Sometimes, a stage role flows as naturally as one smooth scene to the next.

Or so it is for Columbus’ Naomi Fleetwood Pyle, with a rural, down-home speaking style and a manner as warm and comfortable as a perfect pair of slippers.

“I can do Southern pretty well,” Pyle said. “I just tap into my inner Paula Deen.”

She will do something slightly like that as the title character in the comic dinner theater production, “’Til Beth Do Us Part,” to be presented this weekend and next at Hope’s Strawberry Fields Mercantile/Auntie Aimee’s Tea Room.

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She also serves as producer of the show directed by Hope’s Pete Law, who also acts in the production.

Pyle and Law joined forces last fall for the dinner theater presentation of the classic “Steel Magnolias,” which drew more than 600 patrons in two weekends that included an added show to accommodate the demand. Pyle was careful to mention that, this time, expectations must be slightly different.

“That (success) was partly because everybody in the world knows ‘Steel Magnolias,’” Pyle said. “But we understand that not many people have heard of ‘’Til Beth Do Us Part.’”

The story focuses on a career-driven wife who enlists the help of Beth as an assistant to put the wife’s home life in order. But Beth stirs up the entire household, including the wife’s husband, in the process.

The play is from the same writers of “The Dixie Swim Club,” performed by Pyle and others in November 2012 at Columbus’ Harlequin Theatre in FairOaks Mall. She saw that work as laugh-out-loud funny — and sees the current piece in the same light.

She said she believes diners at the tea room see humor as a good side dish to restaurant owner and cook Tracy Fugate’s serious fixings.

“I just think laughter is really good for you,” Pyle said, adding that audience members see it as making the meal more enjoyable.

Director Law said he loves the chance to handle a more direct comedy, since “Steel Magnolias” offered its share of seriousness and sadness amid the laughs.

“I love making people laugh,” Law said. “As an actor, I definitely feel like that’s my strong point.”

He studies the work of comedic stars such as Steve Carell, Tina Fey and Melissa McCarthy to polish his technique.

“I love their delivery,” Law said.

He added that he feels sure audiences will appreciate the upcoming performance, which he, Pyle and current cast member Sherrie King-Wittenbring presented in Brownstown three years ago.

“There were some scenes,” he said, “where we couldn’t easily go on to the next scene because one of us was nearly laughing.”

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What: Dinner theater presentation of the comedy, “‘Til Beth Do Us Part,” directed by Pete Law and produced by Naomi Fleetwood Pyle.

When: 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 1:30 p.m. Sunday; and 6 p.m. Feb. 13 and Feb. 14 and 1:30 p.m. Feb. 15.

Where: Strawberry Fields Mercantile/Auntie Aimee’s Tea Room, on the square in Hope.

Tickets: $25 per person, including a meal with a meat entree, potatoes, vegetable and cobbler dessert.

Information and reservations (must be paid in advance): 812-546-0640 or 812-372-1201.

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The #JoshStrong theme is resonating with many people who have never met Columbus North’s Josh Speidel but want to reach out to help the senior and his family.

In just three days, donations to help the critically injured teen and his family were nearing $35,000 as of midafternoon Wednesday and showed no sign of slowing down.

From $5 and $10 donations from kids and classmates to a stunning $10,000 donation from an Indianapolis businessman Wednesday, Speidel’s story is touching hearts.

Speidel, who is North’s all-time leading scorer in boys basketball, has been in a medically induced coma since Sunday night, when he suffered a skull fracture and a broken jaw in a car accident near Taylorsville. Having undergone a procedure to reduce pressure on his brain, Speidel is listed in critical but stable condition in the intensive care unit at IU Health Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis.

Fundraising efforts for the Speidel family began just hours after the accident, when Columbus North senior Kierston White set up a gofundme.com site to help pay Speidel’s medical expenses.

“I thought how his family was paying for everything, and I know that Josh will make it through this,” she said. “So I put it up online at about 11 p.m. Sunday.

At first, donations trickled in — $5 here, $10 there — along with wishes that Speidel would stay strong and recover.

But then the site went viral, after WFNI Indianapolis radio show host and former Indiana University basketball player and coach Dan Dakich mentioned it on the air Monday and again Tuesday.

WFNI program director Greg Rakestraw described it as a spur-of-the-moment thing, with Dakich doing his show from Madison, Wisconsin, where the Badgers were hosting Indiana in men’s basketball. Dakich’s son Andrew, a sophomore from Zionsville on the Michigan basketball squad, played for Indiana Elite in AAU basketball, as Speidel did.

By Tuesday, Dan Dakich was telling listeners, “Let’s raise some money.”

Dakich was auctioning tickets to accompany him to an IU game, a chance to play basketball with former Pacers center Rik Smits on his home gym court, a round of golf with former IU basketball player Steve Risley and tickets to Friday’s Indiana Pacers game against the Cavaliers.

The last half of Dakich’s show turned into a pledge telethon, with Dakich saying he would mention the names of everyone who donated to the #JoshStrong site on the air and proceeded to recite 50 names.

Donations by the hundreds poured in on the site, leading White to tweet Dakich to thank him.

“I told him we needed more people like him,” she said. Dakich tweeted back, thanking her for starting the fund.

This was the lead-in to Tuesday night’s fundraising efforts at Columbus North, where a pasta dinner raised $8,601 for the family.

North fans were particularly touched when Hamilton Southeastern’s basketball team, North’s opponent Tuesday night, bought “#JoshStrong” T-shirts for the entire team and wore them as warmups before the game.

Before the game started, Hamilton Southeastern’s senior captain Tyler Janney presented $500 to help the Speidel family, raised among Hamilton Southeastern basketball parents just hours before the game.

“This touches everybody,” Hamilton Southeastern co-athletic director Greg Habegger said. “These parents all have kids who drive.”

Habegger mentioned that Janney’s presentation was particularly poignant in that Janney has played AAU on competing teams with Speidel since the two were in fourth or fifth grade.

“We just hope to hear good things soon about Josh,” Habegger said.

The “#JoshStrong” T-shirts being sold by North’s athletics department sold out at Tuesday night’s game and raised several thousand dollars for the Speidel family.

At Community Church of Columbus, Pastor Chuck Coleman said about a dozen gasoline gift cards have been donated in various denominations, and he continues to take them to the hospital to give to the family.

“I hope they will see these donations as an encouragement,” Coleman said.

Donations began picking up speed on the gofundme site, including a $250 donation from a high school basketball referee who challenged all referees in Indiana to support Speidel’s family.

As social media continued to buzz with information about Speidel and the fundraising efforts, White’s gofundme site for Speidel’s family took a huge jump with a $10,000 donation late Wednesday morning.

Bill Warren, 73, who owns DirectEmployers Association in Indianapolis, made the donation with the notation, “I wish for a total recovery for Josh.”

Warren, who lives in Avon, said he doesn’t know Josh Speidel or his family.

“I was just touched by it,” he said. “I can’t imagine what his parents are going through. It just touched my heart.”

Saying he had a son himself, he added that the circumstances the Speidels face had to be rough on the family.

“I would have given more if I could,” he said.

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If you are interested in donating online to the #joshstrong site, go to gofundme.com and type in Josh Speidel in the search area. The site will appear at the top of the list.

Community Church of Columbus, 3850 N. Marr Road, is collecting gasoline gift cards for the Speidel family to ease the cost of traveling to and from Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis. The gift cards may be dropped off at the church between 8 a.m. and noon and 1 and 5 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays and 8 a.m. and noon Fridays. For more information, call 812-376-9478.

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Josh Speidel’s Columbus family joined with his Vermont family as his college coach arrived at Methodist Hospital to offer his support.

University of Vermont Coach John Becker gave a heartfelt hug to Josh’s parents, David and Lisa Speidel, as he entered the hospital front lobby Wednesday night.

“He’s family to us,” Becker said of his 18-year-old basketball recruit.

Becker and the Vermont team have followed Josh Speidel’s progress through social media, but the coach said he thought it was important to convey the university’s support in person.

Visibly emotional, Becker said the call from Lisa Speidel telling him about the Columbus North student’s Sunday night car accident was hard to take.

“I’m a parent,” he said. “It’s every parent’s nightmare.”

In the time since Josh Speidel was critically injured in the car accident near Taylorsville, more than 100 people have stopped by the hospital each day to convey their support and hope for Josh’s recovery, Lisa Speidel said.

Josh Speidel remained in critical but stable condition Wednesday night in Methodist Hospital’s intensive care unit.

The doctors are doing a good job, his mother said, but she wanted to see her son’s condition showing more improvement, making the family’s vigil a difficult one.

“I want to see his eyes,” she said, talking through tears. “I want him to squeeze my hand.”

The Speidel family listened to the start of Tuesday night’s Columbus North-Hamilton Southeastern game and have received some videos of the game from friends.

“But it’s really bigger than basketball,” she said of how Josh’s car accident has affected people not only in Columbus but throughout the basketball community nationwide.

“This is really about life, and I think people realize that,” she said.

Columbus Clerk-Treasurer LuAnn Welmer and her husband David were also at Methodist Wednesday night, explaining that their son Elliott and Josh played basketball together on several teams while growing up in Columbus.

Elliott Welmer has committed to play at St. Louis, and he and Josh recently traveled there to watch Vermont play St. Louis, she said.

She smiled at the memory of Elliott heading to the St. Louis side, Josh to the Vermont side, and the photos they took after the game in their college shirts.

“He’s everybody’s best friend,” LuAnn Welmer said of Josh.

“My heart just hurts for them,” she said of the Speidels. “They are just such special people.”

Lisa Speidel described her son as a person who eats, sleeps and breathes basketball.

“It’s his passion,” she said. “He’ll be back. We believe that.”

Becker said he first saw Josh Speidel two years ago playing on an Indiana Elite Team in an AAU league. He immediately was taken by Josh’s basketball skills, his work ethic and that he was tough.

He couldn’t explain why Josh chose Vermont over several Big Ten schools, saying only that the university was thrilled he made the commitment.

As a coach, Becker said this is the first time he has had a player so seriously injured and in critical condition.

“We want Josh to know his home community, and his future home community, has been touched,” he said.

Staff Reports

Cincinnati-based First Financial Bank reported strong net income gains for the fourth quarter of 2014 and for the yearlong period ending Dec. 31.

Fourth-quarter net income was $18.6 million, and earnings per diluted common share were 30 cents. This compares with third-quarter net income of $15.3 million and earnings per diluted common share of 26 cents. Fourth-quarter net income in 2013 was $3.8 million, and earnings per diluted common share were 7 cents.

For the 12-month period ending Dec. 31, net income was $65 million and earnings per diluted share were $1.09. That compares to net income of $48.3 million and earnings per diluted common share of 83 cents for the 12-month period ending Dec. 31, 2013.

“We are extremely pleased with our solid earnings for the fourth quarter and for the full year 2014 in light of the prolonged low-interest rate environment and continued runoff of higher-yielding loans acquired under FDIC Shared Loss Agreements,” Claude Davis, chief executive officer, said in a media release.

First Financial has locations and services in Columbus, Taylorsville, Seymour, Edinburgh, Hope, North Vernon and Franklin, in addition to locations within facilities such as Camp Atterbury and ATM locations.

Highlights of the fourth-quarter performance results included:

Return on average assets of 1.02 percent, 1.07 percent as adjusted for acquisition-related and other items.

Quarterly results included several acquisition-related items and other items not expected to recur, which reduced pre-tax income by $1.5 million or about 2 cents per diluted share.

Return on average tangible common equity of 11.63 percent, 12.24 percent as adjusted for acquisition-related and other items.

Data platform conversions are complete for all three banks acquired by the company in 2014.

Merger-related costs have largely been recognized and were in line with expectations.

Loan and deposit growth were in line with expectations.

The majority of identified efficiency opportunities have been fully implemented.

First Financial moved into the Columbus, Ohio, market through acquisitions in 2014.

Fourth-quarter average total loans increased $358.4 million, or 8.2 percent, and average total deposits increased by $442.8 million, or 8.5 percent, compared to third-quarter averages, the company said. That was largely related to the acquisitions in the Columbus, Ohio, market and strong third-quarter loan and deposit growth.

The board of directors has authorized a quarterly dividend of 16 cents per common share for the next regularly scheduled dividend, payable April 1 to shareholders of record as of Feb. 27.

Staff Reports

The Columbus Human Rights Commission is accepting nominations from the public for the William R. Laws Human Rights Award.

The recipient will be a member, a group of members from the community or a community organization who has made a substantial contribution to the community of Columbus in any area of human equality. The most recent award was presented to Tom Harmon, CEO of Taylor Brothers Construction Company Inc. and president of Harmon Steel Inc.

Other Laws ward recipients include Owen Hungerford, Bob Pitman, Tracy Souza, the Heritage Fund’s Community Foundation of Bartholomew County, Tim Solso and Joe Loughrey, Sondra Bolte, Benjamin “Mickey” King and J. Irwin Miller.

The nominees for the award should have made a significant contribution by doing one or more of the following:

Improving relationships among all people.

Increasing the sensitivity of one group toward another group.

Educating people about the barriers or eliminating the barriers facing people of color, women, persons with disabilities, religious minorities or others who have been treated unequally because of prejudice.

Using existing means or creating new safeguards to protect the rights of others.

The Laws Award recipient will receive the award at the Human Rights Commission’s 2015 Annual Dinner. Information related to the dinner is forthcoming.

Nominations for the Laws Award should be submitted to the Human Rights Commission office in City Hall by 5 p.m. Feb. 20. The commission will accept nominations via mail, personal delivery or email.

A form is available at the commission’s office 123 Washington St., Suite 5, in Columbus and on its website, columbus.in.gov/human-rights. For more information, contact the Human Rights Commission at 812-376–2532.