How one Ohio town is living vicariously through 3 homegrown siblingsPETTISVILLE, Ohio — Girl Named Tom is the biggest thing to happen to the small town of Pettisville.
Just a few months ago, not much changed in the daily routine of the tiny, no-stoplight Fulton County town, except for the buffet menu at Das Essen Haus, the main mom-and-pop restaurant in town.
But suddenly the 683 or so citizens of Pettisville and the surrounding communities of Archbold and Wauseon find themselves touched by the sparkle of Hollywood, as Girl Named Tom — the vocal group comprising local siblings Josh, Caleb, and Bekah Liechty — competes on one of television’s top talent shows, The Voice.
It’s a cold, gray Monday outside Pettisville Schools, but there’s a level of excitement in the air. Girl Named Tom has broken through the Top 8 on The Voice and this particular evening there will once again be a viewing party at the school to root them on, for this is their alma mater.
School Principal Michael Lane and Superintendent Josh Clark couldn’t be prouder of the trio. Each is seated with a plate of school lunch – today it’s Coney dogs – in an office conference room where they’ve gathered to talk about Girl Named Tom, who got their start right here at Pettisville Schools.
Lane lives in Maumee but commutes to Pettisville every day (“It’s worth the drive because I want to be a part of how cool this school really is”).
“I think what makes this community so special is the people,” said Clark. “They rally around their own and there’s a faith-based concept of community at this school that’s second to none. Growing up in Archbold, I knew this place was special, and now getting to be a part of it as superintendent is just great.”
“We have good kids supported by good parents,” added Lane. “The various churches and youth groups spill into the school community and the relationships that have been established create that supportive, nurturing cooperative environment. Kids aren’t at each other; they’re supportive of each other. In a K-12 building you have a senior walking down the hall next to a kindergartener. We try to do activities that foster working together.”
That spirit of working and coming together is apparent when you walk or drive through Pettisville. At Das Essen Haus, there’s a big banner in the lobby featuring Girl Named Tom with “Pettisville’s Hometown Talent” written in big bold black letters. The servers at the restaurant all wear Girl Named Tom shirts, which are for sale for $10 and if they don’t have your size on the shelf, all you have to do is ask someone and they’ll get you your size from the back.
Indeed, the entire community has rallied around the Liechty siblings, who were homeschooled by their parents Chris and Holly until Caleb, the oldest, came into Pettisville Schools as a seventh grader. Josh, the middle child, came in at fifth grade, as did Bekah, the youngest.
The Liechtys live just outside of Pettisville in Archbold, on a long, lonely county road. Their house is a veritable shrine to music creation, with a piano, drums, and other instruments all set up and ready to be played. Patriarch Chris owns a John Deere dealership while mother Holly is a former French teacher.
As they sit down to talk about their children, who will be seen by millions of people this night, they are happy, joyful, and excited for their kids’ performance. But they also know their family has been just plain blessed by the opportunities their kids have had.
“They’re talented yes, and we recognized that at an early age,” said Holly, seated on a couch. “Caleb could pick up a saxophone and play ‘Amazing Grace’ without ever having touched a saxophone before. When they would play at their piano recitals or at church, people would notice there was something special about these kids. It just moved them. It went deeper than nice music. It touched their soul. Many many people are gifted but if you don’t have an excellent teacher, you can’t develop that gift.”
Holly and Chris give a lot of credit for their children’s success to their teachers, including the choir instructor at Pettisville Schools Duane Beck. As Girl Named Tom progressed on the show, The Voice producers made the Liechtys sign several documents and release forms and they came in and filmed in their house, an experience Chris described as “crazy.”
“They made us sign all kinds of different releases, including a non-disclosure agreement, and they didn’t tell us much in the beginning. They just told us, ‘Your kids are great and we might need all this B-roll,’ ” said Chris, who is currently battling cancer. “Little by little people were starting to find out how amazing the kids are. We’d see their names pop up on Entertainment Tonight, but we couldn’t say anything because we were signed to a non-disclosure agreement not to say anything.”
But that was then and this is now and Girl Named Tom is currently in the Top 5 of The Voice. On Monday night citizens of Pettisville and the surrounding neighborhoods will once more assemble in the auditorium of the school to root for their hometown heroes. Girl Named Tom is currently the first trio in the history of The Voice to make it to a season finale. But to the residents of this small Ohio town, Girl Named Tom is already a local hero, no matter the outcome.
“Girl Named Tom exemplifies the very best of what makes the Pettisville community so special,” said Clark. “The incredible journey they’re taking us all on is one for the history books. Not only do they exemplify class, poise, and character, but they have become role models for our students here at Pettisville.
“Their journey is only beginning."
“The Voice” can be seen at 8 p.m. ET Monday and Tuesday on NBC.
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