Hannah Thompson is the chef and owner of Maxine’s on Green. She has lived in Montgomery County for eight years. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking at state parks and traveling abroad. She also loves building with Legos, hanging out with friends and family and creating fun things.
The song that she says gets her “booty movin’ and groovin’” is Miley Cyrus’s Party in the USA. Hannah is the daughter of Bernard and Robyn Thompson, who is a Crawfordsville native. Her grandfather, Norman Zahn, started Zahn’s Floor Covering. It is now owned by her uncle, Bob Zahn. She was named after her late grandmother, Maxine Hazel Zahn, and Maxine is in her restaurant’s name. She has a younger brother, Nate Thompson, who with his wife, is expecting a child.
Thompson was really nervous when she was asked to be a star, and although she seems outgoing and charismatic, she confides “the thought of dancing in front of a thousand people is pretty frightening.”
She is glad the public gets excited for this event.
Thompson decided to participate in the YSB fundraiser “for the thrill of the competition!” But she also really wanted to give back in a big way. She knows this fundraiser allows the Youth Service Bureau to help the community in many ways. She was asked to dance in 2020, but that event was postponed until this year.
“After seeing how the community came together to help the downtown businesses, I knew I had to help give back whenever I could,” she said.
Thompson encourages the public to support this event because “it will be a grand time and to see how much goes into making it so spectacular. These dancers are taking a lot out of their normal daily lives to learn not only the group dance, but also their own particular dances for the competition. It’s a super cool event and a lot of thought and preparation goes into it.”
Preston Dildine is a performer who has lived in Montgomery County his whole life. For the last few years he has spent six to seven months each year touring or performing out of state. But “MoCo” has always been his home base.
Dildine doesn’t have much spare time, but when he can he likes to go to the movies and eat at new or local restaurants. His family is from Montgomery and Putman counties. His mom, aunts and uncle are all Southmont graduates, as is he.
He doesn’t have much formal dance training, but has been performing in musicals since he was 12 years old. His only formal training is in ballroom through Dancing Raine Studio, formerly in Crawfordsville. He is bronze-level certified.
His favorite genre of music to dance to is Latin.
“Give me that Latin beat and Cuban motion, and I’m in love,” he said.
Dildine participates in the YSB fundraiser because he loves supporting anything that benefits the community.
“All children deserve to feel loved and taken care of, and to feel heard, especially if they have been abused or left behind,” he said. “We must take care of our youth because, as cheesy as it sounds, they are our future.”
Preston believes the public should support the event for the same reason he is participating — our youth. Furthermore, it would be supporting local businesses, such as his dance partner’s, Maxine’s On Green, law enforcement officers and government officials.
“You would be showing pride and commitment to the community you call home,” he said. “I can’t think of too much that’s more impactful than that.”
