got his certification to substitute teach and tries to substitute for middle and high school classes. He said he likes having different groups of students to work with throughout the school day. “It’s something different to do and the teachers treat me like I’m one of their own.”

A lover of music, Hite would often attend concerts and comedy shows at the Wagon Wheel Theatre. Then he started attending the musicals, with “My Fair Lady” and “The Sound of Music” being his first, since he was familiar with them from having to write reports on both while in high school.

Soon the staff talked him into a summer subscription. The next show he attended was “Barnum,” and cast members started to recognize him. “The cast members really made me feel welcome,” he said. In 2002 he wrote a letter of appreciation to one of the actors.

“Unbeknownst to me, she read the letter to the entire cast,” he said. The next thing he knew, all the cast members knew him.

Hite got to know Roy Hine, one of Wagon Wheel’s directors, who, in a fit of humor, challenged Hite about what he liked most about the show. In response, Hite presented the “Harlan Awards,” which have been given out to cast members for many years.

Hite said what he enjoys most about attending the shows is how close the audience is to the cast and how professional the cast is bringing the show to the stage.

When he attended concerts — Hite loves country music — he was usually one of the first to purchase tickets, usually getting seat A1. “I attended every Oak Ridge Boys show,” he said. Martina McBride and Sara Evans are favorites, as are Sawyer Brown and Neal McCoy.

For the last 21 years, Hite has been an active member of the Ligonier Lions Club. He served as president in 2007 and 2012. “Some of my roles include getting workers involved in the holiday fruit sale and cleaning up after the blood drive,” he said. “It’s a service to the community.” He was recruited to join the club after attending its pancake breakfasts. He is currently serving as the chaplain of the club.

Hite attends Stoney Hill Community Church. He first got involved teaching in the children’s ministry with elementary-aged children. Now he helps run the sound booth for children’s church services.