Vevay Bicentennial Calendar Now Available

Vevay Bicentennial Calendar. Image provided by Switzerland County Tourism and used with written permission.

By Kendal Miller
On behalf of Switzerland County Tourism
http://switzcotourism.com/

Next year, Vevay, Indiana will celebrate a milestone birthday. When the clock strikes midnight tonight on New Year’s Eve, Switzerland County will begin the countdown to the Bicentennial honoring its county seat. Taking place October 4-13, 2013, event plans are in the works and fundraising for events has begun.

Located between Jefferson and Ohio counties, Switzerland County is known for being the Birthplace of the First Successful Commercial Winery in the U.S. The town of Vevay was established in 1813 by John James Dufour and his countrymen of Vevey, Switzerland. Dufour’s wine-making operation moved to the area from Kentucky after his vines were overcome with disease. In what would become “Switzerland County” they prospered, bequeathing the town its wine-making history and the origin of one of Indiana’s Top Ten Festival’s, the Swiss Wine Festival (Aug. 22-25, 2013).

Vevay has been recognized as one of the most important river communities of the 19th century. Both flatboats and steamboats shipped produce, manufactured goods, and hay by means of the Ohio River. The Life on the Ohio River History Museum in Vevay (208 East Market St.) is an excellent source of photos, artifacts, and models of how the river played a role in the area’s economic development.

Some lesser known historical tidbits about Switzerland County include boasting the birthplace of a champion and trick rodeo rider, Ken Maynard, who worked with the Buffalo Bill Wild West Show and later Ringling Brothers. Maynard was also dubbed as the first singing cowboy in the movies. The Switzerland County Visitors Center has a scrapbook dedicated to the actor/singer.

The Switzerland County Courthouse located in Vevay was the backdrop of the 1975 movie, A Girl Named Sooner. Starring Cloris Leachman, Lee Remick, and Richard Crenna, a young abandoned girl is raised by a bootlegging old woman, later taken in by the authorities and made the ward of a childless couple.

Along with Vevay’s numerous historical buildings the area has lots of history to celebrate during their Bicentennial. As the observance nears, it could include a revival of the “Swiss Belles” and “Brothers of the Brush” from the town’s Sesquicentennial, activities at Paul Ogle Riverfront Park, a play at the Historic Hoosier Theater, and more to be announced in the future.

In the meantime, a glimpse of the area’s history is available through a project of the History Committee of Vevay Bicentennial 2013– a limited-edition of 500 calendars. Designed by Ripley County resident and “Midwest Stories” Web site creator Soh Fong Ung, the calendar was collaboration between Fong and Martha Bladen, president of the Switzerland County Historical Society. Having become fond of Vevay through her husband—a Switzerland County native—Fong donated her services for the project.

Searching through the Switzerland County Museum’s collection of photographs and from borrowed postcards, Bladen and Fong selected historical themes. Fong organized the materials in an “artsy” way, collaging them to best showcase each month.

The calendar is available for $14.95 at the Switzerland County History Museum gift shop or on-line for $20 (includes shipping) at http://switzcomuseums.org/. Located at 210 East Market Street in Vevay, the gift shop is open 12-4 pm daily. The money raised will go towards a 1917 old-fashioned tent Chautauqua in the museum yard during the Bicentennial event.

Tax-deductible donations for the Bicentennial are appreciated, and can be made payable to the Community Foundation of Switzerland County, PO Box 46, Vevay, Indiana, 47043. Include “Vevay-Switzerland Bicentennial” on the memo line.

For more information on the calendar, contact the museum at 812-427-3560. Information on Switzerland County, contact the Switzerland County Visitors Center at 812-427-3237 or e-mail visitsc@vevayin.com. Information on lodging, local businesses, and events in Switzerland County can be found on the Switzerland County Tourism Web site at http://switzcotourism.com/. Join the Switzerland County Tourism-Vevay, IN, Facebook page for up-to-the minute information on county events and more.

Two Scotty’s Restaurants Closing; Two Opening in 2013

My coffee mug from Scotty’s Burger Joint in Columbus. It’s a souvenir after today.

By Bob Burchfield, Editor
AroundIndy.com, LLC
http://aroundindy.com/

It’s no secret that I really like Scotty’s Brewhouse. That should be glaringly apparent to anyone who follows this blog or our Web site. I like to take the family there on Sunday, and I stop by whenever I can. I was just at Thr3e Wise Men on Friday.

So it came as a disheartening announcement recently to learn that two of Scotty’s locations are closing after today, Dec. 30, 2012: the Lakehouse in Fishers and the Burger Joint in Columbus. Sometimes it’s hard for a layman like me to make sense of such developments: both restaurants were full of paying customers every time I visited either location. And I did visit both, despite the fact that one is 20 miles from my house and the other is 50 miles away! The Lakehouse opened on March 1, 2010, and the Burger Joint opened just over a year ago on Nov. 2, 2011.

The owners of these two establishments, MSCB Group, LLC, have terminated the management contract with A Pots and Pans Production, LLC, parent company of Scotty’s Brewhouse. Scotty’s managed these locations, but was not the owner of either of them. Here’s part of the letter from Scotty’s regarding this matter:

“A Pots & Pans Production, the parent restaurant management company to Scotty’s Brewhouse and Thr3e Wise Men Brewing Co., has signed Letters of Intent to open Scotty’s Brewhouse locations in Fort Wayne, Indiana (June, 2013) and Mishawaka, Indiana (April, 2013).

“A Pots & Pans Production also made the announcement today that the company’s management contracts for Scotty’s Lakehouse and Scotty’s Burger Joint have been terminated by the owners of these two locations, MSCB Group, LLC.

“A Pots & Pans Production was hired to develop these 2 restaurant concepts and manage operations for a contractual agreed upon fee.  They (Pots & Pans) have no ownership interest or equity in either of these 2 locations.

“At this time, a Pots & Pans Production is cautiously optimistic about reaching an agreement with MSCB Group, LLC that would allow the management company to keep the Geist area and Columbus restaurants open through the end of the month in the interest of associates and their families.  The MSCB Group has informed Pots & Pans their management contract is terminated…they will agree to the request of allowing the locations to remain open through Dec. 30, 2012.

“Despite the termination of this agreement, all other Scotty’s Brewhouse and Thr3e Wise Men Brewing Co. restaurant locations, seven in total, will remain open and operating as normal.”

For more information, visit http://scottysbrewhouse.com/.

DISCLOSURE NOTICE: A Pots & Pans Production, LLC, parent company of Scotty’s Brewhouse, provided AroundIndy.com, LLC (and many other invited guests) with a free meal at their soft openings in 2010, 2011 and 2012 at Scotty’s Lakehouse in Fishers, Thr3e Wise Men Brewing Co. in Broad Ripple, Scotty’s Burger Joint in Columbus, and Scotty’s Brewhouse in Southport.

Things to do in Indianapolis, Dec. 31 to Jan. 6

The balloons are ready to drop on the Rock ‘n’ Roll Ball at the Hyatt Regency, Dec. 31.
AroundIndy.com staff photo, (c) 2012, all rights reserved.

Things to do in Indianapolis
Dec. 31, 2012 to Jan. 6, 2013

• New Year’s Eve Rock ‘N’ Roll Ball at the Hyatt Regency Hotel
• 6th Annual Stella Artois New Year’s Eve Masquerade Ball
• 6 x 13: New Year’s Eve at the Indianapolis Museum of Art
• 99th Annual Indianapolis Auto Show at the Convention Center
• Winterfest at the Indiana History Center
• Winter Fun Days at Conner Prairie Interactive History Park
• Indiana Home and Garden Show at the Convention Center
• ‘Spank! The Fifty Shades Parody’ at the Old National Centre
• Great Train Expo at the State Fairgrounds
• Indiana Pacers NBA Basketball at Bankers Life Fieldhouse

Free publicity for your events! Submit an event.

New Year’s Celebration at Indiana Grand Casino

Indiana Grand Casino. Image provided by the casino and used with written permission.

By Pam Colbert
Indiana Grand Casino
http://www.indy-grand.com/

Indiana Grand Casino – New Year Celebration
Monday, December 31, 2012 and Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Indiana Grand Casino is open 24 hours a day and seven days a week to visitors age 21 and older – must have a valid ID to enter.
Indiana Grand Casino is central Indiana’s premier entertainment destination. The closest casino to Indianapolis, Indiana Grand Casino is conveniently located approximately 20 minutes from Indianapolis on Interstate 74E, Exit 109, in Shelbyville, Ind. The 233,000-square-foot facility features 2,000 of the most popular-themed, high-tech slot machines, a wide selection of electronic table games, including Blackjack, Roulette, Craps and Three-Card Poker, as well as an expansive state-of-the-art Poker Room offering the best in Texas Hold’em. Indiana Grand Casino also offers a wide array of dining choices ranging from fine dining to casual cuisine.

New Year Celebration – Indiana Grand Casino

• Exciting Gaming Action – Never Stops
• Three Restaurants – Cuisines for Every Taste
• Free Covered Garage Parking
• Free Parking in Paved Lots
• Free Entry – No Cover Charge to Enter Casino
• Free Coat Check
• Free Soft Drinks and Non-Specialty Coffee

* New Year’s Eve Celebration

• Free Party Favors Distributed
• Prize Giveaways Throughout the Night
• DJ from 6:00 p.m. until 1:00 a.m.

New Year’s Eve – Food & Drink Specials

Center Bar—Located in the middle of the casino, guests can enjoy their favorite beverage offerings from top-shelf liquor to ice-cold beer, while watching the casino action from every angle.

New Year’s Eve Special:

• $5 Specialty Cocktail in a souvenir glass

Grandstands Sports Bar & Grill — Features a varied menu offering contemporary American cuisine ranging from steaks to sandwiches and a full-service bar. Guests can enjoy a meal while catching all the action on three massive TV screens and numerous state-of-the-art plasmas, equipped with cutting-edge audio.

New Year’s Eve Specials:

• Guests can make selections from a full menu and the addition of three special New Year’s Eve entrées from 3:00 p.m. – 12:00 a.m.
• $5.00 Tailgate Menu will be available from 12:00 a.m. – 2:00 a.m.

Market Buffet — Features six free-standing food stations ranging from Mediterranean and Asian to Fire, Salad & Hoosier and a Bakery/Dessert station. Guests can select from dozens of buffet items — everything from signature dishes to fresh smoothies, to tempting pasta dishes and much more.

New Year’s Eve Specials:

• Regular dinner buffet offered from 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
• Special New Year’s Eve Menu featuring prime rib, crab legs, shrimp and much more for $29.95 from 4:00 p.m. – 10:30 p.m.
• Special Late Night Buffet offered for $4.99 from 12:30 a.m. – 3:30 a.m.

Steakhouse — The Steakhouse is known for its succulent steaks and fresh seafood, as well as innovative appetizers. The Steakhouse features oversized tables, high-back leather chairs and soft music for the perfect ambiance. For a great place relax and enjoy a beverage, guests can also visit the bar area in the front of the Steakhouse.

New Year’s Eve Specials:

• Select Three-Course Dinner options available from 5:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.
• Three-Course Dinner prices start at $40.00 and include entrée, appetizer, dessert and non-specialty coffee or soft drink
• The bar will be open until 1:00 a.m.

Call 317-421-8282 to make reservations.

Java Bar — Proudly serves Starbucks specialty coffee drinks and a wide selection of fresh pastries.

New Year’s Eve Hours:

• Open from 7:00 a.m. – 3:00 a.m.

Market Deli — Offers deli sandwiches, salads and more.

New Year’s Eve Hours:

• Open from 11:00 a.m. – 6:00 a.m.

**New Year’s Day—Casino Promotions

Mercedes C300 Luxury Car Giveaway

One lucky Grand Rewards Club Member will win a Mercedes C300 Luxury Car.

• The Mercedes C300 Luxury Car drawing will take place at 7:00 p.m., on Tuesday, January 1, 2013.
• The earning period that Grand Rewards Club Members can earn entries for the Luxury Car drawing is from 6:00 a.m., December 30, 2012 through 6:55 p.m., January 1, 2013. Grand Rewards Club Members will earn one entry for every 50 same-day slot points earned during the designated earning period.
• Grand Rewards Club Members with a meal purchase receipt ($10 minimum) from Grandstands Sports Bar & Grill on January 1, 2013, can bring their receipt to the Rewards Club and receive one entry into the “Mercedes C300 Luxury Car Drawing”. Guests must visit the Rewards Club with their meal purchase receipt prior to 6:00 p.m., on January 1, 2013. Only one entry per receipt.

New Year’s Day—Food & Drink Specials

Grandstands Sports Bar & Grill

New Year’s Day Specials:

• Open from 12:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.
• $5.00 Bloody Mary Bar Special
• $10.00 Pitchers of Beer
• Random drawings for great prizes
• Grand Rewards Club Members with a meal purchase receipt ($10 minimum) from Grandstands Sports Bar & Grill on January 1, 2013, can bring their receipt to the Rewards Club and receive one entry into the “Mercedes C300 Luxury Car Drawing”. Guests must visit the Rewards Club with their meal purchase receipt prior to 6:00 p.m., on January 1, 2013. Only one entry per receipt.

Market Buffet

New Year’s Day Specials:

• Open from 11:00 a.m. – 9:30 p.m.
• $15.95 Champagne Brunch for Non-Club Members
• $7.77 Champagne Brunch for Grand Rewards Club Members
• $15.95 Dinner with Prime Rib included

New Year’s Day—Food & Drink Specials

Java Bar

New Year’s Day Hours:

• Open from 7:00 a.m. – 3:00 a.m.
• New Year’s Day full Breakfast served from 7:00 a.m. -11:00 a.m.
• New Year’s Day Coffee & Pastries served from 7:00 a.m. -10:00 p.m.

Steakhouse

New Year’s Day Hours:

• Open from 4:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.

* New Year Celebration schedule and events are subject to change.
** All New Year Celebration promotions are pending IGC approval.

For more information, visit http://www.indy-grand.com/, or call 877-386-4463.

‘Guapa’ at the Phoenix Theatre, Jan. 3-20

“Guapa” at the Phoenix Theatre. Photo provided by the theatre and used with written permission.

By Lori Raffel
Phoenix Theatre
http://www.phoenixtheatre.org/

The Phoenix Theatre of Indianapolis proudly announces the NNPN Rolling World Premiere of a theatrical production by Caridad Svich, Guapa, in the Frank and Katrina Basile Theatre, opening Thursday, January 3, and running through Sunday, January 20, 2013, with the last two performances in Spanish.

The NATIONAL NEW PLAY NETWORK (NNPN), the country’s alliance of non-profit theaters that champions the development, production, and continued life of new plays. Guapa is its 30^th Rolling World Premiere:  Caridad Svich’s Guapa will receive three productions through the Network’s Continued Life of New Plays Fund in the 2012/13 season, the Network’s 15th.  Guapabegan its Rolling World Premiere at Borderlands Theater (Tucson, AZ, October 5 – 21), followed by the Phoenix Theatre performances, then ending at Miracle Theatre Group (Portland, OR, March 22 – April 13).

“The story is about Guapa’s dream, a dream her mother worries can’t be achieved, but one the others in her family hope will be realized,” stated Phoenix Theatre Producing Director Bryan Fonseca, who also directs the play. “The play is centered on a Latino family; however, the family could really be from anywhere in the country. Universally, all families struggle with the same issues as Guapa – finding where you fit in – in your family and in the world.”

ABOUT THE PLAY

In a small Texas town long fractured by class struggle and racism, a single mother named Roly works to give her makeshift family a shot at their dreams.  Together they adopt a young woman named Guapa (“beautiful”), who wants nothing more than to play women’s soccer.  With her hallmark lyricism and political commitment, Svich has written a border-fantasy filled with magical sports dreams, graffiti, birds in flight, indigenous history, trauma, recovery, and the possibility of a better life.

ABOUT CARIDAD SVICH

Caridad Svich is a US Latina playwright, translator, lyricist and editor whose works have been presented across the US and abroad at diverse venues, including the Denver Center, Mixed Blood Theatre, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Repertorio Espanol, 59East59, McCarren Park Pool, 7 Stages, Salvage Vanguard Theatre, Teatro Mori (Santiago, Chile), ARTheater (Cologne), and Edinburgh Fringe Festival/UK.  She received the 2011 American Theatre Critics Association Primus Prize for her play The House of the Spirits, based on the novel by Isabel Allende, and has been short-listed for the PEN Award in Drama three times, including in 2010 for Instructions for Breathing.  Her key works include 12 Ophelias, Alchemy of Desire/Dead Man’s Blues, Any Place But Here, Iphigenia…A Rave Fable, Fugitive Pieces, In the Time of the Butterflies (based on Julia Alvarez’s novel), Magnificent Waste, and the multimedia collaboration The Booth Variations.  An alumna of New Dramatists, she holds an MFA in Theatre-Playwriting from UCSD, and has taught creative writing and playwriting at Bard College, Barnard College, Rutgers University-New Brunswick and Yale School of Drama.

ABOUT CAST AND PRODUCTION TEAM

The five-member cast of Guapa includes Patricia Castañeda (Roly), Phebe Taylor (Guapa), Guero Loco (LeBon), Adrian Gomez (Hakim) and Magdalena Ramos (Pepi).

In addition to Phoenix Theatre Producing Director Bryan Fonseca producing and directing, the production team includes Set Designer James Gross, Light Designer Laura Glover, Sound and Video Designer Tim Brickley, Technical Director Nolan Brokamp, Costume Designer Ashley Kiefer, Stage Manager Chelsey Wood.

CRITICAL ACCLAIM

“(Playwright Caridad) Svich mixes a little magical realism with the nitty gritty of a tough life for a barely-making-it group of people.”- Arizona Daily Star

TICKETS

It is the goal of the Phoenix Theatre to be the best ticket value in town for live, professional theatre. The following are ticket prices for Guapa in the Frank and Katrina Basile Stage at the Phoenix:

 

$18 – Katrina Basile Realtor CheapSeats
Opening weekend; First Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday

$28 for all adults
All remaining performances after opening weekend (Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays)

$18 for individuals
Age 21 and under

PERFORMANCES

Phoenix FlexPass is the best theatre deal in Indy and will only be available through October 31, 2012. Buying a FlexPass is like getting one regular-priced ticket for free. A FlexPass for $115 gets a patron five vouchers that can be traded in for any combination of tickets for any of the 2012-2013 productions.

January 3                Thursday                                        7:00 pm

January 4                Friday (Producer’s Party)       8:00 pm

January 5                Saturday                                         8:00 pm

January 6                Sunday                                           2:00 pm

KATRINA BASILE REALTOR CHEAPSEATS ENTIRE FIRST WEEKEND

January 10              Thursday                                        7:00 pm

January 11              Friday                                             8:00 pm

January 12              Saturday                                         8:00 pm

January 13              Sunday                                           2:00 pm

January 17              Thursday                                        7:00 pm

January 18              Friday                                             8:00 pm

January 19              Saturday (Spanish Performance)  8:00 pm

January 20               Sunday (Spanish Performance)    2:00 pm

ABOUT THE PHOENIX THEATRE
“The Phoenix Theatre has cornered the market on hip new works.” — Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune

The Phoenix Theatre is Indiana’s only professional contemporary theatre, and has presented productions to challenge and entertain the Indianapolis community for 30 years. An Equity house, the Theatre presents the Midwest and Indiana premieres of many popular Broadway and Off-Broadway plays, and has presented more than 85 world premieres in its quarter century. The Phoenix operates the 130-seat proscenium Livia and Steve Russell Theatre as well as the 65-seat cabaret-style black box Frank & Katrina Basile Stage. The Phoenix Pub, located in the Basile Stage, serves beer, wine, coffee, soft drinks, water, and treats, and patrons may take all refreshments into either theatre. Both venues are housed along with administrative offices in a renovated 1907 church in downtown Indianapolis’ historic Chatham Arch neighborhood, part of the Mass Ave Arts & Theatre District. The Phoenix Theatre is a member of the National New Play Network and the League of Indianapolis Theatres, and is supported by the Indiana Arts Commission, the Arts Council of Indianapolis, and the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as local corporate and foundation funders and more than 400 individual donors.

For more information, visit http://phoenixtheatre.org/, or call 317-635-7529.