The Police reunion hoopla just got kicked up another notch. Grammy Awards officials confirmed Tuesday morning that the rock trio will reunite for a performance Feb. 11, opening the nationally televised awards show at Los Angeles’ Staples Center. That's tantalizing news for fans of Sting, Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland, who are widely expected to launch a global concert tour this summer, 23 years after their split. I, for one, will be going for a second mortage to see as much of it as I can. Radio stations in British Columbia, Canada have reported that the band is rehearsing at Lions Gate Studios in Vancouver, where band members have been spotted out and about.(Above: The best drummer EV-ERR!!) 
We won! We won!
Julia and I took first place honors at the Chamber of Commerce Henry County Academy for Community Leadership Graduation!
Our project, Henry County Storykeepers- Remembering Then, Empowering Now, will become reality after being chosen for outstanding content and presentation.
Based on our personal and professional experiences, the ideas and effort came easily as we developed the program. Here's an edited- for- space version:
PURPOSE:
Provide a resource for telling and preserving individual and community stories. As the slogan suggests, this process has social, historical and personal significance while linking the past to the present and providing a positive “bridge” to tomorrow. Other important goals include: preserving not only history, but the authentic voice and vocabulary of individuals, and to establish a ‘voice’ for those groups poorly represented in our culture.
PROJECT DESCRIPTION: We (Julia and Ruth) are native to Henry County and our families have deep roots and rich history here. We each chose to return here after college and have resettled here with our families. Sensing a negative cultural shift, and knowing that economic decline has had a damaging effect on our hometown, our goal is to implement a project that will provide practical resources for sharing both personal and community history.
LEVEL A (three Months):
Create an individual story-collecting kit for the preservation of one’s own history or to collect stories about the life of a company, organization, place or family. The kit would consist of a list of 10 basic questions to inspire the collection of thoughts, feelings and facts about the subject matter. Multiple kits could be developed which are tailored to a particular group’s needs – i.e. ‘The Life of a Local Organization’ kit. A cassette tape and journal are made available for collecting information. The kits will be distributed at a workshop at the local library as well as made available through speaking engagements to local organizations. . The search for future funding through grant application and possible local fundraising also begins at this level.
LEVEL B (six months):
Establish a free website and permanent story-collecting “station” at the Henry County Public Library ‘Indiana Room.’ An on-line computer will be available to record one’s history by typing it into a word-processing program or as a submission form on a website. That site would also remove any geographic barriers to story-collecting.
LEVEL C (nine months):
Purchase audio and video equipment to establish a portable, user-friendly “studio” for story-collecting. An accompanying kit would include suggestions and instructions for setting up a storytelling event at a family gathering, military reunion, local club, church, athletic team reunion, company or group meeting. This could be housed at the library and made available through the regular check-out system there with guidelines for use and care of the equipment. Training sessions for the use of this would be made available through advanced workshops.
LEVEL D (one year):
Plan and implement a Storytelling Fair as a community event that will include:
· Storytelling stations with computer access, photography, and an interview set for audio and video recording. Live demonstrations of the portable studio.
· Two or three sessions, with a small fee, instructing individuals how to write their autobiographies. Information collected on this day would become part of the library archive and could potentially become an annual Henry County event.
· Sessions with local youth and elder partners sharing the storytelling process.
· Paid booth space (as fundraising for the project) for local groups to set up for story-collecting for their members and constituents.
Future Possibilities:
· Establishing a scout badge for local troops for storytelling.
· Implementing an adult education class for storytelling projects and techniques.
· Funding a position for implementing the programs.
· Local school curriculum development for storytelling
· Practical use: documenting a site – i.e. antiques/ places – for insurance purposes
· Use of the project as a group fundraiser
· Working with New Castle High School’s media program to include local youth in the project. The school library system could also include a link to the website for classroom projects.
Possible Community Collaboration:
· A committee comprised of representatives from local historical societies, photographers, librarians, funeral directors, teachers, and all interested parties to help organize and create accountability for Henry County Story Keepers events and finances.
· Local preservation and historic interest groups could be approached to support the efforts of this project as a subcommittee or project.
COMMUNITY SIGNIFICANCE:
Everyone has a story. Storytelling nurtures relationships, builds trust, and promotes unity. This establishes the environment necessary for healthy communication during good times and bad.
"Want your tots?"
This adorable picture headlined the Courier-Times today. Check out the underwhelming response of these first-graders eating their first cafeteria lunch. I like the unspoken, "Twelve years of THIS?" Hang on, kids, pizza day's a' comin' !!
BOOK RECOMMENDATION: Not Buying It - by Judith Levine 
If you've ever contemplated scaling back your broadly-defined “Entertainment Budget,” but failed, Judith Levine allows you to witness and learn from her drastic experiment to quit the entire consumer rat race for a full year. She is an excellent and humorous writer. While allowing you personal access to the angst of buying generic cotton swabs and of how the constant wants vs. needs struggle affects her social space and self worth, she cleverly injects some stunning facts about American waste into this personal diary. You’ll love it. And, perhaps go a few weeks without “Uncrustables.”
A road trip last Saturday with my friend Karen to Union City, Indiana, turned up a treasure (or two.) Ghyslain Chocolat des beaux arts offers an unlikely oasis of good taste and, well, great tasting chocolate. Hand-painted easter bunnies, truffles and spun sugar confections produced absolute euphoria that left me shaking my head sadly at, but not refusing, all common chocolate thereafter. The gourmet shop, which offers factory tours, private lessons and a $5 lunch special is a must-indulge. We enjoyed a deliciously fresh rosemary chicken salad croissant. Not just a croissant, but one made that day by a French-Canadian Chef. Wow! SO...WHY is this guy in Union City? Discover his story and some great holiday shopping at: www.ghyslain.com And Happy, Happy Easter.
Bernard Lacoste, who spent more than 40 years at the helm of the Lacoste clothing empire best known for its crocodile-embossed polo shirts, has died, the company said Wednesday. He was 74.
The famous crocodile insignia comes from the father, whose nickname was "Le Crocodile." The nickname apparently originated when Rene Lacoste admired a crocodile suitcase in a store window, and his Davis Cup captain promised to buy it for him if he won an important upcoming match. He never got the bag, but U.S. sports writers took up the name because it described his style on the court.
"I've always had an interest in New Castle history. You can look down Broad Street and see how many old buildings are sitting there empty. I just love to hear the 'I remember when ...' stories." – David Nantz
The third floor of the old Colonial Building in the 200 block of South 14th Street in New Castle houses not only an ambitious couple, but a great deal of hope for the future of New Castle.
David Nantz, 24, is a local portrait photographer. Before he fell for his wife, Lisa, he was smitten over a rotting commercial building. One week after he turned 21, he bought it for $80,000. He and some friends did the demolition and clean-up work, then brought in a contractor to do the framing and continued to sub-contract other work for the next 18 months.
Dave's photography studio is on the first floor of the building, the site of what was one of the first grocery stores in New Castle. The second-floor landing, which has been refinished to look like the original business offices, remains. The original light fixtures and local historic photos grace the hallway. Vintage-looking door decals mark the previous site of WCTW, where my Dad says he used to run up to volunteer to answer the phone on ball game nights as a kid.
Then to the third floor. . .
I recently had a chance to tour the Nantz home. IT IS STUNNING! It is also an inspiration to this sometimes-reluctant local nester. “If you don’t know the history of where you are, you can’t enjoy and appreciate it,” David tells me. He’s as proud of his town as he is his new home and is a member of local committees and organizations to be a part of improving it. "We spend a lot of time here," Dave said. "Most visitors' first reaction is they can't believe they're in New Castle." As for Lisa, she has made the transition from Indy to NC. "Now I wouldn't trade this for a house," she said, resting against her long kitchen counter. "I love it."
As I look out one of 27 huge windows and down into a window in an adjacent downtown building, I do a doubletake and then my heart smiles as I realize there is new life there. A too- bright, shadeless light bulb wings slightly, revealing a bright, fresh coat of paint. I learn that an old school chum has returned to town and purchased the building. "It's going to be apartments!" David chimes, then smiles as he lifts his wine glass.
Here's to New Castle. Here's to making it better by taking steps to appreciate it's past, then making a future where we are.
"Understanding always comes before problem-solving. This is the key to true community. Service becomes an expression of purpose."
- Judy O'Bannon
Judy O’Bannon has spent much of her life supporting and promoting efforts to strengthen Indiana communities. She's still on the road sharing with Hoosier friends and made a stop in Hagerstown, Indiana on Wednesday night where, having been inspired by numerous speeches she has given, I was finally able to meet her.
As the chair of the 25-member Indiana 2016 Task Force, she encourages Hoosiers to set the state’s 200 th birthday in 2016 as a target for long-term goals and to become more involved in their communities in the years leading up to the bicentennial.
Additionally, as host of the WFYI-produced television series Communities Building Community, Judy helps bring attention to the many ways Hoosiers throughout the state are strengthening their communities. The show began airing statewide on PBS stations in spring 2003, and a second season is currently in production to be premiered in Summer 2004.
In early 2004, Judy accepted a position as director of external affairs for Peace House, a collaborative effort between Earlham, Goshen, and Manchester colleges. Peace House, part of the larger Plowshares collaborative, will house students in Indianapolis for a semester of their college experience. Here they will study peace and justice by combining academics and an internship—with a group experience of living in and exploring the diverse city of Indianapolis.
Vincent D'Onofrio never looks quite the same. Is he the chubby Pvt. Pyle of Full Metal Jacket? The dead ringer for Orson Welles of Ed Wood? Bill Newman in JFK and again in Malcom X? A Stanislavic Poster Boy, D'Onofrio loses himself in his roles. He gained a world record 70 pounds for his role in Full Metal Jacket (1987). One of the founders of the River Run Film Festival along with his sister, Elizabeth D'Onofrio, and their father, Gene, he balances bona fide hunkiness with a serious manner. He's my favorite L&O character. Who's yours?
Chicken Salad Air- The rear hand reaches between the legs and grabs the heel edge between the bindings while the front leg is boned. Also, the wrist is rotated inward to complete the grab.
Okay. That's a definition for a snowboard move featured in the 2006 Torino games. Snowboarding is HUGE. . . and I'm sure there's a better term for that.
Recently, two very young athletes have stunned the wide world of sports with their california-speak and earthy-but-endearing personalities, not to mention near perfection in their sport.
Both Hannah Teter and Shaun White are "stoked" about recent gold.
Meanwhile, I can't help but love the refreshing personalities these children of Deadheads bring to live television.
Consider, for example, Shaun's recent interview tale of a hiking expedition with his father, Roger, on Oregon's Mount Hood:
"We got up there and had all this food, so I started feeding the squirrels, then birds came, and before I knew it, it was sketchy. I had, like, four squirrels in my lap and this bird that kept trying to land on me because I had all this food with me. I was freaking out. I didn't want to move because I thought they'd bite me. Then I'd have to get rabies shots. They're dangerous. My dad was all, 'Dude, you're on your own. You're screwed.' I was like, 'Thanks, dude.'"
And on why he wants to compete in the Olympics: "I'm gonna get so many babes."
Author Charles John Huffam Dickens (early alias: Boz) was born this day in 1812 in Portsmouth England. In the nineteenth century everyone, from Queen Victoria to street sweepers, either read Dickens or had Dickens read to them.
Haven't ever really sampled anything beyond the Christmas Carol?
Get a quick Dickens dose with:
The New Year - Dickens describes a party on New Year's Eve 1835. Published in Bell's Life in London as Scenes and Characters No 11.
Omnibuses - Dickens' hilarious account of riding in a London omnibus.
Seven Dials - Sketch describing this notorious London slum, so named for the seven streets that come together there. Dickens observes the residents there living in squalor and filth. He's was so good at this.
"We once travelled four hundred miles, inside a stage-coach, with a stout man, who had a glass of rum-and-water, warm, handed in at the window at every place where we changed horses. This was decidedly unpleasant. We have also travelled occasionally, with a small boy of a pale aspect, with light hair, and no perceptible neck."
Photo: Time3.jpg)
While festivities begin for the grand re-opening of the gorgeous New Castle-Henry County Public Library, there's a related triumph to celebrate. An upcoming reunion of bookmobile staff will be a harvest of fond memories.
My experiences with the NCHCPL Bookmobile are "recent history" as I worked there just a couple of years ago. I worked with Terry & Marcia in, "The Love Shack," a tiny commercial building on Indiana Avenue which housed the bookmobile's burgeoning off-road collection and various small, semi-domesticated animals. As the new main library structure was being built on the same block, we dutifully kept the bookmobile rolling, resting off-site in a local grain garage several miles away.
Physical discomfort aside, I miss my bookmobile days for many reasons. There is a serious and real need to keep literature on-the-move and accessible. I absolutely loved being a part of that. The face-to-face contact with patrons in remote locations is rewarding to both parties. There's something about being 'out,' meeting folks literally where they are, that becomes a passionate quest as you rumble from stop to stop, viewing the physical beauty of Henry County. The pulse of the community beats a little quicker when it can receive a free, personal service like the bookmobile. A positive memory and a love of literature is created in children. They get the thrill of escaping the normal school day to climb aboard a fun-filled library on wheels with creative themes and an "A-List" of the very best books, chosen with care. That same caring staff knows your kids, your struggles, your vacation spots and your hopes for the future.
My hope for the future of the NCHCPL Bookmobile is that it keeps rolling into the lives of an ever-curious and ever-growing population in a place that will always need literature and will always crave connection.
Congratulations on a beautiful, new, much-deserved bookmobile home. Enjoy it everyday.
Karen Crawford of New Castle, Indiana offered the correct answer to the trivia question below. Yes! It's Morgan Freeman!
She wins a year's supply of:
Congratulations, Karen!
Long before I began making mental notes on turning 40, I made some nods to nosalgia. In 2005 I purchased CDs by Queen and Duran Duran. I received a Doris Day CD as a gift and 'woo-hooed!' about it. I began to organize and frame photos. I even once shouted, "DON'T THROW THAT AWAY!" This is a surpise, given my history of eye-rolling disgust of things sentimental and 'so yesterday.'
Besides finding myself prefering day-time activity, loving a routine and not knowing it is payday, I have caught myself in fits of joy when being reminded of forgotten simple pleasures.
If you are reading this, there is a chance you get a synaptic charge and subsequent grin when you read:
Donkey Kong
That's just an example of phenomena from past decades of my life that are noticible only in retrospect.
Here are some facts. In 1982, 40 people died of a mysterious disease called AIDS. Test-tube babies were called a 'scare.' Nutrasweet was something new. So was a VCR, which sold for $888.00 suggested retail.
It has happened. I am noticing history that I have lived. And it is fun.
And so I introduce and invite you to a new "What's New (Castle)" feature for what's now old to you. Feel free to post something from the 70's, 80's or 90's that will make us all blush with shameful recognition. Remember, NO PARKIN' ON THE DANCEFLOOR!
The Freecycle Network was started in 2003 in Tucson, Arizona because junk was literally starting to overflow their landfills. Today, the international network provides individuals and non-profits an electronic forum to "recycle" unwanted items. One person's trash can truly be another's treasure! Want something for free? Want to give something away? Visit http://www.freecycle.org/. New Castle is in the network.
Christmas is just over a week away. This is the first night this week that I have not attended a 'holiday function.' Feeling dragged down by festivity? Here's a possible remedy: a grape and blueberry smoothie followed by the Colbert Report and a hot Epsom Salt bath. Then drink 64 oz. of water and hit the pillow at 8:30p.m. ...DOH! It's already 9:36! Anyway, I exhale and proclaim that I'm psyched for a great Christmas.
Sometimes we get tired and forget what Christmas is. We argue over retail marketing stategies in defense of our religion. (Wow. Is our faith so weak that this is all it takes to threaten it?) We curl into ourselves and choose fear over growth and learning. We throw strange, facsimile comforts at our problems and curse what we don't understand.
May you remember in the next two weeks, and, for the love of Pete, the other 300+ days in the future...that this entire season of glittering chaos is the modern-day seeker's star. There's so much evidence here in this celestially darkest part of the year to lead to a new discovery of truth. Be Courageous.
What are you wanting? What is your big question this year?
We want connection. We want love. We want life.
Unlikely as it seems, there was once a baby born in chaos, cold and animal stink who is still the all-purpose filling for our half empty glasses. So keep looking. And get ready to find that crazy little thing called love. It's Christmas.
Wes and Caylie were married at Spiceland Friends Meeting yesterday. The wedding was lovely and reverential. The reception was classy and elegant, but comfortable with a sense of celebration...just like the bride and groom! Congratulations and lifelong love to you both!
His original hips and knees are long gone. His voice, however, is undeniably the same rich and measured siren that has filled the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for over 60 years. At 84, Tom Carnegie is a constant in the ever-changing IRL.
He is also the founder of the organization I work for, the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame. He was among a few fellows in the Indianapolis Lion’s Club in the 1960's who thought a place of commemoration for Hoosier Hoops would be a fine idea. And so a small museum was pulled together in downtown Indianapolis. Now, in its 15th year in New Castle, Tom needs a walker to visit it. There’s no ‘slowing down on the backstretch’ for this guy, however. He’s an active board member and supporter here, still camps out at the track for all of May, and always takes time to say hi and to see ‘how you’re doing.’ He is generous with a laugh. He still hosts the Hall of Fame Induction banquet and thrills the 1000+ audiences with clever, always complimentary, toasts of the honorees and guests. We love Tom.
After lo, these many years of Luddite avoidance of the airwaves, Terry is back at it again--sort of--with a couple of friends.
Terry, along with friends/co-workers Alan (Webmaster at Draper and for Reel Pie) and Roy (Short n' Snappy artist), is now a Podcaster! Yes, these three friends, calling themselves the Bionic Geniuses, host a weekly Podcast called the Bionic Genius Roundtable. They talk about movies, books, TV, music, comics, comedy ... anything, really. As long as they can in some way make fun of it (or of themselves), anything goes! The show probably won't all that entertaining to anyone who wouldn't remember who Gordon Lightfoot is, or Johnny Quest, or Otter, although such features as "Will it Whistle" and some occasional original comedy sketches are sure to entertain young and old alike. Each episode (except for No. 1) is 25-30 minutes.
The BGs "tape" their Podcast Wednesdays during their lunch hour, then it gets posted as soon as Alan can get it done. By the way, all the musical themes for the show are composed by Alan, the graphics that will soon adorn our Web site are by Roy, and ... well, I guess Terry is pretty much dead weight.
Anywho, hop over to the podcasting site, http://bionicgenius.podomatic.com/ and check it out. Apologies for the miking on teh first couple of episodes ... forgot the mic stands! Our Web site is also up, although still in progress. It's www.bionicgenius.com.
See ya in the funny papers!
Terry C
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO UNCLE STEVE DICKEN . . .
LAST SUNDAY!!!
Boy are our faces red! And NOT with red cake icing! We totally spaced Uncle Steve's birthday on Sunday. He was right there teaching Sunday School to us and we failed to even mention the anniversary of his own birth, an important day to all of us! Please forgive us this trespass. You ROCK! Belated greetings and forever love to you!
Most of us can get a vivid mental picture of childhood through the sense-memory of the women in our lives; their scent, their laugh, their song or their food offerings. That picture is not complete without the memory of the aprons they wore.
Mom's apron was a ceremonial signal to me that all else was set aside as it was time to prepare a great meal.
Aunt Catherine's bright white work apron had a lovely, familiar whiff of citrus and the sweet, subtle smell of fresh ground meat as she lovingly pressed your face into her after returning from work at Wilson's Market.
Aprons were both functional and decorative and were used for everything from carrying things to wiping your dirty face.
I remember receiving my first, perhaps only, apron. Tailored to my own small waist at 7 years old, I remember it as a first impression of having responsibilty to other people. It was 'personalized' with a favorite lavendar gingham with matching rick-rack trim. It had pockets customized to my god-given gifts with places for six crayon colors and wider pockets for scissors, paper, doll-bottles, garden tools and spoons! The possibilities were endless!
As I recall that apron, I am challenged to examine the expectations God and community have of me. Am I called? Am I equipped? What joy awaits from service and industry in my own corner of the world? A still, small voice whispers that it's time to 'suit up' to the task under my nose and not in an unknown, someday metropolis. The ties that bind us to God and tradition are not to be seen as restrictive, but long, flowing links to comfort and, perhaps, to the future.
Welcome back, William! Bill has returned safely from a week in Derby (DAR'-bee), England on business for Rolls Royce-North America. Boy are his arms tired...and we're all tired of hearing that he doesn't like to go! Silly Chap! Love 'ya, you haggis-havin' bloke!
Although the government food pyramids seem to have become a generic health cliche', I am happy to report that the Online Dietary Assessment and Physical Activity Assessment are fun new tools that bring USDA guidelines to practical life. A day-to-day evaluation of what you eat and how much you move, this is one of the first diet tools that I have used that help you to see your food intake “big picture.” (some bigger than others…har—har!) It is very detailed, personalized, and its FREE. Check it out at www.mypyramidtracker.gov
As filed by Blog Field Reporter,
Karen Crawford:
Veteran comic actor Louis Nye has died at age 92. Last week, Nipsy Russell. Which comic legend will we lose next? Sad. Very sad. Loved Sonny Drysdale. They were always trying to hook him up with Ellie Mae.
Bringing the funny is taking more money these days. The Food Network is in the process of taking all of their programs to HI-DEFINITION format. My favorite program on the network, of all-time actually, is Alton Brown's, 'Good Eats.' You'll learn (and retain) more practical knowledge from this program than from any other on the tube. Period. A gentleman and a scholar, Alton Brown has this to say about the new technology as posted on HIS blog:
"Although our look may have gotten expensive, I assure you our props, sets, costumes, actors, and general mentality are still budget basement. Good Eats is still held together by dental floss, duct tape, peanut butter and brine. We still don’t spend as much per episode as American Idol spends on Paula Abdul’s hair. And unlike much of what goes out on those 315 or so channels that pass for television, Good Eats is hand made…no committees, no corporate spank, and no stinkin’ focus groups. We’re still all about the food, and puppets…and the occasional bad movie rip-off, and food…and strange camera angles, and bad shirts, and food. Why just today, I got run over by a giant meatball. And you know what? In hi-def, it looks really scary." - A.B.
Want to be blinded with even more food science? Go see Alton!
When you're not surfing the web, why not walk into one? Ptwp! Westwood park is a great place to spend these clear, blue-sky days of autumn in Henry County. Numerous species of trees native to Indiana may be found in the park on the easy hiking trails. The lake is great just to stare at if feeling contemplative....Duuude......And who knows, park volunteer, Bill Wilt might welcome you with his familiar grin and jovial, barreled voice! The water is great and the new webpage offers regular features to keep you visiting; fishing reports and a photo of the week. Sorry, Wally Gator, NO MOTOR BOATS. Enjoy!
It's late on a Friday night in 1974. Wrapped in a blanket, with a bowl of Chesty potato chips and a flicker across your TV screen.You are soon rewarded with a vision of a creepy castle set atop a craggy cliff, and then with the sight of a ghastly ghoul arising from his coffin. With a trademark laugh and a chilling greeting of "..Good Evening...", you know you are watching Nightmare Theater, an independently produced Horror Show on Channel 4 out of Indianapolis. Hosted by none other than one of the most famous and endearing horror hosts of all time - the great and legendary Sammy Terry. Yes, he is still...well...whatever you call it. And you can see the Hoosier Broadcast Legend and Quaker(!) (Bob Carter) at the Indiana State Museum on October 22, 2005 at 9:30 p.m.
Graphics: Alan Houser
Some rumors about businesses coming to the New Castle area are perpetual urban legend, i.e. a multi-plex theater and Frisch's, etc. BUT . . . What's New (Castle) has it on good authority that Starbucks has applied for permits within the city limits. Hooray!
Vegan Terry Coffey contemplates the difference between a gourd and a squash.
(PHOTO: Commercial Review)
Tevya (Ron Freeman) makes one of many declarations and inquiries of God in the Jay County Civic Theater presentation of Crying Baby Productions Fiddler on the Roof. From the beginning anthem of beautifully trained voices offering Tradition to the mournful, sweet goodbye to Anatevka, the cast offers a unique, yet reverent portrayal of a theater classic. Terry and I were drawn to see this play on Saturday night in Portland to support the vibrant local arts community there and the players who were also a part of The Small Town Scenario project this summer. Director Linda Priest Rodden (also Yente) put into words my sentiments for this production in her notes published in the playbill, "Generally an audience in a small town must sit through some less-than-exciting moments, during which a cast member...struggles and makes everyone uncomfortable." Not so here. She goes on to marvel in the professionalism and strength in the excellent character portrayals. Agreed! And the icing on this delicious theatrical cake is sweetened by the artistic nurturing of our dear friend, Heather Steed, who contributed acting, stage management, property and scene talents. Linda's son, Seth, displayed his flexibility as the radical Perchik and as the Fiddler. And, of course, the toddler Emma Rodden's cherubesque discipline as she sang and moved with ease through some difficult village choreography. Others in the Rodden family participated along with so many other believable and beautiful players. A favorite scene was Tevya's "vision" of Fruma-Sarah that makes one wish one could have such a dream! You can't help but feel blessed by the company's Sabbath Prayer. All five daughter's played their parts with finesse, with our sentimental favorite being Tzeitel, played by Reel Pie star, Ami Billington. You were all superb! I encourage others to see future productions and to visit Portland, Indiana's Arts Place. Mozeltoff!
The Station Agent
Finbar McBride (Peter Dinklage) is a man trying to live life on his own terms. Looking only to be left alone, he takes up residence in a rural town's old train depot. But much like the station agents that occupied small town depots before him, he finds himself reluctantly becoming enmeshed in the lives of his neighbors, especially Olivia (Patricia Clarkson), a forty-year-old artist struggling with the break up of her marriage, and Joe (Bobby Cannavale) a thirty-year-old with a talent for cooking and an insatiable hunger for conversation - whether anyone wants to talk to him or not. The STATION AGENT is about three people with nothing in common, except their shared solitude, until chance circumstances bring their lives together. Before long, from this forgotten depot, this mismatched threesome forges an unlikely bond, which ultimately reveals that even isolation is better shared.
Dinklage on being a dwarf:
"I don't like people being cautious and tentative and choosing their words carefully around me because I'm a dwarf. There are a lot of people in a lot worse shape than me. I'm 4'5" and it's part of who I am, just not the whole part. I guess the word to call me is my name, Pete."
Today is the 68th birthday of our dear patriarch, James Raymond Dicken. He rocks! Send a greeting to him at jdicken@pccu.com
The Penrod Arts Fair is today at the Indianapolis Museum of Art. It will be great to see the museum renovation and, especially, the 300+ artists and their wares. Last year, I bought a cool mobile made of glass and beads. Also, an urban youth art league sold a brown plate to me that said, "Get your eat on!" I did...and plan to again today. More later!
http://www.penrod.org/artsfair.html
The Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame Museum in New Castle, Indiana houses the treasures of Indiana’s favorite game. And it’s a good thing, considering the vast changes in the sport. But while some teams, mascots and players themselves might go unrecognized by Hoosier youth, there’s one icon of the sport that remains steadfast: Converse All Star "Chuck Taylor" sneakers are ninety years old but still going strong! And since 1923, except for the addition of endless new colors and patterns, original "Chuck Taylors" have not changed one bit.
The familiar canvas high-tops, introduced and promoted by Indiana Basketball Hall of Famer, Chuck Taylor, are well represented in the new display, including an autographed pair that hit the historic hardwood on Milan Miracle Worker, Bobby Plump. The famous footwear will delight you whether fan or fashionista.
Lesley Vulgan, Manager of Collections and Artifacts at the Hall of Fame, says that while all displays are unique and have an interesting background, the Chucks display was especially enjoyable to pull together. “I had the best time researching the endless variety of colors and styles,” says Vulgan, “And we all knew about inductee Chuck Taylor, but his life was a very interesting one.”
The museum staff noticed a group of gentleman visiting the Hall this spring. Not unusual. But these guys, all professionals and dressed as such, were all spiffed up from the ankle down with, you guessed it, Converse Chuck Taylor All-Stars. The pilgrimage was led by Robert Parker of Louisville, Kentucky who owns countless pairs of the shoes, many of which the museum contracted to display on loan, including a green and red holiday pair of “Chucks,” complete with bells.
Besides other ongoing features that families will enjoy; the John Wooden Locker Room Pep Talk and the Last Second Shot, many touch-screen exhibits and a gift shop round out the museum of Hoosier hoop heritage. Visitors will have the chance to have a photo taken with the giant basketball shoe outside on the Hall of Fame grounds and enjoy designing their own shoe in a hands-on exhibit inside the museum.
Plan to visit!
Open 10 AM – 5 PM Tuesday through Saturday – 1 PM – 5 PM Sundays
Admission $4 adults and teens, $2 children 5-12, preschoolers free
I-70 to State Road 3 North to Trojan Lane (follow signs)
St. Road 38 to New Castle, turn left on St Rd 3 and go south to Trojan Lane.
408 Trojan Lane, New Castle, Indiana 47362 - 765-529-1891
http://www.hoopshall.com/
Special offer: Wear Chuck Taylor All-Stars and receive discount admission of $1!!!
