Read more 25th anniversary stories in the March/April 2025 feature.
151 is the number of covers Evansville Living has produced in 25 years, including this issue. Designing the best cover for each issue takes a lot of work and often takes us to some interesting places.
One example is our second cover, which posed Harrison High School graduates and pro basketball teammates Calbert Cheaney and Walter McCarty on the revered hardwood at the now-called TD Garden, where the pair then played for the Celtics.
The July/August 2005 cover about education is a point of pride, having earned a third-place finish at the City and Regional Magazine Association’s 2006 awards ceremony. Keeping Evansville Living company in the top three were Los Angeles and Texas Monthly, the two largest magazines in the trade group. Evansville Living is among CRMA’s smallest markets, so the prize was extra poignant.
Only a handful of people have appeared more than once, among them “Smallville” actor Michael Rosenbaum (January/February 2007, September/October 2012). Both of Evansville resident Brenda Wallace’s appearances — first, for the inaugural Best of Evansville issue in September/October 2001, then for Evansville Living’s fifth anniversary in March/April 2005 — depicted her among a group of partygoers. Joni Matthews of Evansville held court solo on the cover in November/December 2003 and September/October 2014.
Talent agency owner Lori Rosas has the honor of being the only person who has landed on the cover three times. In her first appearance, she was seen in a convertible for the July/August 2008 “Crazy Days of Summer” feature package. Her torso was pictured for the November/December 2009 “Be Good” issue, and she was seen again on the cover of March/April 2013 as part of the “Relax & Renew” feature.
One of Evansville Living’s covers included a murderer — fortunately, it was fictional and for the 2007 Reitz Home Murder Mystery featuring a gatefold with all the suspects. Recurring cover topics include animals (five covers), Christmas (five), desserts (three), and sports (seven).
