A 750-pound, 10-foot-high, 18-foot-long and 8-foot-wide red arrow will travel around Indianapolis to major events throughout the year, to highlight arts and sporting events, building projects and other big attractions, according to Grant County’s Chronicle Tribune, which provides a list of events where the giant red arrow is scheduled to appear. There’s also a list on the Indianapolis Convention and Visitor’s Association site.
The Indianapolis Star put together a list of “what and who will be noteworthy in the Indianapolis arts scene this year.” And it’s a big yawner, to say the least. My favorite noteworthy event is that Deer Creek (I refuse to use the corporate name for the concert facility, and you can’t make me) is getting another gateway and expanded roads to ease traffic snarls at the venue north of Indianapolis. I’m not denying that it needs to happen, but is it one of the hot events of 2005?
We’re getting some new movie theaters, a couple of Broadway shows are coming to town, Herron Art School is moving, geeks are coming to town for a Star Wars convention, blah blah blah.
Honestly, I think it’s the Star’s fault. I know that Indianapolis isn’t this boring.
The only thing I thought was really interesting is that we have a public arts program (headed by Mindy Taylor Ross) that works with Indy’s Cultural Development Commission to plan and fund public art projects. Last year they increased their funding by $200,000, put together an artist’s registry, and created an arts competition that will put create a public arts project for this year. Nice.
Indianapolis Police are looking for a disgruntled former beer delivery driver who, after being fired from his job, stole the delivery truck he drove and parked it on the west side of town. The trailer, which had contained 14,000 cases of beer, sat open for six weeks while people help themselves to the contents. Police discovered the location of the truck after someone attempted to sell a pallet of beer to a liquor store.
Police said they were surprised that there was still beer left in the truck when it was discovered on Wednesday.
Some fashion trends appear and disappear on the coasts without ever making it to the Circle City. Case in point: Tall Von Dutch Lug Boots. These are apparently out, according to Gawker.com. Thank Jeebus we dodged that bullet.
Interesting rearrangement of a local Indianapolis liquor store sign that may have been perpetrated by someone I know.
I just heard on the news that Barney the Beagle, the longtime partner of TV personality Dick Wolfsie, from channel 8 News, died on Friday at the grand old age of 14. I’ll miss you Barney.
I got to meet Barney back in January of 2002 when I was on the news with Dick Wolfsie for my Pictures of Big Things. But sadly, I never got to introduce Barney to my best pal, my doggie Spike who came to live with me later that year.
I’ve heard tons of conflicting reports about where in the downtown area the Jim Jones “people’s temple” church was located. It was somewhere in Old Northside Neighborhood, or in Herron-Morton Place. According to a recent report by the Indianapolis Star, it was located at 15th and North New Jersey street. And it’s for sale.
Hey here’s an article on something I figured out back in 1992: Living downtown is cool, hip and trendy. “The death and life of America’s cities” – Fred Siegel, The Public Interest
But do you own a cool Victorian there? I thought not.
(2014 update: Yes, in 2002 I was obliviously quoting an article from a neoconservative think tank without looking closely at what they were saying. I’m sorry; I was an idiot. I probably still am. It’s an interesting read today, though, because you can definitely observe how wrong they were in the article “It would be a mistake to assume that the big cities can ever again achieve the dominant position they once held.”- much has changed in the 12 years since they wrote it; the flood of people moving back to urban centers and away from suburbs is well-documented.)
E-mail Target and tell them you want a store built in downtown Indianapolis.
Party went well. Stacy made a ton of food. We set off tons of fireworks, too. Not everyone came that I hoped would, but oh well.
And they blew up Market Square Arena this morning, too. I know that there’s history to the place and all, but it was a really ugly building with uncomfortable seating.