Local Group of Alumni & Friends Host The Steel Wheels

Bad Angle Events was formed when a group of Kalona-Wellman area friends wondered if Celebration Hall on the Hillcrest campus might be utilized with more community-wide events. Celebration Hall is a surprisingly wonderful asset for a small rural Iowa community and the space was too nice to not be used to celebrate community in ways beyond Hillcrest’s own events.   

The idea of hosting events in that space was tossed around for several years but then the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic put those ideas on hold. Now when it seems that the pandemic may be winding down, the group felt this was a good time to proceed with those plans. 

The group of eight friends started meeting and a lot of brainstorming happened. The goals soon became clear that they wanted to bring in quality events that would provide a space for our community to gather and share these experiences together, with a hope that we can celebrate each other and rebuild connections. In an era with ever-deepening social divisions, and after experiencing the separation during the pandemic, the hope is that the community can rediscover our common bonds and the value of friendships.  

The aims of the group are to (1) host a wide variety of events such as musical acts both vocal and instrumental, speakers, people sharing interesting life experiences, (2) to provide a chance to sit together with people you may not normally find yourself crossing paths with, but most importantly, (3) to celebrate each other as people.

The group’s name was chosen because Celebration Hall is situated close to the Angle Road SW. There is also a definition for bad angle in show business that states: “A seat that provides a line of vision to a backstage secret.” That seemed like a good fit as the group is looking to provide a way to help reshape a new vision of what a rebuilt community can be, possibly in surprising ways.  

The group consists of friends Carolyn ’81 & Atlee Yoder ’77, Kathryn F ’06-10 & Randall Ney, Jane F ’82-87, ’07-18 & John Schlabaugh, and Donna & Gary Yoder ’80.

One of the groups first big concerts will be on Hillcrest Academy’s Homecoming Weekend when they host The Steel Wheels on Friday, October 14 at 7:30 PM. Tickets are on sale now at badangleevents.org/tsw. And while you’re there, check out the other events they’ve got going on.