By LESLIE EIKLEBERRY
Salina Post
Television personality and car enthusiast Jay Leno will be the featured speaker at the Salina Area Chamber of Commerce annual banquet in April.
That announcement was made this afternoon in, perhaps, the most fitting location in Salina, The Garage, the automotive museum at 134 S. Fourth Street, that is scheduled to open later this month.
Leno will be in Salina on April 8 through a partnership between the chamber, the Stiefel Theatre, and The Garage. Upon arrival, he will attend a by-invitation-only event at The Garage to tour Salina’s newest experience. Then he will address those gathered for the chamber banquet, speaking about his business experiences and motor hobbies.
Following the chamber banquet, Leno is scheduled to perform a stand-up show at the Stiefel Theatre, 151 S. Santa Fe Avenue. Tickets for the Stiefel performance will go on sale at noon Friday and may be purchased by contacting the Stiefel at 785-827-1998 or at www.stiefeltheatre.org/tickets.
“This is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity that has aligned for Salina, through the partnership, this series of unique events are geared at supporting each of the host organization missions and elevating Salina’s community profile overall. Jay Leno checks the box as one of the world’s biggest car enthusiasts, one of the biggest names in entertainment, and one of the best comedians in America history!” said Travis Young, 2022 chamber board chair. “It is a great opportunity to highlight and celebrate all of the momentum that Salina has, and we look forward to his positive and humorous message at the banquet.”
The chamber event
The chamber plans to have a membership networking reception from 3-5:45 p.m. April 8 in the Great Plains Manufacturing Hall of Tony's Pizza Events Center, 800 The Midway. This reception, however, won't be a typical chamber gathering. The reception will be customized this year with a car show featuring an array of special automobiles owned by chamber members and will be sponsored by Holm Automotive Salina/Abilene.
The chamber annual banquet will follow in the Tony's Pizza Events Center arena. Seating will consist of tables of eight. Tickets for chamber members are $65 per person for the banquet. Tickets for non-members are $90 per person for the banquet. Chamber members and the general public can make reservations by calling the chamber office ticket hotline at 785-827-9310, ext. 123, stopping by the chamber office, 120 W. Ash, or emailing Sandy Cole at [email protected]. Tickets will be reserved on a first-come first-served basis.
The banquet will include remarks by outgoing Chamber Chair Jeff Maes and incoming Chair Travis Young, as well as a brief review of the chamber’s 2021 accomplishments, and the address by Leno.
Speaker information provided by the chamber
Leno is an acclaimed TV late night show host, admired stand-up comedian, best-selling children’s book author, much-in-demand corporate speaker, TV and movie voice-over artist, pioneering car builder and mechanic, and philanthropist. He is widely characterized as “the hardest working man in show business.”
Leno’s late night television ratings domination included two decades as the host of the No. 1-rated The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. After the first two years Leno never lost a single ratings year in which he served as host.
This fall, Leno brings back the classic game show You Bet Your Life. This comedy show wrapped in a game show will feature two strangers paired up to play for prize money by answering trivia questions correctly. Co-hosted by Kevin Eubanks and produced by Tom Werner and David Hurwitz, You Bet Your Life will deliver a fun series filled with the warmth and laughter that America needs now.
Leno also currently produces and is host of the CNBC primetime series Jay Leno’s Garage now in its sixth season. Jay Leno’s Garage explores the world of cars, never forgetting that it’s the people behind the wheel who provide the real stories. The series debuted in October 2015 and delivered CNBC’s most-watched first season in network history. New episodes of Jay Leno’s Garage can be viewed on CNBC or CNBC On Demand throughout the year.
The show is an outgrowth of Jay Leno’s Garage YouTube channel which Leno produces. The channel has an international following on the internet and has garnered several Emmy Awards and nominations for Outstanding Special Class–Short-Format Nonfiction Programs.
His new product line, Jay Leno’s Garage Advanced Vehicle Care launched in December of 2016 and has been well received by the automotive industry worldwide. Products are available on www.lenosgarage.com.
Along with his CNBC show, Leno is currently on air with various other television series, including Last Man Standing. When he’s not on TV, Leno performs more than 100 stand-up shows annually across the country and internationally, participates in numerous charity and corporate events, does voice-overs for animated series, pens children’s books, and writes a monthly column in various automotive magazines. And in his “spare” time, he enjoys working on his collection of classic cars and motorcycles. In fact, he has built a number of cars, including an acclaimed eco-car in his eco-friendly green garage.
Leno is the recipient of many honors, including Emmy, People’s Choice, and TV Guide awards, Harris Poll selection as most popular star on television, the Hasty Pudding Award at Harvard University, The Mark Twain Prize, recipient of the Patriot Award given by the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame, and being the first person to drive the pace car of all major NASCAR events.
He and his wife, Mavis, an ardent human rights activist, live in Los Angeles.