Bull Burger Battle at Family Leisure, July 13

Images provided by Family Leisure and used with written permission.

Press Release
Family Leisure
http://www.familyleisure.com/burgerbattle

Is yours the best burger? We’ll see!

DISCLOSURE NOTICE: The editor of AroundIndy.com, LLC — publisher of this blog — has been invited to participate in this event as a judge.

Indianapolis may not be known as a haven for world burger champions, but a local burger challenge at Family Leisure on July 13, 2013, may change that.

Family Leisure, a local distributor of outdoor grills and smokers, is getting fired up to host the Bull Burger Battle, a qualifying event that will send one great Indiana griller to Las Vegas to compete in the World Food Championships and a shot at food fame and fortune.

The Bull Burger Battle is set for July 13 and will pit up to 24 grillers against one another in a head-to-head, high heat and high stakes grill-off to find Indy’s best burger cook. Burger fans and the public are invited to watch the area’s best cooks and chefs square off for food supremacy at Family Leisure, 11811 Pendleton Pike, Indianapoli,s Indiana.

Each Bull Burger Battle champion will win his or her choice of a Bull Outdoor Angus Cart, Bull Outdoor Brahma head, or store credit on any Bull Outdoor product. In addition to a premium Bull Outdoor grill, the Bull Burger Battle champ will win a free trip to Las Vegas to compete on Team Bull in the World Burger Championship at the World Food Championships.

Bull Outdoor Angus Grill

With multiple competition categories and hundreds of America’s best culinary masters squaring off in the heart of Las Vegas for fame and part of the $300,000 prize purse, the World Food Championships is the ultimate food competition. The winner of the Bull Burger Battle will throw down with 50 other burger builders and a total of 450 competitors as part of this epic food event.

If you like to watch food competitions but competing isn’t your thing, the The Bull Burger Battle will have an opportunity to register and win a free trip to Las Vegas to watch 450 of the planet’s best cooks and chefs shows off their skills at the 2013 World Food Championships.

Entry is free upon acceptance of application, due by June 30. Competitors must bring their own grill and ingredients to create approximately six burgers. Setup and competition on July 13 will run from approximately 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Bull Burger Battle is currently accepting applications from interested competitors: amateur, professional cooks and restaurateurs are all invited to compete. Contact Gina at social@familyleisure.com for more details or register to compete at http://www.familyleisure.com/burgerbattle. To view the full PDF press release of this event, click here (8MB PDF).

Things to do in Indianapolis, June 17-23, 2013

Marion County Fair, June 21-29. Photo provided by the fair and used with written permission.

Things to do in Indianapolis
June 17-23, 2013

• Marion County 4-H Fair in Indianapolis
• Mary J. Blige in Concert at Bankers Life Fieldhouse
• Boy Scouts ‘Cookout on the Circle’ on Monument Circle
• 18th Annual Brew-Ha-Ha Microbrew Festival at the Phoenix Theatre
• Dave Matthews Band in Concert at Klipsch Music Center
• 33rd Annual Fort Wayne Greek Festival in Allen County
• Indianapolis Indians Baseball at Victory Field
• Elkhart Jazz Festival in Elkhart County
• Hancock County 4-H Fair in Greenfield
• Boney James Live at the Old National Centre

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“Game On! Downtown” in Danville, June 22

By Josh Duke
Hendricks County Tourism Commission
http://www.TourHendricksCounty.com/

Imagine what it would be like to play Connect Four™ on a board that stands more than SIX feet tall or to play with Checkers that are almost a foot in diameter.

Giant Connect Four board.

For the first time ever, the Downtown Danville Partnership will turn the Hendricks County Courthouse Square into a giant family game area from noon to 4 p.m. on June 22, 2013.

Game On! Downtown, a free festival, will allow families to play board game classics with a bit of a twist. Each game or activity will be giant or oversized.

“This event is all about play and is geared for kids, but it will appeal to anyone who is a kid at heart,” said Laura Parker, Game On Committee Chair. “If you take some of these games that you loved from your childhood, bring them out of the house, super-size them and add some music and food, you’ve got the perfect recipe for a gigantic good time in Downtown Danville.”

In addition to games like Connect Four™ and Checkers, the festival will feature giant versions of childhood favorites like Jenga™, KerPlunk™, Dominoes, Tic-Tac-Toe, Scrabble, bowling, ring toss, ostrich egg and spoon races and chalk art. Game On! Downtown also will feature Jumbo Jam™, an 8-foot tall inflatable with a basket to shoot or toss balls into; a Monkey Barrel bounce house; Taste of the Square food court provided by downtown merchants and a disc jockey playing music throughout the event.

The east side of the square will serve as the festival site as Washington Street will be closed to traffic between Main and Marion streets during the June 22 event.

For more information, go online to www.VisitDowntownDanville.com.

“Take a Seat” at the Indiana State Fairgrounds

Indiana State Fairgrounds Coliseum.

By Andy Klotz
On behalf of the Indiana State Fair Foundation
http://indianastatefair.com/

The Indiana State Fair Foundation is offering the public a chance to own a piece of history – Fairgrounds Coliseum history – by putting 100 pairs of the building’s original seats up for sale.

Coliseum Seats

Built in 1939, the Coliseum is in the midst of a massive $63 million renovation that includes a complete remodeling of the iconic structure’s interior.  About 90 of the 8,000 original seats are being restored and will be placed back inside the new Coliseum, which will reopen in August, 2014.  Another 100 pairs are up for sale.

These wooden seats with a steal frame are platform mounted in sets of two and come with a numbered commemorative plaque.  They cost $1,000 and are offered on a first-come, first-served basis.

Throughout its 74-year history, the Fairgrounds Coliseum has hosted many of Indiana’s most significant events.  From Olympic skating champion Sonja Henie to John F. Kennedy, from Dick the Bruiser to the Beatles, the Coliseum has a history few Hoosier buildings can match.

Anyone interested in purchasing a set of seats can do so by visiting www.indianastatefair.com and clicking on the “Coliseum Chair Sale” link or going straight to http://bit.ly/15WZNPI.  All the money raised from the sale of these seats goes directly to the Indiana State Fair Foundation for use in the ongoing renovation.

For more information, visit http://indianastatefair.com/, or call 317-927-7500.

Father’s Day, Schmooza Palooza, Strawberries and more in Indianapolis

Christ Church Cathedral hosts the annual Strawberry Festival on Monument Circle today.

Press Release
Indianapolis Downtown, Inc.
http://www.indydt.com/

Enjoy Summer Flowers

New, colorful summer flowers have been planted throughout Downtown. Drought-tolerant annuals in a summer mix of purple, pink, red and yellowenergize our cityscape. The floral palette includes: bronze leaf yellow cannas, Lucky Lantana Rose, bronze leaf/pink flowering big begonias, Dragon Wing pink begonias and Purple Queen setcreasea. Indianapolis Downtown, Inc. plants more than 12,000 summer annuals in 223 Downtown planters. Indianapolis has been recognized as having one of the cleanest Downtown’s in the U.S. and beautiful flowers are a big part of a vibrant Downtown.

Celebrate Father’s Day Downtown

There are plenty of things to do Downtown June 16 to show your dad love this Father’s Day! Spend the night Downtown June 14 – 16 and receive up to 30 percent off with Indy VIP rates. The Rathskeller and Athenaeum are hosting a fun Father’s Day combo featuring lunch, a performance by Time for Three and Monty Python’s musical ‘Spamalot.’ Check out special Father’s Day menus at Morton’s, The Steakhouse, Weber Grill, Iozzo’s, Indianapolis Colts Grille or Buca di Beppo. Head to Chef Joseph’s for a live performance by Julie Houston and special “meat and potatoes” dinner. Give Dad an Indians or Edible Arrangements gift.

Party on Georgia Street

Friday Block Parties on Georgia Street take place from 5 – 8 p.m. June through August for friends to gather and kick off their weekends. June 14 hear Sour Mash Seven, presented by Indianapolis Downtown, Inc. Come enjoy local tunes, the Bud Light Boardwalk Beer Garden and good times as these FREE Friday festivals become a regular feature of the Downtown party scene! Have dinner and drinks at your favorite sidewalk cafe or bring your own snacks. Follow@GeorgiaStIndy for updates!

Schmooza Palooza

Network with hundreds of Indy’s business professionals and learn more about local businesses and their products and services in a lively atmosphere featuring music, drinks and hors d’oeuvres. The Indy Chamber’s Schmooza Palooza is Tuesday, June 18, from 4 – 8 p.m. at the JW Marriott. New this year: Startup Village, showcasing up-and-coming startups. Interact with some of Indy’s most innovative entrepreneurs!  Admission is FREE if you pre-register by 5 p.m. today. Walk-ins are welcome. Cost at the door is $35/members and $50/non-members.

Christ Church Cathedral Strawberry Festival

Have a taste for strawberries? Don’t miss the 48th annual Christ Church Cathedral Women’s Strawberry Festival Thursday, June 13 on Monument Circle from 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. (or until supplies run out!) Enjoy the “Works” with shortcake, strawberries, ice cream and whipped topping for $6.  Orders can also be made a la carte, with or without any of the toppings for $2. Cash only. Entertainment begins at 10 a.m. Head Downtown for many more summer festivals!

Celebrity Softball

Join the excitement Thursday, June 13 at 7 p.m. at Victory Field for the fifth annual Celebrity Softball Challenge, benefiting Indiana Children’s Wish Fund and presented by The Tony Stewart Foundation.  Witness your hometown superstars battle it out in a 7-inning celebrity softball game. Players include Colts and Pacers members, mascots, media personalities and other sports stars.  Roy Hibbert and Robert Mathis will host the event. Tickets are $7 and FREE for children ages 3 and under; a family four pack is $20.

For more information, visit http://indydt.com/, or call 317-237-2222.