WBRE-TV Evening Anchors Named Honorary Chairs

of Tunkhannock's  Christmas in Our Hometown

            Joining the Tunkhannock Community to welcome Santa and Mrs. Claus and other visitors to Tunkhannock at Christmas in Our Hometown this year are Honorary Chairs Candice Kelly and Drew Speier, evening anchors at WBRE-TV.  “The event sounds really nice,” said Kelly.  “My husband and I are looking forward to it. I remember Lyndall Stout saying how neat it was last year.” Kelly and Speiers are the weekday news anchors at 5:00, 5:30, 6:00, and 11:00 pm on WBRE Eyewitness News. 

            After working in Minneapolis and later Rochester, Minnesota, both behind the scenes, and then as a reporter and anchor/producer for the morning and noon broadcasts, Candice started with WBRE in 2004 as the weekend anchor/reporter.  She left to work for WBRE’s sister station WYOU for nearly two years before returning to WBRE.  A graduate of Mankato State University with a major in Mass Communications and a Minnesota native, Kelly is a two-time regional Emmy Award winner.  She and her husband Tom were recently married and now make Northeast Pennsylvania their home.

            Drew Speier joined the WBRE Eyewitness News Team in May of 2008. He came from the NBC affiliate in Evansville, Indiana where he spent three years as a weekday anchor and reporter. During his time in Indiana, Drew was honored twice by the Ohio Valley Regional Emmy Awards and won three National Telly Awards, including a Silver Telly. Prior to Indiana, Drew spent three years in the NYC market as a weekend anchor and reporter for News 12 New Jersey. He was honored with two National Awards for his coverage of the events following 9-11 and won an Associated Press Spot News Award for his live reporting. Drew calls Texas home. He graduated from Texas State University with a degree in Broadcasting Journalism and Political Science.

            When she’s not in front of the television camera, Candice is a huge animal lover and enjoys working with animal shelters and humane societies.  She’s also an advocate for HIV/AIDS and cancer research.
            Drew has a passion for golf and ranks the dozens of pro golf events as memorable experiences, including the Masters, twice. His golf highlight is caddying for Ben Crenshaw during a charity event in Austin, Texas., and playing 300 holes of golf in one day.  Drew is also involved with charity work.  He's a former Board member with the Evansville Association for the Blind and still serves on the Advisory Board for the CJ's Bus Foundation.

            Drew and Candice will be arriving in Tunkhannock on a horse-drawn wagon  accompanied by Santa and Mrs. Claus, Mayor Norm Ball and his wife Peg, and the winner of the children’s Essay Contest. The entourage will make their first stop by the Dietrich Theater where they will announce the beginning of the Christmas holidays in Tunkhannock and participate in the Dietrich Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony sponsored by the Wyoming County Cultural Center.

            WBRE – TV is serving as the media sponsor for Christmas in Our Hometown and will be broadcasting live reports and weather information (pending breaking news crises) from Tunkhannock on Friday night.  The event is scheduled for Friday night, December 5 and Saturday Day, December 6.       

For more information contact TBPA at 836-0765