<\/p>\n
The Luzerne County Arts & Entertainment Hall of Fame was established in 2022, and was announced at a news conference at the F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts on October 20 of that year. The criteria for induction were determined by the initial members of the steering committee.<\/p>\n
Eligible candidates for induction include anyone who has made a mark in the arts or entertainment fields. Geographically, those who are Luzerne County natives, have lived in Luzerne County or who have made their mark in Luzerne County, are to be placed under consideration.<\/p>\n
Nominees \u2014 whose names are typically submitted by the public \u2014 are collected by two committees: one representing the Arts, and one representing Entertainment. The two committees spend months debating and voting on the merits of each nominee. After the votes are cast, the official list of inductees is announced in the spring.<\/p>\n
Generally, the split between \u201cArts\u201d and \u201cEntertainment\u201d inductees is as follows:<\/p>\n
\u2022 Inductees considered in the Arts category include film and television actors, writers, directors, dramatic theater performers and dancers, visual artists (including painters, production or costume designers, and architects) and arts journalists.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Inductees considered in the Entertainment category include musicians (both bands and solo artists), musical theater performers, music producers and sound engineers, stage designers and music journalists and broadcasters.<\/p>\n
Bill O\u2019Boyle and Joe Nardone Sr. founded the Luzerne County Arts & Entertainment Hall of Fame, and the pair were joined on the first steering committee by Tony Brooks, Wilkes-Barre Mayor George Brown, Jody Busch, Lindsay Griffin-Boylan, Alan K. Stout, and Constance Wynn.<\/p>\n
The first induction class was announced in March 2023, with 18 individual artists and bands being cited as inaugural members. The first ceremony took place later that year on Oct. 14 at Mohegan Pennsylvania in Plains Township.<\/p>\n
Ahead of the second ceremony, Kathi Bankes, Will Beekman, Beverly Jean Johnston, Memo Lara, Pittston Mayor Mike Lombardo, Gina Malsky and Morris Walker were added to the steering committee. The 16-member Class of 2024 was announced in April of that year, and the ceremony \u2014 now held at the Kirby Center \u2014 was held on Nov. 8, 2024.<\/p>\n
Class of 2025 inductees were announced this past April, and Sam Zavada was added to the steering committee before the third ceremony. Additionally, the Hall of Fame\u2019s Distinguished Achievement Award was established.<\/p>\n
This year\u2019s inductees include:<\/p>\n
\u2022 Andrea Bogusko<\/strong> \u2014 The longtime instructor whose Music Company has become a fixture in the local community over four decades of business. Generations of students have flocked to learn from a master who brings legitimacy to each initiative she touches.<\/p>\n \u2022 Lillian Cahn<\/strong> \u2014 The creative pillar that built the Coach line of luxury accessories into a global brand. Her business sense, understanding of leatherworks and cultural foresight made her one of the most powerful women in the world of fashion design.<\/p>\n \u2022 Niccolo Cortiglia<\/strong> \u2014 The painter who crafted likenesses of politicians, public figures, and community leaders. In addition to his own impressive output, he taught some of Luzerne County\u2019s greatest artists through his one-man art school in Wilkes-Barre.<\/p>\n \u2022 The Great Rock Scare<\/strong> \u2014 The energetic band that entertained audiences with their faithful renditions of classic rock hits. The group\u2019s musical excellence and brilliant promotional backing took them to the peak of local popularity in the 1980s.<\/p>\n \u2022 Bob Heim<\/strong> \u2014 The cartoonist, illustrator and journalist with a charming sense of humor. His knack for finding the quirks in each new project is legendary, a fitting complement to his status as one of Luzerne County\u2019s most fascinating artistic figures.<\/p>\n \u2022 Lyman H. Howe<\/strong> \u2014 The pioneering, traveling filmmaker who outpaced the ambition of his moviemaking peers. His turn-of-the-century achievements include the use of synchronized sound, filming in an airplane and documenting military and political history.<\/p>\n \u2022 Florence Foster Jenkins<\/strong> \u2014 The so-called \u201cworld\u2019s worst opera singer\u201d with a Carnegie Hall performance and fascinating life story to her name. Before a string of health issues dashed her genuine musical ambitions, Jenkins performed as a child prodigy pianist.<\/p>\n \u2022 The Leer Brothers Band<\/strong> \u2014 The supergroup that sprouted from some of the area\u2019s most popular bands of the 1960s. Their groovy original material was an extension of the sounds that came before, helping to bridge the gap between two generations of musicians.<\/p>\n \u2022 Marion Lorne <\/strong>\u2014 The Emmy-winning actress who is most remembered for her portrayal of Aunt Clara in \u201cBewitched.\u201d Besides her famous television work, she acted in films and theatre productions for seven decades in both the United States and England.<\/p>\n \u2022 Motionless in White<\/strong> \u2014 The aggressive metal band with a catalog that includes radio-ready hits and brutal deep cuts. Their gothic collective persona and haunting tones have brought them a devoted following of fans which stretches across the globe.<\/p>\n \u2022 Rose O\u2019Neill<\/strong> \u2014 The artist who created the Kewpie characters and became one of the earliest female cartoonists to achieve national recognition and acclaim. In a male-dominated industry, she illustrated with an unashamed, feminine touch.<\/p>\n \u2022 Paul Pringle<\/strong> \u2014 The Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter who specializes in investigating corruption. He wrote the non-fiction book \u201cBad City: Peril and Power in the City of Angels,\u201d and subsequently produced and narrated a podcast based on the book\u2019s themes. He is the first recipient of the Hall of Fame\u2019s Distinguished Achievement Award.<\/p>\n \u2022 Matthew Rogers<\/strong> \u2014 The Grammy-winning songwriter who has worked with some of country music\u2019s biggest stars. His run of modern success has penetrated the competitive Nashville scene and resulted in a number of chart-topping tunes.<\/p>\n \u2022 Lawrence Russo<\/strong> \u2014 The sculptor whose work is present across the Northeast United States. His most famous sculpture \u2014 the Christ the King statue on the King\u2019s College Administration Building \u2013 is one of the area\u2019s most towering works of art.<\/p>\n \u2022 Joe and John Stanky<\/strong> \u2014 The polka-playing brothers who have wielded their instruments for the enjoyment of listeners\u2019 ears and feet. The ensembles they have led \u2014 the Cadets and the Coal Miners, respectively \u2014 are staples of the community.<\/p>\n \u2022 Alan K. Stout<\/strong> \u2014 The music journalist and radio host with an unrivaled dedication to local artists and entertainers. Through his work in the media and as an event organizer, he has platformed Luzerne County\u2019s finest alongside some of the world\u2019s biggest acts.<\/p>\n The Arts committee includes Brooks, Johnston and Zavada. Jennifer McClinton-Temple and Margaret Roarty are set to join this committee in 2026.<\/p>\n The Entertainment committee includes Busch, Nardone, Stout, Walker, Zavada, Kathy Bozinski, Tony Callaio, Victor Guiliano, Marshall Kornblatt and Richie Kossuth.<\/p>\n This year\u2019s sponsors include:<\/p>\n \u2022 Print & Media Sponsor \u2014 Times Leader<\/p>\n \u2022 Awards Sponsor \u2014 Visit Luzerne County<\/p>\n \u2022 Catering Sponsor \u2014 Culinary Creations by Metz<\/p>\n \u2022 Venue Sponsor \u2014 F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts<\/p>\n \u2022 Photgraphy Sponsor \u2014 Valentin Studios<\/p>\n \u2022 Gold Sponsor \u2014 The Luzerne Foundation<\/p>\n \u2022 Silver Sponsors \u2014 Hal & Jean Flack Family Fund; Wilkes-Barre Law & Library Association<\/p>\n \u2022 City of Wilkes-Barre; City of Pittston; State Rep. Eddie Day Pashinski<\/p>\n \u2022 Bronze Sponsors \u2014 Community Bank N.A.; Gallery of Sound; King\u2019s College; Luzerne County Community College; O\u2019Donnell Law; Tambur Family Foundation<\/p>\n \u2022 Additional Supporters \u2014 Eddie Day Pashinski; Grotto Pizza; Friedman Properties; Johnston & Johnston Law; Anzalone Law<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.timesleader.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Luzerne County Arts & Entertainment Hall of Fame was established in 2022, and was announced at a news conference at the F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts on October 20 of that year. The criteria for induction were determined by the initial members of the steering committee. Eligible candidates for induction include […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2068156,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25172],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2068155","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Welcome-to-the-Luzerne-County-Arts-Entertainment-Hall-of.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2068155","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2068155"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2068155\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2068157,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2068155\/revisions\/2068157"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2068156"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2068155"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2068155"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2068155"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}